Key Facts
- Hangul: 수건; Revised Romanization: sugeon
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Register: Neutral everyday word; 타월 is a loanword often used for bath towels.
- Hanja: 手巾 (手 hand + 巾 cloth)
Towel in Korean: How Do You Pronounce 수건?
Two syllables: su-geon. There is no sound change: the ㄱ between vowels is a soft g sound, and the vowel in the second syllable is the open eo.
Example Sentences with 수건
수건 좀 주세요.
Sugeon jom juseyo
Please give me a towel.
A hotel request. 좀 softens the ask, and 주세요 turns it into a polite request for a towel.
수건으로 얼굴을 닦아요.
Sugeoneuro eolgureul dakkayo
I wipe my face with a towel.
The instrument particle 으로 marks what you wipe with. 얼굴을 is the face, the thing being wiped.
이 방에는 수건이 없어요.
I bangeneun sugeoni eopseoyo
There are no towels in this room.
A complaint: 이 방에는 means in this room, and 없어요 says that no towels are there.
Common Phrases and Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 수건으로 닦다 | to wipe with a towel |
| 수건을 빨다 | to wash a towel |
| 목욕 수건 | bath towel |
| 젖은 수건 | wet towel |
수건으로 닦다 shows the tool particle in a ready phrase. 젖은 수건 is a wet towel, 목욕 수건 is a bath towel, and 수건을 빨다 means to wash one.
The Mistake to Avoid
Learners make the towel the object of 닦다.
- Wrong: 수건을 닦다 (this means "to wipe the towel")
- Right: 얼굴을 수건으로 닦다 (to wipe your face with a towel)
닦다 takes the thing being wiped as its object, and the towel is the tool, marked with 으로.
수건 Compared with Similar Words
타월 is the loanword, often used for bath towels or the scrubbing towel. 손수건 is a handkerchief, a small cloth for hands or face.
| Word | Meaning | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|---|
| 수건 | towel | This page's word |
| 타월 | towel (loanword) | Often used for bath towels or the scrubbing towel. |
| 손수건 | handkerchief | A small cloth for hands or face. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
수건 is written 手巾: 手 (hand) and 巾 (cloth). Towels are also a common keepsake gift in Korea: commemorative towels are often handed out at events such as weddings and shop openings.
At a Hotel: Asking for Clean Towels
A guest calls the front desk because the towels in the room are wet. The receptionist checks the quantity before bringing replacements.
Guest
수건이 다 젖었어요.
Sugeoni da jeojeosseoyo.
All the towels are wet.
Receptionist
수건 몇 장 필요하세요?
Sugeon myeot jang piryohaseyo?
How many towels do you need?
Guest
두 장 주세요.
Du jang juseyo.
Two, please.
Receptionist
네, 새 수건을 가져다드릴게요.
Ne, sae sugeoneul gajyeodadeurilgeyo.
Yes, I will bring you fresh towels.
장 counts flat items, including towels. 두 장 means two towels here because both speakers already know the object. The guest can leave out 수건 in that reply. 새 수건 means fresh or new towels; in a hotel exchange it can mean clean replacements, rather than towels that have never been used.
How Do You Describe and Count Towels?
젖은 수건 is a wet towel. 마른 수건 is a dry towel. These phrases describe moisture, so a dry towel is not automatically a clean one. 깨끗한 수건 specifically means a clean towel. That distinction helps when explaining whether a towel needs drying or washing.
수건을 빨다 means to wash a towel as laundry. In this phrase, 빨다 is the washing verb; 닦다 describes wiping a surface. A towel goes into the laundry as the object of 빨다, but becomes the tool in 수건으로 얼굴을 닦다.
수건 두 장 is two towels, with the object first and the number plus counter after it. A request can add 주세요, as in the dialogue. 두 is the form of “two” used before the counter 장. This counts separate towels, regardless of their size.
Where Will You Hear or See 수건?
In a hotel, 수건 appears in requests for extra supplies and questions about what is in the room. The existing example 이 방에는 수건이 없어요 reports that there are none. The new dialogue reports a different problem: towels are present, but wet. Naming the actual problem helps staff understand what you need.
In a bathroom shop, 수건 and 타월 can appear on similar products. 수건 is a useful general choice in conversation. A label such as 목욕 수건 adds the intended use, “bath towel”. If size matters, add a size description rather than expecting 수건 alone to specify a large towel.
At home, a conversation about 수건 may concern washing, drying or putting laundry away. The word remains neutral in all three settings. The receptionist's 필요하세요 is respectful speech about the guest's needs; it does not require a different noun for towel.
Which Cloth Do You Mean?
| Korean | Meaning | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| 손수건 | handkerchief | A small personal cloth carried with you. |
| 행주 | dishcloth | A cloth used for kitchen cleaning or wiping. |
| 걸레 | cleaning rag | A rag used for cleaning surfaces such as floors. |
| 비누 | soap | A bathroom item often requested alongside a towel. |
The bathroom word list teaches the washing supplies around 수건. The cloth words help with a practical distinction: a towel for drying your face, a kitchen dishcloth and a floor rag have different names and uses. 손수건 also contains 수건, but means a handkerchief rather than a normal bathroom towel.
Quick Self-Test
- How many towels does 두 장 mean?
- Which phrase specifically means “clean towel”: 마른 수건 or 깨끗한 수건?
- In 수건으로 얼굴을 닦아요, what is being wiped?
Show answers
- Two towels. 장 is the counter used here.
- 깨끗한 수건. 마른 수건 means a dry towel.
- The face, 얼굴. 수건으로 names the towel as the tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "towel" in Korean?
Say 수건 (sugeon).
What is a handkerchief?
It is 손수건.
Which word is the loanword?
It is 타월, often used for bath towels.
How do I say "wipe your face with a towel"?
Say 얼굴을 수건으로 닦다.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: bathroom word list. 수건 sits beside the soap and shampoo words.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Compare with the shampoo page. Shampoo is the next bathroom item in the list.