Key Facts
- Hangul: 에어컨; Revised Romanization: eeokeon
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: loanword
- Register: Neutral; shortened from the English 'air conditioner' and used for both home units and cooling in general.
Air Conditioner in Korean: What Does 에어컨 Mean?
에어컨 is a loanword shortened from the English "air conditioner". The register is neutral. It names the home unit and also the idea of cooling in general. Korean kept "air" and only the first part of "conditioner", which is why it is a short three-syllable form.
How Do You Pronounce It?
Three syllables: e-eo-keon. The first two are vowels with no consonant between them (e, then eo), so keep them as two separate beats and finish with keon.
Example Sentences with 에어컨
에어컨을 켜 주세요.
eeokeoneul kyeo juseyo.
Please turn on the air conditioner.
A request. 켜 is from 켜다 (to switch on), and 주세요 asks for it as a favour.
방에 에어컨이 있어요.
bange eeokeoni isseoyo.
There is an air conditioner in the room.
A statement of what a room contains. 방에 is "in the room" and 에어컨이 is the subject.
에어컨 때문에 추워요.
eeokeon ttaemune chuwoyo.
I am cold because of the air conditioner.
때문에 means "because of". The sentence blames the air conditioner for the chill, which is a very common summer complaint.
Common Phrases and Collocations
Verbs do the work: 에어컨을 켜다 is on, 에어컨을 끄다 is off. 에어컨 바람 is the cool breeze itself, and 에어컨 리모컨 is the remote.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 에어컨을 켜다 | to turn on the air conditioner |
| 에어컨을 끄다 | to turn off the air conditioner |
| 에어컨 바람 | air conditioner breeze |
| 에어컨 리모컨 | air conditioner remote |
The Mistake to Avoid
Mistake: writing 에어콘, following the English letter o in "con". Correct: 에어컨, ending in 컨. Korean loanword spelling follows the English sound, and the unstressed "con" is closer to 컨.
에어컨 Compared with 선풍기 and 난방
Two related words often come up with it. 선풍기 moves air without cooling it, and 난방 is the opposite function, warming a room.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 에어컨 | air conditioner | This page's word |
| 선풍기 | electric fan | A fan that moves air without cooling it. |
| 난방 | heating | The opposite function: warming a room. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
에어컨 is a loanword from English, so you can often guess it from sound alone. It carries no hanja.
At a Café: the Air Is Too Cold
A customer is sitting near the air conditioner. The staff member offers to turn it off, but the customer asks for a smaller adjustment.
Customer
에어컨 바람이 너무 차가워요.
Eeokeon barami neomu chagawoyo.
The air from the air conditioner is too cold.
Staff
에어컨을 꺼 드릴까요?
Eeokeoneul kkeo deurilkkayo?
Shall I turn off the air conditioner for you?
Customer
온도만 조금 올려 주세요.
Ondoman jogeum ollyeo juseyo.
Please just raise the temperature a little.
Staff
네, 알겠습니다.
Ne, algesseumnida.
Certainly.
온도만 means “only the temperature”. The customer wants the setting raised while the machine stays on. 올려 주세요 is a polite request to raise something; here the surrounding sentence makes clear that it means the temperature, not the fan speed.
How Do You Ask for a Warmer or Cooler Room?
에어컨을 켜다 and 에어컨을 끄다 describe switching the machine on and off. 에어컨을 틀다 is another common way to say “run the air conditioner”. The verb 틀다 also appears with devices that produce sound or moving air, so its meaning here comes from the appliance.
온도를 올리다 means “raise the temperature”. For a cooler setting, use 온도를 내리다, “lower the temperature”. Naming 온도 removes the guesswork from a request. A bare request to “raise it” could mean a stronger fan setting to one listener and a higher temperature to another.
에어컨 바람 literally means “air conditioner wind”. In a room, it is the air coming from the unit. A complaint about 에어컨 바람 may concern the direct airflow on your seat, even when other people find the room comfortable.
Where Will You See the Vocabulary?
A remote may label cooling mode 냉방 and dehumidifying mode 제습. Cooling targets room temperature; dehumidifying targets moisture in the air. 송풍 means fan mode, where the unit circulates air. These labels describe operating modes rather than separate appliances.
온도 marks the temperature control, while 풍량 marks airflow strength. If the room is comfortable but the breeze is too strong, the airflow setting is the relevant one. A higher number on a temperature display usually means a warmer target, so it is worth identifying which control you are changing.
On an accommodation listing, 에어컨 tells you that air conditioning is available. It does not explain whether each room has its own remote or shares a central system. At reception, naming the room and the problem helps staff understand what needs attention.
What If the Air Conditioner Stops Working?
에어컨이 고장 났어요 means “The air conditioner has broken down”. 고장 describes a mechanical fault. Use it when the machine is not working, rather than simply when you feel too warm. A working unit can still have an uncomfortable temperature setting.
에어컨 청소 means cleaning the air conditioner, and 에어컨 필터 is its filter. These are useful terms in household instructions and maintenance messages. The noun 에어컨 remains unchanged before another noun, just as it does in 에어컨 리모컨.
Related Words around the Remote
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 리모컨 | remote control | Use the surrounding context to identify the appliance. |
| 온도 | temperature | The setting to raise for a warmer room. |
| 냉방 | cooling | A mode label, contrasted with heating. |
| 풍량 | airflow strength | Controls how strongly air blows. |
For the rest of a room's appliances and furnishings, see home and furniture vocabulary.
Quick Self-Test
- Which verb switches the air conditioner off: 켜다 or 끄다?
- To make the temperature setting warmer, should you 올리다 or 내리다?
- Does 에어컨 바람 mean an outdoor weather forecast?
Show answers
- 끄다.
- 올리다: raise the temperature.
- No. It means the air blowing from the air conditioner.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "air conditioner" in Korean?
Say 에어컨 (eeokeon), a loanword shortened from English.
How do you spell 에어컨 correctly?
The word ends in 컨. The spelling 에어콘 is a common mistake.
How do you say "turn on the air conditioner"?
에어컨을 켜 주세요 asks politely, and 에어컨을 켜다 is the dictionary form.
What is 선풍기?
선풍기 is an electric fan, which moves air but does not cool it.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Home and furniture words groups 에어컨 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 에어컨 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next in the list is the word for bed. See the page for bed.