Key Facts
- Hangul: 풀; Revised Romanization: pul
- Syllables: 1
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native Korean
- Register: Neutral everyday word; 풀 also means 'glue/paste', a homonym.
Grass in Korean: What Does 풀 Mean?
The senses are grass and weeds. The word covers wild green growth, the kind that comes up in a yard or a field, rather than a tended lawn, which has its own word. The register is neutral and everyday. A second word with the identical spelling means glue or paste. The two are homonyms, which means they sound and look the same but have different meanings, and nothing in the spelling tells them apart.
How Do You Pronounce 풀?
One syllable, pul. It starts with an aspirated p, released with a strong puff of air, and ends on l. With a vowel particle, the l moves across to the next syllable, so 풀이 is said pu-ri and 풀을 is said pu-reul. Because there is only one syllable, context matters more than usual.
Example Sentences with 풀
풀이 푸르러요.
Puri pureureoyo.
The grass is green.
풀이 is the subject and 푸르러요 is the polite form of the adjective for being green. That adjective is irregular, so its polite form adds 러 rather than the usual vowel.
소가 풀을 먹어요.
Soga pureul meogeoyo.
The cow eats grass.
Cows eat grass, and the object particle attaches straight to 풀. The final l links to the vowel: pu-reul.
마당에 풀이 많아요.
Madange puri manayo.
There are lots of weeds in the yard.
마당에 풀이 많아요 describes a yard with plenty of weeds, which is why English translates 풀 as weeds here. The place particle 에 shows where the plants are.
Common Phrases and Collocations
The collocations cover pulling weeds, a grassy field and grass growing, and 잔디 is listed for a tended lawn.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 풀을 뽑다 | to pull weeds |
| 풀밭 | grassy field |
| 풀이 자라다 | grass grows |
| 잔디 | lawn |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ 풀로 붙이다 translated as stick with grass.
Correct: ✓ 풀로 붙이다 means stick with glue.
Why: Learners meet 풀 as grass first and carry that meaning into every sentence. When a verb of attaching follows, as in 붙이다, the word is the glue. Check the verb before choosing the meaning.
풀 Compared with Similar Words
Two words are close in meaning or share the spelling, and each needs a different context.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 풀 | grass; weeds | The word on this page. |
| 잔디 | lawn | Cultivated lawn grass. |
| 풀 | glue | The homonym, as in 풀로 붙이다, stick with glue. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
풀 is a native Korean word with no hanja form.
Choosing a Picnic Spot
Two friends arrive at a park after rain. They use polite endings while deciding where to put their picnic things.
Mina
여기 풀밭에 앉을까요?
Yeogi pulbate anjeulkkayo?
Shall we sit on this patch of grass?
Jisu
풀이 아직 젖어 있어요.
Puri ajik jeojeo isseoyo.
The grass is still wet.
Mina
그럼 저 벤치에 앉아요.
Geureom jeo benchie anjayo.
Then let’s sit on that bench.
Jisu
좋아요. 저기는 그늘도 있어요.
Joayo. Jeogineun geuneuldo isseoyo.
Good. There is shade over there too.
풀밭 names an area covered with grass. 풀 names the plants themselves, so 풀이 젖어 있어요 describes their condition. The speakers do not need to identify a species to decide where to sit. 아직 means “still” here and explains why the first spot is unsuitable.
Where Will You Hear 풀 and See 잔디?
풀 is common in descriptions of fields, yards, animal food, and vegetation beside a path. It is broader than the English image of a neatly cut lawn. If someone says there is a lot of 풀 in a vegetable patch, “weeds” may be the most useful English translation, even though the Korean noun has not changed.
A maintained park lawn is more likely to be called 잔디 or 잔디밭. A sign reading 잔디 보호 asks visitors to protect the lawn. 출입 금지 means entry prohibited; when it appears beside a lawn, it tells you not to enter that area. Recognizing 풀 alone will not tell you whether walking on the grass is allowed.
In a gardening conversation, 잡초 makes “weeds” explicit. It describes plants growing where they are unwanted. 풀 is less specific: the plants could be welcome ground cover, grazing material, or unwanted growth. The person's task supplies the attitude toward them.
Pulling, Cutting, and Growing Grass
풀을 뽑다 means pulling grass or weeds out, including their roots. 풀을 깎다 means cutting the growth shorter. These are different garden jobs: pulling removes a plant, while cutting can leave it growing. If someone asks you to help in a yard, listen for the verb before starting.
풀이 자라다 describes grass growing without naming a person who causes it. 풀을 뽑다 names a person's action on it. The change from 이 to 을 follows this difference: grass is the subject of growing but the object of pulling. Both combinations are literal descriptions rather than idioms.
풀밭 and 잔디밭 both name grassy areas, but 잔디밭 points more clearly to lawn grass. A cow eating 풀 does not imply a landscaped lawn. Likewise, a park notice about 잔디 is concerned with the maintained surface, not every small green plant nearby.
Nearby Nature Words
| Korean | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 잡초 | weeds | Unwanted plants in a garden or cultivated area. |
| 잔디밭 | lawn; grassy lawn area | The area covered with lawn grass. |
| 잎 | leaf | A plant part rather than a whole grassy area. |
| 흙 | soil; dirt | What the plants grow in. |
The landscape vocabulary lesson connects 풀 with the places and surfaces around it. In a description of a park, 풀 supplies the vegetation, 흙 the material underneath, and 풀밭 the area you can point to.
Quick Self-Test
- Which word explicitly means unwanted weeds?
- Does 풀을 뽑다 mean cutting the grass shorter?
- In 풀로 붙이다, which meaning of 풀 fits?
Show answers
- 잡초 explicitly names weeds.
- No. It means pulling grass or weeds out. 풀을 깎다 means cutting it.
- Glue or paste fits the action of sticking something.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "grass" in Korean?
Grass in Korean is 풀 (pul). It can also mean weeds.
Does 풀 also mean glue?
Yes. The spelling is the same, and the verb in the sentence, such as 붙이다, tells you which one is meant.
How do you say "pull weeds"?
Say 풀을 뽑다.
What is the word for a lawn?
A lawn is 잔디, which means cultivated lawn grass.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Korean landscape vocabulary groups 풀 with related words.
- Index: look up more words near "grass" in Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 풀 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next word in the list: ground.