Key Facts
- Hangul: 노래방; Revised Romanization: noraebang
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: mixed; only 방 has a hanja, 房 (room)
- Register: Neutral; a private room for singing with friends.
Karaoke in Korean: What Does 노래방 Mean?
노래방 means a karaoke room and karaoke in general. The register is neutral. It is a private room you rent for singing with friends, so the word names a place as well as an activity.
How Do You Pronounce 노래방?
Romanized noraebang. Three syllables, no-rae-bang, with the final ng sound in the last syllable. The word joins 노래 and 방 into one compound.
Example Sentences with 노래방
친구들과 노래방에 가요.
chingudeulgwa noraebange gayo.
I go to a karaoke room with friends.
A plan with friends. 친구들 is friends, and 가요 is go. The ending 에 after the room shows the destination.
노래방에서 노래를 불러요.
noraebangeseo noraereul bulleoyo.
I sing at the karaoke room.
노래를 불러요 means sing a song. The ending 에서 marks where the action happens.
회식 후에 노래방에 갔어요.
hoesik hue noraebange gasseoyo.
After the company dinner we went to karaoke.
회식 is a company dinner, and 후에 means after. The line shows karaoke as the usual next stop after a work meal.
Common Phrases and Collocations
The three collocations are going to karaoke, the coin-operated variant and the machine.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 노래방에 가다 | go to karaoke |
| 코인 노래방 | coin karaoke |
| 노래방 기계 | karaoke machine |
The Mistake to Avoid
Learners picture a bar with a stage and an audience.
Wrong: imagining 노래방 as a karaoke bar where you sing to strangers
Correct: a 노래방 is a private room rented by your group, so you sing only for each other
노래방 Compared with Similar Words
The word is built from two smaller words. 노래 is a song, and 방 is a room. Put together they make a singing room, which is the whole meaning.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 노래 | song | song |
| 방 | room | room |
Where Does the Word Come From?
The origin is mixed. 노래 is a native word, while 방 comes from the hanja 房, meaning room, so only the 방 part is Sino-Korean.
Cultural Note
Karaoke rooms are a common after-dinner outing and rented by the hour.
Asking for a Karaoke Room
A customer and a staff member arrange a room for two. The customer asks about the hourly rate, and the staff member checks the size of the group.
Customer
노래방 한 시간에 얼마예요?
Noraebang han sigane eolmayeyo?
How much is karaoke for an hour?
Staff
네. 몇 분이세요?
Ne. Myeot buniseyo?
Yes. How many people are in your party?
Customer
두 명이요.
Du myeongiyo.
Two people.
Staff
한 시간에 이만 원이에요.
Han sigane iman wonieyo.
It is twenty thousand won for an hour.
The price is just the amount in this conversation. Ask at the venue rather than assuming every 노래방 charges the same. 몇 분이세요 is the staff member’s respectful way to ask how many people there are; the customer can answer simply with 두 명이요.
Compare the two uses of 에. In the earlier 노래방에 가요, 에 marks the destination. 한 시간에 gives the rate per hour. Neither phrase describes singing yet. Once the singing begins, 노래방에서 marks the place where that action happens, as in the earlier example.
Words on the Song Controller
노래를 예약하다 means “to queue a song” in a karaoke room. 예약 usually means a reservation, but on the controller it adds a song to the upcoming list. It does not mean you have booked the room itself. The object 노래 makes the intended action clear.
취소 means cancel. You may see it beside a button that removes a song or stops the current selection. 시작 means start. These short labels help you use the machine even before you can read every instruction. A song’s number is 곡 번호; 곡 counts or refers to musical pieces.
애창곡 is a favourite song someone enjoys singing. It may come up when friends ask what you will choose. The word refers to a person’s singing favourite, so it need not be the newest song or the song they listen to most often.
Where You Will See 노래방
노래방 appears on storefronts and in invitations after a meal. A friend suggesting it is proposing a place to sing together. In a drama, the move from a restaurant to a 노래방 can signal that an outing continues; the word alone does not tell you whether everyone wants to join.
코인 노래방 identifies a coin-style karaoke venue, often used for short singing sessions. Read the payment instructions: some arrangements count songs, while others sell time. The name is a useful clue about the format, rather than a complete explanation of the venue’s rules.
노래방 is an ordinary noun, so it works in both polite and casual invitations. 노래방에 가요 can be a statement or a suggestion depending on context and tone. With a new acquaintance, the polite ending in the examples is a useful choice.
Words for Your Turn at the Microphone
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 마이크 | microphone | The item passed to the next singer. |
| 리모컨 | remote control | Used to search for and select songs. |
| 가사 | song lyrics | The words displayed while you sing. |
| 박수 | applause | Clapping to encourage a singer. |
The culture vocabulary lesson places 노래방 among social activities. Learn 가사 alongside 노래: liking a song and knowing its lyrics are different things when it becomes your turn to sing.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 노래방 name a song or a place to sing?
- On a karaoke controller, what does 노래를 예약하다 mean?
- Which particle fits singing at the venue: 노래방에 or 노래방에서?
Show answers
- A place to sing; 노래 is the song.
- To queue a song.
- 노래방에서, because it marks where the action happens.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say karaoke in Korean?
Say 노래방 (noraebang), a karaoke room.
Is a 노래방 a bar?
No. It is a private room for singing with friends.
How do you say "go to karaoke"?
Say 노래방에 가다, as in 노래방에 가요.
What is a coin karaoke?
코인 노래방 is the coin-operated kind.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Culture traditional vocabulary groups 노래방 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Compare with 노래, the song.
- Compare with 방, the room.
- Related: kimchi-making, another group custom.