Key Facts
- Hangul: 땅; Revised Romanization: ttang
- Syllables: 1
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native Korean
- Register: Neutral everyday word.
Ground in Korean: What Does 땅 Mean?
The senses are ground, land and earth. The same word covers a wet patch of dirt, a plot someone owns and, in some phrases, the underground. It is a neutral everyday word. What it does not cover is the floor inside a building, which uses a different word. Note the contrast with the planet, 지구, which is the proper name for Earth in space.
How Do You Pronounce 땅?
One syllable, ttang. The double t in the romanization is a tense consonant, said with a tight throat and no puff of air. It is not the same as the plain d in dang. The syllable ends on ng, the sound at the end of the English word sing. With a vowel particle, as in 땅이, the ng stays and the particle sounds separate: ttang-i.
Example Sentences with 땅
땅이 젖었어요.
Ttangi jeojeosseoyo.
The ground is wet.
The first line describes the ground after rain. 젖었어요 is the past tense of the verb for getting wet, so the ground has become wet.
땅 위에 앉아요.
Ttang wie anjayo.
I sit on the ground.
The place word 위 means on top of. The sentence fits a picnic in a park or a camping trip, and it should not be used for a room floor.
그는 땅을 샀어요.
Geuneun ttangeul sasseoyo.
He bought land.
Here the word means land. The verb 샀어요 means bought, so 땅 becomes a property that someone owns.
Common Phrases and Collocations
The collocations show land as something you buy, a surface that things fall on and a price tag.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 땅을 사다 | to buy land |
| 땅에 떨어지다 | to fall on the ground |
| 땅값 | land price |
| 땅속 | underground |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ 땅 for the floor of a room.
Correct: ✓ 바닥 for the floor indoors.
Why: Learners use 땅 for the floor of a room because both are the ground under your feet. Indoors, say 바닥 for the floor, and keep 땅 for outdoors and for land.
땅 Compared with Similar Words
Two nearby words show where 땅 stops. One is for floors and surfaces, the other is for the whole planet.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 땅 | ground; land; earth | The word on this page. |
| 바닥 | floor/bottom | The floor of a room or the bottom surface. |
| 지구 | Earth | Planet Earth, seen from space. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
땅 is a native Korean word with no hanja form.
After Rain at the Campsite
Two campers are looking for somewhere to sit. The ground is wet, so they discuss a practical way to keep their clothes dry.
Camper A
땅이 많이 젖었어요.
Ttangi mani jeojeosseoyo.
The ground is very wet.
Camper B
여기에 앉아도 돼요?
Yeogie anjado dwaeyo?
Can we sit here?
Camper A
먼저 돗자리를 깔아요.
Meonjeo dotjarireul kkarayo.
Let’s put down a mat first.
Camper B
좋아요. 가방도 그 위에 놓아요.
Joayo. Gabangdo geu wie noayo.
Good. Let’s put the bags on it too.
The first line describes the surface around the speakers. Nothing suggests land ownership, even though 땅 can have that meaning elsewhere. 돗자리 is a mat for sitting on the ground. 그 위에 means “on top of that”; here it refers back to the mat rather than to the wet ground.
Which Meaning of 땅 Fits the Scene?
With weather words, 땅 normally means the physical ground: it can be wet, dry, frozen, or cracked. With buying and selling, the same noun usually means land as property. 땅을 사다 means buying land, while 땅을 파다 means digging the ground. The verb often settles the meaning before you need any further explanation.
흙 is the material: soil or dirt. 땅 is the ground or land that contains it. Mud on a shoe is material stuck to the shoe, so 흙 is the useful noun. When describing where a seed is planted, 땅 points to its place in the ground. English “earth” can cover both, which makes this distinction easy to miss.
바닥 is broader than “indoor floor”: it also names a bottom or supporting surface. 땅 points specifically to ground or land. In a room, 바닥 is the normal choice for the floor. Outside, the exact object still matters: the bottom of a bag is its 바닥 even if the bag is resting on 땅.
Common Combinations in Directions and News
땅 위 means “above ground” or “on the ground”, depending on the sentence. 땅속 means “inside the ground” or “underground”. In a nature documentary, 땅속 may describe where roots or animals are found. It does not name an underground railway; that is a different kind of noun.
땅값 means the price of land. News about housing or development may discuss it alongside 집값, house prices. Both end in 값, “price”, but they refer to different things being valued. Recognizing 땅값 does not tell you whether a quoted price includes a building.
땅을 파다 is literal digging, and 땅에 떨어지다 describes something falling onto the ground. In the latter, 에 marks the landing place. Compare 땅에서 자라다, “to grow in the ground”: 에서 supplies the setting for growth. The noun stays the same while the verb and marker organize the scene.
Words for Describing the Surface
| Korean | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 흙 | soil; dirt | The loose material rather than land as property. |
| 모래 | sand | Names a particular surface material. |
| 진흙 | mud | Useful when the wet surface sticks to shoes. |
| 돗자리 | picnic mat | Something laid on the ground to sit on. |
The landscape vocabulary lesson teaches the wider setting. Use a material word when describing what is underfoot; use 땅 when the ground or the piece of land itself is the focus.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 땅값 mean the price of land or the planet Earth?
- Which word names soil as a material?
- What is the normal word for a room’s floor?
Show answers
- 땅값 means land price.
- 흙 names soil or dirt.
- 바닥 is the normal word.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "ground" in Korean?
Ground in Korean is 땅 (ttang). It also means land.
How do you say "he bought land"?
Say 그는 땅을 샀어요.
Is 땅 the word for a floor?
No. Inside a room, say 바닥.
How do you say "underground"?
Say 땅속.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Korean landscape vocabulary groups 땅 with related words.
- Index: look up more words near "ground" in Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 땅 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next word in the list: lake.
- Compare with the page for Earth, the planet.