Key Facts
- Hangul: 하늘; Revised Romanization: haneul
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native Korean
- Register: neutral, everyday word
Sky in Korean: What Does 하늘 Mean?
하늘 has two senses. The everyday one is the sky: you look up at it, describe its color and comment on the weather. The second sense is heaven, the sky as a place above the human world, which shows up in religious and idiomatic language.
The word also builds compounds. 하늘색 is sky blue, a light blue named after the sky, and 푸른 하늘 is a clear blue sky.
How Do You Pronounce 하늘?
Two syllables, ha-neul. The ㅎ is a soft h, and the second syllable has the vowel ㅡ (eu), said with the lips spread, not rounded. The final ㄹ is a light l. Before a vowel, that ㄹ moves to the next syllable and sounds like a flapped r: 하늘이 is [ha-neu-ri].
Example Sentences with 하늘
하늘이 파래요.
Haneuri paraeyo.
The sky is blue.
파래요 means "is blue". Korean describes colors with adjectives like this one, so no separate word for "is" is needed.
하늘을 보세요.
Haneureul boseyo.
Look at the sky.
보세요 is a polite request: "please look". 을 marks 하늘 as what you look at.
오늘 하늘이 맑아요.
Oneul haneuri malgayo.
The sky is clear today.
맑아요 means "is clear", and 오늘 is "today". This is a typical small-talk line about the weather.
Common Phrases and Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 하늘을 보다 | to look at the sky |
| 하늘이 맑다 | the sky is clear |
| 하늘색 | sky blue |
| 푸른 하늘 | blue sky |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: reading 하늘이 as [ha-neul-i], with a pause after the ㄹ.
Correct: link the ㄹ to the particle: [ha-neu-ri]. The romanization haneuri in the examples shows this.
하늘 Compared with Similar Words
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 하늘 | sky | This page's word |
| 구름 | cloud | Something in the sky, not the sky itself |
| 우주 | universe, space | Outer space, beyond the sky |
Where Does the Word Come From?
하늘 is a native Korean word and has no hanja form.
On a Walk: Noticing the Sky
Two neighbors meet outside after several rainy days. The first speaker notices the clear sky; the second suggests taking a photograph.
Neighbor A
오늘 하늘이 정말 맑아요.
Oneul haneuri jeongmal malgayo.
The sky is really clear today.
Neighbor B
네, 구름도 없어요.
Ne, gureumdo eopseoyo.
Yes, there are no clouds either.
Neighbor A
여기서 사진을 찍을까요?
Yeogiseo sajineul jjigeulkkayo?
Shall we take a photo here?
Neighbor B
좋아요. 하늘이 잘 보여요.
Joayo. Haneuri jal boyeoyo.
Good idea. You can see the sky well.
The speakers use 맑아요 to describe clarity, rather than color. A sky can be clear without looking bright blue, for example near sunset. 구름도 없어요 adds “there are no clouds either”; 도 connects that observation to the first comment. In the last line, 보여요 means “is visible”, so the speaker is checking the view for the photograph.
Which Sky Phrases Are Literal, and Which Are Idioms?
하늘색 literally combines “sky” and “color”, but as a color name it means a light blue. A shop assistant describing a 하늘색 shirt is naming its shade. The word does not change meaning each time the actual sky turns gray or pink. Write 하늘색 together as one word.
푸른 하늘 describes a blue sky and appears in scenic descriptions, song lyrics and captions. In ordinary conversation, the existing example 하늘이 파래요 gives the same basic observation as a complete polite sentence. 푸른 하늘 is a noun phrase, so it can label a picture without saying anything further.
하늘의 별 따기 literally means “picking a star from the sky”. It describes something extremely difficult to achieve or obtain. Someone struggling to get a ticket for a sold-out concert might use it. The phrase expresses difficulty rather than a claim about stars. The National Institute of Korean Language’s entry for 하늘 lists this expression.
하늘과 땅 차이 literally means “a difference between sky and earth”. Its everyday meaning is an enormous difference. It can compare two people's abilities or the quality of two products. Unlike 하늘색, this expression does not describe a visible feature of the sky; the distance supplies the image.
Where Will You See or Hear 하늘?
Weather small talk uses 하늘 when the speaker describes what they can see above them. 날씨 means weather more broadly: temperature, wind and rain can all be part of it. If you want to say the day is cold, choose 날씨 or simply describe the temperature; 하늘 itself names the sky.
Photo captions may use 하늘 alone as a label. A weather report may instead describe 구름, clouds, or 비, rain, to explain the conditions. Learning those nouns alongside 하늘 helps you understand a scene instead of expecting one sky word to cover every weather observation.
하늘 is neutral and has no separate polite noun. The ending makes the existing 하늘을 보세요 a polite request. In poetry or a drama, 하늘 can refer to heaven or a higher power. Read the surrounding words before translating every occurrence as the physical sky.
Words for Describing the View
| Korean | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 구름 | cloud | Names something visible in the sky. |
| 해 | sun | Everyday word for the sun you see overhead. |
| 달 | moon | Useful for a night-sky description. |
| 별 | star | Appears in both literal descriptions and the idiom above. |
| 날씨 | weather | Covers conditions beyond the sky's appearance. |
The landscape vocabulary lesson puts the sky beside features on the ground. Use the weather vocabulary lesson when you want to describe changing conditions.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 하늘색 mean whatever color the sky has right now?
- What does 하늘의 별 따기 say about buying a ticket?
- Which word covers weather more broadly: 하늘 or 날씨?
Show answers
- No. It is the color name sky blue, a light blue.
- Getting the ticket is extremely difficult.
- 날씨 covers the weather; 하늘 names the sky.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "sky" in Korean?
Say 하늘 (haneul).
How do you say "sky blue" in Korean?
Say 하늘색, literally "sky color".
How do I say "the sky is clear"?
The dictionary form is 하늘이 맑다. In polite speech, say 하늘이 맑아요.
Does 하늘 also mean heaven?
Yes. Its main meaning is the sky, but it can also mean heaven.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: landscape and nature words places 하늘 among related words.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Read next: star.
- Compare: cloud.