Rowing at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's single sculls

The women's single sculls competition at the 1988 Summer Olympics took place at took place at Han River Regatta Course, South Korea.

Competition format
The competition consisted of three main rounds (heats, semifinals, and finals) as well as a repechage. The 13 boats were divided into three heats for the first round, with 4 or 5 boats in each heat. The top three boats in each heat (9 boats total) advanced directly to the semifinals. The remaining 4 boats were placed in the repechage. The repechage featured a single heat. The top three boats in each repechage heat advanced to the semifinals, with only the last-place boat eliminated (13th place overall). The 12 semifinalist boats were divided into two heats of 6 boats each. The top three boats in each semifinal (6 boats total) advanced to the "A" final to compete for medals and 4th through 6th place; the bottom three boats in each semifinal were sent to the "B" final for 7th through 12th.

All races were over a 2000 metre course, unlike previous Games in which women used a 1000 metre course.