사람

Korean

Etymology

Of native Korean origin. 살다 (salda, “to live, to be alive”) +‎ 암 (-am, “noun suffix”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ˈsʰa̠(ː)ɾa̠m]

  • Audio:

    (file)

• Phonetic hangul: [사(ː)람]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	saram
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	salam
McCune–Reischauer?	saram
Yale Romanization?	sālam

Noun

사람 • (saram)

1. animals that think, use language, make tools, and live in society.
2. human; person; people

   영국 사람 ― Yeongguk saram ― the British

   미국 사람 ― Miguk saram ― American person

   그러면 내가 어떤 사람이 되는 거겠어?

   geureomyeon naega eotteon sarami doeneun geogesseo?

   What kind of gentleman would I be then?

   이것은 미식축구 시청을 좋아하지 않는 사람을 위한 것입니다.

   igeoseun misikchukgu sicheong'eul joahaji anneun sarameul wihan geosimnida.

   It is for people who do not like watching American football.

   2016, VOA Learning English > Trending Today: Puppy Bowl

Usage notes

Although Korean grammar does not generally distinguish between singular and plural, the plural marker 들 (deul) is often appended to 사람 (saram) when it is necessary to specify the plural, yielding 사람들 (saramdeul, “people”).

Counter

사람 • (saram)

1. counter for people

   학생 3(세)사람

   haksaeng 3(se)saram

   three students