Key Facts
- Hangul: 우체국; Revised Romanization: ucheguk
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 郵遞局 (郵 mail + 遞 deliver + 局 office)
- Register: Neutral, everyday word used in both spoken and written Korean.
Post Office in Korean: What Does 우체국 Mean?
우체국 is the post office, the building where you send mail and parcels. It is a neutral word that appears in speech and writing.
How Do You Pronounce 우체국?
Three syllables, u-che-guk. The final ㄱ is unreleased: close the throat and stop without adding a vowel after it. Before a vowel it carries over and softens, so 우체국에 sounds like u-che-gu-ge.
Example Sentences with 우체국
우체국에 가요.
Ucheguge gayo.
I go to the post office.
The simplest use, with 에 marking the destination and 가요 meaning go.
우체국은 은행 앞에 있어요.
Uchegugeun eunhaeng ape isseoyo.
The post office is in front of the bank.
앞에 means in front of, so the sentence places the post office in front of the bank, 은행.
우체국에서 편지를 보냈어요.
Uchegugeseo pyeonjireul bonaesseoyo.
I sent a letter at the post office.
우체국에서 marks where the action took place. 보냈어요 is the past of sending, and 편지를 is the letter.
Common Phrases and Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 우체국 택배 | post office parcel service |
| 우체국에서 부치다 | to mail at the post office |
| 우체국 직원 | post office employee |
The Mistake to Avoid
Learners add a vowel after the final consonant.
Wrong: u-che-gu-keu, with an extra syllable at the end.
Correct: u-che-guk, with the last k held and unreleased.
우체국 Compared with Related Words
Two words cover mail and parcels without being the building.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 우체국 | post office | This page's word |
| 우체통 | mailbox | 우체통 is the box for dropping letters, not the building. |
| 택배 | parcel delivery | 택배 is the delivery service by private couriers; 우체국 is the postal building and also offers parcel service. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
우체국 is Sino-Korean, written 郵遞局 in hanja: 郵 (mail), 遞 (deliver) and 局 (office).
Sending a Parcel at the Counter
A customer arrives at a post-office counter with a parcel. The clerk asks where it is going and then asks the customer to write the address.
Customer
이 소포를 우체국 택배로 보내고 싶어요.
I soporeul ucheguk taekbaero bonaego sipeoyo.
I’d like to send this parcel by the post office’s parcel service.
Clerk
어디로 보내세요?
Eodiro bonaeseyo?
Where are you sending it?
Customer
부산으로 보내요.
Busaneuro bonaeyo.
I’m sending it to Busan.
Clerk
여기에 주소를 써 주세요.
Yeogie jusoreul sseo juseyo.
Please write the address here.
우체국 택배로 identifies the service the customer wants to use. 소포 names the parcel itself. 부산으로 gives its destination, and 주소 gives the written information needed to send it there. The clerk’s question concerns where the parcel is going, rather than where the customer lives.
What Will You Read at 우체국?
우체국 is the building name on a map or sign. Inside, 우편 means mail or postal service. A counter label containing 우편 points you toward mail-related business, while 소포 identifies parcels. Recognizing the building name gets you to the right place; recognizing the service words helps you explain your errand.
우체국 직원 means a post-office employee. 직원 identifies someone who works there, without specifying their exact role. If you are telling a friend who helped you, that phrase is enough. When speaking directly to a clerk, a polite request such as the first dialogue line is more useful than calling out the building name.
우체국 택배 names the post office’s parcel service. The full expression tells you who handles the delivery. 택배 on its own names a type of delivery service, so it need not refer to a visit to a post-office building. Keep the service and the place separate when describing how you sent a package.
보내다 or 부치다 for Mailing?
보내다 is the broad verb “to send”. It works with a letter or parcel, as the dialogue and the original letter example show. 부치다 is also used for sending something by mail. 우체국에서 부치다 makes both the mailing action and its location clear.
The spelling matters: 부치다 is the mailing verb, while 붙이다 means “to attach” or “to stick on”. A stamp is attached to an envelope, and the letter is then mailed. Those two actions can occur during the same errand, which makes the similar-looking verbs easy to confuse.
In 우체국에 가요, 에 marks where you are going. In 우체국에서 편지를 보냈어요, 에서 marks where you performed the sending action. The final ㄱ in 우체국 stays in the spelling when either ending is attached. You are changing the noun’s role in the sentence, rather than changing the noun itself.
Words for a Letter or Parcel
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 편지 | letter | The written message you mail. |
| 봉투 | envelope | Holds a letter; distinct from the message. |
| 우표 | postage stamp | Something attached to an envelope. |
| 소포 | parcel | The item being sent in the dialogue. |
| 주소 | address | Specifies where the item should arrive. |
| 우편번호 | postal code | Helps identify the delivery area. |
The post-office vocabulary lesson teaches this set together. If you are asking for directions first, the city places lesson provides other landmarks for locating the building. These two sets support different parts of the same errand: finding 우체국 and explaining what you want to send.
Quick Self-Test
- Which word is the parcel itself: 소포 or 우체국?
- Which particle marks an action performed at the post office?
- Which spelling means “to mail”: 부치다 or 붙이다?
Show answers
- 소포. 우체국 is the building.
- 에서, as in 우체국에서 편지를 보냈어요.
- 부치다. 붙이다 means to attach or stick on.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "post office" in Korean?
Say 우체국 (ucheguk). It is the everyday word for the post office building, as in 우체국에 가요 (I go to the post office).
How do I say I mailed something there?
Use 에서 with a sending verb: 우체국에서 편지를 보냈어요 means I sent a letter at the post office. 부치다 is another verb for mailing, as in 우체국에서 부치다.
What is a post office parcel?
우체국 택배 is the post office's own parcel service. 택배 alone usually means delivery by private courier companies, so adding 우체국 tells you the post office handles it.
Is a mailbox also 우체국?
No. A mailbox is 우체통, the box where you drop letters. 우체국 is the building with staff, counters and parcel service.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: City places groups 우체국 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Compare 우체국 with 택배, the private courier service.
- Next in the city list is the word for school.