Korean Hobbies Vocabulary: 45 Words with Romanization and Audio

Korean Hobbies Vocabulary at a Glance

Hobbies are classic small talk in Korean. When you meet someone new, 취미가 뭐예요? is one of the first questions, right after your name and where you are from. This list has 45 words in five groups of nine, and it works as the hub of the Hobbies and Leisure section. It sits inside Korean Vocabulary. Each group has a deeper page for readers who want more words on one topic.

Almost every word here is a noun. Nouns alone do not make a sentence, so each example pairs the noun with the verb that normally goes with it. That pairing is the real skill: in Korean you do not "do" every hobby. You hit the piano, ride a bicycle, watch a movie and read a book. The section on hobby verbs below puts those pairings in one table. When you can say your own hobby, you can also use the page on introducing yourself to build a short self-introduction around it.

Which Hobby Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 취미, 운동, 음악, 영화 and 여행 first. With those five you can ask the question, answer it, and name the five most common kinds of free-time activity. A complete small-talk exchange is only two lines: 취미가 뭐예요? and 제 취미는 영화예요 (My hobby is movies). The question word 뭐 (what) is stressed, and the voice does not climb sharply at the end, because a question that uses a question word is not a yes/no question.

• Words to say. 취미, 운동, 음악, 영화, 여행, 게임. These answer the question in one word.
• Words to recognise. 노래방, PC방, 찜질방, 등산. These are places and pastimes you see on signs and hear about from Korean friends.
• Words to add later. 바이올린, 독서, 소설, 낚시. They are more specific and make your answer sound personal.

Four pastimes are especially Korean: the karaoke room (노래방), the PC cafe (PC방), the Korean bathhouse (찜질방) and hiking (등산). You will meet all four in the lists below. The scene shows twelve of the 45 words with numbers that match the tables.

Word · 12

1. 1

   축구

   Play

   chukgu

   soccer; football

2. 2

   피아노

   Play

   piano

   piano

3. 3

   영화

   Play

   yeonghwa

   movie; film

4. 4

   책

   Play

   chaek

   book

5. 5

   게임

   Play

   geim

   game

6. 6

   캠핑

   Play

   kaemping

   camping

7. 7

   낚시

   Play

   naksi

   fishing

8. 8

   자전거

   Play

   jajeongeo

   bicycle

9. 9

   여행

   Play

   yeohaeng

   travel; trip

10. 10

    노래

    Play

    norae

    song; singing

11. 11

    수영

    Play

    suyeong

    swimming

12. 12

    찜질방

    Play

    jjimjilbang

    Korean bathhouse and sauna

Sports and Exercise

Exercise is the most common answer to the hobby question. The word 운동 covers both playing a sport and working out, and most sport names are loanwords or short Sino-Korean words. The first word, 취미, is the question word for the whole page.

Notice the pattern 친구와 (with a friend) in the third example. The particle 와 follows a noun that ends in a vowel, and 과 follows a noun that ends in a consonant, so 친구 takes 와. Sports are almost always played with other people, so this frame is useful: 친구와, 동료와 (with a coworker), 가족과 (with family).

Example Sentences

The examples use four frames. The first is noun + 은/는 + noun + 이에요/예요 for naming a hobby, as in 제 취미는 독서예요. The second is noun + 을/를 + 하다, as in 낚시를 해요. The third is noun + 에 + 가요 for going to a place, as in 노래방에 가요. The fourth is noun + 을/를 + the matching verb, as in 책을 읽어요. Note 을 after a consonant (책을) and 를 after a vowel (영화를). Say each sentence aloud after the audio, then replace the noun with another one from the table.

How Do You Say Music and Instruments in Korean?

Music words cover listening, singing and playing. The general word is 음악, a song is a 노래, and the instrument is an 악기. Korean uses 치다 (to hit) for instruments you strike or press, such as the piano, guitar and drums, and 연주하다 (to perform) for any instrument.

The question in the last row, 어떤 악기를 연주해요?, is a good one to ask a new friend. Answer with the instrument and the verb: 피아노를 쳐요 (I play the piano). For a full list of instruments, the deeper page on Korean musical instruments follows this section in the series.

Movies, TV and Reading

Watching and reading fill many free evenings. Two verbs do most of the work: 보다 (to see, to watch) for movies, dramas and webtoons, and 읽다 (to read) for books and comics. Webtoons, which are comics made for phone screens, are a large part of Korean reading habits today.

Two verbs for one idea can confuse learners. In English you read both comics and webtoons, but Korean usually says 보다 for webtoons (웹툰을 봐요) and either 읽다 or 보다 for comic books (만화를 읽어요, 만화책을 봐요). 만화를 봐요 can also mean watching cartoons, so the context decides.

How Do You Say Games in Korean?

Game words cover video games, board games, card games and the cafes where people play them. The key verb is 하다, not 놀다: Korean says 게임을 해요 (I do a game), never 게임을 놀아요. Korean games are a big enough topic to have their own hub, which this section previews.

Board games have two verbs. Games played with pieces on a board, such as baduk and janggi, take 두다 (to place a piece): 바둑을 둬요. Other games take 하다. For more words, see the Games page, with its pages on video games and board and traditional games.

Outdoor Activities and Travel

Outdoor words are the last group. Korea is mountainous, and hiking is one of the most common weekend activities, so 등산 deserves a place on any hobby list. Camping, fishing, cycling and travel round out the group, with photography and the bathhouse as two extras that many people count as hobbies.

The activities in this group have a deeper page in the series, Korean outdoor activities vocabulary, for readers who want trail, camp and trip words.

Which Verb Goes with Which Hobby?

Hobby nouns choose their verbs. English often says "play" for sports, instruments and games, but Korean uses different verbs for each. The table lists the main patterns, and each verb is shown in its polite present form.

Two of these change shape in a way worth noticing. The verb 듣다 is irregular: it changes its ㄷ to ㄹ before a vowel ending, so 듣다 becomes 들어요. The verb 치다 is regular, but 치 + 어요 merge into one syllable, 쳐요. When you are not sure which verb a hobby takes, 하다 is the safe fallback, and it is correct for most sports and activities.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Hobby words contain several sound changes that English speakers rarely expect. The spelling shows the written form, and the spoken form shifts where one sound meets another. Standard pronunciation follows the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) rules, and the romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which writes tense consonants that are spelled with a double letter but does not show tensing caused by a neighbouring sound.

The tense sounds are the ones learners miss most. A tense consonant is said with a tight throat and no puff of air, so 축구 sounds like "chuk-kku" with a short pause before the second consonant. The doubled l in 달리기 and 바이올린 is not two sounds but one long l, held slightly longer than a single one.

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 Hobby Words?

Five mistakes appear often.

1. Using 하다 for every hobby. 자전거를 해요 is not Korean. Use 자전거를 타요. For instruments, use 기타를 쳐요 or 연주해요.
2. Saying 놀다 for games. 놀다 means to hang out or play like a child, as in 친구와 놀아요 (I hang out with friends). For games, say 게임을 해요.
3. Reading 기타 as only a guitar. 기타 also means "others" or "etc.", as in lists on forms. The topic tells you which one is meant.
4. Treating 헬스 as health. 헬스 means working out at a gym. Health is 건강. A person who says 헬스를 해요 is talking about weights and machines.
5. Ignoring the question word. 취미가 뭐예요? asks "what", so an answer like 네 (yes) does not fit. Answer with the hobby itself: 영화예요 or 제 취미는 영화예요.

If you meet only one, make it the verb mistake: choosing 하다, 치다, 타다 or 보다 correctly makes the biggest difference to how natural your sentence sounds.

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, write three sentences about your own free time in Korean: one sport or activity, one thing you watch or read, and one place you like to go.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with the group that interests you most: Movies and TV or Games. To talk about your job and study life instead, open School and Work, and for festivals and customs see Korean Culture Words. If you are preparing for the exam, TOPIK Vocabulary lists words by exam level. To move up a level, return to Korean Vocabulary.

Pages in This Section

Five deeper pages sit under this one, one for each kind of free-time activity.

• Sports: the deeper list for the sports and exercise group.
• Music: the deeper list for the music and instruments group.
• Movies and TV: 40 words for movies, dramas, genres, cinema and streaming.
• Games: 40 words for video games, board games, traditional games, online play and esports.
• Korean Outdoor Activities Vocabulary: the deeper list for the outdoor activities and travel group.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Camping in Korean?

Camping is 캠핑 (kaemping), a loanword. To say you are going camping, use 캠핑을 가요 (kaempingeul gayo), which means "I go camping". The ㅁ and ㅍ are said clearly, so it sounds like kaem-ping. Press the audio button on this page to hear it.

How Do You Pronounce 낚시 (naksi)?

Say nak-si, written [낙씨]. The double ㄲ at the end of 낚 is said as a plain k that you do not release, and the ㅅ after it becomes tense, like a tight s. Do not add a vowel after the k. The slow clip on this page lets you repeat it step by step.

How Many Hobby Words Should I Learn First?

Five first: 취미, 운동, 음악, 영화 and 여행. At five new words a day, the whole list of 45 takes nine days plus review. Add the matching verbs from the verb table early, because 기타를 쳐요 and 자전거를 타요 are only correct with the right verb.

Where Can I Practise Hobby 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 show every sound change, so rely on the Hangul and the audio.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Hobby 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.