bak1 hon4北韓北韩

Jyutpingbak1 hon4

Yalebāk hòhn

名詞Uncommon

Definition

North Korea; Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

colloquialplaces

How it's used

People in Hong Kong almost exclusively use 北韓 to refer to the country, whereas 朝鮮 is more commonly used in formal or academic contexts. Using 北韓 is the standard way to distinguish it from 南韓 in everyday conversation. It is rarely used in political discourse to refer to the entire peninsula, which is instead called 朝鮮半島.

Examples

nei5你zi1知m4唔zi1知bak1北hon4韓hai2喺bin1邊dou6度aa4呀？

Do you know where North Korea is?

keoi5佢dei6哋jat1一gaa1家jan4人heoi3去zo2咗bak1北hon4韓leoi5旅hang4行。

Their whole family went to North Korea for a trip.

Common phrases

bak1北hon4韓zing3政fu2府

North Korean government

heoi3去bak1北hon4韓

go to North Korea

Common mistake

Avoid using 朝鮮 when you mean North Korea in casual speech, as it can sound overly formal or like you are referring to the historical Joseon dynasty. Also, do not confuse the country name with the ethnic group or language, which are referred to as 朝鮮人 or 朝鮮話.