Key Facts
- Hangul: 저녁; Revised Romanization: jeonyeok
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native
- Register: Neutral, everyday native word.
Evening in Korean: What Does 저녁 Mean?
저녁 has two senses: the early part of the night around sunset, and the evening meal. It is a neutral, everyday word. The particle or verb usually tells you which sense is meant: 저녁에 is a time, while 저녁을 먹다 is a meal.
How Do You Pronounce 저녁?
Two syllables: jeo-nyeok. Jeo has a vowel like the "u" in "fun". The second syllable ends in a k sound that is held, not released. Before a vowel that ㄱ links forward as g, so 저녁에 is said jeo-nyeo-ge.
Example Sentences with 저녁
저녁에 뭐 해요?
Jeonyeoge mwo haeyo
What are you doing in the evening?
A friendly opener: 에 marks the time, and 뭐 해요 asks "what are you doing".
저녁을 먹었어요.
Jeonyeogeul meogeosseoyo
I had dinner.
Here 저녁 is the meal, not the time. The object marker 을 shows it is something eaten.
오늘 저녁에 만나요.
Oneul jeonyeoge mannayo
Let's meet this evening.
오늘 저녁 means this evening, and 만나요 in a suggestion means let's meet.
Common Phrases with 저녁
Four phrases cover plans and meals. 저녁 식사 is the more formal dinner word.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 저녁을 먹다 | to eat dinner |
| 저녁 식사 | dinner (formal) |
| 저녁 시간 | evening time |
| 오늘 저녁 | this evening |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ reading 저녁 먹었어요? as "Did you eat in the evening?"
Correct: ✓ 저녁 먹었어요? = "Did you have dinner?"
Why: 저녁 is also the word for the evening meal. With a verb of eating, it is the meal, not the time.
저녁 Compared with Similar Words
Time-of-day neighbours line up in order: 오후 comes before 저녁, and 밤 comes after it.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 밤 | night | 밤 is later than 저녁, the dark hours when people sleep. |
| 오후 | afternoon/p.m. | 오후 is the afternoon before 저녁; on a clock it covers the evening too. |
| 저녁 식사 | dinner (formal) | 저녁 식사 only means the meal, and sounds more formal. |
Where Does 저녁 Come From?
저녁 is a native Korean word with no hanja. Like the word for morning, which also means breakfast, it names a meal by the time of day it is eaten.
Making Dinner Plans after Work
Jisu
오늘 저녁에 시간 있어요?
Oneul jeonyeoge sigan isseoyo?
Do you have time this evening?
Mina
네. 같이 저녁 먹을까요?
Ne. Gachi jeonyeok meogeulkkayo?
Yes. Shall we have dinner together?
Jisu
좋아요. 일곱 시에 만나요.
Joayo. Ilgop sie mannayo.
Sounds good. Let us meet at seven.
Mina
그럼 식당 앞에서 봐요.
Geureom sikdang apeseo bwayo.
Then I will see you in front of the restaurant.
오늘 저녁에 means “this evening”; 저녁 먹을까요 asks whether to have dinner. 에 marks the time, while 먹다 identifies the meal.
일곱 시 means seven o'clock. Because the friends are making evening plans, they understand seven in the evening. In a written schedule without that shared context, 오후 7시 makes the intended time explicit. 식당 앞에서 then identifies the meeting place in front of the restaurant.
Dinner Plans or Evening Plans?
저녁 약속 means an evening appointment or plan. It often involves dinner, but the phrase alone does not guarantee a meal. Someone could have an evening meeting or another commitment. 저녁 식사 약속 explicitly identifies a dinner arrangement.
저녁을 준비하다 means preparing dinner, and 저녁을 차리다 means getting dinner ready or setting it out. In these combinations, 저녁 is the meal. The verbs describe arranging food, rather than preparing for a time on the clock. 저녁 준비, “dinner preparation”, is a shorter noun phrase you may hear at home.
저녁 메뉴 means the dinner menu or what is planned for dinner. In a family conversation, asking about it concerns the food to be eaten. At a restaurant, it can label the dishes or set menu offered in the evening. The setting tells you whether 메뉴 refers to a printed list or the meal choice itself.
How Does 저녁 Differ from 밤?
저녁 typically points to the early part of the night around the evening meal. 밤 covers the dark hours more broadly and often suggests a later time. The boundary is flexible: a speaker's activities and the situation matter more than a universal cut-off hour.
저녁 늦게 means “late in the evening”. It gives a later point within the evening without stating an exact clock time. If you are arranging a collection, reservation or meeting, add the hour instead of expecting 저녁 alone to tell the listener precisely when.
오후 is also the label for p.m. on a clock. 오후 7시 and 저녁 7시 can therefore refer to the same hour. The first uses the clock's division after noon; the second names the part of the day. 오후 in this kind of time expression extends beyond the everyday idea of “afternoon”.
Where Will You Hear 저녁?
At home, 저녁 appears in questions about eating and preparing food. Among coworkers, it appears when arranging after-work plans. Restaurant notices can use 저녁 식사 to identify evening dining. In each case, nearby verbs and nouns tell you whether the subject is a meal or a time.
저녁 is neutral and has no special honorific replacement for its time meaning. When asking a respected person about dinner, the eating verb can become 드시다: 저녁 드셨어요? means “Have you had dinner?” The respectful verb concerns the person eating; it does not change which meal you mean.
Related Words for a Day's Meals and Times
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 아침 | morning / breakfast | Like 저녁, it can name a time or a meal. |
| 점심 | lunch | Names the midday meal. |
| 밤 | night | Useful for later plans and the dark hours. |
| 식사 | meal | Makes the meal sense explicit in 저녁 식사. |
The time expressions lesson teaches the wider set for daily plans. Matching the time expression with a clock hour makes invitations easier to act on.
Quick Self-Test
- In 오늘 저녁에 만나요, is 저녁 a meal or a time?
- Does 저녁 약속 always promise a meal?
- Can 오후 7시 and 저녁 7시 refer to the same time?
Show answers
- A time: this evening.
- No. It can mean an evening commitment; 저녁 식사 약속 specifies dinner.
- Yes. Both can mean seven in the evening.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "evening" in Korean?
Say 저녁 (jeonyeok). For in the evening add 에: 저녁에. For this evening, say 오늘 저녁.
Does 저녁 also mean dinner?
Yes. 저녁을 먹었어요 means "I had dinner", and 저녁 먹었어요? is a common friendly question, similar to asking how someone's day went.
What is the formal word for dinner?
저녁 식사 is the more formal word. You see it on invitations and menus, while 저녁 alone is normal in conversation.
How do you say "this evening"?
Say 오늘 저녁, literally today evening. With 에 it becomes 오늘 저녁에, as in 오늘 저녁에 만나요 (Let's meet this evening).
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: time expressions vocabulary groups 저녁 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 저녁 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- The next time of day is on the page for night. See the page for night.
- The earlier slot is on the page for p.m. See the page for p.m..