Key Facts
- 방 (bang) means room, including your own room or bedroom.
- Part of speech: noun; origin: sino korean.
- Register: neutral everyday word; it also builds compound words for rooms such as 노래방.
- Hanja: 房 (房 room).
- Level: A1.
Room in Korean: What Does 방 Mean?
방 has two senses: any enclosed room, and the room that is yours, such as a bedroom you sleep and study in. The Chinese character behind it is 房, meaning room. Because the register is neutral, you can use 방 with a teacher, a landlord or a friend. It also forms compounds for kinds of rooms, such as 노래방, a karaoke room.
How Do You Pronounce 방?
Read it as bang: a plain b, the vowel ㅏ, and the final ng sound. When 이 or 은 follows, the ng stays in place and the particle starts its own syllable, which is why the first example is romanized je bangeun and the second bangi. Press play to hear the headword before the sentences.
How Do You Use 방 in a Sentence?
제 방은 작아요.
My room is small.
je bangeun jagayo. 제 here marks the room as belonging to the speaker, and 작아요 is the polite form of small. This is the sentence for describing your own space.
방이 깨끗해요.
The room is clean.
bangi kkaekkeutaeyo. 깨끗해요 means clean, and the particle on 방 turns the room into the thing being described. Note that no word for 'is' appears: the adjective carries it.
저는 방에서 숙제를 해요.
I do my homework in my room.
jeoneun bangeseo sukjereul haeyo. 방에서 pairs 방 with the particle for the place where an action happens. 숙제를 해요 is the action of doing homework, so the room is the setting, not the thing acted on.
Common Word Combinations
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 방을 청소하다 | to clean the room |
| 방을 예약하다 | to reserve a room |
| 방이 넓다 | the room is spacious |
| 방 안 | inside the room |
방을 청소하다 and 방을 예약하다 treat the room as an object you clean or book, so they use the object particle. 방이 넓다 describes the room itself. 방 안 is a short noun phrase meaning inside the room, handy when you give directions in a flat.
Common Mistake
Mistake: Thinking 방 means only 'bedroom'.
Fix: 방 means any enclosed room. When you want to say your own room, put 내 in front: 내 방.
How Does 방 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | Meaning | How to tell it from 방 |
|---|---|---|
| 침실 | bedroom | 침실 is a room for sleeping. Use it when the bed is the point; use 방 for any room. |
| 거실 | living room | 거실 is the shared main room of a home, so a family space. A 방 is a room in general, often a private one. |
Checking for a Room at a Guesthouse
A traveller arrives without a booking. The receptionist first confirms availability, then offers to show the room. Both speakers use polite endings.
Traveller
오늘 빈방 있어요?
Oneul binbang isseoyo?
Do you have a vacant room today?
Receptionist
네. 방 하나 있어요.
Ne. Bang hana isseoyo.
Yes. We have one room.
Traveller
방을 볼 수 있어요?
Bangeul bol su isseoyo?
Can I see the room?
Receptionist
네. 이쪽으로 오세요.
Ne. Ijjogeuro oseyo.
Yes. Please come this way.
빈방 means a vacant room and is written as one word. The question is about a room being available, not whether the building contains rooms. 방 하나 means one room; the receptionist can leave out a counting unit in this short reply. Asking to see the room is separate from reserving it, so the traveller has not yet made a booking.
What Do Common Phrases with 방 Tell You?
방을 구하다 means to look for or find a room to live in. The verb 구하다 has several meanings, but beside 방 it usually concerns finding accommodation. This phrase can appear in a student's conversation about moving near campus. It does not mean cleaning or booking the room for a single night.
방을 빼다 literally suggests taking the room out, but in housing conversations it means to vacate the room or move out. The thing being removed is your occupancy, not the walls. You may hear it when a tenant discusses leaving a rented place.
방 안 and 방 안에 distinguish a place from a location phrase: “inside the room” and “in the room”. 방 안에 describes where something is, while the existing homework example uses 방에서 for where an activity happens. A chair can be located inside the room; doing homework is an action in that room.
Where Will You Hear or See 방?
In a property listing, 방 often helps describe the layout. A mention of two rooms does not itself tell you how large either room is, whether they are furnished or how the living area is arranged. Keep room count separate from size and facilities when reading an advertisement.
On accommodation websites, 객실 is another word you will meet for a guest room. A hotel may use 객실 in its written descriptions while a guest simply asks about 방 at reception. 방 sounds natural in everyday conversation; it is not rude just because the website uses a more formal label.
In compound words, 방 often identifies a space by its purpose. 노래방 is a karaoke establishment with private singing rooms, and 공부방 is a study room or a place offering study support. Knowing 방 gives a clue to the kind of space, but the full compound has its own meaning.
Nearby Words for Talking about a Home
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 침실 | bedroom | Specifically a sleeping room. |
| 거실 | living room | The shared living area of a home. |
| 부엌 | kitchen | Names the cooking space. |
| 화장실 | bathroom; restroom | Use the whole word when asking where the toilet is. |
The home vocabulary lesson puts these spaces together. 방 is broad, but Korean often chooses the specific room name when its purpose matters. Asking for the 화장실 gives a host a clearer question than asking for an unspecified 방.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 빈방 tell you about a room?
- In a housing conversation, what does 방을 빼다 mean?
- Which expression fits doing homework in a room: 방에 or 방에서?
Show answers
- It is vacant or available.
- To vacate the room or move out.
- 방에서, because the room is where the action happens.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 방 Only Mean Bedroom?
No. 방 means any enclosed room, and it is also the usual word for your own room or bedroom.
How Do I Say 'My Room' in Korean?
Use 제 방 in polite speech, as in 제 방은 작아요. Among friends, say 내 방.
What Is the Hanja for 방?
It is 房, meaning room. 방 is a Sino-Korean word.
How Do I Say 'to Book a Room'?
Say 방을 예약하다. The verb attaches to 방 with the object particle.
Where to Go Next
This word sits in the daily life home vocabulary list. After it, compare it with the bedroom word and the living room word, or browse the full index at Korean words A to Z.