실(室): One Hanja Root, Every Kind of Room
After this page, you can recognize the 실(室) root and guess the meaning of new words built from it.
10-Second Answer
실 (sil) comes from the Chinese character 室, meaning "room." It attaches to a purpose-word to name almost any indoor space: 교(teach) + 실 = 교실 (classroom), 화장(makeup/washing) + 실 = 화장실 (bathroom), 사무(office work) + 실 = 사무실 (office). Once you know 실 means "room," you can often guess a new space word just from its first part.
Words Built on 실
| Word | Breakdown | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 교실 (gyosil) | 교(teach) + 실(room) | Classroom |
| 화장실 (hwajangsil) | 화장(makeup/washing) + 실(room) | Bathroom/restroom |
| 사무실 (samusil) | 사무(office work) + 실(room) | Office |
| 침실 (chimsil) | 침(sleep/bed) + 실(room) | Bedroom |
| 거실 (geosil) | 거(dwell) + 실(room) | Living room |
| 미용실 (miyongsil) | 미용(beauty) + 실(room) | Hair/beauty salon |
| 병실 (byeongsil) | 병(illness) + 실(room) | Hospital patient room |
| 연구실 (yeonguesil) | 연구(research) + 실(room) | Research/professor's office |
| 대기실 (daegisil) | 대기(waiting) + 실(room) | Waiting room |
| 회의실 (hoeuisil) | 회의(meeting) + 실(room) | Meeting/conference room |
화장실: A Root Worth Knowing Cold
화장실 is one of the single most useful words a beginner can memorize — and breaking it down makes it stick: 화장 literally means "makeup" (from the era when washrooms were where people freshened up), plus 실 (room). Once 실 clicks, the word stops being an arbitrary sound and becomes "the makeup/washing room."
화장실이 어디예요?
hwajangsiri [eodiyeyo](korean-question-words)?
Where's the bathroom?
Combine It With Other Roots
실 pairs naturally with other Sino-Korean roots you may already know — the same layering seen with 학 (學, study): 연구실 combines 연구 (research) with 실 the same way 대학 (university) combines 대 (great) with 학 (study). Spotting these shared roots across words is the fastest way to expand vocabulary without pure memorization.
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1 — Treating each 실-word as an unrelated word to memorize
Once you see the shared 실 root, guessing new room words becomes much easier.
Mistake #2 — Confusing 침실 (bedroom) with 거실 (living room)
침 relates to sleep/bed; 거 relates to dwelling/living generally — different rooms, similar-looking words.
Mini Quiz
1. What does the hanja root 실 (室) mean?
2. What is 사무실?
3. What does 화장실 literally break down to?
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Start today's study →Last updated: 2026-08-11 · Written and reviewed by a native Korean speaker.