Key Facts
- Korean: 책, Revised Romanization chaek
- Part of speech: noun; origin: Sino-Korean
- Hanja: 冊 (冊 book)
- Register: Neutral everyday word.
- Theme page: everyday objects vocabulary
Book in Korean: What 책 Means and When to Use It
책 means a book, whether a novel, a textbook or a comic. It is neutral, so it fits any situation. It also hides inside other words: 책상, the desk in the third example, is literally a "book table".
How to Pronounce 책
One syllable, chaek. The ㅊ is aspirated, with a puff of air, and the final ㄱ is unreleased, so the word ends abruptly. When a vowel follows, the ㄱ moves across and is voiced: 책을 sounds like chae-geul.
Examples with 책
저는 책을 읽어요.
jeoneun chaegeul ilgeoyo.
I read books.
A habit sentence. 읽어요 is the polite form of 읽다 (to read), and 책을 is the object.
이 책은 재미있어요.
i chaegeun jaemiisseoyo.
This book is interesting.
A review: this book is interesting. 이 (this) points at the book and 재미있어요 is the adjective.
책이 책상 위에 있어요.
chaegi chaeksang wie isseoyo.
The book is on the desk.
A location sentence. 위에 (on top of) places the book relative to the desk, 책상.
Collocations with 책
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 책을 읽다 | to read a book |
| 책을 빌리다 | to borrow a book |
| 책을 펴다 | to open a book |
| 책 한 권 | one book |
Verbs to learn with 책 are 읽다 (read), 빌리다 (borrow) and 펴다 (open). The counted form is 책 한 권.
Origin and Background
The word is Sino-Korean: 冊 means 'book'.
A Common Mistake with 책
Learners use the general counter 개 for books.
- Wrong: 개 as the counter for books
- Right: 권, as in 책 한 권 (one book)
권 is the counter for books and other bound volumes.
책 Compared with 서점
Two places are linked to books and are worth keeping apart: 서점, which sells 책, and 도서관, which lends 책.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 책 | book | The word this page covers. |
| 서점 | bookstore | A shop that sells 책. |
| 도서관 | library | A place that lends 책. |
The Grammar around 책
The three examples show the grammar around 책: the object marker 을 when someone acts on it (읽어요), a topic or subject marker when it is described (재미있어요) and a location phrase when it is placed (위에 있어요).
Borrowing a Book from a Classmate
Two classmates talk about a book on the desk. One asks to borrow it, and the owner sets a return time.
Mina
이 책 빌려도 돼요?
I chaek billyeodo dwaeyo?
May I borrow this book?
Alex
네. 다 읽었어요.
Ne. Da ilgeosseoyo.
Yes. I’ve finished reading it.
Mina
언제까지 돌려주면 돼요?
Eonjekkaji dollyeojumyeon dwaeyo?
When should I return it by?
Alex
다음 주까지 주세요.
Daeum jukkaji juseyo.
Please give it back by next week.
빌려도 돼요? asks permission to borrow. The owner answers with 다 읽었어요, meaning the reading is finished, rather than simply saying the book is interesting. 돌려주다 means giving something back to its owner. The return deadline uses 까지, “until” or “by”, after the time expression.
How Do You Count Several Books?
Books use 권 with native Korean numbers: 책 한 권 is one book, 책 두 권 is two, and 책 세 권 is three. The number changes to its counting form before 권. Keep spaces between the noun, number and counter. The whole phrase can then take a particle: 책 두 권을 means “two books” as the object of an action.
A book can be one physical volume even if it contains many stories. 권 counts the volumes, rather than the number of chapters or pages inside. A multi-volume work therefore needs more than one 권. On a cover or book listing, a volume number such as 1권 identifies the first volume of a series.
Phrases for Reading and Handling Books
책을 펴다 means opening or spreading a book, often to begin reading or studying. 책을 덮다 means closing it. These describe what you do to the physical book. 책을 읽다 names reading the text, so opening a book and reading it are separate actions even when one immediately follows the other.
책을 빌리다 means borrowing a book; 책을 돌려주다 means returning it to the person who lent it. At a library, 반납하다 is a common verb for returning borrowed material. The pair you choose tells the listener whether you are taking the book temporarily or bringing it back.
새 책 means a new book, while 헌책 means a used or old book. A used book can still be new to its reader. When describing a purchase, this distinction concerns the copy’s condition rather than whether you have read the story before.
Where Will You Hear or See 책?
Teachers use 책 when telling a class to open its books, and friends use it when discussing reading. Shops use it in recommendations and product descriptions. 책 is neutral: it works in an informal chat, a polite request to a classmate and a conversation with a shop assistant.
전자책 is an electronic book, so the everyday category is broader than paper objects alone. 종이책 explicitly means a paper book. On a sales page, this contrast helps you choose the format you want before paying. The bare word 책 may leave the format unstated when it is already clear from context.
Words around the Book Itself
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 책장 | bookshelf / bookcase | Furniture used to store books. |
| 책갈피 | bookmark | Marks the place where you stopped. |
| 표지 | cover | The outside cover of a book. |
| 전자책 | e-book | A digital reading format. |
The everyday objects lesson introduces objects around a desk. A 책갈피 belongs inside the book, while a 책장 holds the whole book.
Quick Self-Test
- How do you say “two books” using the correct counter?
- Which phrase means closing a book: 책을 펴다 or 책을 덮다?
- What does 전자책 tell you about the format?
Show answers
- 책 두 권.
- 책을 덮다.
- It is an electronic book rather than a paper copy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Count Books in Korean?
Use the counter 권, as in 책 한 권, not 개.
What Verb Means to Borrow a Book?
빌리다, as in 책을 빌리다.
Where Do I Buy a Book?
At a 서점.
Where Do I Borrow a Book?
At a 도서관.
Related Words and Next Steps
- Browse the full set of everyday objects vocabulary for neighbours of 책.
- Return to the Korean words A to Z index.
- Related page: bookstore in Korean.
- Related page: library in Korean.
- Related page: gift in Korean.
- Add 책 to your vocabulary flashcard decks.