Korean Work & Office Vocabulary직장과 사무실

company

저는 IT 회사에서 일해요.I work at an IT company.

💡 Memory tip: 회 (gathering) + 사 (organization) = a gathering of people organized to work. Think of a "hoe-sa" as a "whole society" of workers.

Pronunciation: 회 is pronounced [회] with the diphthong ㅚ (similar to "way"). 사 is a clean [사].

office

사무실이 몇 층에 있어요?What floor is the office on?

💡 Memory tip: 사무 (business affairs) + 실 (room) = the room where business happens. Think "sa-mu-sil" = "some useful room."

Pronunciation: Pronounced as written [사무실]. The final ㄹ is a light lateral tap.

meeting

오후 두 시에 회의가 있어요.There is a meeting at 2 PM.

💡 Memory tip: 회 (gathering) + 의 (discussion) = a gathering for discussion. Meetings in Korea are often very formal and hierarchical.

Pronunciation: 회의 is pronounced [회의] or often [회이] in casual speech. The ㅢ vowel can weaken to [이] after the first syllable.

boss / superior

상사에게 보고서를 드렸어요.I gave the report to my boss.

💡 Memory tip: 상 (above/upper) + 사 (person) = the person above you. Your "sang-sa" is your senior in the hierarchy.

Pronunciation: Pronounced [상사]. The ㅇ batchim in 상 creates a nasal [ng] sound before the ㅅ.

colleague

동료들과 점심을 먹었어요.I ate lunch with my colleagues.

💡 Memory tip: 동 (same/together) + 료 (companion) = a companion on the same team. "Dong-nyo" -- your "dong" (same-level) buddies.

Pronunciation: 동료 is pronounced [동뇨]. The ㄹ after ㅇ batchim nasalizes to [ㄴ], so ㄹ+ㅛ becomes [뇨].

to go to work / to commute to work

매일 아침 8시에 출근해요.I go to work at 8 AM every morning.

💡 Memory tip: 출 (go out) + 근 (work/service) + 하다 = to go out for work. Think "chul-geon" as "checking in" for your shift.

Pronunciation: 출근 is pronounced [출근]. The ㄹ batchim before ㄱ is clearly articulated.

to leave work / to get off work

오늘은 일찍 퇴근했어요.I left work early today.

💡 Memory tip: 퇴 (retreat/withdraw) + 근 (work) + 하다 = to withdraw from work. The opposite of 출근하다. "Toe-geon" = "toe out" of the office!

Pronunciation: 퇴 is pronounced [퇴] or [되] in casual speech. The ㅚ diphthong tends to simplify.

to work overtime

이번 주에 세 번이나 야근했어요.I worked overtime three times this week.

💡 Memory tip: 야 (night) + 근 (work) + 하다 = to do night work. "Ya-geun" = working when you should be saying "야!" (hey!) to your friends.

Pronunciation: Pronounced as written [야근하다]. 야 uses the bright ㅑ vowel.

salary (monthly pay)

월급은 매달 25일에 나와요.Salary comes out on the 25th of every month.

💡 Memory tip: 월 (month) + 급 (payment) = monthly payment. "Wol-geup" -- you "wol" (want) your "geup" (paycheck)!

Pronunciation: 월급 is pronounced [월급]. The ㄹ batchim in 월 is a light lateral sound before ㄱ.

vacation / leave

다음 주에 휴가를 쓸 거예요.I'm going to take vacation next week.

💡 Memory tip: 휴 (rest) + 가 (temporary) = a temporary rest from work. "Hyu-ga" sounds like "huge ahh" -- the big sigh of relief on vacation!

Pronunciation: 휴 combines the aspirated ㅎ with the diphthong ㅠ [yu]. Pronounced clearly as [휴가].

occupation / job

직업이 뭐예요?What is your occupation?

💡 Memory tip: 직 (duty/position) + 업 (work/business) = your official duty and work. "Ji-geop" -- your "gig" plus "job" combined!

Pronunciation: 직업 is pronounced [지겁]. The ㄱ batchim in 직 carries over as the initial consonant of 업, and ㅂ batchim is unreleased at the end.

project

새 프로젝트가 다음 달에 시작해요.The new project starts next month.

💡 Memory tip: Loanword from English "project." Koreanized with neutral ㅡ vowels added between consonant clusters.

Pronunciation: English loanword. Pronounced [프로젝트]. Each consonant cluster gets a ㅡ: p-eu-ro-jek-t-eu.

business card

명함을 교환할까요?Shall we exchange business cards?

💡 Memory tip: 명 (name) + 함 (contain/box) = a card that contains your name and title. Your professional identity in a small rectangle.

Pronunciation: 명함 is pronounced [명함]. The ㅇ batchim in 명 is nasal [ng], and ㅎ in 함 is aspirated.