Korean Video Games Vocabulary: 35 Words with Romanization and Audio

Korean Video Games Vocabulary at a Glance

This list has 35 words in five groups of seven. It belongs to Games, and it goes deeper than the video game group on that page. The five groups follow a player's path: pick a kind of game, make a character, learn the controls and items, join other players online, then watch or enter tournaments.

Video game terms are among the easiest Korean vocabulary for English speakers, because nearly all of them are English words respelled in Hangul. The catch is sound. English consonants become Korean ones, vowels are added to end syllables, and the stress disappears, so 캐릭터 is not "CHARacter" but kae-rik-teo with three even beats. Once you know that, you can guess new words from the sound alone, and you only need to learn the Sino-Korean words, such as 오락실, 체력 and 전략.

Which Video Game Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 캐릭터, 레벨, 아이템, 서버 and 팀 first (the word 게임 itself is on the Games page). With these you can read a game menu and say what you are doing: 캐릭터를 새로 만들었어요 (I created a new character). Add 매칭, 팀 and 방 next, because they appear when you play with others online.

• Words to say. 캐릭터, 레벨, 아이템, 스킬, 팀. These carry most casual game talk.
• Words to recognise. 서버, 매칭, 저장, 퀘스트, 보스. You read these on screens.
• Words to understand when spoken. 렉, 길드, 리그, 전략. Friends and streamers say them quickly, and several are informal.

Casual chat also uses shortened and slang forms, such as 겜 for 게임. These belong with other casual words in internet slang. The scene below shows twelve of the 35 words with numbers that match the tables.

Word · 12

1. 1

   롤플레잉

   Play

   rolpeulleing

   role-playing (game)

2. 2

   캐릭터

   Play

   kaerikteo

   character

3. 3

   레벨

   Play

   rebel

   level

4. 4

   경험치

   Play

   gyeongheomchi

   experience points

5. 5

   아이템

   Play

   aitem

   item

6. 6

   조작

   Play

   jojak

   controls; operation

7. 7

   키보드

   Play

   kibodeu

   keyboard

8. 8

   마우스

   Play

   mauseu

   mouse

9. 9

   컨트롤러

   Play

   keonteurolleo

   controller

10. 10

    저장

    Play

    jeojang

    save

11. 11

    서버

    Play

    seobeo

    server

12. 12

    결승

    Play

    gyeolseung

    final

Game Types

Game type words are the labels on app stores and game shelves. Most are English names in Hangul, and they come before the word 게임: 롤플레잉 게임, 슈팅 게임. One group of them is shortened in daily talk, such as 롤플레잉 to RPG. The arcade, 오락실, is a place word and belongs here because it is where many Koreans first played.

The first six entries all work in the same frame: type + 게임을 해요, as in 레이싱 게임을 해요. The verb stays 하다 for every kind, as the Games page explains. Only 리듬 게임 is listed with 게임, because 리듬 alone just means rhythm; it is still written with a space, like the others.

Example Sentences

The examples use three frames. The first is noun + 을/를 + verb, as in 캐릭터를 만들었어요. The second is noun + 이/가 + descriptive verb, as in 서버가 느려요. The third is noun + 에서 + verb for where or in what, as in 결승에서 졌어요. Particles follow the last sound of the noun: 캐릭터를 (vowel ending, so 를), 아이템을 (consonant ending, so 을), 서버가 (vowel, so 가) and 체력이 (consonant, so 이). Say each sentence aloud after the audio and replace the noun with another from the table.

How Do You Say Characters and Levels in Korean?

This group is the language of progress. A character gains experience, a level goes up, skills unlock, and a boss or a quest sets the next goal. Levels are said with Sino-Korean numbers (레벨 십, level ten), which is the same system used for floors and grades.

Look at the particle in the example 보스를 이겼어요. In Korean you beat someone with the object particle (보스를 이기다), but you lose to someone with 에게 (보스에게 지다). English uses "beat" and "lose to", which is close, so the pair is easy to remember.

Controls and Items

This group joins hardware and software. The first words name what you hold: a keyboard, a mouse, a controller and a button. The rest name what the game gives you or lets you do: items, controls and saving. Most are loanwords, but 조작 and 저장 are Sino-Korean words you will also see in other apps.

Notice the ending -세요 in 누르세요. It makes a polite request or instruction, and it is what you read on screens and hear in tutorials. The Games page uses a close relative of it in 로그인해 주세요 (please log in).

How Do You Say Online Play in Korean?

Online play words describe servers, lobbies and groups. You connect to a 서버, wait for 매칭, enter a 방 (room) with a 팀, chat and perhaps join a 길드. One word, 렉, is informal gamer slang for lag, and it is the only slang item in this group.

Useful game chat sentences put these words in order. The table gives five that work in polite speech, with the Revised Romanization of each.

The first is a yes/no question, so the voice rises at its end. 같이 is said [가치], which is why RR writes gachi. The spoken forms of the second and last sentences are [접쏘캐써요] and [저써요]: after ㅈ, the ㅕ of 졌 is said as plain ㅓ.

Esports

The last group is competition. Tournaments, leagues and finals are the stage, strategy and practice are the work, and a streamer is the person who broadcasts play live. Esports is written e스포츠 and explained on the Games page.

Words such as 결승 and 리그 are also used for sports, so you will meet them again outside gaming. They link to the wider list of match words on the Hobbies and Leisure page.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Video game words come from English, so their sounds change in predictable ways. Korean has no word stress and does not pronounce consonant clusters, so English clusters get extra vowels: streamer becomes 스트리머, with 으 after ㅅ and ㅌ. 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.

Beginners often place English stress on one syllable of 캐릭터 or 시뮬레이션. Korean gives each syllable almost the same length, so say them evenly: kae-rik-teo, si-myul-le-i-syeon. The ㅓ in 컨트롤러 and 버튼 is unrounded: keep the lips relaxed and open, not pushed into a circle.

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 Video Game Words?

Five mistakes appear often.

1. Using the wrong particle for beating a boss. You beat someone with the object particle, 보스를 이겼어요, and lose to someone with 에게: 보스에게 졌어요.
2. Mixing 체력 and 레벨. 체력 is health or stamina, which goes up and down in a fight. 레벨 is the level, which only goes up as you play.
3. Using 렉 in writing. 렉 is informal gamer slang. In an email or a forum report, write 지연 (delay) or a full sentence.
4. Using 방 only for a room in a house. In a game, 방 is also the lobby where players gather: 방을 만들어요 (I make a room).
5. Counting players with 개. People are counted with 명: 한 명, 두 명. Saying 두 개 for two players sounds like counting objects.

If you only fix one, fix the particle pair 를 이기다 and 에게 지다. It appears in almost every sentence about winning and losing.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the flashcard deck in recognition mode until you recognise all 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, including a shorter deck of gaming cards.

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 type, your character's level and one thing you did today.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Korean Board and Traditional Games Vocabulary for the older side of Korean play. To read casual chat, open internet slang. To move up a level, return to Games.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Video Game in Korean?

Video game is 게임 (geim), a loanword. Add the type before it: 모바일 게임 (a mobile game), 슈팅 게임 (a shooting game). Play one with 하다: 게임을 해요 means "I play games". The full phrase 비디오 게임 exists, but everyday speech just says 게임.

How Do You Pronounce 캐릭터 (kaerikteo)?

Say kae-rik-teo in three even beats. The ㅐ in 캐 is close to the e in "bed", and the ㄱ at the end of 릭 is held closed before the ㅌ, so you do not release a puff of air after "rik". The ㅓ in 터 is unrounded. Use the slow clip to repeat it.

How Many Video Game Words Should I Learn First?

Five first: 캐릭터, 레벨, 아이템, 서버 and 팀. At five new words a day, the 35-word list takes seven days plus review. Because nearly all of them are respelled English words, most learners find this list faster than a list of native words.

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

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Video Game 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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