Key Facts
- Hangul: 할인; Revised Romanization: harin
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 割引 (割 divide + 引 pull)
- Register: Neutral everyday word; commonly used with 하다 or 받다.
Discount in Korean: What Does 할인 Mean?
할인 means discount. It is a neutral word, commonly used with 하다 or 받다.
How Do You Pronounce 할인?
The spelling 할인 looks like hal-in, but the final ㄹ links to the following vowel, so it is spoken ha-rin. The same happens in 할인해요, spoken ha-rin-hae-yo.
Example Sentences with 할인
할인이 있어요?
harini isseoyo?
Is there a discount?
The question to ask at a counter. 있어요? asks whether there is one.
학생 할인을 받았어요.
haksaeng harineul badasseoyo.
I got a student discount.
학생 할인 is a student discount, and 받았어요 is the past of 받다, "receive".
이 가방은 삼십 퍼센트 할인해요.
i gabangeun samsip peosenteu harinhaeyo.
This bag is thirty percent off.
삼십 퍼센트 is thirty percent, read with Sino-Korean numbers, and 할인해요 is the verb form of 할인.
How the Examples Fit Together
The examples cover asking, receiving and applying a discount. The question form is what you say at a counter, the student example uses 받다 for receiving, and the last uses the verb form 할인해요 for a percentage off. Pairing the noun with 받다 or 하다 is the core pattern, and the coupon and price collocations extend it to what you see on apps and tags. Keep the word apart from 세일, which names the whole sale event, and from 깎다, the verb you use when bargaining a price down yourself.
Collocations
Phrases include 할인을 받다 for to get a discount, 할인하다 for to discount, 할인 쿠폰 for discount coupon, and 할인 가격 for discounted price.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 할인을 받다 | to get a discount |
| 할인하다 | to discount |
| 할인 쿠폰 | discount coupon |
| 할인 가격 | discounted price |
The Mistake to Avoid
Learners read the two syllables separately.
- Wrong: [hal-in], with a break after ㄹ
- Right: [ha-rin]
The ㄹ links to the next vowel, so it starts the second syllable.
할인 Compared with Similar Words
할인 is the price reduction itself. Two neighbours name the sale event and the haggling.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 할인 | discount | This page's word |
| 세일 | sale | The sale event; 할인 is the price reduction. |
| 깎다 | to haggle down | Used when bargaining for a lower price. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
The hanja are 割引: 割 divide and 引 pull.
At a Ticket Counter: Asking about a Student Discount
A visitor asks a ticket clerk whether students can get a reduced price. This asks about an existing discount rather than bargaining over the posted price.
Visitor:
학생 할인 있어요?
Haksaeng harin isseoyo?
Is there a student discount?
Clerk:
네, 학생증 보여 주세요.
Ne, haksaengjeung boyeo juseyo.
Yes. Please show me your student ID.
Visitor:
여기 있어요. 얼마나 할인돼요?
Yeogi isseoyo. Eolmana harindwaeyo?
Here it is. How much is the discount?
Clerk:
이천 원 할인돼요.
Icheon won harindwaeyo.
It’s two thousand won off.
The clerk asks for 학생증, a student ID. The scene shows one possible condition for the discount, not a rule that every venue follows. 얼마나 asks the amount. Here the answer is a fixed sum in won rather than a percentage; 할인 can describe either kind of reduction.
Reading Discount Labels without Mixing up the Amounts
A label such as 30% 할인 means thirty percent off the original price. It does not mean that the customer pays thirty percent of that price. For a simple practice calculation, a 10,000-won item with that reduction costs 7,000 won. These are example amounts, not a shop's current offer.
할인 가격 means the reduced price. 할인 금액 means the amount taken off. The distinction matters on a checkout screen: one number is what you pay, while the other is what you save. A coupon can show a reduction before the final total appears, so read the label attached to the number.
Common Conditions on Offers
회원 할인 means a member discount, and 학생 할인 means a student discount. The word before 할인 tells you who qualifies. 할인 쿠폰 names a discount coupon, which may need to be selected or presented. Simply seeing the word 쿠폰 does not tell you whether it has been applied to your purchase.
추가 할인 means an additional discount. 추가 means “additional,” so the phrase points to another reduction beyond an existing offer. It does not by itself explain the conditions or how two reductions are calculated. Look for the final price when comparing offers.
할인을 받다 follows the customer's viewpoint: someone receives a discount. 할인하다 describes discounting an item or price. 할인되다 describes the price being reduced. This explains why the clerk in the dialogue uses 할인돼요 to say how much comes off the ticket.
You will see 할인 on shop windows, shopping apps, ticket pages, and membership offers. Asking 할인이 있어요 is neutral and polite with the 요 ending. 깎아 주세요, “please lower the price,” asks the seller to change the price; it is a bargaining request and fits a different situation.
Words beside 할인 on a Checkout Screen
| Korean | Meaning | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| 가격 | price | The amount attached to the item; check whether it is reduced. |
| 정가 | regular price | The reference price before a discount. |
| 쿠폰 | coupon | A voucher or code associated with an offer. |
| 회원 | member | A clue that the offer may require membership. |
The shopping vocabulary lesson teaches the wider set. 세일 announces a sale, while these smaller labels explain the individual purchase. A sale sign alone cannot tell you whether your chosen item qualifies.
Quick Self-Test
- On a 10,000-won item, does 30% 할인 mean paying 3,000 won?
- Which phrase is the amount saved: 할인 가격 or 할인 금액?
- Is asking about 학생 할인 the same as bargaining?
Show answers
- No. Thirty percent is taken off, leaving 7,000 won in this example.
- 할인 금액 is the reduction; 할인 가격 is the reduced price.
- No. It asks whether a student discount already exists.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is 할인 pronounced?
As [ha-rin]: the ㄹ links to the next vowel.
What is 세일?
The sale event, when a shop cuts prices. 할인 is the cut itself.
What is 깎다?
It means to haggle a price down, as at a market.
How do I say discount coupon?
Say 할인 쿠폰.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: the shopping words page groups 할인 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Next, read the page for price, the number a discount reduces, and the page for sale, the event side of the same idea.