Sabeom
사범
Korean title of a martial arts instructor. Politely addressed as sabeomnim. Written with the same characters as the Japanese shihan.
Quick Facts
Term typeTitle and rank
LanguageKorean
Formnoun
Pronunciation[sah-bohm]
Alternative Namesinstructor, master
Readings and romanizations
Revised Romanizationsabeom
McCune–Reischauersabŏm
Word breakdown
師 (사)sateacher
範 (범)beommodel
Definition
Sabeom (사범, 師範) means instructor or master. It is written with the same Chinese characters as the Japanese shihan, but in Korean martial arts it denotes an ordinary instructor, not an honorary title of a high master. The polite suffix -nim is added to the word when addressing the person, so students say sabeomnim. In a dojang, the sabeom is usually under the kwanjang, the head of the whole school. The conditions for the title, such as a minimum dan or an instructor course, are set by each organization itself.