(Originally published October 2016)
This month we are going to look at the character 內 which means inside. This character is pronounced 내 (“Nae”) in Korean and can be found in many common Korean words. Knowing the meaning of this character will help you learn these words.
For example, the Korean word 국내 (國內 – “Gook-Nae”) means ‘in-country’ or domestic. The first character 國 (국 – “Gook”) means nation or country. The second character 內 (내 – “Nae”) means inside. When combined the word literally means “inside the country”. If you fly anywhere inside the country you will fly on a domestic flight, or 국내선 (國內線 – “Gook-Nae-Seon”).
The word 내과 (內科 – “Nae-Gwah”) means internal medicine, or more specifically, the department of internal medicine. The first character 內 (내 – “Nae”) means inside. The second character 科 (과 – “Gwah”) means department or section. Together it means “Inside-section”.
The word 교내 (校內 – “Gyo-Nae”) means on campus, or on school grounds. The first character 校 (교 – “Gyo”) means school. The second character 內 (내 – “Nae”) means inside. Together they literally mean “School-inside”.
The word 내용 (內容 – “Nae-Yong”) means contents. The first character 內 (내 – “Nae”) means inside, and the second character 容 (용 – “Yong”) means contain. So together they mean ‘what’s contained inside’.
Finally, the word 시내 (市內 – “Shi-Nae”) means downtown. The first character 市 (시 – “Shi”) means city, and the second character 內 (내 – “Nae”) means inside. Downtown, is the inside- the center- of the city.
Here are some other common words that use the character 內 (내 – “Nae”):
내부 (內部 – “Nae-bu”): Inside, interior, inner part
내외 (內外 – “Nae-Woi”): Inside and outside / Husband and Wife
내적 (內的 – “Nae-Jeok”): Inner, internal
실내 (室內 – “Shil-Nae”): Interior
안내 (案內 – “An-Nae”): Guidance
이내 (以內 – “I-Nae”): Within, in less than, no more than
Hanja Time 