Key Facts
- Hangul: 심장; Revised Romanization: simjang
- Syllables: 2
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Hanja: 心臟 (心 heart + 臟 organ)
- Register: Neutral; used for the organ and in medical/news contexts. For feelings, 마음 is used instead.
Heart in Korean: What Does 심장 Mean?
The only sense is the heart as an organ. The register is neutral. You hear it in medical talk, in the news and when people mention their body, such as a fast pulse or a weak heart. It is not the word for love or emotion. That role belongs to 마음, which covers the heart and mind together as the place where feelings live.
How Do You Pronounce 심장?
Two syllables, sim-jang. The first closes on m with the lips together. The second starts with a j that is voiced between sounds and closes on ng. In the first example, 심장이 links as sim-jang-i. The RR spelling matches the sounds closely.
Example Sentences with 심장
심장이 빨리 뛰어요.
Simjangi ppalli ttwieoyo.
My heart is beating fast.
The verb 뛰어요 means beats or runs, and 빨리 means fast. This is a natural line after exercise or a scare.
그는 심장이 약해요.
Geuneun simjangi yakaeyo.
He has a weak heart.
A statement about health. 약해요 is the polite form of weak, so the sentence says that his heart is weak.
심장 수술을 받았어요.
Simjang susureul badasseoyo.
I had heart surgery.
Surgery is received in Korean. 받았어요 means received, so the sentence says I had heart surgery. 수술 is the noun for the operation itself.
Common Phrases and Collocations
The collocations show the pulse verb, the emergency term and the disease word.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 심장이 뛰다 | the heart beats |
| 심장 마비 | cardiac arrest |
| 심장병 | heart disease |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ 심장 for the heart that feels, as in "I love you from my heart."
Correct: ✓ 마음 for feelings; 심장 only for the organ.
Why: Learners use 심장 for the emotional heart. In English heart works for both the organ and feelings, but Korean keeps them apart. Use 마음 for feelings and keep 심장 for the organ.
심장 Compared with Similar Words
Two nearby words show where the organ ends and the feeling begins.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 심장 | heart (the organ) | The word on this page. |
| 마음 | heart/mind (emotional) | The emotional heart, not the organ. |
| 가슴 | chest | The chest or breast area. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
심장 is Sino-Korean. The hanja 心臟 combine 心, heart, and 臟, organ.
After a Frightening Film
Two friends leave a suspense film. One describes a physical reaction, even though the cause is an emotion.
Jisu
영화가 정말 무서웠어요.
Yeonghwaga jeongmal museowosseoyo.
The film was really scary.
Alex
저도요. 아직 심장이 빨리 뛰어요.
Jeodoyo. Ajik simjangi ppalli ttwieoyo.
Me too. My heart is still beating fast.
Jisu
잠깐 여기 앉을까요?
Jamkkan yeogi anjeulkkayo?
Shall we sit here for a moment?
Alex
네, 조금 쉬고 싶어요.
Ne, jogeum swigo sipeoyo.
Yes, I want to rest a little.
아직 means “still”, so the beating continues after the film has ended. The speaker does not need to say “my”: the situation makes the owner of the heart clear. 심장이 takes 이 because 심장 ends in a consonant.
Can 심장 Appear in an Emotional Scene?
심장 can describe the physical response to fear, excitement or attraction. In a romance drama, a character who says 심장이 뛰다 is talking about a beating heart, with attraction understood from the scene. 마음 names the feelings themselves. The distinction is between a bodily reaction and an inner feeling, even when both happen at once.
두근두근 represents the repeated thumping of a heart. You may see it in subtitles, comics or captions during a nervous wait or a romantic moment. The phrase 심장이 두근거리다 means that the heart pounds or flutters. The sound word adds the feeling of repeated beats; it does not name a separate body part.
심장이 멎는 줄 알았어요 means “I thought my heart stopped.” In a story about a sudden fright, this can be an exaggeration expressing shock. The words alone do not tell you whether the speaker is describing a medical event or using dramatic language; the surrounding story matters.
Where Will You See 심장?
심장 appears in hospital information, health news and biology lessons. In 심장 수술, the first noun tells you what kind of surgery is involved. In 심장병, 병 means disease. Recognizing the shared 심장 helps you connect the compound with the organ without having to learn each expression as an unrelated word.
심장 마비 is a serious medical expression, unlike a lighthearted caption about a fluttering heart. In a language exercise, learn the whole phrase as a unit. A description such as 심장이 약해요 is a broad statement about health; it does not give the name of a particular disease.
Related Words for Describing the Chest
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 가슴 | chest | Names the area containing the heart and lungs. |
| 맥박 | pulse | Refers to the pulse someone can count or check. |
| 심박수 | heart rate | Names the number of heartbeats over a period of time. |
| 폐 | lungs | Another organ named in chest and breathing discussions. |
The body vocabulary lesson puts the organ beside other body words. For a description of location, 가슴 gives the chest area; for the beating organ itself, 심장 is more precise.
심장을 uses 을 when the heart is the object, while 심장이 uses 이 when the heart is the subject. The beating-heart examples use 이 because the heart performs the beating.
Quick Self-Test
- Which word suits the feelings in “from the heart”: 심장 or 마음?
- Why can a romantic scene still use 심장이 빨리 뛰어요?
- Which related word means pulse?
Show answers
- 마음.
- It describes a physical reaction to attraction.
- 맥박.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "heart" in Korean?
Heart in Korean is 심장 (simjang) when you mean the organ.
How do you say "my heart is beating fast"?
Say 심장이 빨리 뛰어요.
Which word is used for emotions?
Use 마음 for the emotional heart.
How do you say "heart disease"?
Say 심장병.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Korean body vocabulary groups 심장 with related words.
- Index: look up more words near "heart" in Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 심장 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next word in the list: knee.