Korean Cleaning Vocabulary: 30 Words with Romanization and Audio

Korean Cleaning Vocabulary at a Glance

This list has 30 words in five groups of six. It follows a household chore order: you clean with tools, wash clothes, wash dishes, sort the rubbish and read the labels of cleaning products. It belongs to House and Home. The words help in a rented flat, a guesthouse or a shared house, where chores and rubbish rules are explained in Korean.

The recycling group is especially useful, because Korea separates waste carefully and the rules appear on notices in most apartment blocks. The next section ranks the words.

Which Cleaning and Laundry Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 청소 (cleaning), 빨래 (laundry), 설거지 (washing dishes), 쓰레기 (rubbish) and 분리수거 (sorting recyclables) first. They name the five chores you will do or hear about in your first week in a Korean home. The sentence 청소를 해요 (I clean) and the other chore names all use the verb 하다.

• Words to say. 청소, 빨래, 설거지, 쓰레기, 세제. Use these to talk about chores.
• Words to recognise. 분리수거, 음식물 쓰레기, 쓰레기봉투, 섬유유연제. These appear on notices and product labels.
• Words to read on packaging. 세제, 락스, 표백제, 물티슈. Learn them before you buy.

Korean separates three chores that English often blurs. 청소 is the general cleaning of a room, 설거지 is washing the dishes and 빨래 is the laundry. Each takes 를 and 하다 or 해요: 청소를 해요, 설거지를 해요, 빨래를 해요. The scene below shows a flat's laundry corner and kitchen with numbered objects that match the list.

Word · 9

1. 1

   청소

   Play

   cheongso

   cleaning

2. 2

   빗자루

   Play

   bitjaru

   broom

3. 3

   대걸레

   Play

   daegeolle

   mop

4. 4

   세탁기

   Play

   setakgi

   washing machine

5. 5

   건조대

   Play

   geonjodae

   drying rack

6. 6

   설거지

   Play

   seolgeoji

   washing dishes

7. 7

   수세미

   Play

   susemi

   scrubber; scouring pad

8. 8

   쓰레기봉투

   Play

   sseuregibongtu

   trash bag

9. 9

   세제

   Play

   seje

   detergent

Cleaning Tools

Cleaning tools are mostly compound nouns. A 빗자루 is a broom, and the 쓰레받기 is the dustpan used with it. A 대걸레 is a mop, built from 대 (stick) and 걸레 (cloth). A plain 걸레 is a rag. 먼지 is the dust you wipe up. 청소 is the general word for cleaning, and 청소하다 or 청소를 하다 is the verb.

The particle 로 marks the tool you use, so 빗자루로 means with a broom. After a consonant other than ㄹ it becomes 으로, as in 고무장갑으로; after a vowel it stays 로, as in 쓰레받기로 and 걸레로. The pattern tool + 로 + verb is the most useful one in this group.

Example Sentences

Three frames carry most of the examples. The first is noun + 를/을 + 해요 (do the chore), as in 청소를 해요. The second is tool + 로/으로 + verb (with a tool), as in 걸레로 닦아요. The third is noun + 이/가 떨어졌어요 (it has run out), as in 세제가 떨어졌어요. Say each sentence aloud after the audio, then swap the noun. Choose 으로 after a consonant and 로 after a vowel or ㄹ.

How Do You Say Laundry in Korean?

Laundry is 빨래 (ppallae), and it names both the chore and the pile of clothes. The sequence of a laundry day is 세탁기 (washing machine), 건조대 (drying rack) and 다림질 (ironing). Many households dry clothes on a rack on the balcony rather than in a dryer. 세탁소 is a dry cleaner, and 빨래집게 is a clothespin.

A laundry day can be said in four short sentences. 빨래를 세탁기에 넣어요 (I put the laundry in the washing machine). 세제를 넣어요 (I add detergent). 빨래를 건조대에 널어요 (I hang the laundry on the rack). 다림질을 해요 (I iron). Say them in order, because the sequence is the best way to remember the words.

Dishes and Kitchen Cleaning

Dish washing is 설거지 (seolgeoji), a native Korean word that you pair with 하다. A 수세미 is the scrubber, a 행주 is a dishcloth and a 고무장갑 is a pair of rubber gloves. A 싱크대 is the sink and counter unit. 주방세제 is dish soap, written as one word in labels.

The word 설거지 names the whole chore of dish washing, like British English washing-up. It is also the verb object: 설거지를 하다. The related Korean Kitchen Vocabulary page has the pots, plates and spoons that you wash.

How Do You Say Trash and Recycling in Korean?

Korea sorts waste carefully, and apartment blocks often post rules in the entrance. 쓰레기 is rubbish in general and 분리수거 is the act of separating recyclables. 음식물 쓰레기 is food waste, which goes into its own container. Many local councils require a standard bag, which is why a 쓰레기봉투 is something you buy and not just a plastic bag.

Notice the Korean habit of putting a collection day on the notice: 분리수거 날 (recycling day). Local rules vary by city and building, so check the sign in your own block and ask a neighbour. The words connect to environment vocabulary, where the wider topic is covered.

Cleaning Products

Cleaning product names appear on bottles and packs. 세제 is detergent in general, 섬유유연제 is fabric softener and 락스 is household bleach; it began as a brand name and is now used for bleach in general. 표백제 is the plain word for bleach. 방향제 is an air freshener, and 물티슈 is a wet wipe. Many labels carry a warning, so learn the word 주의 (caution).

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Cleaning words contain liquid and tense sounds. Standard pronunciation follows the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) rules, and the romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which does not mark every sound change.

The sound change in 분리수거 is the one that surprises learners most. ㄴ + ㄹ becomes [ㄹ + ㄹ], which is called liquidization. It also explains why 신라 is said [실라]. The romanization shows the sound as bullisugeo.

Audio and Slow Playback

Each word and sentence has its own clip. The five clips below replay the hardest words slowly. Play one, repeat it aloud, then play it again and compare.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Cleaning and Laundry Words?

Five mistakes appear often.

1. Using 청소 for washing dishes. 청소 is general cleaning. For dishes use 설거지, and for clothes use 빨래.
2. Saying 빨래 only for the machine. 빨래 is the laundry. The machine is the 세탁기. Say 빨래를 세탁기에 넣어요.
3. Throwing everything in one bag. Korean councils sort rubbish into recyclables, food waste and general waste. Ask a neighbour or read the notice, because rules vary by city.
4. Confusing 락스 and 세제. 락스 is bleach and 세제 is detergent. Do not mix them, and read the 주의 warnings on the bottle.
5. Forgetting the tool particle. The tool needs 로 or 으로: 걸레로 닦아요, not 걸레를 닦아요 (which would mean I wipe the rag).

Learning the three chore names and the tool particle fixes most errors. For single-word lookups, see laundry in Korean and cleaning in Korean. The practice section below turns the list into drills.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the flashcard deck in recognition mode until you recognise all 30 words. Second, switch to listening mode. Third, take the quiz. The deck holds all 30 words with audio, and your progress stays in your browser. The vocabulary flashcard decks page lists the other decks.

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, write a short plan for a cleaning day in Korean, using one word from each group. The laundry sequence above is a good model.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Korean Household Appliances Vocabulary or Korean Everyday Objects Vocabulary. For the recycling topic, see environment vocabulary. To move up a level, return to House and Home.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Cleaning in Korean?

Cleaning is 청소 (cheongso). To say I clean, use 청소를 해요 or 청소해요. For washing dishes use 설거지, and for laundry use 빨래. A broom is 빗자루 and a mop is 대걸레. The single-word page on cleaning in Korean gives more detail.

How Do You Pronounce 빨래 (ppallae)?

Say ppal-lae in two beats. The first sound is a tense ㅃ, said with a tight throat and no puff of air. The ㄹ at the end of the first syllable and the ㄹ at the start of the second blend into a long l sound. It means laundry. Press the audio button to hear it.

How Many Cleaning and Laundry Words Should I Learn First?

Five first: 청소, 빨래, 설거지, 쓰레기 and 분리수거. At five new words a day the whole list of 30 takes six days plus review. Learn the recycling group before you move into a flat, since the rules appear on notices.

Where Can I Practise Cleaning and Laundry Words with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks. The deck for this page holds all 30 words with Hangul, romanization and audio, with recognition and listening modes. Your progress stays in your browser. Return daily and review the cards you missed.

Is the Romanization on This Page Official?

It follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which South Korea adopted on 7 July 2000 and whose rules the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) publishes. It is a learning aid and does not mark every sound change, so rely on the Hangul and the audio.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Cleaning and Laundry Words?

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, copy the tables on this page by hand or use the flashcard deck, which carries the same 30 words.

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