Key Facts
- 도서관 (doseogwan) means library.
- Part of speech: noun; origin: sino-korean.
- Register: Neutral, everyday word used in both spoken and written Korean.
- Level: A1.
- Hanja: 圖書館 (圖 chart + 書 book + 館 hall).
Library in Korean: What Does 도서관 Mean?
도서관 means library, a place where you read and borrow books. It is made of three Sino-Korean characters, 圖書館: 圖 chart, 書 book and 館 hall, and 圖書 together means books. It is neutral, used in both spoken and written Korean.
How Do You Pronounce 도서관?
Read it do, seo, gwan. The vowel in 서 is the open eo, and 관 begins with the glide gw, a quick g plus w, then ends in ㄴ.
How Do You Use 도서관 in a Sentence?
도서관에 가요.
I go to the library.
Doseogwane gayo. 에 here points to the destination, and 가요 means go. It is the bare minimum for saying where you are heading.
도서관에서 책을 읽어요.
I read books at the library.
Doseogwaneseo chaegeul ilgeoyo. 에서 marks the place where an action happens, unlike 에 for a destination. 읽어요 means read, so the line says what you do there.
이 도서관은 일요일에 쉬어요.
This library is closed on Sundays.
I doseogwaneun iryoire swieoyo. 일요일에 means on Sunday, and 쉬어요 literally means rests. Koreans use this verb for a place that is closed for the day.
Common Word Combinations
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 도서관에서 빌리다 | to borrow from the library |
| 도서관 회원증 | library card |
| 공공도서관 | public library |
도서관에서 빌리다 uses 에서 for the place you borrow from, a library card is 도서관 회원증, and 공공도서관 is the public library, written as one word without a space.
Common Mistake
Learners mix up the place to borrow books with the place to buy them.
Wrong: 도서관에서 책을 사요 (I buy books at the library).
Correct: Borrow at a library (도서관에서 빌리다) and buy at a bookstore, a 서점.
How Does 도서관 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | Meaning | How to tell it from 도서관 |
|---|---|---|
| 서점 | bookstore | Sells books. A 도서관 lends them. |
| 책방 | bookshop | A more casual word for a small bookshop. |
At the Library Desk: Borrowing a Book
A visitor has found a book and asks a member of staff about borrowing it. Both speakers use polite language.
Visitor
이 책 빌릴 수 있어요?
I chaek billil su isseoyo?
Can I borrow this book?
Staff
도서관 회원증 있으세요?
Doseogwan hoewonjeung isseuseyo?
Do you have a library card?
Visitor
네. 여기 있어요.
Ne. Yeogi isseoyo.
Yes. Here it is.
Staff
다음 주까지 반납해 주세요.
Daeum jukkaji bannapae juseyo.
Please return it by next week.
빌릴 수 있어요 asks whether borrowing is possible. The reply brings in the membership card, then the deadline. 까지 means “until” or “by”, so 다음 주까지 tells the visitor when the book needs to come back. The dialogue supplies its own example deadline; actual loan periods depend on the library.
Which Signs Help You Use a Library?
대출 means a loan or lending. In a library, it concerns borrowing books; on a bank sign, the same word concerns money. 반납 means return, and 반납일 is the return date. Learning these as a pair helps you follow both halves of borrowing a book.
대출 중 beside a catalogue result means the item is currently on loan. It describes the book's status, not the opening hours of the building. A book can belong to the library and still be unavailable to take home at that moment.
자료실 is a room for library materials, and 열람실 is a reading room. A reading room may be where people sit and study rather than where books are issued. Look for the service you need instead of assuming every room marked on the floor plan lends books.
휴관일 means a day when the library is closed. 이용 시간 means hours of use, often shown on a notice or website. These labels help you interpret the earlier example about a library resting on Sundays. Individual rooms and services may have their own hours, so read the room name next to the time.
Library Phrases beyond the Building Name
도서관에서 책을 빌리다 means borrowing a book from the library. 도서관에 책을 반납하다 means returning a book to the library. The first uses 에서 for the source, and the second uses 에 for the destination. The physical building stays the same while its role in the sentence changes.
도서관에 가요 describes going there. 도서관에서 공부해요 means studying there. This is a useful contrast when telling someone your plan: one sentence gives your destination, while the other gives the place where you will spend time studying.
Where Will You See 도서관 in Longer Names?
학교 도서관 means a school library, and 대학 도서관 means a university library. 어린이 도서관 identifies a children's library. The word before 도서관 tells you who or what the library serves; it does not change the basic meaning of the building word.
In everyday conversation, 도서관 is a neutral destination for reading, studying or borrowing. Staff notices often use compact nouns such as 대출 and 반납 where speech uses a longer request. You can recognize the sign first and then use the polite question from the dialogue when you need help at the desk.
Related Words for Finding Books
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 책 | book | The everyday word for what you borrow. |
| 사서 | librarian | A person to ask about the collection. |
| 책장 | bookcase / bookshelf | Furniture holding books. |
| 대출 | lending / loan | A borrowing label in library notices. |
| 반납 | return | Bringing a borrowed item back. |
Use the city places lesson to place 도서관 alongside other buildings you may need to find. For buying a book to keep, the relevant destination is 서점.
Quick Self-Test
- Which label concerns returning books: 대출 or 반납?
- Does 대출 중 mean the library building is closed?
- Which marker fits “study at the library”: 에 or 에서?
Show answers
- 반납.
- No. It means the item is currently on loan.
- 에서: 도서관에서 공부해요.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does 도서관 Mean?
도서관 means library, a public or school building where you read and borrow books. It is the standard word in both speech and writing, as in 도서관에서 책을 읽어요 (I read books at the library).
Do You Buy Books at a 도서관?
No. You borrow books at a 도서관 and buy them at a 서점, a bookstore. Mixing up the two is one of the most common beginner slips with this word.
What Is a Library Card?
A library card is 도서관 회원증. 회원증 means membership card, so the phrase is literally a library membership card. You usually need one to borrow books.
What Is the Hanja?
The hanja is 圖書館: 圖 (chart), 書 (book) and 館 (hall). 館 also ends other building words, such as the word for museum, so a final 관 is a useful clue to a public building.
Where to Go Next
More city places are on city places vocabulary, and bookstore shows the shop that sells instead of lends.