🏠 Korean Vocabulary for Rooms and Furniture
🏢 The "Apartment Republic": Understanding Korean Housing & Soul Prices
Why Koreans are obsessed with apartments and how much a home in Seoul really costs in 2026.
📊 1. Global Comparison: Is Seoul's Housing Expensive?
To understand the cost of living in Korea, you must look at the real estate market. Seoul consistently ranks as one of the top 10 most expensive cities to buy a home.
| Global Rank | City | Approx. PIR (House Price-to-Income) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hong Kong | 18.8x |
| 2 | Seoul, South Korea | 14.2x |
| 3 | Paris / Singapore | 12.5x |
| 4 | New York (Manhattan) | 10.4x |
Note: Buying a standard 84m² apartment in Gangnam can often cost over $2 million USD.
🏊 2. Premium Communities: A "City within a City"
For modern Koreans, an apartment is not just a place to sleep; it’s a standard of lifestyle. High-end apartment complexes (especially "branded" ones) offer amenities that rival 5-star hotels.
- Wellness: In-house indoor swimming pools, screen golf ranges, and high-end fitness centers.
- Dining: "Morning Meal Services" (조식 서비스) where high-quality buffet meals are served to residents every morning.
- Social & Matchmaking: In some ultra-luxury complexes, the community manager even organizes networking events and professional matchmaking services (marriage info) exclusive for residents' children.
🛋️ 3. Master Your Space: Rooms & Furniture
Whether you're browsing Zigbang for a studio or visiting a friend's apartment, these terms are essential.
Rooms (방)
• 거실 (Geo-sil): Living Room
• 주방 (Ju-bang): Kitchen
• 안방 (An-bang): Master Bedroom
• 욕실 (Yok-sil): Bathroom
Furniture (가구)
• 침대 (Chim-dae): Bed
• 식탁 (Sik-tak): Dining Table
• 옷장 (Ot-jang): Closet
• 서랍 (Seo-rap): Drawer
👩🏫 Teacher Hoon's Cultural Insight
In Korea, when you move into a new home, we have a tradition called "Zip-deul-i" (집들이). It's a housewarming party where friends bring toilet paper or detergent as gifts. Why? The bubbles of the soap and the long rolls of paper symbolize a wish for your prosperity to "unroll" and "bubble up" easily! For more survival tips, check our Ultimate Guide to Living in Korea 2026.
🚀 Ready to Master Real-Life Korean?
Want to practice describing your ideal home or learn how to navigate a Korean rental contract? Let's dive into the vocabulary that matters for your life in Korea. Book a 1:1 "Life Mastery" session with Hoon on italki today.
Learn Living Korean with HoonUpdated: December 24, 2025 | Part of the "Living in Korea: Real Estate & Lifestyle" Series.
