Seasons in Korean: 30 Words with Romanization and Audio

Seasons in Korean at a Glance

Korea has four clear seasons, which is why 사계절 is a word children learn early. This list gives the four names, the objects and events that mark each one, the foods and clothes that go with them and four solar terms. The page sits in Nature and the World, next to Weather and Plants and Flowers.

Which Season Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 봄, 여름, 가을, 겨울 and 에 first, in that order. Then add 눈, 단풍 and 장마, the three signs you will hear most often in conversation. After that, the food and clothing groups are the easiest to remember because they attach to real objects.

• Words to say. 봄, 여름, 가을, 겨울, 계절, 눈.
• Words to recognise. 절기, 입춘, 동지, 환절기. They appear in news and calendars.
• Words to attach. 벚꽃, 단풍, 수박, 호떡. Put each one in a sentence with a season and 에.

Two spellings look alike. 겨울 (winter) and 거울 (mirror) differ by one vowel, and 눈 means both snow and eye. The scene below shows a park through the year, with ten of the words as numbered objects.

Word · 10

1. 1

   봄

   Play

   bom

   spring

2. 2

   여름

   Play

   yeoreum

   summer

3. 3

   가을

   Play

   gaeul

   autumn; fall

4. 4

   겨울

   Play

   gyeoul

   winter

5. 5

   벚꽃

   Play

   beotkkot

   cherry blossom

6. 6

   장마

   Play

   jangma

   rainy season (early summer monsoon)

7. 7

   단풍

   Play

   danpung

   autumn leaves

8. 8

   눈

   Play

   nun

   snow

9. 9

   감

   Play

   gam

   persimmon

10. 10

    긴팔

    Play

    ginpal

    long sleeves

What Are the Four Seasons in Korean?

The four seasons are 봄, 여름, 가을 and 겨울. Each is a native Korean word. To say in a season, add 에: 봄에, 여름에, 가을에, 겨울에. When a season is the topic, add 은 after a consonant or 는 after a vowel, as in 여름은 더워요. The words 사계절 and 계절 describe the system and the general idea.

Example Sentences

Each example shows a season with a plain statement about it. Learn the frame season + 에 + noun + verb, as in 봄에 꽃이 피어요. The particle 이 or 가 marks the thing that happens, here 꽃. Say the sentence aloud after the audio, then change the season and the noun.

The season names are the base. The next group gives the signs that tell you the season has arrived.

How Do You Say Season Markers in Korean?

Each season has a sign people talk about. In spring it is 벚꽃, in early summer it is 장마, in autumn it is 단풍 and in winter it is 눈. These words are common in news, weather talk and small talk. Many Koreans plan trips around them, such as a 벚꽃 구경, a blossom-viewing outing. 첫눈, the first snow, has its own word because people mark it.

Note that 무더위 describes heat that is also humid, which is how a Korean summer often feels. It is not a month or a season; it is a kind of weather inside the season.

Seasonal Events and Foods

Seasons are also eaten. 딸기 comes first in spring, 수박 and 빙수 cool the summer, 감 ripens in autumn, and 호떡 is the street snack of winter. 팥죽, a red bean porridge, is linked to 동지, the winter solstice. People traditionally eat it on that day. Food words are a quick way to put 에 and a verb together: 겨울에 호떡을 먹어요.

Fruit and snack words attach to the season with 에. Clothing is the next place where seasons change vocabulary.

How Do You Say Seasonal Clothing in Korean?

Clothing words answer the question 뭐 입어요? (what do you wear?). 반팔 and 긴팔 are the short-sleeve and long-sleeve shirts that mark summer and autumn. 패딩, 목도리 and 장갑 are the winter set, and 샌들 are summer shoes. The verb changes with the item: 입다 for clothes on the body, 신다 for shoes, 하다 for a scarf and 끼다 for gloves.

The verbs matter as much as the nouns. If you say 장갑을 입어요, a Korean listener will understand, but 장갑을 껴요 is the natural phrase.

Seasonal Weather and Solar Terms

The traditional calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms, called 절기. They follow the sun, not the month, so they fall on nearly the same date each year. Four terms are useful for learners. 입춘 and 입추 mark the start of spring and autumn, and 하지 and 동지 are the summer and winter solstices. The solar term and the real weather do not always agree: 입추 comes in early August, when it is still very hot.

환절기 is the word you will hear in real life, usually followed by a warning about colds. For month names and dates, see months.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Season words have several tense sounds and linking sounds. Standard pronunciation follows the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) rules, and the romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which does not mark every sound change.

The pair to practise is 벚꽃 and 첫눈. Both end a syllable with a consonant that changes before the next sound. Say 벚 as a short stop, then add the next syllable without a pause.

Audio and Slow Playback

Each word and sentence has its own clip. The five clips below replay the trickiest words slowly. Play one, repeat it, then play it again and compare.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Season Words?

Five mistakes come up often.

1. Leaving out 에. 봄 꽃이 피어요 is understood, but 봄에 꽃이 피어요 says clearly that it happens in spring.
2. Mixing up 겨울 and 거울. 겨울 is winter and 거울 is a mirror. Check the vowel.
3. Treating 눈 as always snow. 눈이 와요 is it is snowing, while 눈이 아파요 is my eyes hurt. The verb tells you which one.
4. Calling 장마 a season. It is a rainy period within summer, not a fifth season.
5. Using the wrong verb for clothes. Use 입다 for shirts and jackets, 신다 for shoes, 하다 for scarves and 끼다 for gloves.

These mistakes involve small grammar words and one-vowel differences, so they are easy to fix with a few repetitions. The practice section turns the list into drills.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Use three steps. Run the flashcard deck in recognition mode until the 30 words come quickly. Switch to listening mode, then take the quiz. The deck holds all the words on this page 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, draw four boxes, label them 봄, 여름, 가을 and 겨울, and write the food, clothing and weather words under each.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Weather for rain, wind and temperature, or Plants and Flowers for the spring and autumn plants. For dates, see months. To move up a level, return to Nature and the World.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Spring in Korean?

Spring is 봄 (bom). Say 봄에 to mean in spring, as in 봄에 꽃이 피어요, flowers bloom in spring. The same word also appears in 봄비, spring rain.

How Do You Pronounce 여름 (yeoreum)?

Say yeo-reum with two clear syllables: 여 then 름. The ㄹ is a quick tap, close to a soft English d or r. Press the audio button on this page to hear the word and the slow clip.

How Many Season Words Should I Learn First?

Learn the four season names first, then the particle 에 (in), 눈 (snow) and 단풍 (autumn leaves). That is about eight items, enough to say what happens in each season. The full list of 30 takes about a week at five new words a day, with a short review of earlier words each day.

Where Can I Practise Season Words with Flashcards?

Use the deck on this page, which holds all 30 words with Hangul, romanization and audio, in recognition and listening modes. The vocabulary flashcard decks page lists the decks for weather, plants and other nature topics. Progress is saved only in your browser.

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 Season 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, use the flashcard deck, which carries the same 30 words, or draw four boxes labelled 봄, 여름, 가을 and 겨울 and fill them with the food, clothing and weather words.