Key Facts
- Hangul: 온도; Revised Romanization: ondo
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 溫度 (溫 warm + 度 degree)
- Register: neutral; used for water, rooms and objects, while weather reports use 기온
Temperature in Korean: What Does 온도 Mean?
온도 is the general temperature reading. You can ask about the temperature of bath water, a heated room or a bowl of soup. It is a neutral, everyday word and shows up on thermostats, ovens and laboratory notes alike.
Korean describes temperature as high or low, not as big or small. The pair 높다 and 낮다 turns 온도 into a sentence, and the two collocations below show it. The word 온도계 is a thermometer, and 실내 온도 means the indoor temperature.
How Do You Pronounce 온도?
온도 is on-do, two syllables. The first has a rounded o, like the o in "go" without the glide, followed by the n sound. After ㄴ the ㄷ of 도 is voiced and unaspirated, close to an English d. Say it smoothly, without a pause between the syllables.
Example Sentences with 온도
온도가 높아요.
Ondoga nopayo.
The temperature is high.
높아요 means is high. The final ㅍ of the stem moves to the next syllable, so it is spoken nopayo. The sentence simply says that the temperature is high.
물의 온도가 낮아요.
Murui ondoga najayo.
The water temperature is low.
의 links two nouns: 물의 온도 is the temperature of the water. 낮아요 means is low, and again the ㅈ glides across to give najayo.
실내 온도를 확인해요.
Sillae ondoreul hwaginhaeyo.
I check the room temperature.
실내 means indoors, so 실내 온도 is the room temperature. 확인해요 means to check or confirm, a verb you will see on thermostats and in instructions.
Common Phrases and Collocations
Describing a temperature means pairing it with high or low, or putting a place word in front.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 온도가 높다 | the temperature is high |
| 온도가 낮다 | the temperature is low |
| 실내 온도 | indoor temperature |
| 온도계 | thermometer |
The Mistake to Avoid
Learners use 온도 for the weather outside, where Korean uses a different word.
Wrong: ✗ 온도 for the air temperature in a weather forecast
Correct: ✓ 기온
Forecasts and news reports name the temperature of the air as 기온; in casual chat you will still hear 온도 used loosely for the weather. 온도 stays with the temperature of water, rooms, food or objects.
온도 Compared with 기온 and 체온
Korean splits temperature by what is being measured. These two words matter most.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 온도 | temperature | The temperature of things, water or rooms. |
| 기온 | air temperature | Used for weather and outdoor air temperature. |
| 체온 | body temperature | The temperature of a person's body. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
온도 is Sino-Korean, written 溫度 in hanja: 溫 (warm) plus 度 (degree). The literal meaning is degree of warmth, which suits a word for the reading on a thermometer.
In a Shared Room: Adjusting the Heat
Two housemates check the room temperature before changing the heating setting.
Hana
방 온도가 몇 도예요?
Bang ondoga myeot doyeyo?
What’s the room temperature?
Leo
지금 이십오 도예요.
Jigeum isibo doyeyo.
It’s twenty-five degrees now.
Hana
좀 덥네요. 온도를 낮출까요?
Jom deomneyo. Ondoreul natchulkkayo?
It’s a little hot. Shall we lower the temperature?
Leo
네, 조금만 낮춰 주세요.
Ne, jogeumman natchwo juseyo.
Yes, please lower it just a little.
몇 도 asks for a reading in degrees. The answer uses the Sino-Korean number 이십오, twenty-five, followed by 도. 낮출까요 asks whether to lower the setting; 낮춰 주세요 requests that change. Neither line is just a description of the current reading.
Reading Temperatures and Changing Settings
온도가 높다 describes a high temperature. 온도를 높이다 means to raise it. Likewise, 온도가 낮다 describes a low temperature, while 온도를 낮추다 means to lower it. Watch the particle: 가 marks the temperature being described, and 를 marks what someone changes.
설정 온도 is the temperature selected on a control, while 현재 온도 is the current temperature. On a heating or air-conditioning display, these can be different readings. Recognising 설정 and 현재 helps you tell the requested setting from the room's measured condition.
A recipe may give an oven temperature using 도, “degrees”. The number by itself needs a scale from the context or display. 섭씨 names Celsius, while 영상 and 영하 distinguish above-zero and below-zero temperatures. 영하 십 도 means ten degrees below zero, not positive ten degrees.
Where Will You See 온도 and Its Neighbours?
온도 appears in cooking instructions, appliance controls and descriptions of water. A weather report usually names air temperature as 기온. A reading taken from a person is 체온. These compounds identify what is being measured, while 온도 remains the broad term.
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 수온 | water temperature | Useful for pools, lakes and seawater. |
| 습도 | humidity | A separate measure that may share a room display. |
| 설정 온도 | set temperature | The target chosen on a control. |
| 영하 | below zero | Appears before a number in cold-weather readings. |
The weather vocabulary lesson connects temperature with other forecast terms. Humidity and temperature describe different conditions; a humid room does not necessarily have a higher temperature reading.
Quick Self-Test
- Which word specifically means body temperature?
- Does 온도를 낮추다 describe a reading or an action?
- What does 영하 십 도 mean?
Show answers
- 체온.
- An action: lowering the temperature.
- Ten degrees below zero.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say temperature in Korean?
Say 온도 (ondo). It is the neutral word for the temperature of water, a room or an object.
How do you say the temperature is high or low?
Say 온도가 높아요 for high and 온도가 낮아요 for low. Korean uses high and low here, not big and small.
What word do weather reports use?
Forecasts use 기온 for the temperature of the air. 온도 is the everyday word for water, rooms and things.
How do you say indoor temperature?
Say 실내 온도. The phrase 실내 온도를 확인해요 means I check the room temperature.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: weather vocabulary sets 온도 next to rain, wind and the seasons.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: Add 온도 to your review in the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next in the list is the word for thunder.