Korean Car and Driving Vocabulary: Word List with Audio and Examples

What you'll learn

• Match all 35 car and driving words to their English meanings.
• Say five of them aloud with the help of the Revised Romanization and the audio.
• Write two original sentences that use words such as 자동차 (car) and 핸들 (steering wheel).
• Tell apart words that look alike, such as 벌금 and 과태료, and 운전하다 and 타다.

Prerequisites: you can read Hangul and know the basic transport words on Transportation. Estimated time: about 90 minutes, plus short reviews on the following days.

Korean Car and Driving Vocabulary at a Glance

The list has 35 words in five groups of seven. It follows a drive: you start with the car and its controls, move onto roads and traffic, stop for fuel and parking, learn the rules and fines, and finish with the words you need to rent a car. It belongs to Transportation.

This page is a themed word list. If you want the single word for car with its meaning and one use, the dedicated page on car in Korean gives that answer. For signs you read from the driver's seat, continue with road signs.

Which Car and Driving Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 자동차 (car), 운전 (driving), 주유소 (gas station), 주차장 (parking lot) and 렌터카 (rental car) first. With these five you can ask where to park, where to buy fuel and how to rent a car. A short question such as 주차장이 어디예요? (Where is the parking lot?) needs just one noun and the question word. Then follow this order:

1. Step 1: the five words above.
2. Step 2: the controls: 핸들, 브레이크 and 액셀.
3. Step 3: roads: 신호등, 횡단보도 and 고속도로.
4. Step 4: rules and rental words: 벌금, 과태료, 운전면허증 and 보험.

The scene below numbers ten of the objects on a street and in a car, so you can tie each word to something you can point at.

Word · 10

1. 1

   자동차

   Play

   jadongcha

   car

2. 2

   핸들

   Play

   haendeul

   steering wheel

3. 3

   브레이크

   Play

   beureikeu

   brake

4. 4

   타이어

   Play

   taieo

   tire

5. 5

   신호등

   Play

   sinhodeung

   traffic light

6. 6

   횡단보도

   Play

   hoengdanbodo

   crosswalk

7. 7

   고속도로

   Play

   gosokdoro

   expressway

8. 8

   주유소

   Play

   juyuso

   gas station

9. 9

   주차장

   Play

   juchajang

   parking lot

10. 10

    렌터카

    Play

    renteoka

    rental car

Tap a number to hear the word. Notice how many are loanwords from English: 핸들, 브레이크, 타이어, 렌터카 and 내비게이션 sound close to their English source, but not always with the same meaning.

Car Parts

The first group names the car, the act of driving and the parts you touch. 자동차 is the full word for a car, 운전 is driving, and the controls are 핸들, 브레이크 and 액셀. 타이어 and 트렁크 are the parts you see from outside. Most of the part names are loanwords.

The verb for driving is 운전하다, not 타다. 타다 means to ride in or on something, as in 버스를 타요, while 운전하다 means to drive it yourself. The two verbs often pair with 자동차: 자동차를 운전해요 (I drive a car) and 자동차를 타요 (I ride in a car). 밟다 is the verb for stepping on a pedal, as in 브레이크를 밟아요. The dictionary form is said [밥따], and the polite form 밟아요 is said [발바요]. The sentence 타이어에 바람이 빠졌어요 literally says that air has come out of the tire, and it is the normal way to say a flat tire.

How Do You Say Roads and Traffic in Korean?

Roads and traffic have their own group. 도로 is the road, 차선 is the lane, 신호등 is the traffic light, and 횡단보도 is the crosswalk. 고속도로, 톨게이트 and 하이패스 belong to the expressway: the road, the toll booth and the electronic toll system.

신호등 has a useful pair of colour words: 빨간불 (red light) and 파란불 (green light). Koreans often say 파란불, literally blue light, for the go signal, because 파랗다 has long covered the green of a traffic light, and 초록불 is also heard. At a crosswalk, pedestrians wait for the 파란불. On a drive, you will also hear the verb 막히다 (to be blocked), as in 길이 막혀요 (the road is jammed). The word 톨게이트 comes from English tollgate, and the toll itself is called 통행료 (tonghaengnyo). The 하이패스 lane is a special lane for cars with a device, and other cars use the regular lanes.

Fuel and Parking

Fuel and parking words are the ones you use most outside the car. 주유소 is the gas station, 휘발유 is gasoline, and 경유 is diesel. 충전소 is a charging station for electric cars. 주차장 is the parking lot, 주차비 is the parking fee, and 세차 is the car wash.

기름 is the everyday word for fuel: 기름을 넣다 means to fill up. 휘발유 is the specific word for gasoline and 경유 for diesel, so at a station you may be asked which one. The same -소 and -장 endings appear in the names of places: -소 in 주유소 and 충전소, -장 in 주차장 and 운동장 (playground or sports field). The pattern 장소 (place) is hidden inside them. In the question 전기차 충전소가 어디 있어요?, 가 marks the charging station as the subject, and 어디 있어요 asks where it is.

How Do You Say Rules and Fines in Korean?

Driving rules come with penalties, and the words appear in news and on signs. 안전벨트 is the seat belt, 과속 is speeding, and 음주운전 is drunk driving. 벌금 and 과태료 are two kinds of fines. 주차 위반 is a parking violation, and 교통사고 is a traffic accident.

벌금 and 과태료 look alike but are different. 벌금 is a criminal fine decided by a court. 과태료 is an administrative fine for a lighter breach, such as a parking violation, and it is sent by an office. Learners often use 벌금 for both, which is understood but not exact. A traffic ticket that a police officer hands you on the spot has a third name, 범칙금. The common phrase for having an accident uses 나다: 교통사고가 났어요. The verb 매다 (to tie, to fasten) goes with 안전벨트, and the polite request 매세요 appears on signs and in announcements. For exact amounts and rules, check an official source such as the national traffic authority, because they change.

Rental Cars

Visitors who rent a car need seven words. 렌터카 is the rental car, 운전면허증 is the driver's licence, and 국제운전면허증 is the international driving permit. 보험 is insurance, 내비게이션 is the navigation system, 대여 is the rental, and 반납 is the return.

When you rent a car, ask the rental company which documents you need before you travel, because the rules about licences and permits depend on your home country. The verb for renting a car as a customer is 빌리다, as in 렌터카를 빌렸어요, while 대여 is the noun the company uses on forms. 반납 is the word for bringing the car back, and the place you bring it to is the 반납 장소. The shortened form 내비 is the everyday word, and many people say 내비 켜 (turn on the navigation) in the car.

How Do You Pronounce Korean Car and Driving Words?

Many car words are loanwords and are easy to say, but several native and Sino-Korean words change their sound. The National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) sets these changes in its standard pronunciation rules. Revised Romanization follows the spoken sound for linking, but it does not show tensing caused by a neighbouring sound.

Audio and Slow Playback

Each word and sentence has its own clip. The five clips below play the harder words slowly. Play a clip, say the word, then play it again and compare the ends of the syllables.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Car and Driving Words?

Five patterns catch learners when they talk about cars.

1. Taking 핸들 for a door handle. 핸들 is only the steering wheel. A door handle or a bag handle is 손잡이.
2. Using 타다 for driving. 타다 means to ride. To drive a car yourself, use 운전하다: 자동차를 운전해요.
3. Using 벌금 for every fine. 벌금 is a court fine, and 과태료 is an administrative fine such as a parking ticket.
4. Reading 고속도로 as written. The sound is [고속또로]. The ㄷ after a final ㄱ is tense.
5. Calling the front hood 트렁크. 트렁크 is the rear storage space. The front cover over the engine is 보닛.

If you keep the verb 운전하다 and the two fines apart, most of the trouble goes away. The practice section turns the list into drills.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the deck in recognition mode until the 35 words feel familiar. Second, switch to listening mode and tap the clip before the card turns. Third, take the five-question quiz below. The deck stores your progress 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 additional practice, draw a car and label the parts you know in Korean.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Korean Train and KTX Vocabulary for long-distance travel, or with the road signs page to read the signs you see from the driver's seat.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Car in Korean?

Car is 자동차 (jadongcha). In daily speech people shorten it to 차 (cha), which also means tea or vehicle depending on context. The full word is common in writing and on forms. The single-word page on car in Korean gives more detail.

How Do You Say Steering Wheel in Korean?

Steering wheel is 핸들 (haendeul). It comes from the English word handle, but in Korean it means only the steering wheel. For a door handle or the handle of a bag, use 손잡이. The verb is 잡다, so 핸들을 잡아요 means I hold the steering wheel.

How Do You Say Driving in Korean?

Driving is 운전 (unjeon), and the verb is 운전하다. Say 운전해요 for I drive. The driver is 운전자 or 운전기사 when it is a paid job. Do not use 타다, which means to ride in a vehicle.

How Many Car and Driving Words Should I Learn First?

Five first: 자동차, 운전, 주유소, 주차장 and 렌터카. They let you ask where to park, where to buy fuel and how to rent a car. At five new words a day the 35 words take about a week with review. Add the road and rule words next.

Where Can I Practise Car and Driving Words with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks. The deck for this page holds all 35 words with Hangul, romanization and audio, in recognition and listening modes. Your progress stays in your browser. Give the rental car group extra time in listening mode.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Car and Driving 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, the tables on this page can be copied by hand, and the deck carries the same 35 words.

Save This to Pinterest