Key Facts
- Hangul: 계좌; Revised Romanization: gyejwa
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Register: Neutral; the standard word for a bank account.
Account in Korean: What Does 계좌 Mean?
계좌 is the standard, neutral word for an account held at a bank. The bank itself is 은행, and the account it holds for you is the 계좌. You open one (계좌를 만들다), give out its number (계좌 번호), move money between accounts (계좌 이체) and put money in (계좌에 입금하다). Its second sense, plain 'account', still means a money account, for example at a securities firm. A login account for a website or app is a different word, 계정.
How Do You Pronounce 계좌?
Two syllables: gye-jwa. The first has a y-glide before the vowel, 'gye', although in everyday speech the glide is often dropped and 계 sounds like 'ge', which the standard pronunciation rules allow. The second has a w-glide, 'jwa', and the j is a soft, unaspirated sound. There are no other sound changes to learn.
Example Sentences with 계좌
은행 계좌가 있어요?
eunhaeng gyejwaga isseoyo?
Do you have a bank account?
은행 계좌가 있어요? is a yes-or-no question. 은행 (bank) comes first as a modifier, and 계좌가 is the subject of 있어요.
계좌 번호를 알려 주세요.
gyejwa beonhoreul allyeo juseyo.
Please tell me the account number.
계좌 번호를 알려 주세요 is what you hear when someone needs to send you money. 번호 is 'number', and 알려 주세요 is a polite request to tell.
새 계좌를 만들고 싶어요.
sae gyejwareul mandeulgo sipeoyo.
I want to open a new account.
새 계좌를 만들고 싶어요 uses 새 (new) before 계좌, and 만들고 싶어요 is 'I want to make'. It is the sentence for the counter.
Common Phrases and Collocations
Four fixed phrases carry most of the daily use of 계좌, from opening an account to sending money into it.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 계좌를 만들다 | to open an account |
| 계좌 번호 | account number |
| 계좌 이체 | account transfer |
| 계좌에 입금하다 | to deposit into an account |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ Treating 계좌 (account) and 통장 (bankbook) as exactly the same word
Correct: ✓ 계좌 is the account itself; 통장 is the passbook.
Why: In casual speech people use the two words almost interchangeably, and that is understood. When you need precision, such as asking about an account number, use 계좌. 통장 is the passbook that records the account.
계좌 Compared with 통장, 은행 and 계정
Four words surround an account, and each names a different thing: the bank account, the book that records it, the place that keeps it and a login account online.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 계좌 | account | The account itself. |
| 통장 | bankbook | The passbook, often used loosely for the account itself. |
| 은행 | bank | The institution holding the 계좌, not the account. |
| 계정 | (online) account | A login account for a website or app, not a bank account. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
계좌 is a Sino-Korean word, built on Chinese-derived roots. A hanja spelling is sometimes cited, but it is uncertain, so this page does not show one.
Splitting the Cost of Lunch
Jisu
점심값을 보내고 싶어요. 계좌 번호를 알려 주세요.
Jeomsimkkapseul bonaego sipeoyo. Gyejwa beonhoreul allyeo juseyo.
I’d like to send you my share of lunch. Please tell me your account number.
Alex
네. 문자로 보낼게요.
Ne. Munjaro bonaelgeyo.
Sure. I’ll send it by text.
Jisu
어느 은행 계좌예요?
Eoneu eunhaeng gyejwayeyo?
Which bank is the account with?
Alex
제 계좌는 이 은행에 있어요.
Je gyejwaneun i eunhaenge isseoyo.
My account is with this bank.
Jisu needs the account number to pay Alex back. 어느 은행 asks which bank, while 계좌 번호 asks for the number of the account. The two pieces of information refer to different things. 문자로 means “by text message”, so Alex explains how the number will be shared.
Reading a Bank-Transfer Screen
계좌 이체 literally means “account transfer”. In everyday payment language it means transferring money between bank accounts. You may meet the phrase as a payment method when paying someone directly. It describes the movement of money rather than opening a new account.
계좌 번호 is the account number. 예금주 is the account holder, the person or organization whose name is attached to the account. On a transfer screen these labels help you distinguish the destination number from the recipient's name. Reading one label does not supply the information requested by the other.
계좌 개설 is the formal noun phrase for opening an account. 개설 means establishing or opening something, so banks use this wording for the process. The existing sentence 새 계좌를 만들고 싶어요 expresses the same goal in everyday learner-friendly speech. 계좌 해지 refers to closing an account; it is a different action from removing an app from your phone.
Particles That Change the Job of 계좌
Compare 계좌를 만들다 and 계좌에 입금하다. With 를, the account is the thing you create. With 에, the account is the destination receiving the money. In 계좌가 있어요, 가 marks what exists: you have an account. These small markers help you follow a conversation even when the verb is unfamiliar.
계좌로 can identify an account as the destination or route for sending money. In context, a request to send money to an account concerns payment rather than creating the account itself. The noun stays 계좌; its ending tells you how it fits into the action.
Where Will You Hear 계좌?
Bank counters, banking apps, payment instructions and messages about shared expenses use 계좌. The word itself is neutral. Politeness comes from the surrounding request: 계좌 번호를 알려 주세요 is suitable when asking politely, including with someone you do not know well.
A website's sign-up page usually needs 계정, the online account. A bank app may mention both words: an online login and the financial accounts accessible through it are separate concepts. Choose by what the account holds or does, rather than translating every English “account” the same way.
Money Words to Recognize Next
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 입금 | deposit / incoming payment | Money enters an account. |
| 출금 | withdrawal | Money comes out of an account. |
| 이체 | transfer | Money moves from one account to another. |
| 잔액 | balance | The amount remaining in the account. |
The money vocabulary lesson teaches these alongside cash, prices and banking words.
Quick Self-Test
- Which word means an online login account?
- Does 계좌 개설 mean opening or closing an account?
- In 계좌에 입금하다, what does 에 identify?
Show answers
- 계정.
- Opening an account.
- The destination of the deposit.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say 'bank account' in Korean?
Say 계좌 (gyejwa). The full phrase is 은행 계좌.
How do you ask for someone's account number?
Say 계좌 번호를 알려 주세요, which means 'please tell me the account number'.
Is 계좌 the same as 통장?
They overlap in speech. 계좌 is the account and 통장 is the passbook.
How do I say that I want to open an account?
Say 새 계좌를 만들고 싶어요.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: daily life money vocabulary puts 계좌 next to other money words.
- Next word: 통장, the passbook.
- Compare with 은행, the bank that holds an account.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 계좌 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.