병원 vs 의원
Korean word comparison
Listen to 병원
Listen to 의원
| 병원 | 의원 |
|---|---|
BYEONG-won noun | ui-won (ee-won) noun |
| hospital; a medical facility where people receive diagnosis and treatment | a small clinic or private doctor's office, usually providing outpatient care |
How they differ
의원 refers to smaller, usually single-doctor clinics with mainly outpatient services and little or no inpatient/ER capacity, whereas 병원 implies a larger facility with wards, specialist departments, and emergency care.
When to use each
When to use 병원: Prefer 병원 when you mean a hospital with inpatient wards, specialists, or emergency services.
When to use 의원: Prefer 의원 when you mean a neighborhood clinic or a private doctor's office for routine outpatient visits.
Side-by-side examples
- 어제 열이 나서 가까운 병원 응급실에 갔다.
(Yesterday I had a fever and went to the nearest hospital emergency room.) - 감기 증상이 심해서 동네 의원에 가서 진료를 받았다.
(My cold symptoms were bad so I went to the local clinic for treatment.)
Register & nuance: Neutral, everyday term; commonly used in spoken Korean to refer to small clinics; slightly less indicative of scale than 병원.