Key Facts
- Word: 카메라 (kamera)
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: loanword
- Register: Neutral; used in all registers.
- Meaning: camera (the device, not the photo)
Camera in Korean: Meaning and Register
카메라 is a loanword with one sense, the device that takes pictures. It is used in all registers.
Digital cameras and camera apps both use the word. 디지털 카메라 is a digital camera, and 카메라 앱 is the camera app on a phone.
The older term 사진기 is Sino-Korean (寫眞機), built from 사진 (photo) and 기 (machine), so it is literally a "photo machine". It sounds older and more formal, and 카메라 is the usual choice today.
Pronunciation
카메라 has three syllables, ka-me-ra, and the RR is kamera. The ㅋ is aspirated, with a puff of air like English k, and the ㄹ between vowels is a quick tap, closer to the tt in American "butter" than to an English r. There is no sound change, so it is said as written.
Example Sentences
저는 새 카메라를 샀어요.
Jeoneun sae kamerareul sasseoyo
I bought a new camera.
저는 새 카메라를 샀어요. (I bought a new camera.) 샀어요 is the past of buy, and 새 means new. The sentence reports a purchase.
이 카메라는 비싸요.
I kameraneun bissayo
This camera is expensive.
이 카메라는 비싸요. (This camera is expensive.) 비싸요 means is expensive. The topic marker 는 on 카메라 sets up the comment about the price.
카메라로 가족 사진을 찍어요.
Kameraro gajok sajineul jjigeoyo
I take family photos with the camera.
카메라로 가족 사진을 찍어요. (I take family photos with the camera.) 로 marks the tool, and 찍어요 is the verb for taking a picture. The sentence says which device took the family photos.
Collocations
- 카메라를 켜다: to turn on the camera
- 카메라로 찍다: to shoot with a camera
- 디지털 카메라: digital camera
- 카메라 앱: camera app
카메라를 켜다 is to turn on the camera, and 카메라로 찍다 is to shoot with a camera. 디지털 카메라 and 카메라 앱 show the word at the start and end of compounds.
Common Mistake
Learners use 사진 when they mean the device.
Wrong: 사진 for the camera itself.
Correct: 카메라 (or 사진기) for the device; 사진 is the picture it takes.
카메라 vs 사진기
| Word | Meaning | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|---|
| 카메라 | camera | this page's word |
| 사진기 | camera (older term) | Sino-Korean 'photo machine' (寫眞機), older and more formal |
| 사진 | photograph | photograph, not the device |
| 캠코더 | camcorder | camcorder |
사진기 is the older term for the same device. 사진 is the photograph, not the device. 캠코더 is a camcorder, the video version.
At a Viewpoint: Asking for a Photo
A visitor hands a camera to another visitor at a viewpoint. Both use polite requests because they have just met.
Visitor A
사진 좀 찍어 주세요.
Sajin jom jjigeo juseyo.
Please take a photo for me.
Visitor B
이 카메라로 찍으면 돼요?
I kameraro jjigeumyeon dwaeyo?
Should I use this camera?
Visitor A
네, 이 버튼을 눌러 주세요.
Ne, i beoteuneul nulleo juseyo.
Yes, please press this button.
Visitor B
여기 보세요.
Yeogi boseyo.
Look here.
사진 names the picture being requested; 카메라 names the device used to make it. The second line uses 카메라로 to specify the tool. 이 버튼 means “this button”, so the visitor can point to the shutter button instead of giving a long explanation of the camera's controls.
Where Will You Hear 카메라?
카메라 appears in electronics shops, phone settings and video calls. In a shop, someone may be discussing a separate device with a lens. On a phone, 카메라 can label the camera app. During a video call, it refers to the device that sends your image. The physical size and purpose change, but the same noun works.
카메라를 켜다 means to turn the camera on, and 카메라를 끄다 means to turn it off. In an online meeting, these phrases usually concern whether your video is enabled. They do not necessarily mean switching the whole computer or phone on and off. The camera can be off while the microphone remains on.
In a filming scene, 카메라 앞 means “in front of the camera”. Someone speaking there may be appearing on screen. 카메라 뒤 means “behind the camera” and can describe the position of someone filming. 앞 and 뒤 place a person relative to the equipment; neither is a separate type of camera.
Useful Camera Combinations
휴대폰 카메라 is a mobile phone camera. 전면 카메라 means front camera, and 후면 카메라 means rear camera. These labels help when switching between showing your face and showing what is in front of you. They refer to the camera's position on the device, rather than the quality of the image.
카메라 렌즈 means camera lens. 카메라 가방 is a camera bag. In both expressions, 카메라 tells you what the following object belongs to or is for. A camera bag is an accessory, so a product listing with that name need not include the camera itself.
사진을 찍다 is the usual combination for taking a photograph. 카메라로 찍다 adds the equipment used, while 사진을 찍다 names the result you want. You can include both, as the family-photo example does. Translating English “take” word for word would miss the Korean verb used for making a picture.
Related Words for Taking Pictures
| Korean | Meaning | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| 렌즈 | lens | Identify the glass part you look through or clean. |
| 버튼 | button | Explain which control to press. |
| 배터리 | battery | Talk about the camera's power supply. |
| 동영상 | video | Distinguish a moving recording from a still photo. |
The technology vocabulary lesson teaches the wider device vocabulary. Keep 동영상 beside 사진 in your notes: a camera may create either, so knowing the device's name alone does not tell someone which kind of recording you want.
Quick Self-Test
- Which word names the result: 카메라 or 사진?
- In 카메라로, what does 로 mark?
- During a video call, does 카메라를 끄다 necessarily mean turning off the computer?
Show answers
- 사진 is the photograph.
- The tool used to take the picture.
- No. It can mean disabling your video while the call continues.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say camera in Korean? It is 카메라, with three syllables.
Is 카메라 the same as 사진기? They name the same device, but 사진기 is older and more formal.
What is the difference between 카메라 and 사진? 카메라 is the device. 사진 is the photograph it takes.
How do I say I took photos with a camera? Say 카메라로 사진을 찍었어요 for “I took photos with a camera”. 카메라로 names the tool, and 찍었어요 is past tense. The family photo example uses present-tense 찍어요.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: daily life technology vocabulary puts 카메라 next to its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z lists every word page.
- Practice: vocabulary flashcard decks.