Korean Company Ranks: 30 Words with Romanization and Audio

Korean Company Ranks at a Glance

The list has 30 words in five groups. It starts with the ranks of a typical large company and ends with titles you meet at a school, a hospital and a university. It belongs to Office and Business and it is the page to read before Korean Job Interview Vocabulary or Korean Email and Letters Vocabulary, because every email and every greeting in a Korean company depends on knowing who is above whom.

A common order of ranks in large companies, from the bottom, runs 사원, 대리, 과장, 차장, 부장, 이사, 상무, 전무, 사장 and 회장. Many firms add 주임 between 사원 and 대리, and 부사장 and 부회장 above their heads. This is a typical pattern, not a rule: ranks, names and the number of steps differ between companies, and some firms have simplified their titles in recent years. The ranks (직급) also differ from the positions (직책) that people hold, such as 팀장 (team leader). A rank says how senior a person is, and a position says what job they do today.

Some companies, especially in IT and start-ups, have replaced most of these ranks with one flat title such as 매니저 (manager) or 프로, or with the name plus 님. This varies from company to company, so check what a firm uses before you assume the ladder above. A business card (명함) shows the rank or position on the card, usually near the name, as in 영업부 과장 김민수. When you read it aloud, put the family name before the title and add 님: 김 과장님.

Which Company Ranks Should You Learn First?

Learn 사원 (staff member), 대리 (assistant manager), 과장 (section chief), 부장 (department head) and 사장 (president) first. They are the ranks you hear most in daily talk and in dramas. Add 님 at once, because you will almost never use a rank without it.

• Words to say. 사원, 대리, 과장, 부장, 사장, 님.
• Words to recognise. 차장, 이사, 상무, 전무, 회장. They appear in news and on business cards.
• Words for other settings. 선생님, 교수, 박사, 선배.

The scene below shows an office floor with ten of the 30 words, from the newest staff member to the chairman's room. Play the clip on each item to hear the headword.

Word · 10

1. 1

   사원

   Play

   sawon

   staff member; employee

2. 2

   대리

   Play

   daeri

   assistant manager

3. 3

   과장

   Play

   gwajang

   section chief; manager

4. 4

   차장

   Play

   chajang

   deputy general manager

5. 5

   부장

   Play

   bujang

   department head; general manager

6. 6

   이사

   Play

   isa

   director (board level)

7. 7

   사장

   Play

   sajang

   president; company head; boss

8. 8

   회장

   Play

   hoejang

   chairman

9. 9

   님

   Play

   nim

   honorific suffix (Mr., Ms.)

10. 10

    선배

    Play

    seonbae

    senior (at school or work)

Entry to Mid-Level (사원, 대리, 과장)

Most careers begin here. An 인턴 works for a short time and a 신입사원 is someone newly hired. Then comes 사원, the base rank, and in some firms 주임. The first step with real responsibility is 대리, and a 과장 leads a section. The three words 사원, 대리 and 과장 are the ones most often heard, and many people in a company hold one of them.

The English glosses are approximate. 대리 is usually translated as "assistant manager", but it has no exact counterpart, and 과장, "section chief", is often translated as "manager". When a Korean person introduces themselves in English they choose the closest word, so you may see the same rank translated in more than one way. In Korean, the rank comes after the family name, as in 김 대리 or 박 과장, and never before it. The verb 이끌다 (to lead) in the sentence about the 과장 gives 이끌어요. The word 신입 also appears in 신입생 (new student).

How Do You Say Senior Management (차장, 부장, 이사) in Korean?

Above the section chief come the senior managers. A 차장 is the deputy of the department head, and a 부장 leads the department. The next step, 이사, is a director at board level, and from here the person is usually counted as an executive. The group also contains three titles for the head of a unit: 팀장, 실장 and 본부장. They name positions, not ranks, and they can be held by people of different ranks.

Two traps hide in this group. First, 차장 is also the word for a train conductor and 이사 is also the word for moving house, so the same sound can name a person, an event or a title. Context settles it: 이사를 가요 is moving house, and 이사가 발표해요 is a director speaking. Second, the difference between a rank and a position. A person can be a 과장 by rank and a 팀장 by position, and the team leader may be younger or older than the members. In speech, people use the position if the person has one, as in 팀장님, and the rank if not. The sound of 실장 is [실짱], where the ㄹ of 실 makes the ㅈ tense.

Executives (상무, 전무, 사장, 회장)

The executive ranks are the top of the ladder, and they are the ones you see in the news. In many large companies, 상무 and 전무 sit above the 이사, and a 부사장 supports the 사장, the president. At the very top is the 회장, the chairman. 대표 is the title of the person who represents the company legally, and it is the word you use when you mean the CEO.

The word 사장 is the most flexible title in this list. In a company it is the president, but in daily life it means the boss or the owner of a business, and customers call the owner of a small shop 사장님. The word 회장 is just as flexible, because it also means the head of a club, an association or a residents' committee. The formal title of a company head is 대표이사, which joins the representative (대표) and the director (이사), and it appears in contracts and on business cards. The news uses these titles with the company name, so you will read 회장 and 사장 in articles about business. Which titles a given company uses is shown on its own site, not in a dictionary.

How Do You Say Titles with -님 in Korean?

In a Korean company you rarely call a colleague by name alone. You call them by rank plus 님, the respectful suffix: 김 과장님 or 박 부장님. When you talk to a person, you say the title with 님. When you talk about a person to someone senior, you also use it. The suffix 님 turns a plain rank into a polite form of address, and the pairs below are the ones you will hear most.

A few rules keep this natural. Use 님 for other people and never for yourself, so you say 저는 과장입니다, not 저는 과장님입니다. Place the family name first when you want to be specific: 김 과장님. Do not use 당신 (you) with a superior; use the title. The honorific verb ending -(으)세요 pairs with 님 titles, as in 부장님은 지금 회의 중이세요 and 대표님이 오셨어요, where 오시다 becomes 오셨어요 in the past. The honorific suffix also attaches to other roles, such as 선생님 (teacher) and 사모님 (a senior's wife or a shop owner's wife). The sunbae and hoobae page explains the wider system of seniority behind these forms.

Titles in Other Settings

Titles work the same way outside the office. Teachers are 선생님, professors are 교수, a principal is 교장 and the head of a hospital or an academy is 원장. A person with a doctorate is a 박사. All of these take 님 when you speak to them. The last word, 선배, is not a title but a relationship: someone who joined the school or company before you.

The word 선생님 is broader than the English "teacher". It is also used for respected professionals such as doctors and lawyers, and it is a safe polite way to address someone whose job you do not know. A 교수 is addressed as 교수님, and 교장 is almost always said with 선생님 as 교장 선생님. The word 박사 is used for a person with a doctorate, and also for an expert in a field, as in 만물박사 (a person who knows a bit of everything). The word 선배 has the opposite 후배, a junior, and both are used at school and at work. The same titles appear in school life, which the School and Work hub also covers.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Most rank words are two or three Sino-Korean syllables with no sound change, which makes them easy to say. A few have tense sounds. In Sino-Korean words, a final ㄹ makes only a following ㄷ, ㅅ or ㅈ tense, so 실장 is [실짱], while 일반 (general) stays plain as [일반]. Standard pronunciation follows the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) rules. Revised Romanization does not show tensing caused by a neighbouring sound.

Audio and Slow Playback

Each word and example has its own clip, and five more replay the hardest words slowly. Play 신입사원 first and listen for the tense 싸, then say 본부장 slowly in three even beats.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Company Ranks?

Five slips are common when learners use Korean titles.

1. Calling someone by name alone. At work, say rank plus 님, as in 김 과장님. A first name alone sounds too familiar to a senior.
2. Adding 님 to your own title. You are a 과장, not a 과장님. The suffix is for other people.
3. Treating 팀장 as a rank. 팀장 is a position. A person can be a 과장 by rank and a 팀장 by position.
4. Mixing up 차장 and 부장. 부장 is senior to 차장. A deputy (차장) works under a department head (부장).
5. Using 당신 for "you". Do not use it with a superior. Use the title, or the title with 님.

When in doubt, use the title the person uses for themselves on a business card or in an email, and add 님. Ranks and their English translations differ between companies, so use this page as a guide to the common pattern and not as a rule for a specific firm.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the deck in recognition mode until the 30 words feel familiar. Second, switch to listening mode and play the clip before you flip each card. Third, take the five-question quiz. Your deck progress stays in your browser, and 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. Meanwhile, copy the rank ladder from this page by hand, from 사원 to 회장, and say each rank with 님 aloud.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Korean Job Interview Vocabulary for the words used to get a job, or with Korean Email and Letters Vocabulary for writing to a superior. To move up a level, return to Office and Business.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Staff Member in Korean?

Staff member is 사원 (sawon), the base rank in many Korean companies. A new employee is a 신입사원, and an intern is an 인턴. The next ranks up are 대리, 과장 and 부장. To address a staff member politely, use the name plus 씨.

How Do You Pronounce 대리 (daeri)?

Say dae-ri in two beats. The dae starts with a soft d and the vowel ㅐ, close to the "e" in "bed". The ri is a quick tap of the tongue, between r and l. The standard pronunciation is [대리], with no sound change. Press the audio button to hear it.

How Many Company Ranks Should I Learn First?

Five: 사원, 대리, 과장, 부장 and 사장. They are the ranks you meet most. At five new words a day the full 30 take six days plus review. Learn 님 at the same time, because ranks are used with it.

Where Can I Practise Company Ranks with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks. The deck for this page holds all 30 words with Hangul, romanization and audio. Your progress stays in your browser. Try recognition mode on the ladder from 사원 to 회장 until you can say the order without looking.

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. It does not show tense sounds such as the ㅉ in [실짱], so rely on the Hangul and the audio.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Company Ranks?

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 by hand and write one example sentence for each of the five groups.

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