Dictionary — Entry No. 0664
겨울
gyeoul · noun
겨울
gyeoul
[GYUH-ool]
nounbeginner
Meaning
Winter, the fourth and final season. 겨울 in Korea means biting cold, heavy snowfall, and long dark nights — but also the warmth of staying close, sharing hot street food (붕어빵, 호떡), and the heightened emotional intimacy that cold weather creates.
K-Pop & K-Drama Context
‘Winter Sonata’ (겨울연가, 2002) with Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo sparked the original Korean Wave across Asia and made snowy 겨울 landscapes synonymous with melodrama and longing. aespa’s member Winter (윈터) carries the season’s sharp, otherworldly quality in her stage identity. BTS’s ‘Spring Day’ (봄날, 2017) is equally a winter song — its desolate snowy visuals make the longing for 봄 devastatingly felt.
Example Sentences
겨울에는 붕어빵이 생각나.
Gyeoure neun bungeoppangi saenggangna.
In winter, I think of bungeoppang (fish-shaped pastries). (붕어빵 is a beloved winter street food; this sentence carries deep cultural nostalgia for most Koreans)
올겨울 첫눈이 언제 올까?
Ol gyeoul cheonnuni eonje olkka?
I wonder when the first snow of this winter will come. (첫눈 = first snow of the season, a romantically significant event — many Koreans have a tradition of confessing feelings when it first snows)
겨울 바람이 너무 차가워서 귀가 얼 것 같아.
Gyeoul barami neomu chagawoseo gwiga eol geot gata.
The winter wind is so cold my ears feel like they’ll freeze. (mild dramatic exaggeration is common in everyday Korean; 겨울 바람 = winter wind)
⚠️ Don’t use gyeoul when…
Mistake 1: Confusing 겨울 (winter) with 가을 (autumn) — a very common beginner error. A memory trick: 겨울 sounds a bit like ‘chill’ in the initial 겨 sound. Mistake 2: The 겨 syllable is difficult for English speakers, who often say ‘key-uh-ool’ with a hard break; instead, 겨울 should glide from 겨 into 울 without stopping.
🎵 Heard In
- K-Drama: Winter Sonata (겨울연가, 2002) — the drama that launched the first Korean Wave; its snowy scenes with Bae Yong-joon became the defining image of 겨울 romance for a generation across Asia.
- K-Pop: BTS — Spring Day (봄날)
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.