Key Facts
- Hangul: 전통시장; Revised Romanization: jeontongsijang
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 傳統市場 (傳 transmit + 統 tradition + 市 market + 場 place)
- Register: neutral; the official term for markets such as Namdaemun and Gwangjang, with 재래시장 as the older word
Traditional Market in Korean: What Does 전통시장 Mean?
전통시장 is a market where sellers run stalls and shops for food, vegetables and household goods. The word is neutral and is the term used in official and news language today. It is an everyday place where local people shop, not a museum or a tourist-only site, even though visitors enjoy it.
Its compounds describe the market's life: 전통시장 상인 is a merchant there, 전통시장 음식 is market food, and 전통시장 장보기 is doing the shopping at the market. Sellers at such places often add a small extra to a purchase, called 덤, which is part of the market's charm.
How Do You Pronounce 전통시장?
전통시장 is one long word of four syllables: jeon-tong-si-jang. The ㅈ at the start is a soft j, and both 전 and 통 end in nasal sounds, n and ng. The ㅅ in 시 stays plain after the ng and is not tightened, so the middle of the word sounds like tong-see. Keep the four beats even instead of stressing the end.
Example Sentences with 전통시장
주말에 전통시장에 가요.
Jumare jeontongsijange gayo.
I go to the traditional market on weekends.
주말에 is on the weekend. The particle 에 in 전통시장에 marks the place that you go to, and 가요 is the polite go.
전통시장은 값이 싸요.
Jeontongsijangeun gapsi ssayo.
Prices at the traditional market are cheap.
은 makes the market the topic, and 값이 싸요 says that the price is cheap. In speech 값이 sounds like gap-ssi, with a tense ss (romanized gapsi).
전통시장에서 채소를 샀어요.
Jeontongsijangeseo chaesoreul sasseoyo.
I bought vegetables at the traditional market.
에서 shows where the action took place, so the sentence says that the vegetables were bought at the market. 샀어요 is the past of buy.
Common Phrases and Collocations
Most partners of 전통시장 are about going there, the people who work there and what you do there.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 전통시장에 가다 | to go to the traditional market |
| 전통시장 상인 | traditional market merchant |
| 전통시장 음식 | traditional market food |
| 전통시장 장보기 | shopping at the traditional market |
The Mistake to Avoid
With a verb of movement the place takes the destination particle, but learners reach for the one meaning at.
Wrong: ✗ 전통시장에서 가요.
Correct: ✓ 전통시장에 가요.
에서 marks where an action happens, while 가요 needs a destination, which takes 에. The correct sentence says that you are going to the market; the wrong one sounds broken to Korean ears.
전통시장 Compared with 시장 and 재래시장
Both neighbours name markets. The difference lies in how official and how old each word sounds.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 전통시장 | traditional market | The official term for an established local market. |
| 시장 | market | The general word for a market. |
| 재래시장 | traditional market (older term) | An older term for the same kind of market. |
The word for market has its own page, market.
Where Does the Word Come From?
전통시장 is Sino-Korean, written 傳統市場 in hanja: 傳 (pass on) and 統 (lineage) give tradition, and 市 (market) with 場 (place) gives marketplace. The whole word is a market in the traditional line.
At a Market Stall: Buying Some Apples
A customer is buying fruit at a stall inside a 전통시장. The market gives the setting; the actual purchase uses short questions about the goods.
Customer
이 사과는 얼마예요?
I sagwaneun eolmayeyo?
How much are these apples?
Seller
한 개에 천 원이에요.
Han gaee cheon wonieyo.
They are one thousand won each.
Customer
세 개 주세요.
Se gae juseyo.
Please give me three.
Seller
네, 봉투에 담아 드릴게요.
Ne, bongtue dama deurilgeyo.
Sure, I will put them in a bag for you.
The price is part of this practice conversation, rather than a claim about market prices. 한 개에 means “per item”, while 세 개 gives the quantity the customer wants. The seller's 담아 드릴게요 offers to put the goods in a container for the customer.
Shopping Phrases beyond the Market's Name
전통시장에서 장을 보다 means to shop for groceries at a traditional market. Although 보다 usually means “see”, 장을 보다 is a set expression for doing the grocery shopping. It describes buying household provisions, rather than simply looking at the stalls.
전통시장 장보기 names that activity as a noun phrase, which makes it suitable for an article heading or an outing plan. 전통시장 구경 focuses on looking around. You can enjoy looking around without buying groceries, so choose the phrase that matches what you actually did.
What Do 덤 and 서비스 Mean at a Stall?
덤 is a little extra added to a purchase. It is additional goods, whereas a 할인 is a reduction in price. If a seller adds another piece of fruit, that can be 덤; if the amount you pay goes down, that is a discount.
서비스 can also refer to something provided free as an extra in a shop or restaurant. Its meaning in that setting is narrower than the broad English word “service”. An extra depends on the seller and the purchase, so the word 전통시장 does not promise a gift or a lower price.
Useful Words around the Stalls
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 상인 | merchant | The person selling goods, often used in descriptions of a market. |
| 가게 | shop | A place of business within the larger market. |
| 봉투 | bag / envelope | In a purchase, often the bag used to carry goods. |
| 현금 | cash | A payment word, separate from the price or quantity. |
The traditional market vocabulary lesson builds out the words for a purchase. On signs, 전통시장 may identify the whole market area, while individual 가게 signs name the businesses within it. In conversation, once both speakers know which market they mean, the shorter 시장 is often enough.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 전통시장에서 장을 보다 mean?
- Is 덤 a lower price or extra goods?
- In the dialogue, which phrase tells the seller the quantity?
Show answers
- To do grocery shopping at a traditional market.
- Extra goods added to the purchase; 할인 is a discount.
- 세 개 주세요 asks for three items.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say traditional market in Korean?
Say 전통시장 (jeontongsijang). It is the official term for markets such as Namdaemun and Gwangjang.
What was the older word for it?
The older word is 재래시장. You may still hear it, but 전통시장 is the current official term.
How do you say I go to the traditional market on weekends?
Say 주말에 전통시장에 가요. Notice that the destination 전통시장 takes 에.
Is 전통시장 only for tourists?
No. Local people use it to buy food and goods, and it is a normal part of daily shopping.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: traditional market vocabulary widens 전통시장 into a full word list for the market.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: Add 전통시장 to your review in the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next in the list is the word for market.