Korean Sports WordsSports & exercise words with romanization — free list
The word for sports or exercise in Korean is 운동 (undong). Popular sports include 축구 (chukgu, soccer), 야구 (yagu, baseball), and 농구 (nonggu, basketball). This free list covers the most common sports and exercise vocabulary, each with romanization and meaning.
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 운동 | undong | sports / exercise |
 축구 | chukgu | soccer / football |
 야구 | yagu | baseball |
 농구 | nonggu | basketball |
 배구 | baegu | volleyball |
 탁구 | takgu | table tennis / ping-pong |
 테니스 | teniseu | tennis |
 골프 | golpeu | golf |
 수영 | suyeong | swimming |
 달리기 | dalligi | running |
 등산 | deungsan | hiking / mountain climbing |
 자전거 | jajeongeo | bicycle / cycling |
 스키 | seuki | skiing |
 스케이트 | seukeito | skating |
 태권도 | taegwondo | taekwondo |
 요가 | yoga | yoga |
| 헬스 | helseu | weight training / gym workout |
| 경기 | gyeonggi | game / match / competition |
| 선수 | seonsu | athlete / player |
| 팀 | tim | team |
| 공 | gong | ball |
| 우승 | useung | championship / winning first place |
| 응원 | eungwon | cheering / support |
 체육관 | cheyukgwan | gymnasium / sports hall |
💡 Good to know
운동 covers both sports and exercise. To play most sports, use 하다: 축구를 해요 (I play soccer). 운동하다 means to exercise in general. Taekwondo (태권도) is Korea's national martial art — it uses 하다 too.
FAQ
- How do you say soccer in Korean?
- Soccer is 축구 (chukgu). To say you play soccer, use 축구를 해요. Baseball is 야구 (yagu) and basketball is 농구 (nonggu).
- How do you say to exercise in Korean?
- 운동하다 (undonghada) means to exercise. You can also say 운동을 해요 (I exercise) or 운동하러 가요 (I'm going to work out).
- What is Korea's national sport?
- Korea's national martial art is 태권도 (taegwondo). Korea is also extremely passionate about 야구 (baseball) and 축구 (soccer).
A
Written by Alvin Lim Certified Korean Language Teacher (Level 2)