Key Facts
- Hangul: 교통; Revised Romanization: gyotong
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Register: Neutral, everyday word used in both spoken and written Korean. Used for traffic and transport in general.
- Hanja: 交通 (交 exchange + 通 pass through)
Transportation in Korean: How Do You Pronounce 교통?
Two syllables: gyo-tong, each read as written. The initial ㄱ is a plain consonant, between English g and k, and the final ㅇ is the "ng" of "song".
Example Sentences with 교통
서울은 교통이 편리해요.
Seoureun gyotongi pyeollihaeyo.
Transportation is convenient in Seoul.
A city review: 서울은 is Seoul as the topic, and 편리해요 means convenient.
교통이 복잡해요.
Gyotongi bokjapaeyo.
The traffic is heavy.
Here the sense shifts to traffic. 복잡해요 literally means "is complicated", but about roads it means crowded or congested.
교통 때문에 늦었어요.
Gyotong ttaemune neujeosseoyo.
I was late because of traffic.
A lateness excuse. 때문에 means because of, and 늦었어요 is the past of being late.
Notice how the three examples use different sentence frames: praise, a complaint and an excuse. The frame 때문에 is worth keeping, since it lets 교통 explain a delay without naming a vehicle.
Common Phrases and Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 교통이 편리하다 | transportation is convenient |
| 교통비 | transportation cost |
| 교통 체증 | traffic jam |
교통이 편리하다 praises a network, 교통비 is the fare budget, and 교통 체증 is a jam.
The Mistake to Avoid
Learners use 교통 for a car or bus itself.
- Wrong: using 교통 to mean a vehicle, such as "my 교통".
- Correct: 교통 is the system or the traffic; an individual vehicle is 차 (car) or 버스 (bus).
교통 Compared with Similar Words
대중교통 is public transit specifically, a narrower term. 교통편 means the available transport options, such as which services run to a place.
| Word | Meaning | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|---|
| 교통 | transportation | This page's word |
| 대중교통 | public transportation | 대중교통 is public transit specifically. |
| 교통편 | means of transportation | 교통편 means the available transport options. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
교통 is written 交通: 交 (exchange) and 通 (pass through). Both characters suggest things moving through and across.
Choosing a Hotel: Asking about Transport
A visitor asks a friend whether a hotel is easy to reach. The friend explains its location and compares that with road traffic.
Visitor
이 호텔은 교통이 편리해요?
I hotereun gyotongi pyeollihaeyo?
Does this hotel have convenient transport links?
Friend
네, 지하철역이 가까워요.
Ne, jihacheollyeogi gakkawoyo.
Yes, the subway station is nearby.
Visitor
버스로 가도 괜찮아요?
Beoseuro gado gwaenchanayo?
Would it be okay to go by bus too?
Friend
네, 하지만 지금은 차가 많이 막혀요.
Ne, hajiman jigeumeun chaga mani makyeoyo.
Yes, but there is heavy traffic right now.
교통이 편리해요 evaluates how easily someone can reach the hotel. The friend supports that description with a nearby subway station. The final line switches to congestion on the road. 차가 막히다 describes traffic being backed up, making the road-traffic meaning more explicit.
How Do You Choose the Right 교통 Expression?
교통이 편리하다 describes convenient transport links. A hotel, neighbourhood or campus can be easy to reach because of its connections. The phrase does not mean that the place itself moves. In the dialogue, the nearby station explains why the hotel has convenient transport.
교통 체증 means traffic congestion. 체증 adds the idea of things becoming clogged or backed up, so the phrase points specifically to a traffic problem. 교통 alone is broader: it can name the system of movement without saying whether anything is delayed.
교통비 is money spent on transportation. The ending 비 means a cost or expense, so the whole word is useful in a travel budget or a conversation about commuting expenses. It names a category of spending, rather than one particular bus or train ticket.
교통편 means a transport connection or available way of travelling. You may meet it in directions for reaching an event venue. It invites practical information such as the route or service. 대중교통 narrows the topic to public transport, while 교통편 focuses on how a place can be reached.
Where Will You Hear or See 교통?
Accommodation and property descriptions use 교통이 편리하다 to praise access. Read the explanation around that phrase for the actual connection, such as a station or bus route. The adjective 편리하다 gives an evaluation; it does not name a vehicle.
교통 정보 means traffic or transport information. A heading with this phrase can introduce road conditions or travel information, depending on the source. A road report makes the traffic meaning likely, while a venue's directions page may focus on getting there.
교통사고 means a traffic accident. 사고 adds an event with a very different meaning from 체증, congestion. A report can mention both an accident and resulting congestion, but the two words describe separate things: what happened and the traffic condition.
In everyday conversation, speakers also describe backed-up roads with 차가 막혀요, as in the dialogue. 막혀요 means blocked or clogged here. It is a useful companion to 교통 because it makes a congestion complaint concrete without requiring a formal traffic-report phrase.
Related Words for Travel Conversations
| Korean | Meaning | How it connects to 교통 |
|---|---|---|
| 대중교통 | public transportation | Narrows the topic to shared transport services. |
| 교통편 | transport connection | Helps explain how to reach a place. |
| 도로 | road | A physical route where traffic moves. |
| 출퇴근 | commuting to and from work | A daily journey that can involve transport costs and congestion. |
The transportation vocabulary lesson teaches the wider set of services and journeys. A 도로 is a place vehicles travel, 대중교통 is a category of transport, and 출퇴근 is a repeated purpose for travelling. 교통 connects these topics without naming one individual vehicle.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 교통이 편리해요 normally praise access or complain about a jam?
- Which word names transport expenses: 교통비 or 교통편?
- Are 교통사고 and 교통 체증 the same thing?
Show answers
- It praises convenient transport links or access.
- 교통비. 교통편 concerns transport connections or ways of getting somewhere.
- No. 교통사고 is a traffic accident; 교통 체증 is congestion.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "transportation" in Korean?
Say 교통 (gyotong).
Does 교통 also mean traffic?
Yes. 교통 covers both transport in general and road traffic, as in 교통 때문에 늦었어요 (I was late because of traffic).
What is public transportation?
It is 대중교통, which means buses, subways and other shared transport.
How do I say "traffic jam"?
Say 교통 체증.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: transportation word list. 교통 is the umbrella word there.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Compare with the public transportation page. 대중교통 narrows this word to public transit.