Korean Parts of the Day: 25 Words with Romanization and Audio

Korean Parts of the Day at a Glance

English has morning, afternoon, evening and night. Korean has more slots, and three of its words do double duty: 아침, 점심 and 저녁 each name both a part of the day and the meal eaten then. The extra slot is 새벽, the hours before sunrise, which English splits between "late night" and "early morning". The page is a child of Time Expressions and sits next to Korean Relative Time Words and Korean Frequency Adverbs.

The boundaries between the slots are loose. As an editorial guide only, 새벽 is roughly from midnight to first light, 아침 from first light to about nine, 점심 around noon, 오후 from noon to about six, 저녁 from late afternoon into the evening, and 밤 from about nine at night. People set their own limits.

Which Parts of the Day Should You Learn First?

Start with 아침, 점심, 저녁 and 밤, then add 오전 and 오후, because those two go in front of a clock time. Next learn 새벽, because Koreans use it for the pre-dawn hours where English would say "night". The rest are used by topic: work (출근, 퇴근), meals (아침밥, 저녁밥) and sleep (자정, 한밤중).

• Say first. 아침, 점심, 저녁, 밤, 오전, 오후.
• Say for work. 출근, 퇴근, 점심시간.
• Recognise. 야간, 심야, 정오, 자정. They appear in schedules and signs.

The scene below shows one day as a sun-to-moon arc with the main slots as numbered items.

Word · 10

1. 1

   새벽

   Play

   saebyeok

   dawn; the small hours

2. 2

   아침

   Play

   achim

   morning

3. 3

   오전

   Play

   ojeon

   a.m.; before noon

4. 4

   점심

   Play

   jeomsim

   lunch; midday

5. 5

   오후

   Play

   ohu

   afternoon; p.m.

6. 6

   저녁

   Play

   jeonyeok

   evening; dinner

7. 7

   노을

   Play

   noeul

   sunset glow

8. 8

   밤

   Play

   bam

   night

9. 9

   자정

   Play

   jajeong

   midnight

10. 10

    출근

    Play

    chulgeun

    going to work

Dawn to Morning

새벽 is the first slot. It begins in the dark and ends when the sky is light, and a Korean speaker will use it for a 4 a.m. start or a 5 a.m. run. 아침 follows: it is the morning proper and the breakfast meal. 아침밥 names the meal alone, and 밥 is the word for cooked rice or a meal. 오전 is the label that goes before a clock time, as in 오전 아홉 시. 출근 starts the working day.

Example Sentences

The frame is time slot + 에 + verb. 아침에 커피를 마셔요 says what you do in the morning, and 아침밥을 먹었어요 says you had the meal. The difference is the particle: 에 marks a time, 을/를 marks the thing eaten. Play the sentence, repeat it, then swap the slot.

How Do You Say Noon and Afternoon in Korean?

Midday has four neighbours. 정오 is the exact moment, 낮 is the bright part of the day, 점심 is the meal and the time around it, and 오후 is the afternoon after noon. 점심시간 is the break itself and is the word on office schedules. A useful point: 점심 can mean both lunch and noon, so 점심에 만나요 is "Let us meet at lunchtime".

Notice 낮, which sounds like [낟]. The final ㅈ is said as [ㄷ], so the word is short and closed.

Evening

The evening group links the sun and the clock. 저녁 is the evening and dinner, 저녁밥 is the meal alone, 노을 is the red sky that Koreans often photograph, and 퇴근 is leaving work. 퇴근 is also used for the commute home: 퇴근 시간 is rush hour in the evening, a phrase you will see on traffic reports.

저녁 can mean 6 p.m. dinner or 8 p.m. evening, depending on the speaker. If you want to be clear, add the clock time: 저녁 일곱 시에 만나요 means "Let us meet at seven in the evening". For the single word, see evening in korean.

How Do You Say Night and Midnight in Korean?

Six words cover the dark hours. 밤 is the plain night. 한밤중 is deep night. 자정 is exactly twelve. 야간 and 심야 are formal: 야간 appears in notices, as in 야간 근무 (night duty) or 야간 운전 (night driving), and 심야 appears for late-night services, such as 심야 버스 (late-night bus). 밤새 means through the whole night.

밤 versus 야간 is a register difference. In speech, you go out at 밤, but a sign says 야간. Use 밤 for your own life, and 야간 when reading rules, shifts and schedules. 밤 also means chestnut, so check the verb: 밤을 먹어요 usually means chestnuts. For the single word, see night in korean, and for the morning word, morning in korean.

Greetings by Time

Korean has no standard separate greetings for morning, afternoon and evening. 안녕하세요 is hello at any hour, and 좋은 아침 (good morning) is a casual, English-influenced phrase heard among friends and coworkers. The time of day appears mainly in the farewells: 좋은 하루 보내세요 is said when you part during the day, 잘 자요 is for friends going to bed, and 안녕히 주무세요 is for elders and for respect. The honorific verb 주무시다 is the respectful form of 자다 (to sleep); this is a good example of vocabulary tied to politeness. For more greetings, see greetings.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Many of the words end in a consonant that changes before the next sound. Standard pronunciation follows the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) rules, and the romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean.

The pair to practise is 아침 and 점심. The two endings, 침 and 심, are close in sound; check the first consonant ㅊ against ㅅ.

Audio and Slow Playback

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

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Parts of the Day?

Five mistakes come up often.

1. Confusing the meal with the time. 아침을 먹어요 is "I eat breakfast", and 아침에 먹어요 is "I eat in the morning".
2. Using 밤 for 6 p.m. English "evening" is 저녁; 밤 is for the dark hours.
3. Missing 새벽. Saying 밤 three o'clock for 3 a.m. is understood, but 새벽 세 시 is the natural form.
4. Putting the clock time before 오전. The label comes first: 오전 아홉 시, not 아홉 시 오전.
5. Using 야간 in casual speech. Say 밤 for your own night plans.

Mistake 3 is the one that most shows an English habit, since English splits the hours differently.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Run the deck in recognition mode until the slots come in order, then switch to listening mode and take the quiz. The deck holds all 25 words 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 a half circle, divide it into five slots and write the Hangul name of each, then add one verb you do in it.

Where to Go Next

Continue with Korean Relative Time Words to move between days and weeks, or Korean Frequency Adverbs to say how often you do something. To go up, return to Time Expressions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Morning, Afternoon, Evening and Night in Korean?

Morning is 아침 (achim), afternoon is 오후 (ohu), evening is 저녁 (jeonyeok) and night is 밤 (bam). Midday is 점심 (jeomsim) and the hours before sunrise are 새벽 (saebyeok). Add 에 to say in that part of the day, as in 저녁에.

What Is 새벽 in Korean?

새벽 means dawn or the small hours: the dark hours before sunrise. Koreans use it where English says "early morning" or "late night", as in 새벽 세 시, three in the morning. It is a separate slot between 밤 and 아침.

Why Do 아침, 점심 and 저녁 Also Mean Meals?

Korean names each meal after the time it is eaten. 아침 is morning and breakfast, 점심 is midday and lunch, and 저녁 is evening and dinner. To mean only the meal, add 밥: 아침밥, 저녁밥. The particle shows which: 아침을 먹어요 is breakfast and 아침에 먹어요 is in the morning.

What Is the Difference between 밤 and 야간?

밤 is the ordinary word for night, used in speech and daily life. 야간 is the formal word, used in notices and schedules, as in 야간 근무 (night duty). Use 밤 for your own plans and 야간 when you read rules or timetables.

Is There a Korean Good Morning?

안녕하세요 works at any time of day and is the usual greeting. 좋은 아침 (good morning) exists, but it is a casual phrase influenced by English. Time-specific wishes appear at parting: 좋은 하루 보내세요 for a good day, and 안녕히 주무세요 or 잘 자요 at bedtime.

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.

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