Key Facts
- Hangul: 5월 (오월); Revised Romanization: owol
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Register: Neutral, standard month name.
- Hanja: 五月 (五 five + 月 month)
May in Korean: How Do You Pronounce 5월 (오월)?
Say o-wol. Both syllables start with a vowel sound, so they flow together with no consonant in between and no sound change.
Example Sentences with 5월 (오월)
5월에 소풍을 가요.
Owore sopungeul gayo
We go on a picnic in May.
에 marks "in May", and 소풍 is a school or family picnic outing.
5월은 날씨가 따뜻해요.
Oworeun nalssiga ttatteutaeyo
The weather is warm in May.
A seasonal remark: 따뜻해요 means "is warm", said ttatteutaeyo because ㅅ before ㅎ produces a t-sound with a puff.
어린이날은 5월 5일이에요.
Eorininareun owol oirieyo
Children's Day is May 5.
A holiday date: Children's Day is May 5, read owol oil, with both numbers in Sino-Korean.
Common Phrases and Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 5월 5일 | May 5th (Children's Day) |
| 5월 초 | early May |
| 5월에 | in May |
| 가정의 달 | Family Month |
가정의 달 is the nickname of the month itself, and 5월 5일 is the best-known date within it.
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ 오 on its own for May
Correct: ✓ 오월, written 5월
Why: 오 is just the number five. The month needs 월, and a full date needs both counters: 5월 5일 is May 5.
5월 (오월) Compared with Similar Words
The related words are the number behind the name and two holidays inside the month.
| Word | Meaning | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|---|
| 오 | five (Sino-Korean) | 오 is only the number; add 월 to make the month. |
| 어린이날 | Children's Day | 어린이날 is a holiday on May 5, one day inside the month. |
| 어버이날 | Parents' Day | 어버이날 is May 8, a day for honouring parents, not a public holiday. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
오월 is written 五月 in hanja: 五 (five) plus 月 (month).
Cultural Note
May is called the Family Month (가정의 달). Children's Day falls on May 5 and is a public holiday; Parents' Day on May 8 and Teachers' Day on May 15 are observed without a day off.
Planning a Picnic in May
Two classmates are checking the date of a school picnic. They already know which outing they mean, so neither needs to repeat 소풍 in every reply.
Mina
소풍은 언제 가요?
Sopungeun eonje gayo?
When are we going on the picnic?
Alex
5월에 가요.
Owore gayo.
We are going in May.
Mina
5월 초에 가요?
Owol choe gayo?
Are we going in early May?
Alex
네. 5월 3일에 가요.
Ne. Owol samire gayo.
Yes. We are going on May 3.
The first answer gives only a month. The follow-up narrows it to the beginning of that month, and the final reply supplies an exact date. Korean puts the larger calendar unit first: month, then day. In 5월 3일에, the time marker 에 comes after the complete date, rather than after each number.
How Do You Use May in Plans and Deadlines?
5월에 means “in May”, but the word after 5월 can make a plan much more precise. 5월 초 means early May, 5월 중순 means mid-May, and 5월 말 means late May or the end of May. These are parts of the month, not exact dates. An invitation needs a day as well if the listener must arrive at a particular time.
5월부터 means “from May”, while 5월까지 means “until May” or “by May”. A class starting in May can use the first expression; a notice giving May as a deadline can use the second. Neither expression alone tells you which day. Look for a full date when booking a course or submitting a form.
5월의 ends with 의, which connects May to a following noun. In 5월의 날씨, “May's weather”, the phrase describes the weather associated with the month. Compare that with the existing example 5월은 날씨가 따뜻해요: there, 은 introduces May as the topic of a complete sentence.
Where Will You See 5월 and 오월?
Calendars, appointment messages and event posters commonly use the numeral spelling 5월. 오월 is the same month written entirely in Hangul; you may see it in a poem, a book title or decorative seasonal wording. The spelling does not make one version more polite. Both are read with the Sino-Korean number 오, rather than the native number 다섯.
가정의 달 literally means “month of the family”. A shop's 가정의 달 행사 is a Family Month event or promotion. 행사 means an event, so that wording does not name another holiday. The family theme helps explain May advertising, but the actual event dates must still be read separately.
English “may” also expresses permission or possibility. Korean 오월 only names the calendar month. If an English sentence says “You may go”, there is no month word to translate; look at the grammar of permission instead.
Calendar Words to Learn beside 5월
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 4월 | April | The month immediately before May. |
| 6월 | June | The next month is read 유월, with a shortened number form. |
| 날짜 | date | Ask about this when a month alone is too broad. |
| 이번 달 | this month | A relative expression whose meaning changes with the calendar. |
| 다음 달 | next month | Use it for May only when the current month is April. |
The months lesson puts the numbered names in order. Learn a month together with 월 so you can recognize both calendar labels and spoken dates.
Quick Self-Test
- Read 5월 aloud: 오월 or 다섯 월?
- Does 5월 초 give an exact day?
- Which means “from May”: 5월부터 or 5월까지?
Show answers
- 오월. Month names use Sino-Korean numbers.
- No. It means early May; add a date for an exact day.
- 5월부터. 5월까지 marks an endpoint or deadline.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "May" in Korean?
Write 5월 and read it 오월 (owol), said o-wol. It is the Sino-Korean number five plus 월, month.
Why is May the Family Month?
May holds Children's Day (May 5), Parents' Day (May 8) and Teachers' Day (May 15), so Koreans call it 가정의 달, the Family Month.
Can I say 오 for May?
No. 오 is only the number five. The month needs 월 added, so May is 오월, written 5월.
How do I write May 5th?
Write 5월 5일 and read it owol oil. It is the date of 어린이날, Children's Day, a public holiday.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Months word list groups 5월 (오월) with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Compare with Children's Day in Korean.