Today we are going to focus on learning some useful vocabulary for describing occupations and professions.
일 [il] has several meanings. It can mean “work,” the number “one,” or “day,” depending on context. It is not restricted to use as a day counter.
In today’s lesson we will see 일 [il] again as it means “work.”
일 [il] = work; 직업 [jigeop] = job / occupation
If you want to ask what someone does for a living it would be:
무슨 일을 하세요? [museun ireul haseyo] = What do you do?
While if you want to ask what someone’s job is, it would be:
직업이 뭐예요? [jigeobi mwoyeyo] = What is your job?
Now let’s check a list of professions and occupations you can add to your Korean vocabulary!
| Korean | Revised Romanization | English and usage |
|---|---|---|
| 회계사 | hoegyesa | Accountant |
| 배우 | baeu | Actor/Actress |
| 건축가 | geonchukga | Architect |
| 예술가 | yesulga | Artist |
| 운동선수 | undongseonsu | Athlete |
| 저자 | jeoja | Author |
| 은행원 | eunhaengwon | Bank clerk |
| 사업가 | saeopga | Business person/Entrepreneur |
| 정비사 | jeongbisa | Mechanic / maintenance technician |
| 출납원 | chullabwon | Cashier |
| 사장 | sajang | Company president / business owner / boss (not always the CEO) |
| 요리사 | yorisa | Chef/Cook |
| 작곡가 | jakgokga | Composer |
| 치과의사 | chigwauisa | Dentist |
| 조사자 | josaja | Investigator / researcher; a police detective is 형사 |
| 영양학자 | yeongyanghakja | Nutrition scientist; a dietitian is 영양사 |
| 부장 | bujang | Department head / manager (title varies by organization) |
| 의사 | uisa | Doctor |
| 교육자 | gyoyukja | Educator |
| 회사원 | hoesawon | Employee/Office worker |
| 기술자 | gisulja | Engineer/Technician |
| 연예인 | yeonyein | Entertainer/Celebrity |
| 기업가 | gieopga | Entrepreneur |
| 농부 | nongbu | Farmer |
| 소방관 | sobanggwan | Firefighter |
| 승무원 | seungmuwon | Crew member; often a flight attendant in an airline context |
| 정부 공무원 | jeongbu gongmuwon | Government official |
| 미용사 | miyongsa | Hairdresser |
| 주부 | jubu | Homemaker |
| 통역사 | tongyeoksa | Interpreter (spoken or signed language) |
| 발명가 | balmyeongga | Inventor |
| 변호사 | byeonhosa | Lawyer |
| 구조원 | gujowon | Rescue worker; a lifeguard is 수상 안전요원 |
| 마술사 | masulsa | Magician |
| 우체부 | uchebu | Mail carrier/Postman |
| 매니저 | maenijeo | Manager |
| 군인 | gunin | Military personnel/Soldier |
| 영화 감독 | yeonghwa gamdok | Movie director/Filmmaker |
| 음악가 | eumakga | Musician |
| 모델 | model | Model |
| 보모 | bomo | Nanny |
| 간호사 | ganhosa | Nurse |
| 목사 | moksa | Pastor |
| 약사 | yaksa | Pharmacist |
| 사진사 | sajinsa | Photographer |
| 조종사 | jojongsa | Pilot |
| 경찰관 | gyeongchalgwan | Police officer |
| 정치가 | jeongchiga | Politician |
| 교사 | gyosa | Schoolteacher; a professor is 교수 |
| 프로그래머 | peurogeuraemeo | Programmer |
| 신부 | sinbu | Catholic priest (also means “bride” in a different context) |
| 교장 선생님 | gyojang seonsaengnim | Principal |
| 부동산업자 | budongsaneopja | Real estate businessperson; a licensed real estate agent is 공인중개사 |
| 접수원 | jeopsuwon | Receptionist |
| 심판 | simpan | Referee |
| 기자 | gija | Reporter |
| 판매원 | panmaewon | Sales assistant / salesperson |
| 영업 사원 | yeongeop sawon | Salesperson |
| 과학자 | gwahakja | Scientist |
| 안전요원 | anjeonyowon | Safety staff; a security guard is 경비원 |
| 비서 | biseo | Secretary |
| 가수 | gasu | Singer |
| 사회복지사 | sahoebokjisa | Social worker |
| 학생 | haksaeng | Student |
| 택시 기사 | taeksi gisa | Taxi driver |
| 선생님 | seonsaengnim | Teacher; also a respectful title in some other contexts |
| 번역가 | beonyeokga | Translator |
| 여행사 | yeohaengsa | Travel agency; an agency employee is 여행사 직원 |
| 백수 | baeksu | Unemployed person (colloquial; can sound dismissive) |
| 대리 운전사 | daeri unjeonsa | Designated driver hired to drive a customer’s car |
| 교감 선생님 | gyogam seonsaengnim | Vice-principal |
| 지원자 | jiwonja | Applicant / candidate; a volunteer doing unpaid service is 자원봉사자 |
| 작가 | jakga | Writer/Author |
Let’s check some useful phrases using the vocabulary you just learned! If someone asks you:
무슨 일을 하세요 [museun ireul haseyo]? = What do you do?
The sentence structure to answer that is:
저는 + occupation + 입니다 [jeoneun + occupation + imnida]. = I am a/an + occupation.
So if you want to say that you are a student it would be like this:
저는 학생입니다 [jeoneun haksaengimnida]. = I am a student.
Attach 입니다 directly to the occupation noun, without a space: 저는 의사입니다 [jeoneun uisaimnida] means “I’m a doctor.” This is formal polite speech.
For someone else, a name or appropriate title is often more natural than 당신 (“you”). 당신 is not a general-purpose polite way to address strangers. 그 and 그녀 occur especially in writing; conversation often uses a name, title, or an understood subject.
For example, 민수 씨는 회사원입니다 [minsu ssineun hoesawonimnida] means “Minsu is an office worker.” The table also includes roles, titles, and employment statuses, not only occupations.
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
All About Baby! Baby-Related Korean Vocabulary
REVIEW AND REPEAT DAILY, AND YOU WILL SEE PROGRESS! 화이팅!!