Gayspeak: 성전환자 (Transgender)


This word of the week popped up in my Korean class. While looking up the meaning for 전환 (conversion, switch), my dictionary led me to 성전환자.

성전환자 (seong-jeon-hwan-ja)

성 refers to sex (the biological sex), 전환 is conversion and the 자 is one of the many words used for a person. Put it together and you have transgender. Korea uses the loan word 트랜스젠더 as well, so if you aren't as assiduous of a student as TKQ, feel free to use the Konglish. Let's make a couple of sentences.

2006에 최한빛 성전환 수술 했어요 -> Choi Han-Bit had sex re-assignment surgery in 2006.

하리수씨 덕분에 한국인들이 성전환자들을 알게됐다 -> Thanks to Harisu, Koreans became aware of transgendered people.

이테원에서 트랜스젠더 바 많아요 -> There are a lot of transgender bars in Itaewon.