saengmul
Saengmul is the Korean word for living things or organisms, written in Hanja as 生物. It denotes any form of life, from single-celled organisms to plants and animals. In everyday speech, saengmul contrasts with 무생물, meaning inanimate objects.
The term combines 生 (life, to be born) and 物 (thing, object) from Sino-Korean vocabulary. It mirrors the
In science, saengmul is a fundamental concept in biology (생물학). Researchers use terms like 생물종 (species), 생물다양성 (biodiversity), and
In non-scientific contexts, saengmul can refer to living beings in general—humans, animals, and plants—often in discussions