15+ Korean Animal Names That You Should Appreciate

In a Korean country, not only in South Korea but also in North Korea, they promote Korean culture in different ways. Korean animal names are also another thing to learn and appreciate because they highly and traditionally represent their country’s culture. The names of the animals in the country often have a symbolic meaning and are also used as a given name.

Because the use Korean Language (Korean Alphabet and Korean words) has a great impact on South Korean culture, especially in terms of history and literature, their culture has never lost its value.

 

Korean Animal Names

Like the given names of some people in China, the Chinese origin meaning of animal names is used. Since the Korean alphabet is connected to the Chinese alphabet, this will help you understand a Korean word in learning the two languages. But first, I will introduce to you some of the common Korean animal names.

There’s more to learn in Korea than K-Pop, famous Korean Artists, Popular Korean names, delicious Korean cuisine, and Korean Language. So let us now learn Korean animal names!

How To Say Dog In Korean

We all know that having a dog is a great companion and friend in our home and the family. Also, it is the most favorite animal aside from other pets. In South Korea, the Jindo dog is one of their national treasures because of its loyalty. But in North Korea, a Pungsan dog symbolizes the country’s proud spirit. All in all, having a dog or a puppy in Korea is the best decision to have if you want to have a loyal friend.

Dog in Korean is 개 (gae). While puppy in Korean is 강아지 (gangaji).

How To Say Cat In Korean

Like the many animals in Korea, Korean dogs and Korean cats have not only been considered pets in the country but are also considered meat. Their meat is added to different Korean cuisine and eaten by a lot of South Koreans. But because of the many criticisms, some people in South Korea prefer them to be pets than to eat them.

Another thing is that South Korean cat, especially if it is color black, is culturally associated as a sign of bad luck and bad spirits in their old folklore. So unlike the favorite animal in the house, which is the dog, the cat is the opposite.

Cat in Korean is 고양이 (goyangi).

How To Say Goat In Korean

Having pets like dogs and cat is a common thing in South Korean homes. But since the Korean Peninsula has a vast land area, some animals like farm animals are most likely to be seen. Some of them are sheep, cows, goats, and horses.

The Korean black goat is one of the most popular and the only indigenous breed in the country. They are also the most prolific of all domestic ruminant farm animals.

The Korean word for goat is 염소 (yeomso).

How To Say Horse In Korean

Unlike the other countries in the world, the Korean horse symbolizes ‘positivity’. Also, horseback riding is a mainstream sport in South Korea so horses are very common in the country.

In addition, Horses have an important role in the history of Korea. It was during the Three Kingdoms Period (57 BCE to 668 CE), that there were little figurines of horses buried in tombs and said that these carry the spirit of the deceased to the afterlife.

The horse in Korean is 말 (mal).

How To Say Fox In Korean

In many Korean dramas, Korean animal like the fox is usually common character. For instance, famous Korean drama series like ‘My Girlfriend is A Gumiho’ and ‘The Tale of A Gumiho.’

Wild animals in Korean culture also have a meaning. Like the Korean fox, it is often symbolized as a master of swindler in seducing then stealing beautiful girls or women.

Fox in Korean is 여우 (yeou).

How To Say Tiger In Korean

All countries in the world have national animals, and one of the national animals in Korea is the Tiger. It is strongly associated with Korean culture and it represents the identity of Koreans.

Korean tiger is a symbol of strength and power and often says that it is the guardian spirit and protector of Koreans. If you observed, some of the statues in the country are mostly tigers.

Even if the tiger is the national animal of Korea, there are no longer tigers left in the wild in South Korea. This is because of the culmination of hunting wild animals to protect humans.

The Korean word for tiger is 호랑이 (horangi).

How To Say Elephant In Korean

An elephant is not only be seen in Africa but also South Korean Peninsula. However, elephants are often seen in a zoo in Korea because the country is not a natural habitat for them.

Elephant brings prosperity and good luck to the country. It also symbolizes various noble things like wisdom, royal power, brave, and longevity.

The elephant in Korea is 코끼리 (kokkiri).

 

Other Korean Animal Names

Korean Animal NamesRomanized TranslationEnglish Translation
상어sang-eoshark
물고기mul-go-gifish
돼지dwae-jipig
dakchicken
gombear
사자 sa-jalion
baemsnake
원숭이won-sung-imonkey
기린 gi-ringiraffe

 

Learning More About Animals In Korean

korean animal names

Learning the common animals in Korean that are mentioned above adds new vocabulary and words to our intellectual aspect. Also, discovering those meanings behind the different animals adds information to our cultural aspect in our life.

The examples above are just a glimpse of animals in Korean. There are more wild animals, farm animals, sea animals, or creatures in different countries that you may encounter in browsing some of the blog posts in the Ling App.

If you want to learn more about the Korean language like the Korean alphabetKorean namesand Korean cuisine, download Ling App by Simya Solutions. You can read Korean words and learn through various blog posts in a fun and exciting way. You can also add comments and practice to talk like a Korean local.

Ling App by Simya Solutions is an application where you can study language in a fun way. This is a user-friendly language learning application that you can use anytime and anywhere. There are many ways in learning new vocabulary using this application. Also, they offer blog posts as a guide and interactive games like the use of flashcards in mastering a particular language.

So if you are ready to discover and learn other vocabulary and words of other countries, download Ling App now!

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