Key Facts
- 컴퓨터 (keompyuteo) means computer.
- Part of speech: noun; origin: loanword.
- Register: neutral, used in all registers.
- Level: A1.
Computer in Korean: What Does 컴퓨터 Mean?
컴퓨터 can mean any computer. 노트북 is the portable laptop, and 피시방 is the PC room, an internet gaming cafe. The compounds 컴퓨터 게임 (computer game) and 컴퓨터 학원 (computer academy) add a purpose.
How Do You Pronounce 컴퓨터?
The Revised Romanization is keompyuteo, three syllables: keom, pyu, teo. The middle syllable 퓨 is an aspirated ㅍ plus a yu glide, and the last syllable 터 is how Korean renders the English ending -ter.
How Do You Use 컴퓨터 in a Sentence?
저는 컴퓨터를 매일 써요.
I use a computer every day.
Jeoneun keompyuteoreul maeil sseoyo 매일 is every day, 써요 is use, and 컴퓨터를 is the object. This sentence suits a self-introduction.
컴퓨터가 너무 느려요.
The computer is too slow.
Keompyuteoga neomu neuryeoyo 너무 느려요 means too slow. The subject marker 가 attaches to 컴퓨터 since the word ends in a vowel.
동생은 컴퓨터 게임을 좋아해요.
My younger sibling likes computer games.
Dongsaengeun keompyuteo geimeul joahaeyo 동생은 is my younger sibling as topic, 게임을 is the game as object, and 좋아해요 is like. 컴퓨터 acts as a describing word before 게임.
Which Word Combinations Are Common with 컴퓨터?
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 컴퓨터를 켜다 | to turn on a computer |
| 컴퓨터를 끄다 | to turn off a computer |
| 컴퓨터 게임 | computer game |
| 컴퓨터 학원 | computer academy |
The switch verbs are 켜다 for on and 끄다 for off. The two compounds, 컴퓨터 게임 and 컴퓨터 학원, put the noun in front of another noun.
What Is the Common Mistake with 컴퓨터?
- Wrong: 컴퓨터를 열다 for "turn on the computer" (열다 means to open)
- Right: 컴퓨터를 켜다
Use 켜다 for on and 끄다 for off, as with a light or a TV.
How Does 컴퓨터 Differ from Similar Words?
Two related words are easy to mix up with it.
| Word | Meaning | How to tell it from 컴퓨터 |
|---|---|---|
| 노트북 | laptop | The portable one; 컴퓨터 can mean any computer. |
| 피시방 | PC room (internet gaming cafe) | A place with rentable computers, not the device. |
Asking to Use a Computer at Work
A new employee checks whether a desk computer is available. A coworker gives permission and explains what to do afterward.
Alex
이 컴퓨터 써도 돼요?
I keompyuteo sseodo dwaeyo?
May I use this computer?
Jisu
네. 먼저 컴퓨터를 켜세요.
Ne. Meonjeo keompyuteoreul kyeoseyo.
Yes. Turn on the computer first.
Alex
다 쓰면 꺼야 해요?
Da sseumyeon kkeoya haeyo?
Do I need to turn it off when I am finished?
Jisu
아니요. 켜 두세요.
Aniyo. Kyeo duseyo.
No. Leave it on.
써도 돼요 asks permission to use something. The computer is named in the first line, then omitted from the later questions and instructions because the object is already clear. Korean often avoids repeating the device name in this way.
켜세요 means “turn it on”, while 켜 두세요 means “leave it on” or “keep it switched on”. The extra 두세요 asks for the resulting state to continue. The instruction is specific to this shared computer; it is not a general rule about what to do with all computers after use.
What Does 컴퓨터를 하다 Mean?
컴퓨터를 하다 is a conversational way to say someone uses or spends time on a computer. Literally it is “do the computer”. It can cover browsing, games or other activity without identifying the task. 컴퓨터를 쓰다 and 컴퓨터를 사용하다 focus more directly on using the device, with 사용하다 common in instructions and workplace language.
컴퓨터 게임 is a noun phrase for a computer game. In 컴퓨터 게임을 하다, 게임 is the activity and takes the object marker. You may hear the shorter 컴퓨터를 하다 in family conversation, but that phrase alone does not prove the person is playing a game. The surrounding conversation supplies the activity.
컴퓨터가 고장 나다 means “the computer breaks down” or “the computer is broken”. It reports a malfunction. Compare 컴퓨터가 느리다, “the computer is slow”: the machine can still be working while responding slowly. This distinction helps you describe a problem without overstating what has happened.
Where Will You Hear or See 컴퓨터?
컴퓨터 appears in school computer rooms, office instructions, repair conversations and electronics shops. A sign saying 컴퓨터실 names a computer room: 실 means room. 컴퓨터 수리 means computer repair, so 수리 on a shop sign identifies a service rather than a type of machine.
A listing may distinguish 데스크톱, a desktop computer, from 노트북, a laptop. 컴퓨터 is the wider category, although a speaker contrasting it with a laptop may mean the desktop in that particular conversation. Look at the comparison before deciding which device the speaker has in mind.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 모니터 | monitor | The display, rather than the whole computer. |
| 키보드 | keyboard | The device used for typing. |
| 마우스 | mouse | The pointing device; the surrounding topic resolves the meaning. |
| 전원 | power | Appears on power controls and in operating instructions. |
| 파일 | file | Something you open or save while using the computer. |
The technology and internet vocabulary lesson teaches the wider set. Keep the action specific when asking for help: 켜다 concerns switching on the machine, while 열다 can refer to opening a file or a window. Naming what you want to open helps prevent the mistake shown earlier.
Quick Self-Test
- Which means leave the computer on: 켜세요 or 켜 두세요?
- Does 컴퓨터를 하다 always mean playing a game?
- Which names the display: 모니터 or 키보드?
Show answers
- 켜 두세요; 켜세요 simply asks someone to turn it on.
- No. It broadly describes spending time using a computer.
- 모니터. 키보드 is the keyboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say the Computer Is Too Slow?
Say 컴퓨터가 너무 느려요.
How Do I Say Turn on the Computer?
Use 컴퓨터를 켜다. 컴퓨터를 끄다 is turn it off.
What Is a Computer Game Called?
It is 컴퓨터 게임.
What Is a Laptop Called?
It is 노트북, from English "notebook", the usual Korean word for a laptop.
Where to Go Next
Open the technology and internet vocabulary list for more devices and web words. The laptop page is 노트북, and email comes next at email in Korean. The full index is Korean words A to Z.