What does 첫사랑 (cheotsarang) mean?
- 첫사랑cheotsarang
First love
Fine in most situations
첫사랑 (cheotsarang) means "first love" in Korean. It can mean the feeling or the person, and it is one of the most loved themes in Korean dramas, films and songs.
Where it comes from
첫 (cheot) means "first," and 사랑 (sarang) means "love." Together they make one word, written without a space.
How to use 첫사랑
Like in English, 첫사랑 often brings up nostalgia: school days, a crush you never confessed to, or a sweet relationship that ended.
There is a well-known Korean saying, 첫사랑은 이루어지지 않는다, "first love never works out," which many dramas love to prove wrong.
Use it for the person too: 그 사람이 내 첫사랑이야, "That person is my first love."
Examples
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A romantic moment with a partner
Hearing an old song
Getting to know someone
Other ways to say it
| Korean | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|
| 첫사랑이야 | It's (my) first love | Casual sentence form. |
| 첫눈에 반하다 | To fall in love at first sight | 첫눈 here means "first glance." |
| 첫 키스 | First kiss | 첫 can go before many nouns. |
Questions learners ask
Is cheotsarang one word?
Yes. 첫사랑 is written as one word, though 첫 is written separately before most other nouns, like 첫 키스.
Does cheotsarang mean the person or the feeling?
Both. It can mean the experience of first love or the person you first loved.