Key Facts
- Hangul: 아침; Revised Romanization: achim
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native Korean
- Register: Neutral, everyday native word.
Morning in Korean: What Does 아침 Mean?
아침 has two senses: morning and breakfast. It is a neutral, everyday native word, and the verb usually tells you which sense you have: 아침을 먹다 is a meal, and 아침 일찍 is a time. The word 아침밥 is the more specific term for the meal alone, and 오전 is the clock-time a.m. used with exact hours.
How Do You Pronounce 아침?
Two syllables, a-chim. The ch is aspirated ㅊ, released with a clear puff of air, and the final ㅁ closes the lips.
Example Sentences with 아침
아침에 일찍 일어나요.
Achime iljjik ireonayo
I get up early in the morning.
A routine: 아침에 means in the morning, 일찍 means early, and 일어나요 means get up.
아침을 먹었어요?
Achimeul meogeosseoyo
Did you have breakfast?
Here 아침 is breakfast: the verb 먹었어요 (ate) shows the meal meaning. Like asking about lunch, this is also a friendly greeting.
아침 일곱 시에 학교에 가요.
Achim ilgop sie hakgyoe gayo
I go to school at seven in the morning.
A clock time: 아침 일곱 시 is seven in the morning. 아침 before the hour works like 오전, but only for early hours.
Common Phrases and Collocations
아침을 먹다 is to eat breakfast, 아침 식사 is the formal breakfast, 아침 일찍 is early in the morning and 매일 아침 is every morning.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 아침을 먹다 | to eat breakfast |
| 아침 식사 | breakfast (formal) |
| 아침 일찍 | early in the morning |
| 매일 아침 | every morning |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ reading 아침 먹었어요? as "Did you eat in the morning?"
Correct: ✓ 아침 먹었어요? = "Did you have breakfast?"
Why: 아침 is also the word for breakfast. With a verb of eating, it is the meal, not the time.
아침 Compared with Similar Words
Three neighbours split the morning and the meal differently.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 새벽 | dawn | 새벽 is the dark hours before sunrise, earlier than 아침. |
| 오전 | a.m. | 오전 is the clock-time morning, used with hours up to noon. |
| 아침밥 | breakfast | 아침밥 only means the meal, never the time. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
아침 is a native Korean word with no hanja. The double meaning is a common pattern: the Korean words for lunch and for evening also name both a time of day and its meal.
Breakfast before Leaving Home
Two housemates are getting ready to leave. The first question is about a meal; the last question switches to the time they will leave.
Housemate A
아침 먹었어요?
Achim meogeosseoyo?
Have you had breakfast?
Housemate B
아직 안 먹었어요.
Ajik an meogeosseoyo.
I haven’t eaten yet.
Housemate A
같이 먹어요.
Gachi meogeoyo.
Let’s eat together.
Housemate B
좋아요. 몇 시에 나가요?
Joayo. Myeot sie nagayo?
Sounds good. What time are we leaving?
The shorter 아침 먹었어요? leaves out the object marker 을. This is natural in conversation when the meal is clear. Adding 을, as in the earlier example, gives the same basic meaning. 아직 means “yet”; it explains that breakfast has not happened so far, rather than saying the person never eats breakfast.
Where Will You See 아침?
At a hotel, 아침 식사 points to breakfast service. You may also see 조식, a more formal word for breakfast, in booking details. 조식 포함 means breakfast included. It tells you about the room package; it does not tell you whether the meal is a buffet or served at the table.
In a conversation about work or school, 오늘 아침 means “this morning” and 내일 아침 means “tomorrow morning”. These phrases place an event within a particular day. 매일 아침 describes a repeated routine instead. Put the day first: 내일 아침, rather than copying the English order “morning tomorrow”.
For a precise appointment, 오전 works with clock times across the hours before noon. 아침 sounds more connected to waking, breakfast and the early part of the day. An eleven o’clock appointment is naturally 오전 열한 시; calling it 아침 depends more on the speaker’s routine and the situation.
What Do 아침부터 and 아침을 거르다 Mean?
아침부터 means “from the morning” or “since morning”. The marker 부터 gives a starting point. In complaints, the phrase can convey “already, this early in the day”, but the irritation comes from the surrounding sentence and tone. The phrase itself simply starts the timeline in the morning.
아침을 거르다 means “to skip breakfast”. Here the verb 거르다 makes the meal meaning clear. 아침을 먹다 and 아침을 거르다 are useful opposites: one says the meal happened, and the other says someone went without it. Neither expression describes the clock time when a later meal was eaten.
좋은 아침 means “good morning” and appears in friendly messages and greetings. 안녕하세요 is a dependable greeting when meeting someone politely in the morning, too. Korean does not require a different greeting for each part of the day, so recognizing 아침 does not mean you must use it every time you say hello.
Time and Meal Words to Learn Together
| Korean | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 점심 | lunch; midday | Like 아침, it can name a meal or a time. |
| 저녁 | dinner; evening | The verb helps separate the meal from the time. |
| 조식 | breakfast | Common in hotel and accommodation information. |
| 오후 | p.m.; afternoon | Pairs with 오전 for clock-time schedules. |
The time expressions lesson places morning alongside other parts of the day. Remember the pair 아침에 and 아침을: 에 places an action in the morning, while 을 marks breakfast as the meal someone eats or skips.
Quick Self-Test
- In 아침 먹었어요?, is 아침 a time or a meal?
- Which phrase means “tomorrow morning”?
- Does 조식 포함 promise a buffet?
Show answers
- A meal: “Have you had breakfast?”
- 내일 아침.
- No. It says breakfast is included, without specifying the serving style.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "morning" in Korean?
Say 아침 (achim). For in the morning, add 에: 아침에. For every morning, say 매일 아침.
Does 아침 mean breakfast?
Yes. With a verb of eating it means breakfast: 아침을 먹다 is to eat breakfast, and 아침 먹었어요? asks if someone has had breakfast.
What is the word for dawn?
새벽 is dawn or the early hours around daybreak. 새벽 다섯 시 emphasizes how early 5 a.m. is; 아침 다섯 시 is also possible. The boundary is not a fixed clock time.
How do you say "every morning"?
Say 매일 아침, literally every day morning. 매일 means every day.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Time expressions groups 아침 with its neighbours.
- Browse the Korean words A to Z index for more time words.
- Drill 아침 in the vocabulary flashcard decks.