What does 공주 (gongju) mean?
- 공주gongju
Princess
Fine in most situations
공주 (gongju) means "princess." You hear it for real royalty in historical dramas, and parents and partners also use it as a sweet nickname, as in 우리 공주, "my princess."
Where it comes from
공주 is a Sino-Korean word for a king's daughter.
How to use 공주
In historical dramas, characters address a princess as 공주님 or 공주 마마, with extra honorifics.
Parents often call a young daughter 우리 공주 (our princess), and boyfriends sometimes call their girlfriend 공주님 in a sweet, playful way.
공주병, literally "princess disease," is a teasing word for a girl who acts like she is a princess or thinks she is extremely pretty.
Examples
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A dad waking up his little daughter
A court lady guiding a princess in a historical drama
Teasing a friend who takes too many selfies
Other ways to say it
| Korean | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|
| 공주님 | princess (honorific) | Respectful or playfully sweet. |
| 우리 공주 | my princess | Common pet name for a daughter. |
| 공주병 | princess syndrome | Teasing word for acting spoiled. |
| 왕자 | prince | Male counterpart. |
Questions learners ask
Is calling someone gongju a compliment?
Usually it is sweet, especially from a parent or partner. 공주병, though, is teasing and means someone acts spoiled.
What does gongjunim mean?
공주님 is 공주 plus the honorific 님. It is how people respectfully address a princess, or a sweet way to call a girlfriend or daughter.