Dictionary — Entry No. 0568
배우
baeu · noun
배우
baeu
[BAE-oo]
nounbeginner
Meaning
Means ‘actor’ or ‘actress.’ Crucially, 배우 is gender-neutral in Korean — the same word applies to men and women without modification. In Korean entertainment culture, 배우 carries a prestige associated with serious dramatic craft, distinguishing screen performers from the broader 연예인 (entertainer) category.
K-Pop & K-Drama Context
K-Drama stars like Son Ye-jin (‘Crash Landing on You’), Lee Min-ho (‘Boys Over Flowers,’ ‘The King: Eternal Monarch’), and Park Seo-joon (‘Itaewon Class’) are beloved 배우들 whose performances built global fan bases. EXO’s DO (Doh Kyungsoo) has earned serious acclaim as a 배우 in films like ‘Cart’ and ‘Room No. 7,’ proving K-Pop idols can excel in both lanes.
Example Sentences
그 배우가 정말 연기를 잘해요.
Geu baeu-ga jeongmal yeongi-reul jalhaeyo.
That actor/actress acts really well. (연기 = acting — the highest compliment for a 배우 is mastery of 연기.)
좋아하는 한국 배우가 있어요?
Joahana hanguk baeu-ga isseoyo?
Do you have a favorite Korean actor? (한국 배우 = Korean actor/actress — a question that starts countless K-Drama conversations.)
그녀는 배우이자 가수예요.
Geunyeoneun baeu-ija gasuye-yo.
She is both an actress and a singer. (이자 = as well as — describes the many idols who successfully cross into acting.)
⚠️ Don’t use baeu when…
배우 is gender-neutral — resist the urge to say 여배우 (female actress) unless specifying gender is genuinely necessary for clarity, as the term can sound unnecessarily gendered in modern usage. Also pronounce carefully: 배우 is two syllables (bae-u), not one — don’t merge it with 배 (stomach/pear).
🎵 Heard In
- K-Drama: Crash Landing on You — Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin’s performances as the lead 배우들 were so acclaimed that the real-life couple’s relationship became one of K-Drama history’s most celebrated outcomes.
- K-Pop: EXO — DO (Doh Kyungsoo) has built a parallel career as a critically praised 배우 in Korean cinema while maintaining his identity as an EXO member, embodying the 배우이자 가수 duality
ℹ️ Editorial Note: The cultural context and example usage are for educational reference only. Artist names, song titles, and drama references are used descriptively to illustrate vocabulary in context. This content is AI-assisted and reviewed for accuracy. For official information, please refer to the respective artists’ or studios’ official channels.