Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons.
In this lesson, you will learn five Hanja characters related to locations.
都 = 도 = City
(도읍 도)
都 is a Hanja character meaning city or capital. It is used in vocabulary related to large, central urban areas, especially those with administrative or cultural importance.
都
都心 = downtown
都市 = city
大都市 = big city
小都市 = small city
新都市 = new city
都賣 = wholesale
都賣市場 = wholesale market
都賣價 = wholesale price
都大體 = stresses an unbelievable fact
別 = 별 = Special
(나눌 별)
This character isn’t directly related to locations. However, I wanted to introduce this character in this lesson for two reasons. One, it is a character that has a lot of words that you can see being presented in only Hanja. Second, the city of Seoul has a special designation in Korea. Even though it is just a city, it is given special governance rules. There are a few different types of these cities, but the unique designation that Seoul is given is a 特別市. Now, depending on the district and neighborhood within Seoul, you may be able to read the entire official name of a neighborhood. Check this one out:
서울特別市 江南區 水西洞 = 서울특별시 강남구 수서동 = Special Special City of Seoul, Gangnam District, Suseo Neighborhood
別
別名 = nickname
性別 = gender
個別 = individual
區別 = distinguish
特別하다 = to be special
特別市 = a special designation that big cities have in Korea
領 = 영/령 = Territory
(거느릴 령/영)
領 is a Hanja character meaning to lead, to govern, or to possess territory. It appears in vocabulary related to control, authority, and defined areas under leadership or ownership.
領
領域 = territory
領土 = territory
大통領 = president
堂 = 당 = Hall
(집 당)
堂 is a Hanja character meaning hall or large building. It is used in vocabulary referring to spacious, shared indoor places where people gather for specific purposes such as learning, eating, or worship.
堂
講堂 = auditorium
食堂 = restaurant
聖堂 = cathedral
圖 = 도 = Map
(그림 도)
I always particularly liked the look of this character. It literally looks like a map! It makes it easily recognizable, for sure!
圖
意圖 = intention
意圖的 = intentional
圖形 = model
圖表 = chart
地圖 = map
圖서館 = library
圖章 = one’s official seal