Key Facts
- Korean: 아침, Revised Romanization achim
- Part of speech: noun; origin: native Korean
- Register: Neutral; 아침 alone is casual, while 아침 식사 is more formal and 조식 is used at hotels.
- Theme page: daily routine vocabulary
Breakfast in Korean: What 아침 Means and When to Use It
아침 is both the morning and the meal you eat in it. On its own it is the everyday word for breakfast; 아침 식사 sounds more formal, and hotels use the Sino-Korean word 조식 on signs and booking pages.
How to Pronounce 아침
Two syllables, a-chim. The ch is aspirated, with a puff of air. When a vowel particle follows, the final ㅁ links across: 아침을 sounds like a-chi-meul.
Examples with 아침
아침을 먹었어요?
achimeul meogeosseoyo?
Did you eat breakfast?
A common caring question. The ending ~었어요 is the past tense, so the sentence asks whether you ate breakfast.
아침에 일찍 일어나요.
achime iljjik ireonayo.
I get up early in the morning.
Here 아침에 means 'in the morning', not breakfast. The verb 일어나요 (get up) tells you that.
아침은 보통 빵이에요.
achimeun botong ppangieyo.
Breakfast is usually bread.
A statement about the meal itself. 보통 means usually, and 빵 means bread.
Collocations with 아침
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 아침을 먹다 | to eat breakfast |
| 아침 식사 | breakfast (formal) |
| 아침에 | in the morning |
| 아침밥 | breakfast (literally “morning rice”) |
Set phrases include 아침을 먹다 (eat breakfast), 아침 식사 (the more formal word), 아침밥 and the time word 아침에. 아침밥 is literally "morning rice", but 밥 also means a meal, so it simply means breakfast.
A Common Mistake with 아침
Learners know 아침 as "morning" and miss the meal.
- Wrong: reading 아침을 먹다 as "to eat the morning"
- Right: 아침을 먹다 (to eat breakfast)
아침 means both morning and breakfast; the verb tells you which.
아침 Compared with 조식
Two meal or time words sit nearby: 조식 (the hotel word for breakfast) and 점심 (the noon meal and midday).
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 아침 | breakfast | The word this page covers. |
| 조식 | breakfast (hotel) | Sino-Korean word for breakfast, used at hotels. |
| 점심 | lunch / midday | The noon meal. |
Say 아침 when you talk about your own breakfast, and expect 조식 on a hotel sign or booking. 점심, like 아침, names both a time of day and its meal.
Asking about Breakfast at a Hotel
A guest is checking where breakfast is served. The guest uses everyday 아침 식사; the receptionist replies with the hotel term 조식. Both refer to the same meal.
Guest
아침 식사는 어디서 해요?
Achim siksaneun eodiseo haeyo?
Where do we have breakfast?
Receptionist
조식은 이 층에서 드실 수 있어요.
Josigeun i cheungeseo deusil su isseoyo.
You can have breakfast on the second floor.
Guest
몇 시까지예요?
Myeot sikkajiyeyo?
Until what time?
Receptionist
열 시까지예요.
Yeol sikkajiyeyo.
Until ten.
어디서 is the everyday shortened form of 어디에서, “where” an activity happens. The receptionist uses 드실 수 있어요, a respectful way to say the guest can eat there. The guest can still use the ordinary noun 아침 식사; respectful service language does not require a special breakfast noun.
What Will You See on Breakfast Signs?
조식 포함 means “breakfast included”. 포함 tells you the meal is part of the booking; it does not tell you the serving hours or location. 조식 불포함 means breakfast is not included. Look for 이용 시간, “hours of use”, beside the breakfast information to find the time window.
조식 뷔페 means “breakfast buffet”. The word 뷔페 describes how the food is served, rather than what dishes are available. An 아침 메뉴 is a breakfast menu, so a café may use 아침 even where a hotel uses 조식. These are differences in setting, rather than different meals.
Morning, Breakfast, or Skipping a Meal?
아침부터 means “from the morning” or “since morning”. The particle 부터 makes the time meaning clear. By contrast, 아침을 거르다 means “to skip breakfast”: 거르다 is about missing the meal. In a conversation about your routine, listening for that verb is more useful than translating 아침 on its own.
아침밥을 먹다 is literally “to eat morning rice”, but the phrase can describe a breakfast of toast or eggs. 밥 often stands for a meal, so you do not need a bowl of rice to use it. The menu decides what was eaten; the phrase simply names the meal.
In everyday conversation, 아침 먹었어요? leaves out 을 from the first example above. This is a natural question about whether someone has eaten. It can show care, but it still asks about breakfast; it is not an invitation by itself. A friend who asks may simply want to know whether you are hungry.
Meal and Routine Words to Learn Together
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 점심 | lunch / midday | The next meal after breakfast. |
| 저녁 | dinner / evening | Another word that names both a time and a meal. |
| 식사 | meal | Useful when asking about meal times more formally. |
| 공복 | empty stomach | Describes having no food in your stomach, rather than a time of day. |
The daily routine vocabulary lesson places breakfast beside waking up and leaving home. Keep the time and meal meanings separate when building a routine: 아침에 marks when something happens, while 아침을 먹다 names one action in that routine.
Quick Self-Test
- In 아침에 일찍 일어나요, does 아침 mean the meal or the time of day?
- What does 조식 포함 tell you about a hotel booking?
- Can 아침밥 describe a breakfast without rice?
Show answers
- The time of day: “in the morning”.
- Breakfast is included; check its hours separately.
- Yes. 밥 can mean a meal, so the phrase is not limited to rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 아침 Mean Breakfast or Morning?
Both. The verb and particle show which: 아침을 먹다 is breakfast, and 아침에 is in the morning.
What Is the Formal Word for Breakfast?
아침 식사. At hotels the Sino-Korean word 조식 is used.
What Is 아침밥?
Breakfast. It is literally "morning rice", but 밥 also means a meal.
What Word Comes Next in the Day?
점심, the noon meal.
Related Words and Next Steps
- Browse the full set of daily routine vocabulary for neighbours of 아침.
- Return to the Korean words A to Z index.
- Related page: lunch in Korean.
- Related page: dinner in Korean.
- Add 아침 to your vocabulary flashcard decks.