Korean Dictionary
How to say "Subject Teacher" in Korean
“Subject Teacher” in Korean is 과목선생님 (pronounced "gwamok seonsaengnim").
과목선생님
gwamok seonsaengnim
Usage & Context
A teacher who teaches a specific subject like math or English. In Korean middle and high schools, students have different subject teachers for each class. This is different from elementary school where one teacher teaches most subjects.
Example Sentence
수학 과목선생님은 매우 엄격하다.
The math subject teacher is very strict.
How to use 과목선생님 naturally
Quick answer
The Korean word for “Subject Teacher” is 과목선생님, romanized as gwamok seonsaengnim.
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 과목선생님.
Pronunciation Guide
Pronounced 'gwa-mok seon-saeng-nim' — 'gwamok' is 'gwah-mohk' with a soft final 'k', and 'seonsaengnim' flows as 'suhn-saeng-neem'. Four syllables said quickly.
Formal & Casual Forms
Formal (존댓말)
과목 선생님
gwamok seonsaengnim
Standard respectful form, though in practice Koreans usually substitute the subject name (e.g. 수학 선생님 for 'math teacher').
More Example Sentences
Student talking to parents
영어 과목 선생님이 바뀌었어요.
Our English subject teacher has changed.
Explaining middle school to an elementary student
과목별로 선생님이 다 달라요.
The teacher is different for each subject.
Raising a hand during class
과목 선생님께 질문이 있어요.
I have a question for the subject teacher.
Cultural Context
In real Korean school life, students rarely say the generic 과목 선생님 — instead they say 수학 선생님 (math teacher), 국어 선생님 (Korean language teacher), 영어 선생님 (English teacher), etc. The term 과목 선생님 is more of an administrative category used by parents or staff to distinguish from 담임 선생님 (homeroom teacher). In middle and high school, subject teachers rotate between classrooms while students stay put — the opposite of many Western systems.
Editorial note
We review entries like 과목선생님 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
과목 선생님이 잘 가르치세요.
The subject teacher teaches well.
수학 과목 선생님이 무서워요.
The math subject teacher is scary.
과목 선생님께 물어볼게요.
I'll ask the subject teacher.
Related Expressions
담임 선생님
damim seonsaengnim
homeroom teacher
수학 선생님
suhak seonsaengnim
math teacher
전공 선생님
jeongong seonsaengnim
teacher in a specialized field
과목
gwamok
(school) subject
More School Life Words
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