Korean Finance and Stocks Vocabulary: Words and Examples

Korean Finance and Stocks Vocabulary at a Glance

Korean finance and stocks vocabulary is the set of words you meet in business news, at the bank and on a pay slip. It sits in Korean Society Vocabulary, next to the lists for law, politics and news. The words are mostly Sino-Korean (built from syllables of Chinese origin), which is why a headline can look like a row of two-syllable blocks.

Of the 35 words, 31 are Sino-Korean and 4 are loanwords from English. The loanwords are 코스피, 코스닥, 펀드 and 인플레이션. The origin column marks each word.

This page teaches words to read and say. It does not tell you what to buy, and no sentence on it is advice. You need to read Hangul to use the tables. If you cannot yet, start with reading Hangul.

Which Finance and Stock Words Should You Learn First?

Learn the bank and tax words first if you live in Korea, and the stock words first if you read business news. The bank words appear on forms and in apps, and the stock words appear in every business report.

1. If you live in Korea. 예금, 적금, 이자, 대출, 보험, 세금 and 연말정산.
2. If you read business news. 주가, 금리, 환율, 물가, 경기 and 불황.
3. If you follow the stock market. 주식, 코스피, 코스닥, 투자자, 배당 and 수익률.
4. If you prepare for a job in finance. 증권, 상장, 펀드, 원금, 손실 and 인플레이션.

The scene below numbers ten of the objects at the counter, so that you can tie each word to something you can point at.

Word · 10

1. 1

   주식

   Play

   jusik

   stock; shares

2. 2

   예금

   Play

   yegeum

   deposit

3. 3

   적금

   Play

   jeokgeum

   instalment savings

4. 4

   이자

   Play

   ija

   interest (on money)

5. 5

   대출

   Play

   daechul

   loan

6. 6

   보험

   Play

   boheom

   insurance

7. 7

   연금

   Play

   yeongeum

   pension

8. 8

   세금

   Play

   segeum

   tax

9. 9

   금리

   Play

   geumni

   interest rate

10. 10

    환율

    Play

    hwanyul

    exchange rate

Tap a number to hear the word. At 5 words a day the 35 words take about a week with review. For everyday bank words such as account and card, see the bank vocabulary page.

Markets and Stocks

A stock market is where shares are bought and sold. 주식 is the share, 주가 is its price, 증권 is the wider word for shares and bonds, and 증시 is the market as it appears in news. In Korea there are two main markets, the 코스피, which lists mostly large and established companies, and the 코스닥, which lists smaller growth companies. Both names are written in Hangul from English-language abbreviations (KOSPI and KOSDAQ). 상장 is the step when a company's shares start to trade.

주가 is built from 주 (share) and 가 (price), and this pattern repeats: 물가 (prices in general) and 환율 (exchange rate) are in the economic news group. 증시 is the shortened form of 증권 시장, and news writers prefer the short form in headlines. You will see both 코스피 and 코스닥 on the evening news, usually followed by whether the index rose or fell.

Example Sentences

Each example is a short polite sentence. Many follow the pattern noun + 이/가 + verb, where 이/가 is the subject particle. Say a sentence aloud, then swap the noun. In 오늘 주가가 올랐어요 you can replace 주가 with 환율 and say 오늘 환율이 올랐어요 (the exchange rate rose today). The particles are explained in the Korean particles guide.

How Do You Say Investing in Korean?

Investing words describe putting money in and getting something back. 투자 is the investment, 투자자 is the person who invests, and 펀드 is a pool of money managed together. What you get back is 배당 (dividend) or 수익률 (rate of return), and what you can lose is 손실 or even 원금 (the principal, your original amount).

수익률 is 수익 (gain) plus 률 (rate). The ending 률 or 율 means rate, and it appears in 성장률 (growth rate) and 환율 (exchange rate). The spelling rule is that 률 follows a final consonant other than ㄴ, as in 수익률, and 율 follows a vowel or ㄴ, as in 환율. 손실 is the opposite of 수익. These words describe ideas, and they are not advice.

Banks and Insurance

At a bank you put money in with 예금 (a deposit) or 적금 (monthly instalment savings) and you earn 이자 (interest). You borrow with a 대출 (loan). Insurance is 보험, the monthly fee is 보험료, and a pension is 연금. The words are short and the same ones are on bank forms and in banking apps.

예금 and 적금 differ. With 예금 you place a sum of money and leave it. With 적금 you pay a fixed amount each month for a set period, and in daily speech 저금 (saving) also covers both. 이자 means interest on money. The word is short, so context matters: at a bank it can only mean interest. For prices, notes and coins, see Korean won.

How Do You Say Taxes in Korean?

Tax words follow the money. 세금 is tax in general. 소득세 is the tax on income, and 부가가치세 is the tax added to the price of goods, which people shorten to 부가세. You pay at the 세무서 (tax office), and the act of paying is 납부. 공제 is a deduction. 연말정산 is a Korean practice. Employees add up the year's tax at the end of the year and settle the difference, usually early in the new year.

연말정산 is made of 연말 (year end) and 정산 (settlement of accounts). It has no short English match, so the translation is a phrase. For the verb of paying tax, Korean says 세금을 내다 (to put out tax) and the formal 세금을 납부하다. Official details of Korean tax rules are published by the National Tax Service, and you should check them there, because rules change.

Economic News

News about the economy is about a few measures: how high the interest rate is (금리), how the exchange rate has moved (환율), how much prices have risen (물가 and 인플레이션), and how the economy is doing (경기, 불황 and 성장률). These seven words are the base of any business report.

경기 has two meanings. In 경기가 좋다 it means the economy is good, and in 축구 경기 it means a football match. The word 불황 is the opposite of 호황 (boom). News headlines use a short style with no verb endings, so you need a few extra words to read them. The table shows five common headline words. They are not part of the 35 words but you will see them next to these words.

Here are four example headlines written for this page, in the style of a news headline. They drop particles and endings, which is normal in headlines.

For more news words, see the news and media vocabulary page.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Most words in this list are said as they are spelled. The table shows eight that learners often get wrong.

The rules come from the Standard Pronunciation rules (표준 발음법) of the 국립국어원. Revised Romanization does not write tensing caused by a neighbouring sound, so it writes 주가 as juga and 적금 as jeokgeum even though they are said [주까] and [적끔]. It does write the changes in 수익률 (suingnyul), 금리 (geumni) and 보험료 (boheomnyo).

Audio and Slow Playback

Each word has a normal clip, and five harder words also have a slow clip at 0.8 times the speed: 주가, 수익률, 환율, 보험료 and 연말정산. Nothing plays until you press a button.

Listen to 수익률 first. You should hear a nasal ng and then n, so the word sounds close to su-ing-nyul. Then listen to 환율, where the second syllable begins with a vowel sound and the ㄴ of 환 links to it.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Finance and Stock Words?

• Mixing 주식 and 주가. 주식 is the share you own, and 주가 is its price. Say 주식을 사요 (I buy shares) and 주가가 올랐어요 (the price rose).
• Writing 환률 or 수익율. The spelling rule is 환율 (after ㄴ) and 수익률 (after a consonant other than ㄴ).
• Saying 세금을 줘요 for "I pay tax". The usual verb is 내다: 세금을 내요.
• Reading 보험료 as boheom-ryo. The ㄹ becomes ㄴ, so it is [보험뇨].
• Treating 예금 and 적금 as the same. 예금 is a lump sum, and 적금 is a monthly instalment.
• Reading 경기 only as "match". In business news it means the economy.

The 률 and 율 rule is the one that appears on most test papers, because a wrong spelling is easy to spot. The next sections turn 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 press the clip before the card turns. Third, take the quiz below. The deck stores your progress only in your browser. The vocabulary flashcard decks page lists the other decks, and the vocabulary worksheets page lists printable sheets. 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.

The deck holds the same 35 cards as the tables above: Hangul, Revised Romanization and meaning.

Try this eight-question check.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with the news and media vocabulary page to read more headlines, or return to Korean Society Vocabulary for the other lists. For everyday money words, open the bank vocabulary page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Stock in Korean?

Stock, in the sense of a share in a company, is 주식 (jusik). Many people use it for the whole idea of buying shares, as in 주식을 사요 (I buy shares). The price of a share is 주가 (juga), and the market is 증시 or 주식 시장. The words are for reading and talking, not advice.

How Do You Pronounce 주가 (juga)?

주가 is spelled ju-ga, but it is said [주까], with a tense k sound in the second syllable. Tighten your throat on the second sound and give it a short, hard start, without a puff of air. The Revised Romanization still writes juga, so use the audio for the real sound.

How Many Finance and Stock Words Should I Learn First?

Learn about 12 first. Take 6 for daily life (예금, 적금, 이자, 대출, 보험, 세금) and 6 for news (주가, 금리, 환율, 물가, 경기, 불황). Add 연말정산 if you work in Korea. Then finish the rest of the 35 words over the next week.

Where Can I Practise Finance and Stock Words with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks, which list every deck with audio. This page also carries a deck with all 35 words in recognition mode. Your progress stays in your browser, so it is not shared with other devices.

Is the Romanization on This Page Official?

It follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which South Korea officially adopted on 7 July 2000 and whose rules the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) publishes. It is a learning aid that does not show tensing caused by a neighbouring sound, so learn the Hangul and use the audio.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Finance and Stock 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, write the Hangul from memory, cover the English column and check your answers against the tables.

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