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How to Talk About Money in Korean

Any language learning endeavor would be incomplete without a few cash-related vocabulary words up your sleeve.

In this guide, you’ll oearn how to talk about money in Korean, from the general terminology all the way to slang and more. 

How to Say “Money” in Korean

The Korean word for money is (don).

South Korean currency is called (won). Its symbol is ₩ and it’s abbreviated as KRW.

The Won is further subdivided into 100 (jeon) but the symbol isn’t commonly used, as it’s more practical to refer to amounts in whole Wons. However, the division exists conceptually, with 100 Jeon making up 1 Won.

The Korean Won is available in both coins and banknotes. Coins come in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 won, while banknotes are issued in denominations of 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 50,000 won.

Korean Money Vocabulary

Money has its own lingo, and if you plan to travel to Korea, you’ll need to know it to get around. Here’s all the vocabulary you need to know to talk about money in Korean. 

General Money Vocabulary

KoreanPronunciationEnglish
경제gyeongjeEconomy
동전dongjeonCoin
가격gageukPrice
비용biyongCost / Expense
수입suipIncome
지출jichulExpenditure
현금hyeongeumCash
정가jeonggaFull price
할인harinDiscount
환불hwanbulRefund
영수증yeongsujeungReceipt
bitDebt
월세wolseMonthly rent
가계gagyeHousehold finances
중산층jungsancheungMiddle class
용돈yongdonAllowance
푼돈pundonPocket money
돈벌이donbeoriMaking money
비싼bissanEspensive
ssanCheap
저렴한jeoryeomhanCheap
귀중한gwijunghanValuable
부유한buyuhanRich
가난한gananhanPoor

Banking and Financial Terms

KoreanPronunciationEnglish
지폐jipyeBanknote
은행eunhaengBank
예금yegumDeposit
계좌gyejwa
Account
계좌 명세서gyejwa myeongseseoStatement of account
예금주yegumjuAccount holder
대출daechulLoan
이자ijaInterest
이자율ijayulInterest rate
이자 계산ija gyesanInterest calculation
수수료susuryoFee / Commission
통장tongjangPassbook
신용sinyongCredit
신용 카드sinyong kadeuCredit card
신용 등급sinyong deunggeupCredit rating
직불 카드jikbul kadeuDebit card
출금chulgeumWithdrawal
이체icheTransfer
자동 이체jadong icheAutomatic transfer
환전hwanjeonCurrency exchange
환율hwanyulExchange rate
수표supyoCheck
보험boheomInsurance
금융geumyungFinance
증권jeunggweonSecurities
주식jusikStocks
주식 시장jusik sijangStock market
투자tujaInvestment
수익suikProfit
손실sonsilLoss
자산jasanAssets
부채buchaeLiabilities
세금segeumTax
세금 신고segeum singoTax filing
과세 평가gwase pyeonggaTax assessment
급여geubyeoSalary
현금 인출기hyeongeum inchulgiATM (Automated Teller Machine)
잔고jangoBalance

Korean Slang for Money

Got some cash? Can you spare a buck? Every language has its own unique ways to refer to the dough. Here’s some Korean money slang to make you sound more natural when you’re discussing your finances. 

  • 돈맛 (don mat) — A taste for money, referring to the enjoyment of spending money
  • 돈봉투 (don bongtu) — Money envelope, often used for gifts or bonuses
  • 풍년 (pungnyeon) — A year of financial abundance or prosperity
  • 깡패 (kkangpae) — Originally meaning “gangster,” this is sometimes used to refer to someone with a lot of money or financial power
  • 현금 (hyeongeum) — Cash, literally translated as “ready money”
  • 떼돈을 벌다 (ttedoneul beolda) — To make a fortune, similar to the English phrase “to make a killing”
  • 흙수저 (heuksoojeo) — Someone born into a poor family, literally meaning “dirt spoon” as a twist on the phrase that someone is born with a silver spoon in their mouth
  • 월급쟁이 (wolgeupjaengi) — A salaryman, or someone who relies on a monthly salary
  • 돈벼락 (donbyeolak) — A sudden and unexpected large amount of money, like a financial windfall
  • 빈털터리 (binteolteori) — Empty pockets, referring to someone with no money
  • 달러 (dalleo) — Dollar, used in a similar way as you’d use “bucks” in English
  • 사과 박스 (sagwa bakseu) — Literally meaning “apple box,” this refers to corrupt politicians sending cash inside boxes as bribes, and as such the slang term can be used to mean “bribe”
  • (pun) — Used for counting money, this word can be used to refer to cash in general, and is also found in the phrase 어림 반 푼어치도 없다 (eorim ban puneochido eopda), meaning “to not even be worth half a penny”
  • 금전욕 (geumjeonyok) — A lust for money
  • (ttaeng) — Literally meaning “ding,” this word is used to denote good luck or fortune
  • 파산 (pasan) — Means to go broke

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How to Talk About Money in Korean

You have the vocabulary down, now it’s time to actually use it. (Though if you end up in a tricky situation, don’t feel bad about asking to switch to English—money matters!)

Read on to see some common phrases and situations related to Korean money that you might encounter in everyday life. 

Counting Money

To count money, simply say the number followed by won. For example:

Counting bills? Add 권 (gwon), like this:

You can study Korean numbers and counting with this blog post:

Bargaining and Negotiating

Korea isn’t big on bargaining, and you’ll only find haggling commonplace in the more rural areas. Still, you may find yourself in the position to negotiate, in which case you can use these phrases and sentences: 

Here are some more vocabulary words that might come in useful for negotiations:

KoreanPronunciationEnglish
협상hyeopsangNegotiation
흥정heungjeongHaggling
조건jogeonTerms and conditions
할인harinDiscount
타협tahyeopCompromise
상의sangiConsultation
교섭gyoseobBargaining
협의hyeobuiAgreement
제안jeanProposal
보상bosangCompensation
합의hapuiConsensus
대화의 기술daehwaui gisul
Communication skills
신뢰ssilloe
Trust

Asking About Prices

Even if you don’t find yourself haggling for a better price, asking how much something costs is a skill you’ll need to have if you travel to Korea. Here are some common vocabulary words, phrases and sentences you may need to use in your shopping excursions:

 

You’re a little richer thanks to this post—your knowledge bank is full of ways to talk about money in Korean!

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