Key Facts
- Hangul: 길이; Revised Romanization: giri
- Part of speech: noun
- Syllables: 2 (gi-ri)
- Origin: Native Korean
- Register: Neutral.
Length in Korean: What Does 길이 Mean?
길이 is the measurement of how long something is. It is neutral and used for strings, skirts, rivers and anything else with a long side. It sits in a small family of measurement nouns: 높이 for height and 폭 for width. A spelling twist makes it tricky: 길 means road, and when that road word takes the subject marker 이 it is written 길이 too.
How Do You Pronounce 길이?
길이 has two syllables, gi and ri. When the final ㄹ of 길 meets the vowel of 이, it moves across and is pronounced as the first sound of the next syllable, so you say gi-ri, not gil-i. Revised Romanization writes giri. Both meanings sound identical, so the sentence around the word decides.
Example Sentences with 길이
길이가 얼마예요?
Giriga eolmayeyo?
How long is it?
길이가 얼마예요 asks "how long is it?" word for word: 얼마예요 is the question "how much is it", and 길이가 is the length as the subject.
이 끈의 길이를 재 주세요.
I kkeunui gireul jae juseyo.
Please measure the length of this string.
끈의 길이를 contains 의, which links "string" to its length, and 재 주세요 is the polite request "please measure". The sentence shows the usual verb for length, measuring.
치마 길이가 짧아요.
Chima giriga jjalbayo.
The skirt length is short.
치마 길이가 짧아요 stacks two nouns, 치마 and 길이, then adds 짧아요, "is short". This is how clothing shops talk about hem length.
Common Phrases and Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 길이를 재다 | to measure length |
| 길이가 길다 | to be long |
| 치마 길이 | skirt length |
길이를 재다 is to measure a length, and 길이가 길다 means something is long, so the stem 길 shows up twice, once in the noun and once in the adjective. 치마 길이 shows the noun-noun pattern: the object first, then its length.
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ 끈의 길, using the road word for the length of a string.
Correct: ✓ 끈의 길이 for the length of a string; 길 for a road.
Why: 길이 can be either the length noun or the road word with the subject marker 이, so learners confuse the two. Context settles it.
길이 Compared with Related Words
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 길이 | length | The word on this page. |
| 거리 | distance | The gap between two places, not a thing's own length. |
| 높이 | height | Vertical measurement. |
| 폭 | width | Breadth, across rather than along. |
Length runs along the long side, height goes up and width goes across. 거리 is the space between things.
Where Does the Word Come From?
길이 is a native Korean word, so it has no hanja. It is built from the adjective stem for long with the noun-making ending -이, which is why the spelling looks so like 길.
At a Clothing Alterations Shop
A customer wants a skirt shortened. The staff member checks the requested length before making any changes.
Customer
이 치마 길이를 줄이고 싶어요.
I chima girireul jurigo sipeoyo.
I want to shorten this skirt.
Staff
얼마나 줄여 드릴까요?
Eolmana juryeo deurilkkayo?
How much would you like me to shorten it?
Customer
오 센티미터 줄여 주세요.
O sentimiteo juryeo juseyo.
Please shorten it by five centimeters.
Staff
네. 길이를 재 볼게요.
Ne. Girireul jae bolgeyo.
Sure. I’ll measure the length.
길이를 줄이다 means to reduce the length. The customer gives the amount to remove, rather than the final length of the skirt. The reply 재 볼게요 tells the customer what the staff member will do next: try measuring it.
Where Will You See 길이 outside a Textbook?
Online clothing listings use 길이 for the length of skirts, trousers, sleeves and other parts of a garment. 총길이 means total length. A listing may give separate measurements for the whole garment and its sleeves, so check the label beside the number. A skirt length tells you about the garment; it does not tell you the wearer's height.
At a hair salon, 머리 길이 means hair length. Here 머리 refers to hair, even though it can also mean the head. When buying ribbon, cable or fabric, 길이 concerns how much material you need along its length. The noun stays neutral in all these settings; the sentence ending supplies the politeness.
Which Measurement Are You Asking For?
The question 길이가 얼마예요 asks for a measurement, so a useful answer includes a number and a unit. A description such as “long” gives a judgment instead. The same cable can seem long on a desk and short when stretched across a room.
Keep 길이 as one word when adding markers: 길이가 makes length the subject, and 길이를 makes it the thing measured or changed. In the clothing example, 치마 길이 leaves out the linking 의. Both nouns still belong together: “skirt length”.
| Korean | Meaning | A useful situation |
|---|---|---|
| 너비 | width | Check whether a shelf will fit across a space. |
| 두께 | thickness | Compare thin and thick boards or books. |
| 줄자 | tape measure | Measure clothing or a curved object. |
| 센티미터 | centimeter | Read the unit beside a clothing measurement. |
The measurement vocabulary lesson groups dimensions and measuring words. Length and width answer different questions even when both numbers use centimeters.
Quick Self-Test
- In the shop dialogue, is five centimeters the amount removed or the final skirt length?
- What does 총길이 on a clothing listing mean?
- Which form marks length as the object: 길이가 or 길이를?
Show answers
- It is the amount removed.
- Total length; check which part of the garment the listing measures.
- 길이를. The object marker 를 follows the vowel-ending noun 길이.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "length" in Korean?
Length in Korean is 길이 (giri), a noun for how long something is.
Is 길이 the same as 길?
The spellings overlap. 길 is road, and 길이 is either the length or the road with the subject marker.
How do I ask how long something is?
Say 길이가 얼마예요?
What is the difference between 길이 and 거리?
길이 is the length of one thing; 거리 is the distance between two places.
How do I say "measure the length"?
Say 길이를 재다.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Korean measurement vocabulary groups 길이 with height and width.
- Index: Korean words A to Z lists every single-word entry.
- Compare: road is 길, whose subject form 길이 looks the same.
- See also: speed is another measurement noun.
- Practice: vocabulary flashcard decks lets you add 길이 to a spaced-repetition set.