hon3 sing4漢城汉城
Jyutpinghon3 sing4
Yalehon sìhng
Definition
Hanseong, the former Chinese name for Seoul, the capital of South Korea.
neutralplaces
How it's used
Hanseong was the official Chinese name for Seoul until the South Korean government formally requested the change to 首爾 in 2005. Using the term today is strictly historical or refers to the era before the name change. It is rarely heard in casual conversation unless discussing history or older media.
Examples
People used to call Seoul by the name Hanseong.
Do you know that Hanseong is actually modern-day Seoul?
Related words
Common phrases
1988 Seoul Olympics
Common mistake
Do not use this term to refer to the modern city of Seoul, as it is considered outdated and potentially insensitive to the official name change. Always use 首爾 for the current capital.
Grammar color guide
Noun
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Adjective
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Classifier
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Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
