Key Facts
- Hangul: 미용실; Revised Romanization: miyongsil
- Syllables: 3
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Hanja: 美容室 (美 beautiful + 容 appearance + 室 room)
- Register: Neutral; standard word for a hair salon. 헤어숍 is a trendier alternative.
Hair Salon in Korean: What Does 미용실 Mean?
The senses are hair salon and beauty salon. The register is neutral, and it is the normal word to use when you book a cut, a colour or a perm. A trendier term, 헤어숍, exists as a modern alternative. 미용실 also pairs with 미용사 for the stylist who works there, so one family of words covers the place and the person.
How Do You Pronounce 미용실?
Three syllables, mi-yong-sil. The vowel in the first syllable is a short ee. The second, yong, is a single glide, yo plus ng, with no break in the middle. The third ends on l. With the particle 에서, as in the first example, the l carries across and you hear mi-yong-si-re-seo.
Example Sentences with 미용실
미용실에서 머리를 잘랐어요.
Miyongsireseo meorireul jallasseoyo.
I got my hair cut at the hair salon.
This line says where you did something. 에서 marks the place of an action, and 잘랐어요 means cut, so hair was cut there.
미용실 예약을 했어요.
Miyongsil yeyageul haesseoyo.
I made a hair salon reservation.
A booking sentence. 예약 means reservation, and 했어요 is the past tense of do, so the speaker has already booked.
이 근처에 미용실이 있어요?
I geuncheoe miyongsiri isseoyo?
Is there a hair salon near here?
This one is a question to a stranger. 이 근처에 means near here, and 있어요 asks whether something exists, so you can use it on the street.
Common Phrases and Collocations
The collocations cover going there, booking, getting a style and the local shop around the corner.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 미용실에 가다 | to go to the hair salon |
| 미용실 예약 | hair salon reservation |
| 미용실에서 머리를 하다 | to get hair done at the salon |
| 동네 미용실 | neighborhood hair salon |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ Looking for an 이발소 when you want a styled cut or a perm.
Correct: ✓ Asking for a 미용실.
Why: 이발소 is an older style barber shop for simple short cuts, and it is harder to find now. 미용실 is the usual place for cuts, colour and perms for anyone.
미용실 Compared with Similar Words
Three related words cover the barber, the trendy loanword and the person who cuts your hair.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 미용실 | hair salon; beauty salon | The word on this page. |
| 이발소 | barber shop | A traditional barber for short cuts. |
| 헤어숍 | hair shop (trendy term) | A trendier name for a salon. |
| 미용사 | hair stylist | The person who works in a 미용실. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
미용실 is Sino-Korean. The hanja 美容室 combine 美, beautiful, 容, appearance, and 室, room, so it is a room for beautifying appearance.
Booking a Haircut by Phone
A customer calls a 미용실 to ask about an appointment. The staff member needs the service as well as the time to arrange the booking.
Customer
오늘 미용실 예약할 수 있어요?
Oneul miyongsil yeyakal su isseoyo?
Can I book a salon appointment for today?
Staff
네, 어떤 시술을 원하세요?
Ne, eotteon sisureul wonhaseyo?
Yes. What service would you like?
Customer
커트만 하고 싶어요.
Keoteuman hago sipeoyo.
I would just like a haircut.
Staff
오후 세 시에 오실 수 있어요?
Ohu se sie osil su isseoyo?
Can you come at three in the afternoon?
커트만 means “just a haircut”. The marker 만 limits the request, so the staff member knows the customer is not also asking for a perm or colour. 시술 is a service or treatment in this setting. The staff use respectful forms such as 원하세요 and 오실; the customer can reply with ordinary polite endings.
Where Will You See 미용실?
미용실 appears on street signs, local maps, booking pages, and directions. A business may use 헤어 in its name while still being described as a 미용실. When asking someone for directions, the general word identifies the kind of place you need even if you do not know the shop's name.
미용실에 가다 describes going to the salon, while 미용실에서 머리를 하다 describes getting your hair done there. 에 gives the destination; 에서 gives the location of the activity. The broader 머리를 하다 can cover styling or another hair service, so it leaves more unspecified than 머리를 자르다, “to cut hair”.
In the existing sentence 미용실에서 머리를 잘랐어요, the speaker normally means they had their hair cut. The sentence does not claim that they held the scissors themselves. The salon setting makes the service interpretation natural. In a story about cutting your own hair at home, the same cutting verb could describe your own action.
Reading a Salon Service Menu
커트 is a haircut, 염색 is hair colouring, and 펌 is a perm. These are service names you can use when booking. A request for a 미용실 identifies the business; naming the service tells the staff what appointment you want. A haircut and colour may require a different booking from a haircut alone.
예약하다 means “to make a reservation”. 예약 시간 is the appointment time, while 예약 변경 means changing a reservation. If you are reading a confirmation, check which phrase appears: an existing time and a request to change that time are different messages.
머리를 다듬다 means “to trim or tidy up the hair”. It points toward a smaller adjustment than a general request to cut it. The phrase alone still does not specify an exact length. A reference photo or a clear indication of how much to remove gives the stylist information the verb cannot provide.
Words to Know before You Sit Down
| Korean | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 커트 | haircut | Name the service when booking. |
| 염색 | hair colouring | Distinguish colour from cutting or styling. |
| 펌 | perm | Ask about a service that changes the hair's curl. |
| 앞머리 | bangs; fringe | Identify the hair over the forehead. |
| 미용사 | hair stylist | Name the person rather than the shop. |
The hair salon vocabulary lesson covers the wider appointment vocabulary. 머리 can mean either head or hair; a salon service menu and words such as 커트 make the hair meaning clear.
Quick Self-Test
- Which word names the place: 미용실 or 미용사?
- What does 커트만 request?
- Which marker fits an action at the salon: 미용실에 or 미용실에서?
Show answers
- 미용실 is the place; 미용사 is the stylist.
- A haircut only.
- 미용실에서 gives the location of an action.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "hair salon" in Korean?
Hair salon in Korean is 미용실 (miyongsil).
How do you say "I made a hair salon reservation"?
Say 미용실 예약을 했어요.
What is the difference between 미용실 and 이발소?
이발소 is a barber shop, while 미용실 is a hair and beauty salon.
How do you ask whether there is a salon nearby?
Say 이 근처에 미용실이 있어요?
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Korean hair salon vocabulary groups 미용실 with related words.
- Index: look up more words near "hair salon" in Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 미용실 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.