Key Facts
- Hangul: 이메일; Revised Romanization: imeil
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: loanword
- Register: Neutral; 메일 is the common shortened form in speech and 이메일 is standard in writing.
Email in Korean: What Does 이메일 Mean?
이메일 has two closely linked senses: email as a system ("I'll send it by email") and one email message ("I got an email"). It is neutral in register. In writing and on forms, 이메일 is the standard; in speech, 메일 is just as common.
How Do You Pronounce 이메일?
Three syllables: i-me-il, stressed evenly. The last syllable ends in the light l sound, as in the end of "mail".
Example Sentences with 이메일
이메일 주소가 뭐예요?
Imeil jusoga mwoyeyo
What is your email address?
The question to ask when you want someone's contact details. 뭐예요 is the polite "what is", and 주소 (address) follows 이메일 directly with no particle, as in English "email address".
어제 이메일을 보냈어요.
Eoje imeireul bonaesseoyo
I sent an email yesterday.
보냈어요 is the past tense of sending, and 어제 puts it yesterday. The object marker 을 attaches straight to 이메일.
이메일 확인했어요?
Imeil hwaginhaesseoyo
Did you check your email?
A workplace staple. The verb 확인했어요 means you checked or confirmed it, and the rising tone makes it a question.
Common Phrases with 이메일
Three verbs and one noun cover most real use: sending, receiving, checking and the address.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 이메일을 보내다 | to send an email |
| 이메일을 받다 | to receive an email |
| 이메일 주소 | email address |
| 이메일을 확인하다 | to check email |
The Mistake to Avoid
Learners treat 메일 and 우편 as the same word because English "mail" covers both.
Wrong: 우편 for a message sent from your inbox.
Correct: 이메일 (or 메일) for electronic mail; 우편 only for postal mail delivered on paper.
이메일 Compared with Similar Words
Three neighbours sit close in meaning. 메일 is the same thing in a shortened casual form, 편지 is a paper letter, and 메시지 is a text or chat message.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 이메일 | This page's word | |
| 메일 | mail; email (short form) | shortened casual form; also 'mail' in general |
| 편지 | letter | letter (paper) |
| 메시지 | message | message (text/chat) |
Where Does 이메일 Come From?
이메일 is a loanword, taken from English "email" and written in Hangul. There is no hanja behind it.
Sending a Document to a Coworker
Jisu
자료를 이메일로 보내 주세요.
Jaryoreul imeillo bonae juseyo.
Please send the material by email.
Mina
이 주소로 보내면 돼요?
I jusoro bonaemyeon dwaeyo?
Can I send it to this address?
Jisu
네. 파일도 첨부해 주세요.
Ne. Paildo cheombuhae juseyo.
Yes. Please attach the file too.
Mina
방금 보냈어요. 확인해 주세요.
Banggeum bonaesseoyo. Hwaginhae juseyo.
I just sent it. Please check.
The request 이메일로 보내 주세요 specifies the delivery method: “send it by email”. In the next line, 이 주소로 specifies the destination instead. The same 로 can appear in both phrases, but the noun tells you whether it means a method or an address to send something to.
방금 means “just now”, so the final reply confirms that the sending is complete. It does not confirm that the other person has received or opened the message. 확인해 주세요 asks the recipient to check. These polite requests fit everyday coordination with a coworker.
Sending, Receiving and Replying Are Different Steps
이메일을 보내다 means sending an email. 이메일을 받다 means receiving one. 이메일을 확인하다 means checking email, which may involve looking at the inbox or opening a particular message. If a coworker asks whether you checked, simply saying you received it may leave their question unanswered.
이메일에 답장하다 means replying to an email. The reply responds to a message already received, so 에 marks the email being answered. 답장 by itself is the reply. An inbox can contain a new message without containing a reply to your earlier question.
이메일 주소 names the address used for delivery. 이메일 제목 names the subject of a message. On a form, an address field expects contact information; in a compose window, the subject field expects a short description of the message. Both contain text, but they serve different purposes.
Reading an Inbox and Its Buttons
받은편지함 is the inbox, literally a box for received letters. 보낸편지함 holds sent mail. 첨부 파일 means an attached file, and 스팸 메일 means spam email. These labels help you work out whether you are looking at a folder, a document or a type of message.
A file mentioned in the body is not necessarily attached. 첨부해 주세요 specifically asks the sender to attach it. If someone says they sent the material but you cannot find a file, the attachment is the detail to ask about, rather than requesting their email address again.
How Polite Is 메일?
메일 is common in office conversation and writing as well as casual chat. The shorter noun does not by itself make a sentence impolite. 메일 주세요, “please send me an email”, is a short request; 메일 보내 주세요 explicitly includes the verb “send”. The relationship and sentence ending shape the tone.
이메일로 is the spelling for “by email”. Because 이메일 ends in ㄹ, add 로 directly. The result is written as one unit, with no space between the noun and the particle. This differs from the separate noun 주소 in 이메일 주소.
Useful Words around an Email
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 제목 | subject / title | Names the subject line in an email window. |
| 첨부 파일 | attachment | The file sent together with the message. |
| 답장 | reply | A response to an earlier message. |
| 주소 | address | In 이메일 주소, the electronic delivery address. |
The technology vocabulary lesson teaches the wider set for online communication. These words let you describe a missing attachment or an unanswered message more precisely.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 이메일로 specify an email address or the method of sending?
- Which word means reply: 답장 or 주소?
- Does a request to 확인하다 necessarily mean “reply”?
Show answers
- The method: by email. Add 주소 when you mean an address.
- 답장 means reply; 주소 means address.
- No. It means to check. Replying is 답장하다.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "email" in Korean?
Say 이메일 (imeil). In speech people often shorten it to 메일.
Is 이메일 the same as 메일?
They overlap. 이메일 is the standard form in writing, and 메일 is the common shortened form in speech.
What is the difference between 메일 and 우편?
우편 is postal mail. 메일 and 이메일 are electronic mail.
How do you ask for someone's email address?
Say 이메일 주소가 뭐예요?
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: daily life technology vocabulary groups 이메일 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 이메일 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- The paper counterpart is covered on the page for letter. See the page for letter.
- Next in the technology list is the page for internet. See the page for internet.