Korean Social Media Vocabulary: 35 Words with Romanization and Audio

Key facts

Korean Social Media Vocabulary at a Glance

This list has 35 words in five groups of seven. It follows how a person uses a platform: open an app, post something, react to what others share, build an audience and keep the account safe. It belongs to Technology and Internet and builds on Korean Smartphone Vocabulary. Every word has an example sentence, so the page doubles as a ready deck.

The words are mostly nouns. Many add 하다 to become verbs, such as 공유하다 and 차단하다. The next section picks the words to learn first.

Which Social Media Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 카카오톡 (KakaoTalk), 인스타그램 (Instagram), 댓글 (comment), 좋아요 (like) and 구독 (subscribe) first. These five appear on almost every screen, and they let you follow a channel, react to a post and understand a chat invitation. After that, add 게시물 and 팔로워, which describe what you and others publish.

• Words to say. 카카오톡, 인스타, 유튜브, 사진, 영상. You use these to tell friends where to reach you.
• Words to recognise. 좋아요, 댓글, 답글, 구독, 알림 설정. These are buttons and labels, so you read them.
• Words to understand when spoken. 단톡방, 읽씹, 인기. Friends use these in casual speech.

Korean uses SNS (read 에스엔에스) for the whole category, not 소셜 미디어, though both are understood. Brand names are written in Hangul as they sound, which makes them a quick practice in reading loanwords. Chat-culture words such as 읽씹 are slang: use them with friends and avoid them in formal writing. The single-word page on social media in korean gives the lookup answer.

Word · 8

1. 1

   카카오톡

   Play

   kakaotok

   KakaoTalk (messenger app)

2. 2

   인스타그램

   Play

   inseutageuraem

   Instagram

3. 3

   게시물

   Play

   gesimul

   post (uploaded item)

4. 4

   좋아요

   Play

   joayo

   like (button)

5. 5

   댓글

   Play

   daetgeul

   comment

6. 6

   팔로우

   Play

   pallou

   follow

7. 7

   팔로워

   Play

   pallowo

   follower

8. 8

   비밀번호

   Play

   bimilbeonho

   password

Platforms and Apps

Koreans use a mix of global platforms and local ones. Messaging runs mostly through 카카오톡, search often goes through 네이버, and photos and videos go through 인스타그램 and 유튜브. Brand names are written in Hangul as they sound, so reading them is a good test of your alphabet skills. The generic words for the category come first.

Example Sentences

The sentences use three small frames. The first is platform + 에 + noun + 을/를 올려요 (I upload noun to platform). The second is platform + 으로/로 + verb, where 으로 or 로 marks the tool or means: 카카오톡으로 연락해요 (I contact by KakaoTalk). The third is platform + 에서 + verb, where 에서 marks the place of the action: 네이버에서 검색해요. The particle 으로 follows a consonant and 로 follows a vowel, so it is 카카오톡으로 but 유튜브로. Say each sentence aloud after its audio clip.

How Do You Say Posting in Korean?

Posting words tell you what people share and where it goes. Korean uses both native and Sino-Korean words here. A post can be a 게시물, a piece of writing can be a 글, and a short-lived post can be a 스토리. The verb that ties them together is 올리다, to put up.

The verb 올리다 (to put up) is the most useful verb on this page. It goes with 사진, 글, 영상 and 게시물, so you can say 사진을 올려요 (I upload a photo) or 영상을 올려요 (I upload a video). Its opposite is 지우다, to erase or delete. For informal abbreviations used in chat, including laughing and crying symbols, see texting shortcuts.

Reactions

Reactions are the small gestures that make up most social media activity: a like, a comment, a reply. The Korean words are short and mix loanwords with plain nouns. Both 좋아요 and 댓글 appear on nearly every platform, so these seven words are among the most useful on the page.

The verb 달다 (to attach) is the usual partner of 댓글 and 답글. A comment is attached to a post, so Korean says 댓글을 달아요 and not "make a comment". The verb 누르다 (to press) goes with 좋아요, since you press a button. These verb-noun pairs are collocations, and learning them as pairs is faster than learning the nouns alone.

How Do You Say Followers in Korean?

Follower words come mostly from English, but Korean adds two chat words that have no single-word English match. 단톡방 is a group chat room, and 읽씹 describes a message that was read and not answered. The second is slang, so treat it with care.

What Do Creators Say at the End of a Video?

Video makers often end with a request that uses three words from this page. You will hear it so often that it is worth recognising as a whole.

The word 알림 (notification) is taught in Korean Smartphone Vocabulary. The ending 부탁드려요 is a polite request, and 해 주세요 is a more direct one. The phrase 구독하고 가세요 means "subscribe and then go".

Online Safety

Online safety words matter because they appear in warnings, settings and report forms. You need them to protect an account and to block or report someone who bothers you. Most are Sino-Korean nouns that take 하다 to become verbs.

Look at the syllable 비 in 비공개 and 비밀번호. In 비공개 it is a prefix meaning "not" (non-public), while in 비밀번호 the 비 belongs to 비밀, secret. They look alike but come from different roots, so do not treat 비 as a general negative marker. The safe approach is to learn the whole word. For a summary of how Korean marks words from Chinese roots, see the page on Sino-Korean and native Korean words.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Social media words are mostly loanwords and short compounds. Several change sound, and the spelling does not show it. 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 tense sounds in 답글, 구독자 and 단톡방 are the ones learners miss most. A tense consonant is said with a tight throat and no puff of air. In 인스타그램, say in-seu-ta-geu-raem, and keep the ㅡ vowel in 스 and 그 flat, with unrounded lips.

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 Social Media Words?

These five mistakes come up often with social media words.

1. Saying 좋아요 only as a button. It is also the sentence "I like it" or "sounds good". If a friend says 좋아요 in conversation, they are not pressing a button. Context decides.
2. Using the wrong verb with 댓글. Korean says 댓글을 달아요 (attach a comment), not 댓글을 해요. Learn the pair together.
3. Treating 구독 and 팔로우 as the same. 구독 is a subscription, used for channels and newsletters. 팔로우 is following an account. A video channel offers 구독, while an Instagram account offers 팔로우.
4. Using 읽씹 in formal messages. It is slang for being left on read. Use it with friends, never to a teacher or manager.
5. Mixing up 신고 and 차단. 신고 reports a post or user to the platform. 차단 blocks the person from contacting you. You can do one without the other.

If you take one habit from this list, learn each verb with its noun, because Korean social media verbs are very specific.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the flashcard deck in recognition mode until you know each of the 35 words. Second, switch to listening mode and answer from the audio alone. Third, take the quiz. The deck covers all 35 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, switch one app on your phone to Korean and match the buttons to the words in this list. Reading a real feed is the best exercise.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Korean Smartphone Vocabulary, which teaches the settings and notification words, or Korean Computer and Internet Vocabulary. For chat abbreviations, see texting shortcuts. To move up a level, return to Technology and Internet.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say KakaoTalk in Korean?

KakaoTalk is 카카오톡 (kakaotok). In speech and texts people shorten it to 카톡 (katok). To say "I will message you on KakaoTalk", say 카톡 보낼게요 (katok bonaelgeyo). It is a brand name, so Korean spells it as it sounds.

How Do You Pronounce 인스타그램 (inseutageuraem)?

Say in-seu-ta-geu-raem, with five syllables. The vowel ㅡ in 스 and 그 is flat, with lips spread. Many people shorten it to 인스타 (inseuta). Press the audio button on this page for the normal and slow versions.

How Many Social Media Words Should I Learn First?

Five first: 카카오톡, 인스타그램, 댓글, 좋아요 and 구독. At five new words a day, the whole list of 35 takes seven days plus review. Add the posting words 게시물 and 올리다 next, since they describe the most common action.

Where Can I Practise Social Media Words with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks. The deck for this page holds all 35 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 Social Media 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 35 words.

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