Koreai

Koreai is the Hungarian adjective and noun used to refer to Korea-related things. It describes people from Korea, the Korean language, culture, and items associated with Korea. In Hungarian, a distinction is often made with dél-koreai for South Korean and észak-koreai for North Korean to avoid ambiguity. The term can refer to both North and South Korea, while more precise terms are used when necessary.

The Korean language, commonly spoken as koreai nyelv in Hungarian, is the official language of both North Korea and South Korea. It is written primarily with Hangul, an alphabet created in the 15th century by King Sejong the Great. In South Korea the language is usually referred to as 한국어 (Hanguk-eo), while in North Korea it is called 조선어 (Chosŏnŏ). There are regional dialects, and although mutual intelligibility is high, some differences in vocabulary and pronunciation exist between the two Koreas.

Korean culture encompasses a wide range of traditional and modern expressions, including cuisine, arts, cinema, and music. In recent decades, Korean popular culture—often labeled K‑culture or K‑pop—has achieved global visibility. The term koreai in Hungarian usage thus covers both linguistic and cultural contexts, as well as nationality and heritage, with clarifying qualifiers used when specificity is required.