Skip to content

New every day: Korea news, words and grammar — in your language

Pocket Korean

Dictionary › TOPIK 3

TOPIK 3noun

스님

seunim

스님이 · 스님을

Buddhist monk

Example

절에서 스님이 차를 대접해 주셨어요.

At the temple, a monk served us tea.

Word parts

Usually traced to 승님: 승 (僧) 'monk' + honorific -님, with the ㅇ dropped to give 스님.

Good to know

Use it as a form of address too: 스님, 안녕하세요. 승려 is the formal or written word.