Key Facts
- Word: 그리움 (geurium), noun, native Korean origin
- Register: Neutral to literary; noun form of 그립다 (to miss).
- Senses: longing; yearning; missing
Longing in Korean: What Does 그리움 Mean?
그리움 is the deep, lingering feeling of missing a person, a place or a time. Its register runs from neutral to literary, so it fits in songs and letters as well as in conversation. Longing for a hometown is the classic use. The adjective 그립다 is the predicate form.
How Do You Pronounce 그리움?
Say geurium in three syllables, with the ㅡ unrounded in the first. The ㅁ links onto a particle, so 그리움이 is read geu-ri-u-mi and 그리움을 is geu-ri-u-meul.
Example Sentences with 그리움
고향에 대한 그리움이 커요.
gohyange daehan geuriumi keoyo
My longing for my hometown is great.
고향에 대한 그리움 means 'longing for my hometown'; 대한 links the topic to the feeling, and 커요 says it is great.
그리움을 느껴요.
geuriumeul neukkyeoyo
I feel longing.
The simplest statement: 그리움을 느껴요 uses 을 to mark the feeling.
그리움이 깊어요.
geuriumi gipeoyo
The longing is deep.
그리움이 is the subject, and 깊어요 says it is deep, not just big.
Common Phrases and Collocations
Collocations show how longing is felt.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 그리움을 느끼다 | to feel longing |
| 그리움이 크다 | for longing to be great |
| 고향에 대한 그리움 | longing for home |
The Mistake to Avoid
Learners try to say 'I miss you' with this noun.
Register contrast (not a grammar error): 그리움 vs 보고 싶다
To tell a friend you miss them, say: ✓ 보고 싶어요
Sentences with 그리움 are correct, but they sound written or poetic in a chat. In speech use 보고 싶어요 for 'I miss you', and keep 그리움 for the feeling itself.
그리움 Compared with Similar Words
Missing someone has more than one word.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 그립다 | to miss | 그립다 is the adjective; 그리움 is the noun. |
| 보고 싶다 | to want to see (miss) | 보고 싶다 is the everyday way to say 'I miss you'. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
그리움 is native Korean with no hanja. It is the noun made from 그립다.
Looking through Hometown Photos
Two friends look at photos from a trip back home. One now lives far away, so the pictures bring back a feeling of missing the place.
Mina
고향 사진이에요?
Gohyang sajinieyo?
Are these photos of your hometown?
Alex
네. 사진을 보니까 그리움이 커져요.
Ne. Sajineul bonikka geuriumi keojyeoyo.
Yes. Looking at the photos makes me miss it more.
Mina
언제 다시 가요?
Eonje dasi gayo?
When are you going back?
Alex
다음 달에 가려고 해요.
Daeum dare garyeogo haeyo.
I’m planning to go next month.
그리움이 커져요 means the longing grows stronger. The English translation names what is missed because the hometown is already clear from the previous line. Korean can leave that information unstated once both speakers know it.
Naming Who or What You Miss
고향에 대한 그리움 provides a useful pattern: the person or place comes before 에 대한, and 그리움 follows. The whole phrase is a noun phrase, “longing for home”. It still needs a predicate to become a complete statement, as in the existing example ending in 커요.
The same structure appears in 가족에 대한 그리움, “longing for family”. 가족 names the people who are missed, while 그리움 names the feeling. In English, “miss” often does both jobs in a short verb phrase. Korean offers this noun structure when you want to discuss the emotion itself.
그리움이 크다 and 그리움이 깊다 describe intensity through size and depth. Neither refers to a physical measurement. The first presents the feeling as strong; the second gives it emotional depth. These combinations fit reflective descriptions without requiring an elaborate metaphor of your own.
Where Will You Meet 그리움?
그리움 is common in song lyrics, letters, memoirs and captions about places or people someone misses. A title may consist of the noun alone. In that setting, it names the subject or mood of the work; it is not a complete spoken sentence meaning “I miss you”.
In a text to a friend, 보고 싶어요 is the direct everyday expression. A paragraph about living abroad can naturally use 그리움 because it describes the feeling at some length. The difference is partly about what the sentence is doing: speaking directly to someone versus describing an experience.
그리움 does not have to be romantic. It can concern family, a hometown, an old neighborhood or childhood. A scene in a drama may suggest romance, but the word alone does not identify the relationship. Look for the person, place or memory mentioned nearby.
Longing also differs from simply wanting a new possession. In these uses, 그리움 concerns someone or something emotionally missed. If the subject is a meal you want to order right now, a wish expression is clearer than borrowing this reflective noun.
Words for Memory and Absence
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 고향 | hometown; home region | Often the place named in a phrase with 그리움. |
| 추억 | memory; recollection | Names a remembered experience, rather than the longing it brings. |
| 향수 | nostalgia; homesickness | Here it is an emotion word; the same spelling also means perfume. |
| 외로움 | loneliness | Names loneliness rather than missing a particular person or place. |
The emotions vocabulary lesson introduces the wider set. A photo can bring back 추억 and produce 그리움 at the same time: one word names the memory, and the other names the feeling of missing what it recalls.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 에 대한 connect in 고향에 대한 그리움?
- Must 그리움 refer to romantic love?
- Which is more direct in a message to a friend: 보고 싶어요 or the noun 그리움 alone?
Show answers
- It connects the hometown with the feeling: longing for home.
- No. You can miss family, a place or a time in your life.
- 보고 싶어요.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is longing in Korean?
It is 그리움, the noun form of 그립다.
How do I say 'I miss you'?
Use 보고 싶어요 in speech.
Can I use 그리움 about a place?
Yes. 고향에 대한 그리움 is the classic example.
How is 그립다 different from 그리움?
그립다 is the adjective, 그리움 is the noun.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Emotions vocabulary groups 그리움 with its neighbours.
- Index: browse Korean words A to Z for more words like longing.
- Practice: add longing to your cards in the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next word: flutter in Korean, the opposite mood: anticipation instead of looking back.