These are 60 Korean words for jobs, offices and business, in Hangul with Revised Romanization. Learn these five first: 회사 (hoesa, company), 사무실 (samusil, office), 회의 (hoeui, meeting), 동료 (dongnyo, colleague) and 바쁘다 (bappeuda, to be busy). In a Korean office you also need job titles, because colleagues address each other by them.
- Words
- 60, with Revised Romanization
- "I work at a company"
- 회사에서 일해요
- Address colleagues by
- surname + title + 님
- Level
- A2
60 Korean work words
Nouns come first, then verbs in the dictionary form; romanization is Revised Romanization, spelled as the word is pronounced, so 동료 (colleague) is dongnyo. These are the 60 words in the Contos web app's work pack for flashcard review.
| Korean | Reading | English |
|---|---|---|
| 일자리 | iljari | job |
| 사무실 | samusil | office |
| 회의 | hoeui | meeting |
| 동료 | dongnyo | colleague |
| 상사 | sangsa | boss |
| 매니저 | maenijeo | manager |
| 팀 | tim | team |
| 프로젝트 | peurojekteu | project |
| 마감일 | magamil | deadline |
| 이메일 | imeil | |
| 보고서 | bogoseo | report |
| 계약 | gyeyak | contract |
| 고객 | gogaek | client |
| 회사 | hoesa | company |
| 월급 | wolgeup | salary |
| 면접 | myeonjeop | job interview |
| 이력서 | iryeokseo | CV |
| 경력 | gyeongnyeok | career |
| 발표 | balpyo | presentation |
| 일정 | iljeong | schedule |
| 업무 | eommu | task |
| 컴퓨터 | keompyuteo | computer |
| 프린터 | peurinteo | printer |
| 전화 | jeonhwa | phone call |
| 휴식 | hyusik | break |
| 점심시간 | jeomsimsigan | lunch break |
| 휴가 | hyuga | holiday |
| 쉬는 날 | swineun nal | day off |
| 야근 | yageun | overtime |
| 고용하다 | goyonghada | to hire |
| 지원하다 | jiwonhada | to apply for a job |
| 협상하다 | hyeopsanghada | to negotiate |
| 서명하다 | seomyeonghada | to sign |
| 해고하다 | haegohada | to fire |
| 예산 | yesan | budget |
| 가격 | gagyeok | price |
| 청구서 | cheongguseo | invoice |
| 이익 | iik | profit |
| 판매 | panmae | sale |
| 고객 서비스 | gogaek seobiseu | customer service |
| 예약 | yeyak | appointment |
| 이메일을 보내다 | imeireul bonaeda | to send an email |
| 바쁘다 | bappeuda | busy |
| 경험이 많다 | gyeongheomi manta | experienced |
| 전문적이다 | jeonmunjeogida | professional |
| 직원 | jigwon | employee |
| 고용주 | goyongju | employer |
| 그만두다 | geumanduda | to resign |
| 승진 | seungjin | promotion |
| 서류 | seoryu | document |
| 인쇄하다 | inswaehada | to print |
| 기술 | gisul | skill |
| 경험 | gyeongheom | experience |
| 부서 | buseo | department |
| 근무 시간 | geunmu sigan | working hours |
| 돈을 벌다 | doneul beolda | to earn |
| 출장 | chuljang | business trip |
| 직장 | jikjang | workplace |
| 은퇴하다 | euntoehada | to retire |
| 임금 인상 | imgeum insang | pay rise |
Why do Korean colleagues use job titles instead of names?
In most Korean workplaces you do not call a colleague by their first name. You use the surname and job title, and add the honorific 님 (nim) for anyone senior: 김 과장님, Manager Kim. The list has 상사 (sangsa, boss) and 매니저 (maenijeo, manager), but at work people use the rank itself.
| Title | Reading | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| 사원 | sawon | staff member |
| 대리 | daeri | assistant manager |
| 과장 | gwajang | manager |
| 부장 | bujang | head of department |
| 사장 | sajang | company president |
박 대리가 먼저 말했다.Bak daeriga meonjeo malhaetda.
How do you say where you work in Korean?
"I work at a company" is 회사에서 일해요: the place takes 에서 (eseo), the particle for where an action happens. To say what you do, use 이에요/예요 (to be) with the job: 저는 회사원이에요 (jeoneun hoesawonieyo), I'm an office worker.
작은 물류 회사에서 일하는 준호는 착한 사람이지만 오늘은 매우 바쁘다.Jageun mullyu hoesaeseo ilhaneun Junhoneun chakan saramijiman oneureun maeu bappeuda.
A few everyday office words are missing from the list and worth adding:
- 출근하다chulgeunhadato go to work, to get to the office
- 퇴근하다toegeunhadato leave work for the day
- 야근yageunworking late, night work
- 회식hoesika team meal or drinks after work
- 회사원hoesawonoffice worker, company employee
오늘 회의가 있어요.
Oneul hoeuiga isseoyo.
I have a meeting today.
이메일을 보냈어요.
Imeireul bonaesseoyo.
I've sent the email.
다음 주에 출장을 가요.
Daeum jue chuljangeul gayo.
I'm going on a business trip next week.
요즘 일이 많아서 바빠요.
Yojeum iri manaseo bappayo.
I'm busy because there's a lot of work these days.
수고하셨습니다.
Sugohasyeotseumnida.
Thanks for your hard work.
Said to colleagues at the end of the day or after a job is done.
Which work words need a second look?
The syllable 서 (seo) at the end of a word often means a written document: 보고서 (report), 이력서 (CV), 청구서 (invoice), and the restaurant bill, 계산서. A signed contract is 계약서 (gyeyakseo), built on the list's 계약 (contract).
- 일자리 (iljari) is a job in the sense of a position or vacancy. To ask what someone does, say 무슨 일 하세요? (museun il haseyo?).
- 예약 (yeyak), the list's word for appointment, is a booked slot with a doctor, a hairdresser or a client. 약속 (yaksok) is an arrangement or a promise, such as meeting a friend for dinner, and 미팅 (miting) is a business meeting.
- 그만두다 (geumanduda), the list's word for to resign, is how people say it: 회사를 그만뒀어요, I quit my job. 사직하다 (sajikada) is the formal term.
- 야근 (yageun, overtime) is literally night work, staying late at the office, and it is the everyday word; 초과 근무 is the official term.
- 바쁘다 (busy) is a descriptive verb, so it needs no "am": 바빠요 is I'm busy.
다음 날 아침, 지은은 사무실에 들어가기가 무섭다.Daeum nal achim, Jieuneun samusire deureogagiga museopda.
Work talk leans on the Korean daily routine words and on days of the week for schedules.
Read a Korean story at A1: tap any word, from 회사 to 바쁘다, to see what it means.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
How do you say "I work at a company" in Korean?
회사에서 일해요 (hoesaeseo ilhaeyo). 에서 marks the place where the work happens, and 일해요 is the polite form of 일하다, to work. To give your job instead: 저는 회사원이에요, I'm an office worker.
What does 대리 mean in a Korean company?
대리 (daeri) is a junior rank, usually translated as assistant manager: above a new staff member (사원) and below a manager (과장). Colleagues use it as a form of address: 박 대리님.
What do you say when you leave work in Korea?
If you leave before others, 먼저 가 보겠습니다 (meonjeo ga bogetseumnida), "I'll head off first". Colleagues answer 수고하셨습니다 (sugohasyeotseumnida), thank you for your hard work, which you can also say to them.
How do you say "I'm busy" in Korean?
바빠요 (bappayo), from 바쁘다. Add 요즘 for "these days": 요즘 바빠요. In the formal style used with customers or in speeches, it is 바쁩니다 (bappeumnida).