Key Facts
- Word: 자전거 (jajeongeo)
- Part of speech: noun; origin: Sino-Korean
- Meaning: bicycle, bike
- Register: Neutral, everyday word used in both spoken and written Korean.
- Hanja: 自轉車 (自 self + 轉 turn + 車 vehicle)
Bicycle in Korean: Meaning and Register
자전거 is a bicycle or bike. It is a Sino-Korean word with a neutral register, used in both speech and writing. The verb that pairs with it is 타다, to ride, which also works for buses, trains and horses.
Word Origin
The hanja 自轉車 combines 自 (self), 轉 (turn) and 車 (vehicle): a vehicle whose wheels you turn yourself.
Pronunciation
RR jajeongeo, three syllables: ja-jeon-geo. The ㅈ and ㄱ between sounds are voiced, close to English j and g. With the object particle it becomes jajeongeoreul, and with 로 it becomes jajeongeoro.
Example Sentences
자전거를 타요.
Jajeongeoreul tayo.
I ride a bicycle.
자전거를 타요 is the core phrase: bicycle, object particle, ride.
저는 주말에 공원에서 자전거를 타요.
Jeoneun jumare gongwoneseo jajeongeoreul tayo.
I ride a bicycle in the park on weekends.
공원에서 marks the park as the place of the action, and 주말에 is on weekends. Together they describe a routine.
자전거로 학교에 가요.
Jajeongeoro hakgyoe gayo.
I go to school by bicycle.
자전거로 uses 로 for means of transport, so the sentence says I go to school by bicycle.
Reading the Examples Together
The examples show riding as an activity, riding in a place, and the bike as transport. Only the last uses 로, because 가요 needs the bike as a means, not an object. Remember the pair 타요 and 로 가요 and you can say most things about bikes.
Collocations
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 자전거를 타다 | to ride a bicycle |
| 자전거 도로 | bicycle path |
| 자전거 가게 | bike shop |
자전거를 타다 is to ride a bicycle, 자전거 도로 is a bike path, the lane marked on a road, and 자전거 가게 is where you buy or repair a bike. Both are written with a space.
Common Mistake
Learners attach the bike to 가요 with the object particle.
Wrong: 자전거를 가요 for "I go by bike".
Correct: 자전거로 가요 (I go by bike) or 자전거를 타요 (I ride a bike). 가요 does not take a bicycle as its object; 로 marks it as the means of travel.
자전거 vs 오토바이
| Word | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 자전거 | bicycle, bike | This page's word: pedal powered |
| 오토바이 | motorcycle | 오토바이 has an engine; 자전거 is pedal powered. |
| 따릉이 | Seoul public bike | 따릉이 is the name of Seoul's public bike-share system. |
오토바이 is a motorcycle with an engine, while 자전거 is pedal powered. 따릉이 is the name of Seoul's public bike-share system, a specific service rather than a general word.
Renting Bicycles at a Park
A visitor is at a rental counter beside a cycling path. The staff member asks about the number of bicycles before the visitor asks about the rental period.
Visitor
자전거를 빌리고 싶어요.
Jajeongeoreul billigo sipeoyo.
I’d like to rent a bicycle.
Staff
몇 대 필요하세요?
Myeot dae piryohaseyo?
How many do you need?
Visitor
두 대요. 한 시간 빌릴 수 있어요?
Du daeyo. Han sigan billil su isseoyo?
Two. Can we rent them for an hour?
Staff
네, 가능해요.
Ne, ganeunghaeyo.
Yes, you can.
Bicycles are counted with 대, a counter used for vehicles and machines. 한 대 is one bicycle and 두 대 is two. The number describes bicycles, rather than riders: a party of two could still ask about one bicycle. 빌릴 수 있어요 asks whether renting or borrowing is possible; at a rental counter, the intended meaning is renting.
Signs You May See beside a Bicycle Path
자전거 도로 names a bicycle path or cycle lane. The sign identifies the kind of route; it does not itself tell you every rule for that section. A sign reading 자전거 출입 금지 means “No bicycle access”. 출입 concerns entering and leaving, while 금지 means prohibition. Recognising 금지 keeps you from reading the sign as a welcome for cyclists.
자전거 대여 means bicycle rental. 대여 is a compact service word that appears on signs and in rental information. 대여소 is a rental station or location, while 반납 means return. Those two words help you distinguish picking up a bike from bringing it back. Look for the stated return location rather than assuming every rental works like a bike-share service.
Riding, Getting off and Walking a Bike
자전거를 타다 means to ride a bicycle. 자전거에서 내리다 means to get off one: 에서 marks the thing you get off. 자전거를 끌다 means to push or wheel a bicycle along while walking. Although 끌다 can mean “pull” elsewhere, the whole phrase describes leading the bicycle beside you.
These phrases help with a route where you ride for part of the journey and walk for another part. 자전거로 가요 describes the means of travel overall. It does not mean the speaker is sitting on the bike at the moment of speaking. Likewise, someone can own a 자전거 without being able to ride it yet.
자전거를 배우다 is a common shortened way to talk about learning to cycle. The fuller 자전거 타는 법을 배우다 means “learn how to ride a bicycle”. The noun 법 here means a way or method, rather than a law. In a conversation about childhood or hobbies, the shorter phrase is usually clear from context.
Equipment and Places around a Bicycle
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 헬멧 | helmet | Names the protective equipment, not a bike part. |
| 브레이크 | brake | The device used to slow or stop the bicycle. |
| 바퀴 | wheel | Use this when pointing to a wheel that needs attention. |
| 자전거 보관소 | bicycle storage area | A place to leave bicycles; different from a rental counter. |
The transportation vocabulary lesson teaches the wider set of vehicles and travel words. Keep 자전거 대여 and 자전거 보관소 separate: a place for leaving your own bicycle may have no bicycles available to rent.
Quick Self-Test
- How do you say “two bicycles” with the vehicle counter?
- Does 자전거 출입 금지 mean bicycle rental?
- Which phrase means walking beside a bicycle while wheeling it?
Show answers
- 자전거 두 대.
- No. It means no bicycle access.
- 자전거를 끌다.
FAQ
What Verb Goes with 자전거?
Use 타다, to ride, as in 자전거를 타요 (I ride a bicycle). The same verb works for buses, trains and horses, so it is worth learning with the noun.
How Do I Say Go by Bike?
Say 자전거로 가요. 로 marks the means of transport, so 자전거로 학교에 가요 means I go to school by bicycle.
What Is 따릉이?
따릉이 is the name of Seoul's public bike-share system. It is a specific service, not a general word, but you will see it on bike racks and signs around the city.
How Is 자전거 Different from 오토바이?
오토바이 is a motorcycle, with an engine. 자전거 is pedal powered. Both take the verb 타다, to ride.
Keep Learning
- Theme list: Transportation, where 자전거 sits alongside related words.
- Index: Korean words A to Z
- Practice: vocabulary flashcard decks include 자전거.