Key Facts
- Hangul: 천둥; Revised Romanization: cheondung
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native Korean
- Register: neutral everyday word
Thunder in Korean: What Does 천둥 Mean?
천둥 is the sound of a storm: the crack, boom or rolling noise overhead. It is a neutral word, equally at home in a weather chat and in a children's story.
Three phrases cover most conversations. 천둥이 치다 and 천둥이 울리다 both describe thunder sounding, 천둥소리 is the sound itself, and 천둥번개 joins thunder and lightning into one storm word. A close relative, 벼락, is a thunderbolt, meaning an actual strike.
How Do You Pronounce 천둥?
천둥 is cheon-dung. The ㅊ is aspirated, so you should feel a burst of breath, stronger than the ch in church. The vowel ㅓ is open and relaxed, like the u in cup spoken a little further back. In the second syllable the ㅜ is a rounded oo, and the final ㅇ is the ng of sing. Say both syllables evenly.
Example Sentences with 천둥
천둥이 쳐요.
Cheondungi chyeoyo.
Thunder rumbles.
치다 is the verb that thunder uses, so 쳐요 reads as thunder strikes or rumbles. The particle 이 marks 천둥 as the thing that acts.
천둥소리가 커요.
Cheondungsoriga keoyo.
The thunder is loud.
천둥소리 is one word, the sound of thunder, and 커요 means is big or loud. Notice that Korean says the sound is big, while English says the thunder is loud.
저는 천둥이 무서워요.
Jeoneun cheondungi museowoyo.
I am afraid of thunder.
저는 is I as the topic. 무서워요 means is scary, so the sentence says that the speaker finds thunder frightening.
Common Phrases and Collocations
Because thunder is a sound, its partners are verbs of sounding and nouns that join it to lightning.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 천둥이 치다 | thunder rumbles |
| 천둥소리 | sound of thunder |
| 천둥번개 | thunder and lightning |
| 천둥이 울리다 | thunder resounds |
The Mistake to Avoid
Learners treat thunder and lightning as one word, but Korean separates the sound from the flash.
Wrong: ✗ 번개 소리가 커요. (meaning The thunder is loud.)
Correct: ✓ 천둥소리가 커요.
번개 is the flash of lightning. A flash has no sound of its own, so the loud rumble that follows is 천둥.
천둥 Compared with 번개 and 벼락
Both neighbours belong to the same storm, but each names a different part of it.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 천둥 | thunder | The rumbling sound. |
| 번개 | lightning | The flash. |
| 벼락 | thunderbolt | A strike. |
The page for lightning covers 번개 in full.
Where Does the Word Come From?
천둥 is treated as a native Korean word and is written without hanja, though it is often traced to 天動 ("heaven moving"). Native words like this are best learned as a unit with their usual verb, so remember 천둥이 치다 as one phrase.
At the Door: Waiting out a Storm
Two friends are about to leave when a loud rumble interrupts them.
Nari
방금 천둥소리 들었어요?
Banggeum cheondungsori deureosseoyo?
Did you hear that thunder just now?
Ben
네, 소리가 정말 커요.
Ne, soriga jeongmal keoyo.
Yes, it’s really loud.
Nari
비도 많이 와요.
Bido mani wayo.
It’s raining heavily too.
Ben
그럼 조금 더 기다려요.
Geureom jogeum deo gidaryeoyo.
Then let’s wait a little longer.
들었어요 asks whether the other person heard the sound. 천둥소리 names the sound being heard, so the question makes the sound the object of 듣다, “hear”. 비도 adds rain with 도, “also”, so the scene gives two reasons to wait.
Which Words Describe the Sound?
천둥이 치다 is the usual expression for thunder rumbling. 천둥이 울리다 emphasises the sound ringing or resounding. Both describe an event; 천둥소리 names the noise you can hear. In a story, a writer can mention the sound even when the storm itself is outside the scene.
우르릉 represents a low rumbling noise. It can accompany a description of thunder, much as “rumble” can suggest a sound in English. It is a sound-symbolic word, rather than another name for lightning. You may meet it in children's books or captions that help readers imagine a noise.
천둥 같은 박수 literally means “thunder-like applause”. Its real point is the loud, powerful sound of the clapping, rather than a storm. This comparison suits a performance report or an excited description of an audience. A quiet round of polite applause would not fit the image.
Where Will You Hear or See 천둥?
Forecasts use 천둥번개 when discussing thunder and lightning together. A news report may describe the wider weather with 뇌우, “thunderstorm”, a more technical weather word. Everyday conversation usually uses the familiar 천둥 and 번개 to say what people heard or saw.
In a drama, 천둥 can explain why a character startles or says they are frightened. 천둥이 무서워요 expresses fear of thunder; it does not necessarily describe every part of bad weather. 무서워요 describes the speaker's reaction, while 커요 describes the sound's volume.
Words for the Rest of the Storm
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 소나기 | shower | A brief burst of rain; the word does not itself mean thunder. |
| 폭우 | heavy rain | Names intense rainfall rather than the noise overhead. |
| 뇌우 | thunderstorm | A weather term for a storm involving thunder and lightning. |
| 빗소리 | sound of rain | The rain's sound, separate from 천둥소리. |
The weather vocabulary lesson teaches the wider set. Use 천둥 for what you hear overhead, 번개 for the flash, and a rain word for the rainfall itself.
Quick Self-Test
- Do you hear 천둥 or see its flash?
- What does 천둥 같은 박수 describe?
- Does 소나기 automatically mean a thunderstorm?
Show answers
- You hear 천둥. 번개 is the flash.
- Loud, powerful applause, compared to thunder.
- No. It means a shower; thunder is not part of the word’s meaning.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say thunder in Korean?
Say 천둥 (cheondung). It names the rumbling sound of a storm, and the usual verb is 치다, as in 천둥이 쳐요.
How do you say thunder and lightning together?
Say 천둥번개. The compound puts the sound and the flash into one word for a storm.
How do you say I am afraid of thunder?
Say 저는 천둥이 무서워요. The adjective 무서워요 means is scary.
What is the difference between 천둥 and 번개?
천둥 is the sound, while 번개 is the flash of light. 벼락 is a thunderbolt, an actual strike.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: weather vocabulary places 천둥 among the storm and season words.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: Add 천둥 to your review in the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next in the list is the word for typhoon.