Learn basic Korean vocabulary for occupations
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| 군인 (gunin) |
| 화가 (hwaga) |
| What do these words mean? Stick around. |
| In this quick lesson, you’ll learn more Korean words for occupations. |
| Before we start, did you know that many Korean traditional professions are part of UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage of Humanity? Can you name one? |
| Keep watching for the answer at the end. |
| 건설 노동자 (geonseol nodongja) |
| "construction worker" |
| [SLOW] 건설 노동자 (geonseol nodongja) |
| 건설 노동자 (geonseol nodongja) |
| Construction workers in Korea often start work very early in the morning, especially in cities. |
| So when everyone else is still sleeping or just waking up the construction sites are already running at full power. |
| Oscar and Emily talk while overlooking a construction site. |
| Oscar: 건설 노동자들이 집을 짓고 있는 것 같아요. (Geonseol nodongjadeuri jibeul jitgo inneun geot gatayo.) |
| Emily: 집 짓는 건 힘든 일이에요. (Jib jitneun geon himdeun irieyo.) |
| 디자이너 (dijaineo) |
| "designer" |
| [SLOW] 디자이너 (dijaineo) |
| 디자이너 (dijaineo) |
| When you want to specify what kind of designer you are talking about, you can just add the category in front of the word 디자이너 (dijaineo). |
| For example, fashion designer would be 패션디자이너 (paeshyeon dijaineo) and web designer 웹디자이너 (web dijaineo). |
| Steve discusses his start-up's branding with Susan. |
| Steve: 새 로고가 필요해서 디자이너에게 부탁했어요. (Sae rogoga piryohaeseo dijaineoege butakhaesseoyo.) |
| Susan: 좋은 로고가 중요하죠. 빨리 보고 싶네요. (Joeun rogoga jungyohajyo. Ppalli bogo simneyo.) |
| 군인 (gunin) |
| "soldier" |
| [SLOW] 군인 (gunin) |
| 군인 (gunin) |
| Almost all Korean men serve in the military, so being a soldier is a shared life experience. Finishing service is seen as a big milestone in adulthood. |
| Yu-seok talks to Tom about uniforms. |
| Yu-seok: 경찰처럼 군인들도 유니폼을 입어요. (Gyeongchalcheoreom gunindeuldo yunipomeul ibeoyo.) |
| Tom: 유니폼 덕분에 군인들을 쉽게 알아볼 수 있어요. (Yunipom deokbune gunindeureul swipge arabol su isseoyo.) |
| 사업가 (saeopga) |
| "entrepreneur" |
| [SLOW] 사업가 (saeopga) |
| 사업가 (saeopga) |
| If you want to be a 사업가 (saeopga) in Korea, you have to remember this: |
| In Korea, business dinners are often where real decisions happen, not just in the office. Networking is a very important part of business! |
| Lina talks to Seon-hui about her family. |
| Lina: 저희 오빠는 정말 바빠요. 저희 오빠는 세 가지 사업을 하는 사업가예요. (Jeohui oppaneun jeongmal bappayo. Jeohui oppaneun se gaji saeobeul haneun saeopgayeyo. ) |
| Seon-hui: 세 가지 사업이요? 일이 정말 많겠네요! (Se gaji saeobiyo? Iri jeongmal mankenneyo! ) |
| 신부 (sinbu) |
| "priest" |
| [SLOW] 신부 (sinbu) |
| 신부 (sinbu) |
| Catholic priests in Korea cannot marry and often live in community housing. Priests are also often respected not only religiously, but also socially. |
| Fun fact! Did you know that word 신부 (sinbu) can also mean a “bride” during wedding ceremony? The written form and pronunciation are exactly same with 신부 (sinbu) meaning a “priest”. |
| Erica asks Tom about his weekend plans. |
| Erica: 이번 주말에 특별한 계획 있어요? (Ibeon jumare teukbyeolhan gyehoek isseoyo?) |
| Tom: 신부님하고 이야기하러 성당에 갈 거예요. (Sinbunimhago iyagihareo seongdange gal geoyeyo.) |
| 집주인 (jipjuin) |
| "landlord" |
| [SLOW] 집주인 (jipjuin) |
| 집주인 (jipjuin) |
| In Korea, there are two main ways to rent a house: 전세 (Jeonsae) and 월세 (Wolsae). |
| 전세 (Jeonsae) means you pay a big deposit upfront and don’t pay monthly rent. |
| 월세 (Wolsae) means a smaller deposit, but you pay rent every month. |
| Many Korean landlords prefer 전세(Jeonsae) because they can invest the large deposit. |
| Emily talks about her apartment with Jack. |
| Emily: 저는 저희 집이 좋아요. 집주인이 친절하거든요. (Jeoneun jeohui jibi joayo. Jipjuini chinjeolhageodeunyo.) |
| Jack: 집주인이 좋으면 너무 좋죠. (Jipjuini joeumyeon neomu jochyo.) |
| 화가 (hwaga) |
| "artist" |
| [SLOW] 화가 (hwaga) |
| 화가 (hwaga) |
| While 화가 (hwaga) translates to an “artist”, it’s usually associated with someone who paints pictures as in “painter”. |
| In overall, person representing any art field for example musicians or dancers would be often called 예술가 (Yesulga). |
| And trendy or modern “artist” like person doing performative arts could be called 아티스트 (atiseuteu) as in Konglish version of the word “Artist”. |
| Oscar admires paintings at a gallery with Tom. |
| Oscar: 이 그림들 좀 봐요. 화가가 그림을 잘 그리네요. (I geurimdeul jom bwayo. Hwagaga geurimeul jal geurineyo.) |
| Tom: 네, 정말 아름다워요. (Ne, jeongmal areumdawoyo.) |
| 실업자 (sireopja) |
| "unemployed" |
| [SLOW] 실업자 (sireopja) |
| 실업자 (sireopja) |
| Did you know that in Korean there is a trendy and fun way of saying that you are unemployed? |
| We say that you are a home protector, when you are unemployed. How cool does that sound! |
| Susan shares personal updates with Erica. |
| Erica: 남자친구는 어떻게 지내요? (Namjachinguneun eotteoke jinaeyo? ) |
| Susan: 잘 못 지내요. 지금 실업자예요. (Jal mot jinaeyo. Jigeum sireopjayeyo.) |
| Let's review. |
| You'll see the words in English and your job is to say the words in Korean. |
| Ready? |
| Do you remember how to say "construction worker"? |
| 건설 노동자 (geonseol nodongja) |
| 건설 노동자 (geonseol nodongja) |
| And how to say "designer"? |
| 디자이너 (dijaineo) |
| 디자이너 (dijaineo) |
| How about "soldier"? |
| 군인 (gunin) |
| 군인 (gunin) |
| Do you remember how to say "entrepreneur"? |
| 사업가 (saeopga) |
| 사업가 (saeopga) |
| And how to say "priest"? |
| 신부 (sinbu) |
| 신부 (sinbu) |
| Let's try "landlord"? |
| 집주인 (jipjuin) |
| 집주인 (jipjuin) |
| What about "artist"? |
| 화가 (hwaga) |
| 화가 (hwaga) |
| And finally, do you remember how to say "unemployed"? |
| 실업자 (sireopja) |
| 실업자 (sireopja) |
| Did you know that many Korean traditional professions are part of UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage of Humanity? Can you name one? |
| One example is 판소리 (pansori)! A Pansori singer is a traditional performer in South Korea. Pansori is a unique style of musical storytelling with a singer and a drummer, and it showcases the rich traditions of Korean music and storytelling. |
| Thanks for watching! Don't forget to practice these new words and phrases, and see you next time! |
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