Nuance Dictionary / Grammar
소망 so-mang
A deep earnest wish or aspiration for something currently absent
What does 소망 mean?
소망 (so-mang) means: A deep earnest wish or aspiration for something currently absent.
Unlike a casual want, '소망' implies a quiet yearning that persists across time, which is why the past-tense marker naturally attaches to it.
🔊 From the story above
었으면 — Ass-eoss-eu-myeon
돈이 많았으면 좋겠어요 — don-i man-ass-eu-myeon jo-ket-sseo-yo, "I wish I had a lot of money"
거리두기 — geo-ri-du-gi, "creating psychological distance"
가정 — ga-jeong, "hypothesis or assumption"
소망 — so-mang, "a deep, earnest wish for something currently absent"
한국어가 더 쉬웠으면 좋겠어요 — han-gu-geo-ga deo swi-woss-eu-myeon jo-ket-sseo-yo, "I wish Korean were easier"
시간이 더 있었으면 좋겠어요 — si-gan-i deo iss-eoss-eu-myeon jo-ket-sseo-yo, "I wish I had more time"
좋겠다 — jo-ket-da, "that would be nice"
How it's actually used
- 매일 밤 달을 보며 빌었던 간절한 소망이 드디어 이루어졌어.
mae-il bam dar-eul bo-myeo bir-eot-deon gan-jeol-han so-mang-i deu-di-eo i-ru-eo-jyeoss-eo.
The earnest wish I prayed for every single night looking at the moon has finally come true.
💡 Pairs naturally with deep, long-held yearning. - 내 유일한 소망은 우리 가족이 평생 아프지 않고 행복하게 사는 거야.
nae yu-il-han so-mang-eun u-ri ga-jog-i pyeong-saeng a-peu-ji anh-go haeng-bok-ha-ge sa-neun geo-ya.
My only aspiration in life is for my family to live happily and never fall sick.
💡 Reveals a quiet, enduring life goal. - 오랫동안 가슴속에 품어왔던 소망을 마침내 현실로 마주하게 되었네요.
o-raet-dong-an gaseum-sog-e pum-eo-wat-deon so-mang-eul ma-chim-nae hyeon-sil-ro ma-ju-ha-ge doe-eot-ne-yo.
You've finally come face-to-face with the aspiration you've harbored deep in your heart for so long.
💡 Captures the emotional weight of a persistent dream.
Related words in Grammar
거리두기 geo-ri-du-gi완곡어법 wan-gok-eoh-beop잡수시다 jap-su-si-da주무시다 ju-mu-si-da편찮으시다 pyeon-chan-eu-si-da