Cash in Korean: 현금 (hyeongeum)

Key Facts

• Word: 현금 (hyeongeum)
• Part of speech: noun
• Origin: Sino-Korean
• Hanja: 現金 (現 present + 金 gold/money)
• Register: Neutral everyday word.
• Senses: cash

Cash in Korean: Meaning and Register

현금 means cash. It is Sino-Korean, written 現金: 現 means present and 金 means gold or money, so it is money in hand. The register is neutral.

It is used when the form of the money matters: cash, as opposed to a card.

Compounds include 현금 영수증, a cash receipt, and 현금 인출기, an ATM.

Pronunciation

현금 has two syllables, and the RR is hyeongeum. There is no sound change, so it sounds just as it is spelled.

Example Sentences

현금으로 계산해요. (I pay in cash.) 으로 after 현금 shows the means of payment. 계산해요 means I pay.

지금 현금이 없어요. (I have no cash right now.) 지금 is now, and 없어요 means have none. The sentence says the speaker has no cash on hand.

현금을 찾아야 해요. (I need to withdraw cash.) 찾아야 해요 means "I need to" do the action of 찾다. 찾다 usually means "find", but with money it means "withdraw", from a bank or an ATM.

Collocations

• 현금으로 내다: to pay in cash
• 현금을 찾다: to withdraw cash
• 현금 영수증: cash receipt
• 현금 인출기: ATM

현금으로 내다 is pay in cash, and 현금을 찾다 is withdraw cash. 현금 영수증 is a cash receipt, and 현금 인출기 is an ATM.

Common Mistake

Learners use 현금 for money in general.

• Wrong: 현금 for "money" in general
• Right: 돈 (money); 현금 is only cash, as opposed to a card

If the form of payment does not matter, say 돈.

현금 vs 카드

카드 is the other usual way to pay. 돈 is money in general. 현금 is physical cash.

At a Market Stall: Asking to Pay in Cash

A customer is buying something at a market stall. The exchange asks about the payment method first, then requests the receipt.

Customer

Seller

Customer

Seller

현금으로 names the payment method, and 내도 돼요 asks whether paying that way is allowed. 현금도 means “cash too”, so the seller accepts it as another option. The customer then uses 영수증 for the ordinary receipt. No amount is needed in this exchange because the price has already been established.

Where Will You Hear or See 현금?

현금 appears at shop counters, in payment instructions and around cash machines. It tells you about the form of the money. A person can have money in a bank account but say 지금 현금이 없어요 because they have no notes or coins with them. The statement does not mean they have no money anywhere.

현금만 means “cash only”. The particle 만 limits the choice, so it changes the practical meaning of a short notice. 현금 가능 means cash is accepted; it does not by itself exclude cards. Look for the limiting word rather than assuming every sign with 현금 says the same thing.

현금 is neutral and works in polite conversation with a cashier or bank employee. You do not need a more formal substitute just because you are at a bank. The dialogue's permission question is useful when you want to confirm that the seller accepts cash before handing it over.

Paying, Withdrawing and Receiving Change

현금으로 내다 means to pay in cash. 현금을 찾다 means to withdraw cash, usually from a bank or cash machine. The verb 찾다 can also mean “find”, but the cash-withdrawal setting gives it a specific sense. Someone going to an ATM to 현금을 찾다 is taking money out of an account.

현금 인출 means cash withdrawal, and 현금 인출기 names the machine. On a banking screen, 인출 or 출금 points to taking money out; 입금 points to putting money in. These labels concern the direction of the transaction. They do not name different types of notes or coins.

거스름돈 is change returned after you pay more than the price. 잔돈 means small change or money in smaller denominations. The ideas overlap, but their focus differs: 거스름돈 is what the seller gives back, while 잔돈 can already be in your pocket. Neither is a synonym for all cash.

현금 영수증 is the name of Korea's cash-receipt record used for tax purposes. In a checkout question, it may refer to registering that record, rather than simply printing the ordinary receipt. 영수증 alone is the general word for a receipt. Learn the distinction as vocabulary; the phrase alone does not explain someone's eligibility or tax treatment.

Related Words for Handling Cash

The shopping vocabulary lesson teaches the payment set around 현금. Notes and coins both count as 현금. If someone asks about 동전, they are asking about one form of cash rather than whether you have any money at all.

Why 현금으로 but 카드로?

현금 ends in the consonant ㅁ, so “with cash” uses 으로. 카드 ends in a vowel, so “by card” uses 로. The difference is grammatical, not a difference in how polite the two payment methods sound. The phrases 현금으로 계산해요 and 카드로 계산해요 can use the same verb ending at the same checkout.

Quick Self-Test

1. Can someone have money in the bank but no 현금?
2. Does 현금 가능 mean cash only?
3. Why does 현금으로 include 으 while 카드로 does not?

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you say cash in Korean? It is 현금, with the RR hyeongeum.

How do I say I pay in cash? Say 현금으로 계산해요.

What is the difference between 현금 and 돈? 돈 is money in general. 현금 is cash.

What does 현금 인출기 mean? It means ATM.

Related Words and What to Learn Next

• Theme list: daily life shopping vocabulary puts 현금 next to its neighbours.
• Index: Korean words A to Z lists every word page.
• Practice: vocabulary flashcard decks.
• Next word: Discount in Korean