Korean Technology Vocabulary: 45 Words with Romanization and Audio

Key facts

Korean Technology Vocabulary at a Glance

This page holds 45 words in five groups of nine and works as the hub of the Technology and Internet section. It starts with the phone, moves to the computer and the internet, then to the words you need to sign up and log in, and ends with gadgets. It sits inside Daily Life. Each word has an example sentence, so the page doubles as a ready deck.

The words are nearly all nouns. Many add 하다 to become verbs, such as 검색하다 and 로그인하다. The next section picks the words to learn first.

Which Technology Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 스마트폰 (smartphone), 앱 (app), 와이파이 (Wi-Fi), 비밀번호 (password) and 인증번호 (verification code) first. These five let you use a phone in Korea: you can ask for the Wi-Fi, enter a code that a service sends you and log in. After that, add the computer words if you work at a desk.

• Words to say. 전화번호, 스마트폰, 와이파이, 충전기. These go into requests and short questions.
• Words to recognise. 설정, 알림, 계정, 아이디, 로그인, 회원 가입. These are labels on screens.
• Words to understand when spoken. 본인 확인, 인증, 탈퇴. Staff and call-centre speakers use them with formal tone.

Three features of Korean technology vocabulary save time. First, most words are English loanwords, so you can read them once you can sound out Hangul. Second, a few terms have a Korean replacement that appears in official writing, such as 누리집 for website, but ordinary speech rarely uses it. Third, many services in Korea, from banking to delivery, run through an 앱 and ask for an 인증번호 sent to your phone, so learn those two words early. Also see technology in korean for the single-word lookup of 기술 and its loanword 테크놀로지.

Word · 8

1. 1

   스마트폰

   Play

   seumateupon

   smartphone

2. 2

   화면

   Play

   hwamyeon

   screen

3. 3

   컴퓨터

   Play

   keompyuteo

   computer

4. 4

   마우스

   Play

   mauseu

   mouse (computer)

5. 5

   와이파이

   Play

   waipai

   Wi-Fi

6. 6

   비밀번호

   Play

   bimilbeonho

   password

7. 7

   이어폰

   Play

   ieopon

   earphones

8. 8

   충전기

   Play

   chungjeongi

   charger

Phones

Phone words are the first technology words most learners need, because a phone is how you give your contact details, join a chat and use almost every service in Korea. Three different words name the phone itself, so this group starts by sorting them out.

Example Sentences

The sentences use three frames. The first is noun + 이/가 + 뭐예요? (what is the noun?), as in 전화번호가 뭐예요?. The second is noun + 을/를 + verb, as in 알림을 꺼요 (I turn off notifications). The third is noun + 이/가 + state, as in 화면이 너무 밝아요 (the screen is too bright). The subject particle is 가 after a vowel and 이 after a consonant, so it is 아이디가 but 화면이. For more on the phone itself, see Korean Smartphone Vocabulary.

How Do You Say Computers in Korean?

Computer words are almost all loanwords, with the English spelling written in Hangul. That makes them easy to learn if you know the sound rules: English p, t and k become ㅍ, ㅌ and ㅋ, and a vowel is added after a final consonant, so "mouse" becomes 마우스. These nine words cover a desk setup and the files on it.

Look at how the endings behave. "Mouse" ends with a consonant sound in English, but Korean adds the vowel ㅡ to give 마우스. "Keyboard" becomes 키보드 for the same reason. This is why loanwords from English tend to end in 스, 드, 트 or 프. The same pattern appears in the typing Korean pages, where you learn which keys make these syllables.

Internet

Internet words cover browsing, searching, links and email. Most are loanwords, and 검색 (search) and 첨부 (attaching) are the two Sino-Korean words to learn by heart. All nine are common in menus, ads and instructions.

The verb 검색하다 is the noun 검색 plus 하다, the usual way an action noun becomes a verb. Banks in Korea push customers toward 인터넷 뱅킹 and their own 앱, so expect both words at any bank counter. If you need money vocabulary to go with them, see Money and Banking.

How Do You Say Accounts and Passwords in Korean?

Almost every Korean service asks you to sign up, and the sign-up screens use the same nine words. Learning them helps you register, log in and reset a password without guessing. A few of the words involve a code sent to your phone, which is common in Korea.

Because 회원 가입 and 본인 확인 are bureaucratic phrases, they come up in forms, not in conversation. A sign-up often goes in this order: 회원 가입, then 인증번호, then 아이디 and 비밀번호, though the order varies by service. If you forget a password, look for 비밀번호 찾기, which means "find password".

Gadgets

The last group covers the devices around the phone and the computer. They are almost all loanwords, so the pronunciation follows the English sounds with Korean vowels added. Most appear in shop signs and electronics sections.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Most technology words keep close to English sounds, but Korean adds its own vowels and sound rules. Standard pronunciation follows the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) rules, and the romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which records some sound changes and ignores others.

The three aspirated consonants ㅋ, ㅌ and ㅍ show up all over technology words, because English k, t and p are written with them. Hold a hand in front of your mouth and say 컴퓨터. You should feel a puff on the ㅍ and the ㅌ. The tense sounds in 웹사이트 and 설정 are said with a tight throat and no puff of air.

Audio and Slow Playback

Every headword and every example sentence has its own audio. The five clips below replay the trickiest words slowly. Play one, repeat it aloud, then play it again and compare.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Technology Words?

These five mistakes come up often with technology words.

1. Treating 노트북 as a paper notebook. In Korean, 노트북 is a laptop. A paper notebook is 공책 or 노트.
2. Using 핸드폰 in formal writing. It is understood everywhere, but forms and notices use 휴대폰 or 휴대 전화. Use those in writing and 핸드폰 in casual talk.
3. Confusing 아이디 and 비밀번호. 아이디 is your login name and 비밀번호 is your password. A form that asks for 아이디 wants a name, not a number.
4. Mixing 인증 and 인증번호. 인증 is the verification step and 인증번호 is the code you type. Staff say 인증번호를 입력해 주세요 (please enter the verification code).
5. Saying 마우스 for the animal. A computer mouse is 마우스. The animal is 쥐.

Most technology words are loanwords, so a good habit is to guess the English first and then check the Hangul. Checking your guess against the Hangul is also a quick test of your reading.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the flashcard deck in recognition mode until you know each of the 45 words. Second, switch to listening mode and answer from the audio alone. Third, take the quiz. The deck covers all 45 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, copy the 45 words by hand and write the meaning next to each. If you type Korean, use the words as typing practice; the typing Korean section shows how.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Korean Smartphone Vocabulary for phone parts and settings, or go to Money and Banking and Health and Medicine to keep building daily-life vocabulary. To move up a level, return to Daily Life.

Pages in This Section

Four deeper pages sit under this one. Choose the one that matches what you do on your devices.

• Korean Smartphone Vocabulary: 35 words for phone parts, settings, calls, photos and repairs.
• Korean Social Media Vocabulary: 35 words for apps, posts, reactions, followers and online safety.
• Korean Computer and Internet Vocabulary: laptops, keyboards, files, websites and security.
• Korean Technology and AI Vocabulary: AI, data, robots and start-up words.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Computer in Korean?

A computer is 컴퓨터 (keompyuteo), a loanword from English. A laptop is 노트북 (noteubuk), and a tablet is 태블릿. To say "I turn on the computer", say 컴퓨터를 켜요 (keompyuteoreul kyeoyo). The ㅍ in 컴퓨터 is aspirated, with a small puff of air.

How Do You Pronounce 스마트폰 (seumateupon)?

Say seu-ma-teu-pon, with four syllables. The vowel ㅡ in 스 and 트 is flat, with spread lips, and the ㅌ and ㅍ are aspirated with a puff of air. Many Koreans also say 폰 (pon) alone for phone. Press the audio button on this page for the normal and slow versions.

How Many Technology Words Should I Learn First?

Five first: 스마트폰, 앱, 와이파이, 비밀번호 and 인증번호. At five new words a day, the whole list of 45 takes nine days plus review. Add the computer group next if you work at a desk, and the gadget group if you shop for electronics.

Where Can I Practise Technology Words with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks. The deck for this page holds all 45 words with Hangul, romanization and audio, and it offers recognition and listening modes. Your progress stays in your browser, so 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 Technology 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 45 words.