Key Facts
- Hangul: 입원 (ibwon)
- Meaning: hospitalization; admission to hospital
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Register: neutral to formal; usually used as 입원하다
- Hanja: 入院 (入 enter + 院 institution)
- Level: B1
Hospitalization in Korean: What Does 입원 Mean?
입원 means to enter a hospital as a patient who stays, and the two hanja, enter and institution, say exactly that. Its mirror image is 퇴원, discharge from hospital. Visiting someone on the ward is 면회. In speech the verb form 입원하다 appears most, as in 내일 입원해야 해요. Costs and length of stay have their own compounds: 입원비 for hospital fees, 입원 기간 for the length of stay, and 입원 수속 for the admission procedure.
How Do You Pronounce 입원?
입원 is two syllables, but the written spelling hides a link. The final ㅂ of 입 moves onto the empty ㅇ of 원, so the word sounds like i-bwon, and the Revised Romanization writes ibwon. 원 is read won, with a quick w glide. With 하다 it continues smoothly: 입원하셨어요 is ibwonhasyeosseoyo.
How Do You Use 입원 in a Sentence?
할아버지가 입원하셨어요.
My grandfather has been admitted to the hospital.
harabeojiga ibwonhasyeosseoyo. 할아버지가 입원하셨어요 says my grandfather has been admitted. 하셨어요 carries the honorific ending that shows respect for the grandfather.
입원 기간은 일주일이에요.
The hospitalization period is one week.
ibwon giganeun iljuirieyo. 입원 기간은 일주일이에요 says the hospital stay is one week. 기간 is length of time, and 이에요 follows 일주일 because it ends in a consonant.
내일 입원해야 해요.
I have to be admitted tomorrow.
naeil ibwonhaeya haeyo. 내일 입원해야 해요 says I have to be admitted tomorrow. 해야 해요 means must, and 내일 is tomorrow.
Common Word Combinations
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 입원하다 | to be hospitalized |
| 입원 기간 | length of hospital stay |
| 입원 수속 | admission procedure |
| 입원비 | hospital fees |
입원하다 is to be hospitalized, and 입원 기간 is the length of the stay. 입원 수속 is the admission procedure, and 입원비 is the hospital fees. The first phrase uses 하다 as a verb, and the others are compounds built on 입원.
Common Mistake
Mix-up: Using 입원 when you mean leaving the hospital.
Instead: Leaving is 퇴원. The first character of 입원 means enter, and the first character of 퇴원 means leave.
The shared 원 makes them look alike, so check the first syllable: 입 in, 퇴 out.
How Does 입원 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | Meaning | How it differs from 입원 |
|---|---|---|
| 퇴원 | discharge from hospital | The opposite event: leaving the hospital. |
| 병원 | hospital | The place. 입원 is the act of being admitted to it. |
| 면회 | visiting a patient | What visitors do while someone is in hospital. |
At the Hospital Admission Desk
A patient has already been told to stay in hospital and asks a staff member about admission. These lines practise the administrative vocabulary, rather than giving medical advice.
Patient
입원 수속은 어디에서 해요?
ibwon susogeun eodieseo haeyo?
Where do I complete the admission procedure?
Staff
여기에서 하시면 돼요.
yeogieseo hasimyeon dwaeyo.
You can do that here.
Patient
오늘 입원해요?
oneul ibwonhaeyo?
Am I being admitted today?
Staff
네, 오늘 입원하시면 돼요.
ne, oneul ibwonhasimyeon dwaeyo.
Yes, you can be admitted today.
수속 means the formal steps needed to arrange something. The patient asks about those steps, then confirms the date. Staff use 하시면 돼요, a polite way to explain what the patient can do. The conversation assumes an admission plan already exists.
Where Will You See 입원?
입원 appears on hospital notices, admission paperwork and information about hospital stays. A heading containing 입원 수속 concerns admission arrangements. 입원비 concerns charges associated with the stay. 입원 기간 concerns time. Reading the word after 입원 helps you find the right section of a longer notice.
A message from a friend saying someone has been hospitalized uses the same word. It tells you that the person has been admitted, but does not identify the illness, treatment or seriousness of the situation. The sentence about a grandfather being admitted is therefore information about his hospital status, rather than a diagnosis.
입원 중 means “currently hospitalized” or “during a hospital stay”. You may encounter it in a short status message. 중 marks an ongoing state here. In contrast, 입원 예정 indicates that admission is planned. A planned stay and a current stay are different, even though both expressions begin with 입원.
Which Hospital Phrases Describe Different Actions?
병원에 가다 simply means to go to a hospital or clinic. It can describe an appointment followed by going home. 입원하다 is more specific: the patient is admitted for a stay. A hospital visit alone is not enough to call the event 입원.
입원하다 and 입원 중이다 also frame time differently. The first can describe being admitted; the second focuses on being in hospital now. In a message explaining why someone cannot attend an event, the ongoing state may be the relevant detail. An admission date instead focuses on when the stay begins.
면회 is a visit to someone staying in hospital. The visitor does not become an inpatient by entering the building. Likewise, 퇴원 marks the end of an inpatient stay; it does not simply mean walking out after visiting a relative. Follow the patient's role when choosing among these words.
Related Words around a Hospital Stay
| Korean | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 외래 | outpatient care | Care without an inpatient stay. |
| 병실 | hospital room; ward room | The room where an admitted patient stays. |
| 환자 | patient | The person receiving care. |
| 보호자 | guardian; accompanying caregiver | The person accompanying or responsible for the patient. |
The health vocabulary lesson introduces more words for medical settings. Recognizing 병실 helps with directions inside a hospital, while recognizing 보호자 helps distinguish instructions for the patient from instructions for the accompanying person.
Quick Self-Test
- Does every trip to a hospital count as 입원?
- Which phrase concerns admission paperwork: 입원 수속 or 입원 기간?
- What does 입원 중 tell you about timing?
Show answers
- No. 입원 means admission for a hospital stay.
- 입원 수속. 입원 기간 concerns the length of the stay.
- The person is currently hospitalized; the stay is ongoing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does 입원 Mean?
It means hospitalization, being admitted to a hospital.
How Do I Say My Grandfather Was Admitted?
Say 할아버지가 입원하셨어요.
What Is the Opposite of 입원?
The opposite is 퇴원, discharge from hospital.
How Do I Say the Length of a Hospital Stay?
Say 입원 기간, as in 입원 기간은 일주일이에요.
Where to Go Next
For related health words, open the health vocabulary list or browse Korean words A to Z. Next, see medical treatment and hospital, and review the set in the vocabulary flashcard decks.