Key Facts
- Korean: 돼지, Revised Romanization dwaeji
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native Korean
- Register: neutral for the animal; rude when aimed at a person
- Spelling point: 돼 with ㅙ
Pig in Korean: What Does 돼지 Mean?
돼지 means pig. The meat is 돼지고기, and the wild animal is 멧돼지, wild boar.
How Do You Pronounce 돼지?
돼지 is [dwae-ji]. The first syllable glides from w into the vowel of "bed".
Example Sentences with 돼지
돼지가 먹어요.
Dwaejiga meogeoyo.
The pig is eating.
먹어요 means "eats" or "is eating".
농장에 돼지가 있어요.
Nongjange dwaejiga isseoyo.
There are pigs on the farm.
농장에 means "on the farm". No plural marker is needed.
Phrases with 돼지
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 돼지를 키우다 | to raise pigs |
| 돼지고기 | pork |
| 돼지저금통 | piggy bank |
돼지저금통 adds 저금통, savings box.
A Common Mistake with 돼지
- Wrong: 되지
- Correct: 돼지
ㅙ and ㅚ sound nearly the same in modern speech, so the spelling has to be memorized.
돼지 Compared with 돼지고기 and 멧돼지
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 돼지 | pig | The farm animal |
| 돼지고기 | pork | The meat |
| 멧돼지 | wild boar | The wild animal |
The Piggy Bank Word
돼지저금통 means piggy bank, an everyday object named for its pig shape. It offers another useful place to recognize the animal word outside a farm description.
Looking at Pigs on a Farm Visit
Two visitors stop beside a pig enclosure. One notices the animals, and the other points out a piglet without making any comment about a person’s appearance.
Mina
저기 돼지가 있어요.
Jeogi dwaejiga isseoyo.
There are pigs over there.
Jisu
새끼 돼지도 있네요.
Saekki dwaejido inneyo.
There’s a piglet too.
Mina
돼지가 뭘 먹어요?
Dwaejiga mwol meogeoyo?
What is the pig eating?
Jisu
사료를 먹어요.
Saryoreul meogeoyo.
It’s eating animal feed.
저기 points to a place farther away: “over there”. 새끼 돼지 identifies a young pig, and 도 adds it to the animals the visitors have already noticed. 있네요 expresses noticing something in the scene.
뭘 is a spoken contraction of 무엇을, “what” as the object. The question asks about the food, so the reply names 사료, animal feed. The reply does not repeat 돼지 because the animal under discussion is already clear.
Counting Pigs and Naming Their Young
돼지 한 마리 means “one pig”; 돼지 두 마리 means “two pigs”. 마리 is the counter for animals. The animal noun stays the same, while the number and counter carry the quantity. This gives you a more exact description than adding the plural ending 들 alone.
새끼 돼지 means a piglet or young pig. The word 새끼 can identify an animal’s offspring, but using it about a person can be insulting. In an animal description, keeping the full phrase 새끼 돼지 makes the referent clear.
돼지를 키우다 means raising pigs. 키우다 focuses on caring for an animal as it grows. 먹이다 means feeding an animal, so 돼지에게 먹이를 주다, “give food to a pig”, describes one part of raising it. The visitor dialogue uses 먹어요 because it describes what the pig itself is doing.
Farm Words, Menu Words and Object Names
On a farm sign or in a children’s animal book, 돼지 names the animal. On a menu, look for 돼지고기 when the intended meaning is pork. 고기 specifies meat. The difference matters when describing what you saw on a visit versus what you ordered for dinner.
돼지저금통 names a piggy bank. 저금 means saving money, and 통 is a container. The compound names the object by its pig shape, so you can encounter 돼지 in a stationery shop or a child’s bedroom even when there are no live animals nearby.
멧돼지 means wild boar. It is not a general term for any pig that happens to be outdoors. A farm pig in an outdoor enclosure is still 돼지; the compound identifies the wild animal. Recognizing the full word helps when reading nature signs or news about wildlife.
How Does the Tone Change When It Names a Person?
돼지 is neutral when a farmer describes livestock or a child names an animal. A character calling another character 돼지 is using an animal label about a person, often to mock eating or body size. A playful voice does not make that label suitable for a new acquaintance.
For a drawing, toy or piggy bank, the word can simply describe a pig design. The object or person being named decides whether the same noun is descriptive or insulting.
Related Words for the Farm Scene
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 농장 | farm | The setting in the existing example. |
| 사료 | animal feed | Food prepared for animals. |
| 새끼 돼지 | piglet | Specifies a young pig. |
| 마리 | animal counter | Use after a number when counting pigs. |
The animal vocabulary lesson teaches the wider set of animal names. Pair 돼지 with 마리 for counting and with 새끼 when age matters, rather than expecting the bare animal noun to express both.
Quick Self-Test
- Which names the meat: 돼지 or 돼지고기?
- What counter belongs in 돼지 두 ___?
- Is 돼지 a safe nickname for someone you have just met?
Show answers
- 돼지고기.
- 마리.
- No. It can insult the person’s eating habits or weight.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Say Pig in Korean?
Say 돼지 (dwaeji). It is the native everyday word for the animal. Pork is 돼지고기, pig plus 고기, meat, and a wild boar is 멧돼지. The word is spelled with the vowel ㅙ, a common spelling trap for learners.
Is It Rude to Call Someone 돼지?
Usually, yes. Calling a person 돼지 teases them for eating a lot or for their weight, and it can hurt. Close friends sometimes use it jokingly, but avoid it with anyone you do not know well. Describing the animal is always fine.
How Do You Say Pork in Korean?
Pork is 돼지고기. 돼지 names the living animal, and the longer word names its meat. Keep that distinction when describing a farm or reading a menu. The spelling starts with the same 돼지 you learn here, including the vowel ㅙ in the first syllable.
What Is a Piggy Bank Called in Korean?
A piggy bank is 돼지저금통. It is an object, while 돼지 names the animal and 돼지고기 means pork. The longer word keeps the spelling 돼지 at its start. Learn the whole compound alongside the animal word so you can recognize it in everyday reading.
Related Words and Next Steps
- See more animal words.
- Find more single words like pig in the Korean words A to Z index.
- Another pet word: puppy.
- Review pig (돼지) with the vocabulary flashcard decks.