Korean Gaming Vocabulary: 40 Words with Romanization and Audio

Korean Gaming Vocabulary at a Glance

Games in Korea range from phone apps to board games that are hundreds of years old, and the vocabulary follows the same range. This page holds 40 words in five groups of eight and works as the hub of the Games section inside Hobbies and Leisure. The first group covers video games, the second board games, the third traditional games, the fourth online play and the last esports.

Most video game words are loanwords, written in Hangul with the English sound, so an English speaker can guess many of them: 레벨, 아이템, 팀. Board and traditional games use older Sino-Korean or native words, such as 바둑 and 윷놀이, that you have to learn. Two pages go deeper than this one: video games and Korean Board and Traditional Games Vocabulary. Use this page to see the whole picture first.

Which Gaming Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 게임, 팀, 친구, 점수 and 온라인 first, together with three verbs: 하다 (to play a game), 이기다 (to win) and 지다 (to lose). With them you can say you play, say who won and name your team: 어제 우리 팀이 이겼어요 (Our team won yesterday). After that, add 캐릭터, 레벨 and 아이템, which you meet every time you start a video game. The single verb to master early is 하다, because Korean plays games with 하다 (to do), not with 놀다 (to play like a child).

• Words to say. 게임, 팀, 친구, 점수, with the verbs 이기다 and 지다. They carry almost every casual chat about a game.
• Words to recognise. 레벨, 아이템, 접속, 로그인, 랭킹. You see these on screens and in app menus.
• Words to add later. 윷놀이, 씨름, 결승, 중계. They connect games to Korean holidays and sports television.

Gaming also has places. The PC방 (PC cafe) is a room of gaming computers rented by the hour, and many students and friends meet there. The 보드게임 카페 (board game cafe) lets you borrow and play games for a fee. The older 오락실 (oraksil, arcade) still exists too. The scene below shows twelve of the 40 words with numbers that match the tables.

Word · 12

1. 1

   게임

   Play

   geim

   game; video game

2. 2

   게임기

   Play

   geimgi

   game console

3. 3

   캐릭터

   Play

   kaerikteo

   character

4. 4

   보드게임

   Play

   bodeugeim

   board game

5. 5

   바둑

   Play

   baduk

   baduk (Go)

6. 6

   퍼즐

   Play

   peojeul

   puzzle

7. 7

   주사위

   Play

   jusawi

   dice

8. 8

   윷놀이

   Play

   yunnori

   yutnori (stick-throwing board game)

9. 9

   제기차기

   Play

   jegichagi

   jegi kicking

10. 10

    온라인

    Play

    ollain

    online

11. 11

    e스포츠

    Play

    iseupocheu

    esports

12. 12

    대회

    Play

    daehoe

    tournament; competition

Video Games

Video game words are mostly loanwords, so the first group is the easiest. Two patterns repeat: English words are respelled with Hangul letters and every syllable gets a clear vowel, so item becomes 아이템, and English l sounds become ㄹ, so level becomes 레벨. The word 게임 (geim) itself is a loanword, written in Hangul.

Levels use Sino-Korean numbers (일, 이, 삼 ...): 레벨 오십 is level fifty. Rounds and matches use the counter 판, which you meet again in the board games group. The deeper page on video games adds controls, items and online play.

Example Sentences

The examples use three frames. The first is noun + 을/를 + 해요 for playing, as in 게임을 해요. The second is noun + 에서 + verb for where or in what, as in 게임에서 새 친구를 만났어요. The third is noun + 이/가 + verb for something that happens, as in 점수가 올랐어요. Note 을 after a noun that ends in a consonant (게임을, 퍼즐을) and 를 after a noun that ends in a vowel (카드를, 체스를). Say each sentence aloud after the audio and replace the noun with another from the table.

How Do You Say Board Games in Korean?

Board game words mix old and new. 바둑 and 장기 are long-established Korean games, while 체스 and 보드게임 are borrowed. Games played with pieces on a board take the verb 두다 (to place a piece): 바둑을 둬요. Other games take 하다.

The word 판 is worth learning early, because it counts rounds of any game: 한 판 (one round), 두 판 (two rounds). It takes native numbers. A common request among friends is 한 판 더 해요 (one more round).

Traditional Games

Traditional games are tied to the calendar. Many are played at New Year (설날) or at the autumn harvest holiday (추석), and some are now shown as cultural performances. Their names often end in 기, a noun ending that turns a verb into the name of an activity: 제기차기 (kicking the jegi), 연날리기 (flying a kite).

Look at the ending 기 on five of the names. It turns the verb stem into an activity noun: 날리다 (to fly) becomes 날리기 (flying), and 차다 (to kick) becomes 차기 (kicking). Once you see the pattern, new names such as 말뚝박기 are easier to guess. The deeper page on board and traditional games lists more of them, with the holidays when they are played. For the holidays themselves, see holidays.

How Do You Say Online Play in Korean?

Online play words are the ones you use to connect and play with other people. They are nearly all loanwords or Sino-Korean nouns that take 하다 to become verbs: 접속하다 (to connect), 로그인하다 (to log in), 채팅하다 (to chat). Remember that 접속하다 is used for servers and sites, and you do not say you "go" to a server.

Online chat has its own slang. Players shorten 게임 to 겜 and type bare consonants, such as ㄱㄱ (let's go) and ㅋㅋ (laughter). These shortened forms are casual and belong to chat with friends, not to polite speech. They are covered with other casual words in the Korean slang section.

Esports

Esports is the last group, and it shows how games became spectator events. Professional players, tournaments and live broadcasts all have their own words. The written form uses a Latin e followed by Hangul: e스포츠, read 이스포츠 (iseupocheu).

Notice that 우승 (winning the championship) is different from 이기다 (to win a single game). A team can 이기다 (win) one match, but only the team that takes the whole tournament 우승하다. The same words work for sports, which is why 선수 and 응원 also appear on every sports page. Check the outdoor activities page for more words about being active outside.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Gaming words have fewer sound changes than most topics, because many are loanwords, but the traditional and esports words contain several. The Hangul shows the written form, while 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 double-letter tense consonants but does not show tensing caused by a neighbouring sound.

The [ㄹㄹ] in 온라인 [올라인] is one long l, held a little longer than a single l. The loanword 보드게임 has four even beats, bo-deu-ge-im, with a flat 으 in 드. Press the audio before you copy it.

Audio and Slow Playback

Every headword and every example sentence has its own audio. 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 Gaming Words?

Five mistakes appear often.

1. Using 놀다 for games. 게임을 놀아요 is not Korean. Say 게임을 해요. 놀다 means to hang out or play like a child: 친구와 놀아요.
2. Reading 장기 as only a board game. 장기 also means "long term" and "internal organ" in other contexts. The surrounding words, such as 두다 or 공원, tell you it is the game.
3. Saying "go to the server". Use 서버에 접속하다 (to connect to the server). 서버에 가다 sounds like walking to a building.
4. Mixing 대회 and 경기. A 대회 is a whole tournament, and a 경기 is one match or game within it. You can watch a 경기 at a 대회.
5. Counting rounds with 개. Rounds are counted with 판: 한 판, 두 판. Saying 한 개 gives the wrong counter.

If you only fix one, fix the verb: 게임을 해요 sounds natural, and 게임을 놀아요 sounds like a child's mistake.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the flashcard deck in recognition mode until you recognise all 40 words. Second, switch to listening mode and answer from the audio alone. Third, take the quiz. The deck covers all 40 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 a game you play: its kind, who you play it with and whether you won (이겼어요) or lost (졌어요).

Where to Go Next

After this page, go deeper with video games or Korean Board and Traditional Games Vocabulary. For related pastimes, open Movies and TV or Korean Outdoor Activities Vocabulary. To move up a level, return to Hobbies and Leisure.

Pages in This Section

Two deeper pages sit under this one.

• Korean Video Games Vocabulary: 35 words for game types, characters and levels, controls and items, online play and esports.
• Korean Board and Traditional Games Vocabulary: 30 words for board games, card games, holiday games, playground games, and rules and players.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Game in Korean?

Game is 게임 (geim), a loanword. Play one with the verb 하다: 게임을 해요 (geimeul haeyo) means "I play games". Do not use 놀다 for games. For a board game, say 보드게임 (bodeugeim). Press the audio button to hear both words.

How Do You Pronounce 보드게임 (bodeugeim)?

Say bo-deu-ge-im in four beats. The ㅡ in 드 is flat, with lips spread, so it is not "doo". The ㅔ in 게 is like the vowel in "get", and the final ㅁ closes the lips. Use the slow clip to practise the rhythm.

How Many Gaming Words Should I Learn First?

Five first: 게임, 팀, 친구, 점수 and 온라인, together with the verbs 이기다 (to win) and 지다 (to lose). At five new words a day, the 40-word list takes eight days plus review. Learn the verb 하다 with 게임 before anything else, because it fixes the most common mistake.

Where Can I Practise Gaming Words with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks. The deck for this page holds all 40 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 Gaming 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 40 words.