Key Facts
- Hangul: 대통령; Revised Romanization: daetongnyeong
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 大統領 (大 great + 統 unify + 領 lead)
- Register: Formal and respectful; usually followed by 님 when addressing directly.
President in Korean: What Does 대통령 Mean?
대통령 is formal and respectful, and in direct address it takes the honorific 님 to become 대통령님. Typical compounds are 대통령 선거 (presidential election) and 대통령실 (presidential office). It names the head of state only; a company head is a 회장, and a group leader is a 대표.
How Do You Pronounce 대통령?
Three syllables, dae-tong-nyeong. The second and third syllables meet as ㅇ + ㄹ, and the ㄹ changes to ㄴ, so the third syllable is nyeong and not ryeong. The first syllable dae has the vowel of English "bed", with no glide at the end.
Example Sentences with 대통령
대통령이 연설을 했어요.
Daetongnyeongi yeonseoreul haesseoyo.
The president gave a speech.
A news-style sentence in the past tense. 연설 is a speech, and 했어요 is the polite past of "do".
한국 대통령은 5년마다 새로 뽑아요.
Hanguk daetongnyeong-eun onyeonmada saero ppobayo.
Korea elects a new president every five years.
A general fact about elections: five-year cycle. 마다 means "every" and 뽑아요 means "pick/elect". The sentence names the country at the front.
대통령 선거가 곧 있어요.
Daetongnyeong seongeoga got isseoyo.
The presidential election is coming soon.
A time-pointing sentence: 곧 means "soon" and 있어요 is "exists", so the election is about to take place.
Common Phrases and Collocations
Political news repeats these three combinations.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 대통령 선거 | presidential election |
| 대통령실 | presidential office |
| 대통령님 | President (honorific) |
The Mistake to Avoid
The pronunciation problem is the third syllable.
Wrong: Reading the word as "dae-tong-ryeong".
Correct: The ㅇ-ㄹ sequence changes to ㄴ, so say [dae-tong-nyeong].
Spelling is unchanged; only the sound shifts, which is why the Revised Romanization is daetongnyeong.
대통령 Compared with 총리 and 회장
The head of a government, a company and a group each have a distinct title.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 총리 | prime minister | Head of the cabinet, not head of state. |
| 회장 | chairman | Head of a company or organization. |
| 대표 | representative | Leader of a group or party. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
대통령 is written 大統領 in hanja: 大 (great), 統 (unify) and 領 (lead). Together they read as the "great leader who unifies".
Recognizing a Title on the News
Two coworkers see a speech on television in the break room. One recognizes the person’s title, and the other asks what kind of event they are watching.
Jisu
대통령이 연설하고 있어요.
Daetongnyeongi yeonseolhago isseoyo.
The president is giving a speech.
Alex
무슨 내용이에요?
Museun naeyongieyo?
What is it about?
Jisu
경제에 대한 연설이에요.
Gyeongjee daehan yeonseorieyo.
It’s a speech about the economy.
연설하고 있어요 describes a speech happening now, while the earlier example 연설을 했어요 reports a completed speech. 경제에 대한 means “about the economy”. 대통령 identifies who is speaking; the rest of the sentence tells you the topic and whether the event is ongoing or finished.
What Should You Look for in a Headline?
대통령 선거 names the election for the presidency. News often shortens this phrase to 대선. The short form refers to the election, not to the person holding office. Once you recognize both, you can connect a compact headline using 대선 with a longer report using 대통령 선거.
전 대통령 means “former president”, while 현 대통령 means “current president”. The small word before the title changes which officeholder is meant. A headline about a former president is not automatically about the person currently serving. These labels remain useful when reading older articles, where “current” belongs to the time of the article.
대통령 후보 means “presidential candidate”. A candidate is running for the office; the title does not say that the person has won. 대통령 당선인 means “president-elect”. In election coverage, noticing 후보 versus 당선인 helps you follow the stage of the story without knowing every verb in the sentence.
How Do Titles and Respectful Address Work?
대통령님 adds the respectful suffix 님 directly to the title, with no space. It is useful when addressing the president or referring to the president respectfully. A neutral newspaper headline commonly uses 대통령 without 님. The absence of 님 in that setting does not itself signal an insult.
A personal name can appear before 대통령, and a country name can identify which country’s president is meant. 한국 대통령 means “the Korean president”; 미국 대통령 means “the US president”. The title works for foreign presidents too. It does not mean only the holder of the Korean office.
English uses “president” for businesses, clubs and universities as well. Korean titles depend on the organization. 사장 is a company president or head, 회장 is a chairperson or association head, and 총장 is a university president. Read the institution along with the English title before choosing a Korean equivalent.
Political Words That Make the Title Useful
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 선거 | election | The event in 대통령 선거. |
| 후보 | candidate | A person seeking office, not necessarily its holder. |
| 연설 | speech | A public address, as in the examples above. |
| 정부 | government | The governing body, rather than one person. |
| 국민 | people / citizens of a country | A common audience mentioned in political speeches. |
The politics and government vocabulary lesson teaches the wider set. Keep a title, an institution and an event separate when reading: 대통령 is a person’s office, 정부 is a governing body, and 선거 is how an officeholder may be chosen.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 대선 name a person or an election?
- Which label means “former president”: 전 대통령 or 현 대통령?
- Would 대통령 be the usual title for a university president?
Show answers
- An election: it is short for 대통령 선거.
- 전 대통령. 현 대통령 means the current president.
- No. The usual university title is 총장.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "president" in Korean?
Say 대통령 (daetongnyeong). It is the formal word for the head of state.
How do you address the president politely?
Add 님 to make 대통령님, as the honorific for direct address.
How is 대통령 pronounced?
The ㅇ-ㄹ junction becomes ㄴ, so you say [dae-tong-nyeong].
Can 대통령 mean the president of a company?
No. A company head is 회장, and a group leader is 대표.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Government terms are grouped in the politics vocabulary list.
- Browse Korean words A to Z for more government and news vocabulary.
- Add the head-of-state title to the vocabulary flashcard decks with its honorific form.
- Next in the list is society.