Today we are going to focus on learning some useful vocabulary for describing occupations and professions.
If you read our article on time and date you might remember we mentioned that 일 (eel) should only be used as a counter for days as it has a different meaning when used by itself.
In today's lesson we will see 일 [eel] again as it means “work.”
일 [eel] = work (of any kind)
직업 [ji-geob] = job
If you want to ask what someone does for a living it would be:
무슨 일을 하세요? [mo-seun eel-eul ha-seo-yo] = What do you do?
While if you want to ask what someone’s job is, it would be:
직업이 뭐예요? [ji-geo-bi mwo-ye-yo] = What is your job?
Now let’s check a list of professions and occupations you can add to your Korean vocabulary!
| Hangul | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| 회계사 | hoe-kye-sa | Accountant |
| 배우 | bae-u | Actor/Actress |
| 건축가 | geon-chuk-ga | Architect |
| 예술가 | ye-sul-ga | Artist |
| 운동선수 | un-dong-seon-su | Athlete |
| 저자 | jeo-ja | Author |
| 은행원 | eun-haeng-won | Bank clerk |
| 사업가 | sa-eob-ga | Business person/Entrepreneur |
| 정비사 | jeong-bi-sa | Car mechanic |
| 출납원 | chul-na-bwon | Cashier |
| 사장 | sa-jang | CEO/President |
| 요리사 | yo-ri-sa | Chef/Cook |
| 작곡가 | jak-gok-ga | Composer |
| 치과의사 | chi-gwa-ui-sa | Dentist |
| 조사자 | jo-sa-ja | Detective/Investigator |
| 영양학자 | yeong-yang-hak-ja | Dietitian/Nutricionist |
| 부장 | bu-jang | Division head/Director |
| 의사 | ui-sa | Doctor |
| 교육자 | gyo-yuk-ja | Educator |
| 회사원 | hoe-sa-won | Employee/Office worker |
| 기술자 | gi-sul-ja | Engineer/Technician |
| 연예인 | yeon-ye-in | Entertainer/Celebrity |
| 기업가 | gi-eob-ga | Entrepreneur |
| 농부 | nong-bu | Farmer |
| 소방관 | so-bang-gwan | Firefighter |
| 승무원 | seung-mu-won | Flight attendant |
| 정부 공무원 | jeong-bu gong-mu-won | Government official |
| 미용사 | mi-yong-sa | Hairdresser |
| 주부 | ju-bu | Housewife |
| 통역사 | tong-yeok-sa | Interpreter/Translator |
| 발명가 | bal-myeong-ga | Inventor |
| 변호사 | byeon-ho-sa | Lawyer |
| 구조원 | gu-jo-won | Lifeguard |
| 마술사 | ma-sul-sa | Magician |
| 우체부 | u-che-bu | Mail carrier/Postman |
| 매니저 | mae-ni-jeo | Manager |
| 군인 | gun-in | Military personnel/Soldier |
| 영화 감독 | yeong-hwa gam-dok | Movie director/Filmmaker |
| 음악가 | eum-ak-ga | Musician |
| 모델 | mo-del | Model |
| 보모 | bo-mo | Nanny |
| 간호사 | gan-ho-sa | Nurse |
| 목사 | mok-sa | Pastor |
| 약사 | yak-sa | Pharmacist |
| 사진사 | sa-jin-sa | Photographer |
| 조종사 | jo-jong-sa | Pilot |
| 경찰관 | gyeong-chal-gwan | Police officer |
| 정치가 | jeong-chi-ga | Politician |
| 교사 | gyo-sa | Professor/Teacher |
| 프로그래머 | peu-ro-geu-rae-meo | Programmer |
| 신부 | shin-bu | Priest |
| 교장선생님 | gyo-jang-seon-saeng-nim | Principal |
| 부동산업자 | bu-dong-san-eob-ja | Real estate agent |
| 접수원 | jeob-su-won | Receptionist |
| 심판 | shim-pan | Referee |
| 기자 | gi-ja | Reporter |
| 판매원 | pan-mae-won | Salesman |
| 영업 사원 | yeong-eob sa-won | Salesperson |
| 과학자 | gwa-hak-ja | Scientist |
| 안전요원 | an-jeon-yo-won | Security guard |
| 비서 | bi-seo | Secretary |
| 가수 | ga-su | Singer |
| 사회복지사 | sa-hoe-bok-ji-sa | Social worker |
| 학생 | hak-saeng | Student |
| 택시기사 | taek-si-gi-sa | Taxi driver |
| 선생님 | seon-saeng-nim | Teacher |
| 번역가 | beon-yeok-ga | Translator |
| 여행사 | yeo-haeng-sa | Travel agent |
| 백수 | baek-su | Unemployed |
| 대리 운전사 | dae-ri-un-jeon-sa | Valet driver |
| 교감선생님 | gyo-gam-seon-saeng-nim | Vice-principal |
| 지원자 | ji-won-ja | Volunteer |
| 작가 | jak-ga | Writer/Author |
Let’s check some useful phrases using the vocabulary you just learned!
If someone asks you:
무슨 일을 하세요 [mo-seun eel-eul ha-seo-yo]? = What do you do?
The sentence structure to answer that is:
저는 + occupation + 입니다 [jeo-neun + occupation + im-ni-da]. = I am a/an + occupation.
So if you want to say that you are a student it would be like this:
저는 학생입니다 [jeo-neun hak-saeng im-ni-da]. = I am a student.
Some other useful sentence structures are:
당신은 + occupation + 입니다 [dang-shin-eun + occupation + im-ni-da]. = You are a/an + occupation.
그녀는 + occupation + 입니다 [geu-nyeo-neun + occupation + im-ni-da]. = She is a/an + occupation.
그는 + occupation + 입니다 [geu-neun + occupation + im-ni-da]. = He is a/an + occupation.
That’s all for today's lesson! We went through a list of common professions and occupations that should prove useful on your journey of learning Korean.
Make sure to include as many of them as possible in your daily life to help with memorization. With the use of the sentence structures you’ve learned it should come naturally after a few tries.
Other Korean vocabulary lists you could check out:
10 Romantic Korean Words and Phrases to Express Your Love in Korean
Korean Emotion Vocabulary: How to Express Your Feelings in Korean
REVIEW AND REPEAT DAILY, AND YOU WILL SEE PROGRESS!
화이팅!!
