Key Facts
- Hangul: 앨범; Revised Romanization: aelbeom
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: loanword
- Register: Neutral loanword; means a music album or a photo album.
Album in Korean: What Does 앨범 Mean?
앨범 is a loanword with a single English gloss, "album". The register is neutral, and it names a music album or a photo album. Context separates them: a new 앨범 that came out is music, and a 사진 앨범 is a photo book.
How Do You Pronounce It?
Two syllables, ael-beom. The first vowel is ㅐ, like the e in "bed", the second vowel is ㅓ, an open "uh", and the word ends in m.
Example Sentences with 앨범
새 앨범이 나왔어요.
sae aelbeomi nawasseoyo.
A new album came out.
나왔어요 means "came out", so this sentence is about a release, the kind fans announce.
저는 앨범을 샀어요.
jeoneun aelbeomeul sasseoyo.
I bought an album.
샀어요 is past tense of buy. The speaker bought an album, with no clue yet whether it is music or photos.
사진 앨범을 보고 있어요.
sajin aelbeomeul bogo isseoyo.
I am looking at a photo album.
사진 clarifies that this is a photo album, and 보고 있어요 is the "-ing" form of looking.
Common Phrases and Collocations
앨범을 내다 is "to release an album", 정규 앨범 is a full-length album, and 사진 앨범 is a photo album.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 앨범을 내다 | release an album |
| 정규 앨범 | full-length album |
| 사진 앨범 | photo album |
The Mistake to Avoid
The vowel is the stumbling block, because English "album" starts with a sound Korean can spell in several ways.
Wrong: 얼범 or 알범
Correct: 앨범, with ㅐ (ae) in the first syllable
앨범 Compared with 노래 and 음반
Two nearby words are useful. 노래 is a single song, and 음반 is the formal word for a record or album.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 앨범 | album | This page's word |
| 노래 | song | song |
| 음반 | record | record / album (formal) |
Where Does the Word Come From?
앨범 is a loanword from English, so it has no hanja.
At a Music Shop: One Copy, Please
A customer is looking for a singer’s new release. The clerk checks which type of album they mean.
Customer
이 가수의 새 앨범 있어요?
I gasuui sae aelbeom isseoyo?
Do you have this singer’s new album?
Clerk
네, 정규 앨범 말씀이세요?
Ne, jeonggyu aelbeom malsseumiseyo?
Yes. Do you mean the full-length album?
Customer
네, 한 장 주세요.
Ne, han jang juseyo.
Yes, one copy, please.
Clerk
여기 있어요.
Yeogi isseoyo.
Here you are.
한 장 counts one physical copy of the album here. The shop setting makes this a purchase of a music album. In another situation, 장 could count a sheet or a photograph, so the counter alone does not identify what someone is buying.
The clerk's 말씀이세요 is respectful wording for checking what the customer means. The word 앨범 itself stays neutral. A polite shop exchange does not need a special honorific noun for the product.
How Do Fans Describe an Album Release?
앨범을 내다 means “release an album”. 내다 literally has the idea of putting something out; in music, the phrase concerns publication or release. It does not mean carrying the album outside a room.
앨범이 나오다 describes the same event from the album's side: “an album comes out”. Notice the marker change. With 내다, the artist releases the album and 앨범 takes 을. With 나오다, the album is the thing that comes out and takes 이.
정규 앨범 means a full-length album. 미니 앨범 is a mini album or EP, and 데뷔 앨범 is a debut album. These labels describe the release's type or place in an artist's career; “new album” alone does not tell you any of those details.
Where Will You See 앨범?
On a music app, 앨범 often labels a page grouping tracks under one release. 곡 is useful when talking about an individual track, while 앨범 refers to the collection. A favorite song and a favorite album can therefore be different answers.
In a K-pop announcement, 새 앨범 points to a new release. You may see 발매, “release”, alongside a date. 앨범 발매 describes putting the album on sale or making it available, rather than the artist performing every song on stage.
In a family conversation, 사진 앨범 is a collection of photographs. 졸업 앨범 is a graduation album or yearbook. The word before 앨범 provides the clue, so look at that part before assuming the conversation is about music.
A Photo Collection or a Music Collection?
앨범을 듣다 means “listen to an album”. Even without 음악, “music”, the verb 듣다 makes the musical meaning clear. 사진 앨범을 보다 means “look at a photo album”. 보다 points to viewing, which fits the photographs.
앨범을 사다, “buy an album”, leaves the type open. You could be buying a music release, a blank photo album or another kind of album. A shop category, a picture or the previous sentence may supply the missing information.
Keep that distinction when translating. If English readers could misunderstand the scene, “photo album” is a more helpful translation than a bare “album”. Korean can leave the type unstated when the speakers already share that context.
Related Words around a Release
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 곡 | song / track | Also counts songs when used after a number. |
| 수록곡 | track included on a release | Identifies a song belonging to the album. |
| 가수 | singer | Names the performer rather than the release. |
| 발매 | release | Common in music announcements and shop listings. |
The K-pop vocabulary lesson places these terms alongside other fan vocabulary. The word for song is useful when you want to discuss one piece rather than the whole release.
Quick Self-Test
- In 앨범이 나왔어요, is the album coming out or is someone buying it?
- What does 사진 add to 사진 앨범?
- Which describes a debut release: 데뷔 앨범 or 졸업 앨범?
Show answers
- The album is coming out or has been released.
- It identifies a photo album.
- 데뷔 앨범. 졸업 앨범 is a graduation album or yearbook.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "album" in Korean?
Say 앨범 (aelbeom).
Does 앨범 mean photo album too?
Yes. 사진 앨범 is a photo album.
How do you say "release an album"?
앨범을 내다.
What is 음반?
음반 is the formal word for a record or album.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: K-pop words groups 앨범 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 앨범 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next in the K-pop list is the word for favorite member. See the page for bias.
- Compare with the page for song.