Key Facts
- Korean: 쥐, Revised Romanization jwi
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native Korean
- Register: neutral everyday word
- Computer mouse: 마우스
Mouse in Korean: What Does 쥐 Mean?
쥐 means a mouse or a rat. 생쥐 points more clearly to a small mouse when the difference matters.
How Do You Pronounce 쥐?
쥐 is one syllable, [jwi]. Start with j, round your lips for w, then glide quickly into "ee".
Example Sentences with 쥐
쥐가 있어요.
Jwiga isseoyo.
There is a mouse.
There is a mouse: 있어요 means "there is".
고양이가 쥐를 잡아요.
Goyangiga jwireul jabayo.
The cat catches a mouse.
잡아요 means "catches".
Phrases with 쥐
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 쥐를 잡다 | to catch a mouse |
| 생쥐 | mouse |
| 쥐덫 | mousetrap |
쥐덫 adds 덫, trap.
A Common Mistake with 쥐
- Wrong: 쥐 for a computer mouse.
- Correct: 마우스
English uses one word for the animal and the device; Korean does not.
쥐 Compared with 마우스 and 다람쥐
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 쥐 | mouse, rat | The animal |
| 마우스 | computer mouse | The device |
| 다람쥐 | squirrel/chipmunk | A different rodent |
A Noise behind the Cupboard
Two housemates hear a noise in the kitchen. They use polite speech while trying to locate the animal.
Housemate A
방금 쥐 봤어요?
Banggeum jwi bwasseoyo?
Did you just see a mouse?
Housemate B
네, 찬장 뒤에 있어요.
Ne, chanjang dwie isseoyo.
Yes, it’s behind the cupboard.
Housemate A
고양이는 어디 있어요?
Goyangineun eodi isseoyo?
Where’s the cat?
Housemate B
방에서 자고 있어요.
Bangeseo jago isseoyo.
It’s sleeping in the room.
방금 means “just now”, and 뒤에 means “behind”. The speakers establish the animal in the first question, so the reply can leave out 쥐. The final line describes the cat’s current activity; it does not say the cat has noticed or caught the mouse.
Where Will You Hear 쥐?
In a home, a story or a cartoon, 쥐 normally refers to the animal. 고양이와 쥐 means “the cat and the mouse” or “cats and mice”, depending on context. Korean nouns often appear without a separate plural ending, so 쥐 alone does not tell you how many animals are present.
To count mice, use 마리, the counter for animals. 한 마리 means one animal, and 쥐 한 마리 means one mouse or rat. The counter gives a number without resolving the English mouse-versus-rat distinction. 생쥐 is the more specific word when the kind of animal matters.
At a computer shop, the relevant word is 마우스. 무선 마우스 means “wireless mouse”, while 유선 마우스 means “wired mouse”. A product listing using either phrase concerns a device. The English connection between the device and the animal does not carry over as a literal Korean translation.
Three Expressions That Go beyond the Animal
쥐 죽은 듯이 means “as if a mouse had died” literally. Its real use is “very quietly” or “in complete silence”. You may hear it in a description of a room where everyone has suddenly stopped talking. The expression concerns the silence, without reporting an animal’s death.
쥐꼬리만 하다 literally compares something to a mouse’s tail. It means “very small” or “meager”, especially when someone complains about a salary or an amount of money. It conveys the speaker’s dissatisfaction; it is not an exact measurement and can sound blunt in a formal discussion.
쥐구멍 literally means “mouse hole”. In the expression 쥐구멍에라도 들어가고 싶다, someone wants to hide in even a mouse hole because they feel deeply embarrassed. This is the sort of dramatic self-description you may hear after a character makes an awkward mistake.
A Second 쥐: Muscle Cramps
쥐가 나다 means “to get a muscle cramp”. This 쥐 is a separate meaning from the animal. A conversation about swimming, exercise or a painful leg may use it. The verb 나다 helps identify the expression: compare an animal being present in 쥐가 있어요 with a cramp occurring in 쥐가 나다.
Animal Words That Help with 쥐
| Korean | Meaning | One useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 고양이 | cat | The animal catching the mouse in the existing example. |
| 햄스터 | hamster | A pet name distinct from the general word 쥐. |
| 꼬리 | tail | Helps explain the image behind 쥐꼬리만 하다. |
| 마리 | animal counter | Add it when you need to say how many. |
The animal vocabulary lesson teaches the wider set. 생쥐, 햄스터 and 다람쥐 identify different animals; learning them as complete names is more useful than translating every occurrence of 쥐 as the same English word.
Quick Self-Test
- Which word would you use to buy a wireless computer mouse?
- What does 쥐 죽은 듯이 describe?
- In an exercise conversation, what can 쥐가 나다 mean?
Show answers
- 마우스, in 무선 마우스.
- Deep silence or being very quiet.
- To get a muscle cramp.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Say Mouse in Korean?
Say 쥐 (jwi). It covers both mice and rats, since everyday Korean does not split them the way English does. When you need to stress a small mouse, 생쥐 is more specific. For the computer device, use the loanword 마우스 instead of 쥐.
How Do You Say Computer Mouse in Korean?
Say 마우스, the English loanword. Koreans do not call the device 쥐, even though the English word is the same for the animal and the device. At an electronics shop or when talking about your computer, 마우스 is the only natural choice.
How Do You Distinguish a Mouse from a Rat?
쥐 can mean either mouse or rat. Use 생쥐 when you specifically mean a mouse. For a computer device, use 마우스 instead. The surrounding sentence often makes the animal meaning clear, so read the whole example rather than translating the noun alone.
What Is the Difference between 쥐 and 다람쥐?
쥐 is a mouse or rat. 다람쥐 is a squirrel or chipmunk, a different rodent with a bushy tail that lives in trees. The two words share the syllable 쥐, but Koreans treat them as clearly different animals, and 다람쥐 is usually seen as cute.
Related Words and Next Steps
- See more animals vocabulary.
- Find more single words like mouse in the Korean words A to Z index.
- Review mouse (쥐) with the vocabulary flashcard decks.