Korean Dictionary
How to say "Nausea" in Korean
“Nausea” in Korean is 구역질 (pronounced "gureyokjil").
구역질
gureyokjil
Usage & Context
구역질 refers to the feeling of nausea or the urge to vomit. It is commonly experienced after eating spoiled food, during car rides, or as a side effect of medications in Korea. The related term 멀미 refers specifically to motion sickness and is very common among Korean travelers.
Example Sentence
배를 타고 나서 구역질이 났어요.
I felt nauseous after riding the boat.
How to use 구역질 naturally
Quick answer
The Korean word for “Nausea” is 구역질, romanized as gureyokjil.
Usage tip
When describing symptoms, combine the word with where it hurts, when it started, and how severe it is.
Common mistake
Do not rely only on the English meaning. Read the Korean example sentence and notice the particles, word order, and politeness level around 구역질.
Pronunciation Guide
Pronounce '구역질' as "Gu-yeok-jil." 'Gu' sounds like "goo" in "goose." 'Yeok' sounds like "yuck" in "yucky." 'Jil' sounds like "jill" in "Jill."
More Example Sentences
Describing a travel discomfort.
멀미 때문에 구역질이 계속 났어요.
I kept feeling nauseous because of motion sickness.
Explaining a sudden feeling of unwellness.
속이 안 좋아서 구역질이 올라왔어요.
My stomach felt bad, so I felt nauseous.
Sharing a common pregnancy symptom.
임신 초기에 구역질을 많이 했어요.
I had a lot of nausea in early pregnancy.
Cultural Context
구역질 (guyeokjil) specifically refers to the sensation of nausea or the urge to vomit. It's distinct from 멀미 (meolmi), which is motion sickness, though 멀미 often causes 구역질. Koreans commonly experience 구역질 from food poisoning, car sickness, or as a side effect of certain medications. It's a direct and common term used in everyday conversation to describe feeling queasy.
Editorial note
We review entries like 구역질 for pronunciation, example sentence fit, and learner mistakes so the page answers more than a direct dictionary lookup.
Reviewed by Min-jung Park, Korean Language Teacher. Updated May 31, 2026. See our editorial standards.
Common Phrases
구역질이 나다
to feel nauseous
구역질이 올라오다
to feel like vomiting (nausea rising)
구역질을 참다
to suppress nausea
Related Expressions
메스꺼움
meseukkeoum
nausea (more general feeling)
멀미
meolmi
motion sickness
토하다
tohada
to vomit (verb)
속이 안 좋다
sogi an jota
to feel sick to one's stomach
More Health & Medical Words
Master Korean with AI-Powered Learning
Practice Nausea and 10,000+ words with native pronunciation and AI conversation.
