Key Facts
- 좋아요 (joayo) means like.
- Part of speech: noun (also verb form); origin: native.
- Register: As a verb form, 좋아요 is the polite 해요체 of 좋다; as a noun it names the 'like' button on social media.
- Level: A1.
Like in Korean: What Does 좋아요 Mean?
좋아요 has two jobs. As a verb form it is the polite 해요체 (the everyday polite style) of 좋다, meaning "it is good" or "I like it". As a noun it names the like button on social media and the likes a post collects; this noun is the polite verb form frozen into a name.
How Do You Pronounce 좋아요?
Three syllables: jo, a, yo. The ㅎ at the bottom of 좋 is silent here because a vowel follows, so the word sounds like jo-a-yo, and the RR joayo drops the h too.
How Do You Use 좋아요 in a Sentence?
이 사진에 좋아요를 눌렀어요.
I pressed like on this photo.
I sajine joayoreul nulleosseoyo The object marker 를 follows 좋아요, so here it is a noun, the button, and 눌렀어요 means pressed. This is the social media sense.
좋아요가 백 개예요.
There are one hundred likes.
Joayoga baek gaeyeyo 백 개 counts the likes, and the subject marker 가 follows 좋아요. 예요 states the total.
저는 한국 음식이 좋아요.
I like Korean food.
Jeoneun hanguk eumsigi joayo Now it is the verb form. The subject here is food, which takes 이, and the speaker is marked with 는. Korean says that food is pleasing to me.
Common Word Combinations
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 좋아요를 누르다 | to press like |
| 좋아요를 받다 | to receive likes |
| 좋아요 수 | number of likes |
| 좋아요와 구독 | likes and subscriptions |
Press, receive and count are the social media phrases, and the last row pairs likes with subscriptions the way video channels do. In all four rows 좋아요 is the noun.
Common Mistake
Learners put the object marker 을 or 를 on the thing they like and then end with 좋아요.
Wrong: the liked thing marked with 을 or 를, followed by 좋아요.
Correct: 저는 한국 음식이 좋아요, with 이 or 가, because 좋다 means "is good (to me)". If you want 을 or 를, switch to 좋아해요, from 좋아하다.
How Does 좋아요 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | Meaning | How to tell it from 좋아요 |
|---|---|---|
| 좋아하다 | to like | Takes an object, marked with 을 or 를. |
| 좋다 | to be good | Takes 이 or 가, like the verb behind 좋아요. |
| 하트 | heart | The other like icon on many apps. |
After Posting a Photo: Talking about Likes
Two coworkers are looking at a newly posted photo. The conversation moves from judging the picture to talking about the like button.
Jisu
이 사진 어때요?
I sajin eottaeyo?
What do you think of this photo?
Alex
좋아요. 어디에서 찍었어요?
Joayo. Eodieseo jjigeosseoyo?
It’s nice. Where did you take it?
Jisu
부산에서 찍었어요. 좋아요도 눌러 주세요.
Busaneseo jjigeosseoyo. Joayodo nulleo juseyo.
I took it in Busan. Please give it a like too.
Alex
벌써 눌렀어요.
Beolsseo nulleosseoyo.
I already did.
Alex's first 좋아요 is a complete comment: the photo is good. Jisu's 좋아요도 is a noun followed by 도, “too”. The verb 눌러 주세요 makes it a request to press the button. You can hear the same word twice and identify two different jobs from the surrounding sentence.
How Does 좋아요 Express Agreement?
If someone suggests a meeting place or a time, 좋아요 can mean “Sounds good” or “Okay”. You are accepting the suggestion. It need not mean you have a lasting preference for that place or time. A short answer works because the previous speaker has already supplied what you are agreeing to.
With a description, the thing being good can be quite concrete. 날씨가 좋아요 means “The weather is nice”. 기분이 좋아요 means “I feel good” or “I’m in a good mood”. Both use 가, and neither describes pressing a button. The noun before 좋아요 tells you what is good.
When 좋아요 answers a personal suggestion, tone and context can make it enthusiastic or simply accepting. The word is polite because it ends in 요, but it is still an everyday response. To close friends, the shorter 좋아 is casual. On an app, however, the button label 좋아요 stays the same whoever is looking at it.
Phrases You Will See around the Button
좋아요 수 means “number of likes”. 수 is the number or count, so this label concerns a total. 좋아요를 받다 means receiving likes; 좋아요를 누르다 means pressing like. One describes the response a post gets, while the other describes what a viewer does.
좋아요 취소 means undoing or removing a like. 취소 means cancellation, so it does not tell you to delete the post itself. On an interface, a short noun phrase can name an action without a full polite sentence.
좋아요와 구독 pairs “likes and subscriptions”. A video creator may ask for both, but they are separate actions. Liking a video expresses a reaction to that item; subscribing follows the channel. Understanding the second noun prevents you from treating the whole phrase as one button name.
Where Will You Hear or See 좋아요?
You will see 좋아요 as a button label, beside counts and in requests beneath videos. In these settings, the word often behaves as a noun even though it looks like a polite sentence ending. The example 좋아요가 백 개예요 counts likes with 개, just as you might count other individual items.
In spoken conversation, a reply of 좋아요 usually comments on something or accepts a plan. If a person asks what you think of food, the reply can mean you like it. To say a specific person likes something, 좋아하다 is often useful because it directly names the feeling of liking and takes an object.
Related Social-Media Words
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 댓글 | comment | A written response rather than a like. |
| 구독 | subscription | Following a channel's content. |
| 공유 | sharing | Passing a post or link to others. |
| 게시물 | post | The item that receives reactions. |
| 하트 | heart | A symbol often used for a like or affection. |
The social media lesson teaches the wider interface vocabulary. These labels help you distinguish reacting, replying and sharing.
Quick Self-Test
- In 좋아요를 눌렀어요, is 좋아요 a noun or a sentence-ending description?
- What can 좋아요 mean after someone suggests a meeting time?
- Does 좋아요 취소 mean deleting the original post?
Show answers
- A noun: the like button or action.
- “Sounds good” or “Okay”.
- No. It means undoing the like.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does 좋아요 Mean?
As a verb form it means "I like it" or "it is good", and as a noun it names the like button.
Which Marker Goes with It?
이 or 가, because it comes from 좋다.
How Do I Say I Pressed Like?
Say 좋아요를 눌렀어요.
Which Verb Takes an Object?
좋아하다, with 을 or 를.
Where to Go Next
Open social media vocabulary for more online words, and see heart for the other like icon.