Dictionary — Entry No. 0663
가을
gaeul · noun
가을
gaeul
[GAH-eul]
nounbeginner
Meaning
Autumn or fall, the third season. 가을 is associated with harvest, the poignant beauty of changing leaves (단풍), melancholy, and reflection. In Korean culture, it is the season most linked to longing, missed connections, and the quiet ache of time passing.
K-Pop & K-Drama Context
가을 gained fresh international recognition when IVE debuted their member Gaeul (가을), whose stage name embodies autumn’s cool, refined elegance. IU’s ‘가을 아침’ (Autumn Morning, 2017) captures the season’s golden nostalgia in two and a half quiet minutes. The classic drama ‘Autumn in My Heart’ (가을동화, 2000) starring Song Hye-kyo and Won Bin remains one of Korea’s most iconic tearjerkers, cementing 가을 as the definitive season of heartbreak.
Example Sentences
가을이 되니까 괜히 쓸쓸하네.
Gaeuri doenikka gwaenhi sseulsseulhane.
Now that it’s autumn, I feel inexplicably lonely. (괜히 쓸쓸하다 = melancholy for no clear reason — this is the iconic Korean autumn mood and deeply relatable)
단풍 보러 설악산에 가고 싶다.
Danpung boreo Seoraksane gago sipda.
I want to go to Seoraksan to see the autumn leaves. (Seoraksan is Korea’s most famous mountain for fall foliage — a bucket-list trip for many Koreans)
가을 하늘은 왜 이렇게 높아 보여?
Gaeul haneureun wae ireoke nopa boyeo?
Why does the autumn sky look so high? (a classic Korean poetic observation — 가을 하늘 is famously clear, blue, and seemingly tall)
⚠️ Don’t use gaeul when…
Mistake 1: Mixing up 가을 (autumn) and 겨울 (winter) — both are two-syllable words ending in -을 and beginners swap them constantly. Try anchoring them: 가을 starts with 가 like ‘go outside for leaves,’ 겨울 starts with 겨 like ‘get cold.’ Mistake 2: The ㅡ vowel in 가을 has no English equivalent; saying ‘gah-ool’ as two hard syllables sounds unnatural — it should glide smoothly.
🎵 Heard In
- K-Drama: Autumn in My Heart (가을동화, 2000) — this Song Hye-kyo and Won Bin classic defined the 가을 드라마 (autumn drama) genre and inspired decades of seasonal melodramas across Asia.
- K-Pop: IU — Autumn Morning (가을 아침)
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.