Key Facts
- Hangul: 소포; Revised Romanization: sopo
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 小包 (小 small + 包 wrap)
- Register: Neutral; slightly old-fashioned compared with 택배 in daily talk.
Package in Korean: What Does 소포 Mean?
소포 is a package or parcel sent through the post. Its register is neutral, though a little old-fashioned compared with 택배 in daily talk. The three verbs to pair with it are 보내다 for sending, 받다 for receiving and 부치다 for mailing at the post office.
The word has a clear home: the post office. If you send something from a counter at the 우체국, it is a 소포. If an online order arrives at your door, Koreans will almost always call that 택배.
How Do You Pronounce It?
소포 has two syllables, so-po, and both are open. The ㅗ vowel is the same round "o" in each syllable, and the ㅍ in the second is aspirated, a p with a puff of air.
Say the syllables with equal weight. The romanization sopo has no extra letters, and nothing in the word changes.
Listen to the headword here.
Example Sentences with 소포
소포를 보내요.
Soporeul bonaeyo.
I send a package.
보내요 is the polite form of send. 를 marks 소포 as the object, so the sentence is a clean pattern for sending anything.
우체국에서 소포를 부쳤어요.
Uchegugeseo soporeul buchyeosseoyo.
I mailed a package at the post office.
부쳤어요 is the past tense of mail. 우체국에서 says where it happened, since 에서 marks the place of an action.
친구가 보낸 소포가 도착했어요.
Chinguga bonaen sopoga dochakaesseoyo.
The package my friend sent has arrived.
보낸 turns send into a describing word, "the one my friend sent". 도착했어요 is the past tense of arrive, and the written romanization is dochakaesseoyo.
Common Phrases and Collocations
These phrases use three different verbs with one noun.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 소포를 보내다 | to send a package |
| 소포를 받다 | to receive a package |
| 소포를 부치다 | to mail a package |
The Mistake to Avoid
- Wrong: Using 소포 for every delivered item.
- Correct: For packages from online shopping, Koreans say 택배. 소포 is especially useful for post-office mail.
Both words can refer to a parcel. 소포 emphasizes the mailed item, while 택배 emphasizes door-to-door delivery and its parcels.
소포 Compared with 택배 and 우편
The two nearby words describe parcel delivery and mail in general.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 소포 | package | A small package sent by post. |
| 택배 | parcel delivery | Door-to-door courier service and its parcels. |
| 우편 | Mail in general, such as letters. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
소포 is Sino-Korean, written 小包 in hanja: 小 (small) plus 包 (wrap). A small wrapped bundle is a fitting picture of a parcel.
At the Post Office: Mailing a Parcel Abroad
A customer brings a wrapped parcel to the counter. The clerk asks where it is going and requests the address.
Customer
이 소포를 부치고 싶어요.
I soporeul buchigo sipeoyo.
I would like to mail this parcel.
Clerk
어느 나라로 보내세요?
Eoneu nararo bonaeseyo?
Which country are you sending it to?
Customer
캐나다로 보내요.
Kaenadaro bonaeyo.
I am sending it to Canada.
Clerk
주소를 써 주세요.
Jusoreul sseo juseyo.
Please write the address.
부치고 싶어요 states the service the customer wants. 보내세요 asks about the destination with the broader verb “send.” The two verbs fit the same transaction: 부치다 focuses on mailing the parcel, while 보내다 lets the clerk ask where it will go.
Where Will You See 소포?
소포 belongs naturally in postal conversations and descriptions of mailed goods. It can identify the parcel you brought to the counter or a parcel someone sent you. It is a normal word in that setting, even though 택배 is more likely when friends discuss an online order arriving at home.
The distinction is a useful guide rather than a strict boundary between companies. A post office can also handle door-to-door parcel delivery, and everyday speakers may choose 택배 for that service. Listen for whether the conversation focuses on a mailed parcel or on delivery and collection arrangements.
What Do the Mailing Phrases Emphasize?
소포를 보내다 is the broad phrase “send a parcel.” 소포를 부치다 specifically describes handing a parcel over to be mailed. 소포를 받다 moves to the recipient's side: receiving the parcel. The noun keeps 를 in all three because it is the object of the action.
In the existing arrival example, 소포가 도착했어요, the parcel takes 가 instead. It is the thing that arrived. 친구가 보낸 describes which parcel: “the one my friend sent.” You can therefore track the same parcel through sending, arrival and receipt without changing the noun.
부치다 is the spelling for mailing. 붙이다 means “attach” or “stick on,” so it belongs to a different action, such as attaching a label. At the counter, mailing the parcel and attaching something to its wrapping are separate steps, even though the verbs can sound very similar.
Which English Meanings of Package Fit 소포?
A parcel sent through the post fits 소포. A cardboard box by itself is a 상자, whether or not anyone plans to mail it. 포장 names packaging or wrapping. Naming the container or the wrapping does not yet say that the object is a postal parcel.
English also uses “package” for bundled products or travel offers. The loanword 패키지 appears in those contexts. Calling a holiday bundle 소포 would suggest a physical parcel, so choose the noun from the situation rather than translating the English word automatically.
The hanja 小包 literally contains “small,” but it is not a weight or size rule for the learner to calculate. 소포 names the kind of mailed item. If size or weight matters at the counter, give that information separately rather than expecting the noun to supply it.
Words to Recognize at the Postal Counter
| Korean | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 주소 | address | Identifies the destination or return location. |
| 우편번호 | postal code | The code belonging to the address. |
| 상자 | box | The container, before or after it becomes a parcel. |
| 포장 | packaging, wrapping | The material or action used to wrap the contents. |
The post office vocabulary lesson puts these counter words together. Knowing the address terms helps you follow the clerk’s next request after you say you want to mail a 소포.
Quick Self-Test
- Which spelling means “mail”: 부치다 or 붙이다?
- Which noun names a box even before it is mailed?
- In 소포가 도착했어요, why does the parcel take 가?
Show answers
- 부치다 means “mail”; 붙이다 means “attach.”
- 상자.
- The parcel is the subject: the thing that arrived.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say package in Korean?
Say 소포 (sopo).
What is the difference between 소포 and 택배?
소포 is a small package sent by post, while 택배 is the door-to-door courier service.
Which verb means to mail a package?
부치다, as in 소포를 부치다.
How do you say "to receive a package"?
Say 소포를 받다.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: post office vocabulary. 소포 sits on the post office vocabulary list.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 소포 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next: the word for parcel delivery. The next entry covers the courier side: the word for parcel delivery.