Key Facts
- Hangul: 가죽; Revised Romanization: gajuk
- Part of speech: noun
- Syllables: 2 (ga-juk)
- Origin: Native Korean
- Register: Neutral.
Leather in Korean: What Does 가죽 Mean?
가죽 is the everyday word for leather and also for the hide of an animal. In shops you see it in front of product names, such as 가죽 가방, so it works like a describing word that says what something is made of. It is a neutral word with no honorific or slang version. For human skin, Korean uses a different word, 피부.
How Do You Pronounce 가죽?
가죽 has two syllables, ga and juk. The final ㄱ in 죽 is a closed stop: the back of your tongue stops the sound without a puff of air, so it ends sharply on "juk". Revised Romanization is gajuk.
Example Sentences with 가죽
이 가방은 가죽으로 만들었어요.
I gabangeun gajugeuro mandeureosseoyo.
This bag is made of leather.
가죽으로 means "out of leather", with the 으로 ending marking the material. 만들었어요 is the past of making, so the sentence reads "This bag was made of leather".
가죽 신발이 편해요.
Gajuk sinbari pyeonhaeyo.
Leather shoes are comfortable.
Here 가죽 sits in front of 신발 ("shoes") as a describing noun, and 편해요 says the shoes are comfortable. No extra particle is needed between the two nouns.
가죽 재킷을 샀어요.
Gajuk jaekiseul sasseoyo.
I bought a leather jacket.
재킷을 is "jacket" with the object marker, and 샀어요 is the past of buying. Material nouns like 가죽 slot into a clothing phrase this way.
Common Phrases and Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 가죽 가방 | leather bag |
| 가죽 신발 | leather shoes |
| 진짜 가죽 | real leather |
가죽 가방 and 가죽 신발 show the main pattern: 가죽 first, then the item. 진짜 가죽 means real leather, and it is the phrase you use when you want to check that a product is not artificial. Its opposite is 합성 가죽, synthetic leather.
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ 가죽 for human skin, as in "My 가죽 is dry."
Correct: ✓ 피부 for human skin; 가죽 for animal hide or leather.
Why: Using 가죽 about a person sounds rude or odd, because it treats the skin like an animal hide.
가죽 Compared with Related Words
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 가죽 | leather, hide | The word on this page. |
| 피부 | skin | Human skin, never the material. |
| 털 | fur / hair | The hair of animals, not the hide. |
| 합성 가죽 | synthetic leather | Artificial leather made without animal hide. |
Say 가죽 when the material or hide is the point, 피부 when a person's skin is, and 털 for fur.
Where Does the Word Come From?
가죽 is a native Korean word, so no hanja is attached to it. It sits easily in front of other nouns, as in 가죽 가방.
In a Bag Shop: Checking the Material
A shopper likes a bag but wants to know what it is made of. The assistant points out a different material option.
Shopper
이 가방은 가죽이에요?
I gabangeun gajugieyo?
Is this bag leather?
Assistant
네, 천연 가죽이에요.
Ne, cheonyeon gajugieyo.
Yes, it’s genuine leather.
Shopper
합성 가죽도 있어요?
Hapseong gajukdo isseoyo?
Do you also have synthetic leather?
Assistant
네, 이쪽에 있어요.
Ne, ijjoge isseoyo.
Yes, it’s over here.
가죽이에요 attaches 이에요 because 가죽 ends in a consonant. The final ㄱ links into the following vowel, which is why the romanization reads gajugieyo. In the third line, 도 means “also”: the shopper is asking whether another material option is available.
Read the Material Description
천연 가죽 means natural or genuine leather and is common in product descriptions. 합성 가죽 means synthetic leather; 인조 가죽 means artificial leather. These labels identify the material category. They do not by themselves tell you how soft, thick or durable a particular bag will be.
소가죽 means cowhide leather and 양가죽 means sheepskin or lambskin leather. The animal word comes first, giving more detail about the source of the material. Compare this with 가죽 가방: there, the word after 가죽 identifies the product rather than the animal.
On a product page, 소재 means material. Look for the material description near that label when you want to know what an item is made from. A leather detail on a mostly fabric bag and a bag made mainly of leather are different descriptions, so read which part the material word refers to.
Literal Combinations You Will Meet
가죽 재킷, 가죽 장갑 and 가죽 지갑 mean leather jacket, leather gloves and leather wallet. These are literal combinations. The first noun identifies the material, and the second identifies the item. You can understand a new combination once you recognize both pieces.
가죽으로 만들다 means to make something from leather. The 으로 ending makes the material explicit in a sentence. Compare a shop label, 가죽 가방, with the existing full sentence about a bag made of leather: one names a product category, while the other says how an object was made.
Where Does the Skin Word Change?
At a clothing shop, 가죽 points to a material. At a skincare counter, 피부 points to a person’s skin. 털 refers to hair or fur, which is different from the hide beneath it. Keeping these nouns separate helps you describe the part or material you actually mean.
| Korean | Meaning | Where it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 소재 | material | Find the material field in a product listing. |
| 천 | cloth or fabric | Compare a fabric item with a leather one. |
| 면 | cotton | Identify a common clothing fibre. |
| 지갑 | wallet | Recognize another product often paired with 가죽. |
The materials vocabulary lesson teaches the wider set. Learning 소재 alongside 가죽 helps you find the right information on a label even when the item itself is unfamiliar.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 천연 가죽 mean?
- Which word belongs in a description of human skin: 가죽 or 피부?
- In 가죽 지갑, which word names the product?
Show answers
- Natural or genuine leather.
- 피부.
- 지갑, meaning wallet.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "leather" in Korean?
Leather in Korean is 가죽 (gajuk), a noun for leather or animal hide.
Can 가죽 mean human skin?
No. Human skin is 피부. Using 가죽 for a person sounds wrong.
How do I say "leather shoes"?
Say 가죽 신발, putting 가죽 before the item.
How do I say "synthetic leather"?
Say 합성 가죽, which is artificial leather.
How do I say "real leather"?
Say 진짜 가죽 to stress that it is genuine.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Korean materials vocabulary sets 가죽 beside other materials.
- Index: Korean words A to Z lists every single-word entry.
- Compare: skin is the human-skin word it must not replace.
- See also: metal is another material noun to learn next.
- Practice: vocabulary flashcard decks lets you add 가죽 to a spaced-repetition set.