Korean Dictionary
How to say "Seollal (Lunar New Year)" in Korean
“Seollal (Lunar New Year)” in Korean is 설날 (pronounced "Seollal").
설날
Seollal
Usage & Context
Korea's Lunar New Year celebration. Families gather for 차례 (charye, ancestral memorial rites), perform 세배 (saebae, deep bow to elders), and receive 세뱃돈 (pocket money from elders). 떡국 (tteokguk, rice cake soup) is eaten to symbolically gain a year of age. One of Korea's biggest holidays.
Example Sentence
설날에 세배를 드리면 세뱃돈을 받아요.
If you do the New Year's bow during Seollal, you receive pocket money.
How to use 설날 naturally
Quick answer
The Korean word for “Seollal (Lunar New Year)” is 설날, romanized as Seollal.
Usage tip
Learn this word together with a complete Korean sentence. Meaning often depends on particles, politeness level, and word order.
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 설날.
Pronunciation Guide
설 (Seol) sounds like 'sole' (as in the bottom of a shoe) but with a slightly softer 's' and a quick 'l' sound at the end. 날 (nal) rhymes with 'nal' in 'canal'. Put them together: 'Sole-nal', with the 'l' in 'Seol' connecting smoothly to 'nal'.
More Example Sentences
Describing a common Seollal tradition.
설날에는 가족들이 모여 떡국을 먹어요.
Families gather and eat tteokguk on Seollal.
Discussing holiday plans with friends.
이번 설날 연휴는 꽤 길어서 여행 가기 좋아요.
This Seollal holiday period is quite long, so it's good for traveling.
Sharing a personal experience of Seollal rituals.
설날 아침에 한복을 입고 세배를 드렸어요.
I wore hanbok and performed sebae on Seollal morning.
Cultural Context
Seollal is one of Korea's most significant traditional holidays, marking the Lunar New Year. It's a time for family reunions, ancestral rites (차례, charye), and paying respects to elders through a deep bow called 세배 (sebae), often rewarded with 세뱃돈 (sebaetdon, New Year's money). Eating 떡국 (tteokguk, rice cake soup) is a central custom, symbolizing gaining a year of age and good fortune. Many Koreans travel to their hometowns, leading to heavy traffic during this period, often called '민족 대이동' (minjok dae-idong, great migration of the nation).
Editorial note
We review entries like 설날 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
새해 복 많이 받으세요!
Happy New Year! (Literally: Receive much New Year's luck!)
설날 잘 보내세요.
Have a good Seollal.
설날 음식 준비 다 했어?
Are all the Seollal foods prepared?
Related Expressions
추석
Chuseok
Korean Thanksgiving (another major holiday)
신정
Sinjeong
Solar New Year (January 1st)
세뱃돈
Sebaetdon
New Year's money (given to children after sebae)
떡국
Tteokguk
Rice cake soup (traditional Seollal food)
More Culture Words
Master Korean with AI-Powered Learning
Practice Seollal (Lunar New Year) and 10,000+ words with native pronunciation and AI conversation.
