Key Facts
- Hangul: 지도; Revised Romanization: jido
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Register: Neutral, everyday word used in both spoken and written Korean.
- Hanja: 地圖 (地 land + 圖 map)
Map in Korean: How Do You Pronounce 지도?
Two syllables, ji-do, each read as written. The ㄷ of 도 sits between vowels, so it sounds soft, close to an English d.
Example Sentences with 지도
지도를 봐요.
Jidoreul bwayo.
I look at a map.
The shortest useful sentence. 봐요 is the polite form of "look at", so the whole line means "I look at a map".
지도에서 호텔을 찾았어요.
Jidoeseo hotereul chajasseoyo.
I found the hotel on the map.
The particle 에서 marks the place where the search happened, here the map itself, and 찾았어요 puts the finding in the past.
한국 지도가 있어요?
Hanguk jidoga isseoyo?
Do you have a map of Korea?
A question about possession. 있어요 asks whether something exists, and 한국 narrows the map to one country.
Common Phrases and Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 지도를 보다 | to look at a map |
| 지도 앱 | map app |
| 세계 지도 | world map |
지도 앱 is the modern map app, and 세계 지도 a world map; both keep 지도 as the head noun.
The Mistake to Avoid
Two different Sino-Korean words are spelled 지도: "map" (地圖) and "guidance" (指導).
- Wrong: reading 지도 교수 as a "map professor".
- Correct: in 지도 교수, 지도 means guidance, so it is an academic advisor. With 보다 or 앱, as in 지도를 보다 or 지도 앱, it is a map.
지도 Compared with Similar Words
The related entries are not synonyms. One is a homonym and the other covers directions.
| Word | Meaning | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|---|
| 지도 | map | This page's word |
| 지도 (guidance) | guidance | 지도 can also mean 指導 'guidance', e.g. 지도 교수 'academic advisor'; a different word. |
| 길 안내 | route guidance | 길 안내 is directions or navigation. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
지도 (map) is written 地圖 in hanja, from 地 (land) and 圖 (map). The homonym meaning guidance is written 指導, with different characters, so the two only share their sound and Hangul spelling.
Checking a Hotel’s Location
Two travelers have a map open and want to find their hotel. One asks for the location; the other points it out before they check the route.
Alex
지도에서 호텔을 찾았어요?
Jidoeseo hotereul chajasseoyo?
Did you find the hotel on the map?
Jin
네, 여기 있어요.
Ne, yeogi isseoyo.
Yes, it’s here.
Alex
지도를 좀 보여 주세요.
Jidoreul jom boyeo juseyo.
Please show me the map.
Jin
여기에서 길을 확인해요.
Yeogieseo gireul hwaginhaeyo.
Let’s check the route here.
지도에서 treats the map as the place where the hotel was found. 지도를 marks the map as the thing being shown. 좀 softens the request; it does not mean the traveler wants to see only a small piece of the map. The final line moves from locating a place to checking how to get there.
Reading a Map and Asking for Directions
지도를 보다 means to look at or consult a map. 지도를 보여 주다 means to show someone a map. The extra verb changes who can see it: the first describes your own action, while the second helps another person see the map. This difference is useful when a friend is holding the phone you both need.
지도에 marks something located on a map, while 지도에서 can frame finding or searching there. The existing hotel example uses 지도에서 because the map is where the search took place. These particles help explain the relationship between the map and the action; they do not name different kinds of maps.
길 안내 means route guidance or directions. You can know where a building is on a 지도 and still need 길 안내 to reach its entrance. A dot on the screen gives a location, while route guidance tells you how to travel there. That distinction also explains why a map and a navigation instruction are not exact synonyms.
Where Will You See 지도?
At a tourist information desk, 관광 지도 means tourist map. 세계 지도 means world map, and 한국 지도 means a map of Korea. In each phrase, the first part tells you the subject or purpose and 지도 names the object. A phone screen and a folded paper sheet can both display a 지도.
안내도 is a guide map or layout diagram, often used to show a building, attraction or grounds. A subway route diagram is a 노선도. These are more specific labels for different kinds of visual guides. If you are inside a station and need the train lines rather than nearby streets, recognizing 노선도 helps you choose the useful display.
In a map interface, 현재 위치 means current location and 목적지 means destination. Those labels identify your starting context and where you want to go. 지도 names the map that displays them. Reading the labels lets you distinguish your own position from the place you searched for, even when both have markers on the screen.
Spotting the Other 지도 in a Sentence
지도 meaning guidance appears in phrases such as 지도 교수, academic advisor, and 생활 지도, guidance about conduct or daily school life. Neither phrase describes a map. The neighboring noun is the clue: a professor guides a student, while an app or a world display may present a map.
You do not need to read hanja to make this distinction in everyday text. The characters explain why the two words differ, but the surrounding phrase usually resolves the meaning. In particular, translating each syllable of 지도 교수 as though it belonged to 地圖 produces the wrong picture.
Related Words for Finding Your Way
| Korean | Meaning | One practical use |
|---|---|---|
| 위치 | location | Ask about where a place is situated. |
| 주소 | address | Identify a building with its written address. |
| 목적지 | destination | Recognize the endpoint of a route. |
| 노선도 | route map | Find the diagram showing transport lines. |
The travel vocabulary lesson places 지도 among the words used when arriving somewhere unfamiliar. Keep the address as well as the map location when identifying a particular building.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 지도 mean in 지도 교수?
- Which phrase names a world map?
- Which word is a transport route diagram: 주소 or 노선도?
Show answers
- Guidance. The phrase means academic advisor.
- 세계 지도 means world map.
- 노선도. 주소 means address.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "map" in Korean?
Say 지도 (jido).
What does 지도 교수 mean?
Here 지도 means guidance, so the phrase is an academic advisor. It is a different word from the map.
How do I ask if someone has a map of Korea?
Say 한국 지도가 있어요?
Does 지도 cover turn-by-turn directions?
No. 길 안내 is directions or navigation; 지도 is the map itself.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Travel word list groups 지도 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.