Key Facts
- Hangul: 사무실; Revised Romanization: samusil
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 事務室 (事 matter + 務 task + 室 room)
- Register: Neutral, everyday word used in both spoken and written Korean.
Office in Korean: What Does 사무실 Mean?
사무실 is an office, the physical room or set of rooms where people do office work. It is neutral and everyday. The staff there are 사무실 직원, and a telephone line to it has a 사무실 번호.
The phrase most learners need first is 사무실에서 일하다, to work in an office. Work of that kind is 사무직, a related word, and the organisation behind it is a 회사.
How Do You Pronounce It?
사무실 has three syllables, sa-mu-sil. The final syllable ends in ㄹ, a light l with the tongue tip touching behind the teeth.
When a vowel follows, that ㄹ moves across, so 사무실이 is heard as sa-mu-si-ri, which fits the romanization samusiri in the third example.
Listen to the headword here.
Example Sentences with 사무실
사무실은 이 층에 있어요.
Samusireun i cheunge isseoyo.
The office is on this floor.
이 층에 means "on this floor". The sentence gives a location and uses 있어요 for existing.
저는 사무실에서 일해요.
Jeoneun samusireseo ilhaeyo.
I work in an office.
에서 marks where the working happens. 일해요 is the polite form of work, so the sentence tells your job location.
사무실이 아주 깨끗해요.
Samusiri aju kkaekkeutaeyo.
The office is very clean.
깨끗해요 means clean. The speaker comments on the room, so it is the physical office that is clean.
Common Phrases and Collocations
These three phrases cover where you work, who works there and how to phone it.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 사무실에서 일하다 | to work in an office |
| 사무실 직원 | office staff |
| 사무실 번호 | office number |
The Mistake to Avoid
- Wrong: Saying 사무실 for the whole company.
- Correct: 사무실 is the office room. 회사 is the company.
If you answer a question about where you work with 사무실, a listener hears a room, not an employer.
사무실 Compared with 회사 and 사무직
The two neighbours below cover the company and the type of work.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 사무실 | office | The room where office work happens. |
| 회사 | company | The company as an organization. |
| 사무직 | office work | Office-type work as a job. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
사무실 is Sino-Korean, written 事務室 in hanja: 事 (matter) plus 務 (task) plus 室 (room). A room for tasks and matters is a good description of an office.
At Reception: Finding the Right Room
A visitor has reached the building but needs directions to an office. The receptionist identifies the floor and a nearby room.
Visitor
사무실이 어디에 있어요?
Samusiri eodie isseoyo?
Where is the office?
Receptionist
삼 층에 있어요.
Sam cheunge isseoyo.
It is on the third floor.
Visitor
회의실 옆이에요?
Hoeuisil yeopieyo?
Is it next to the meeting room?
Receptionist
네, 회의실 바로 옆이에요.
Ne, hoeuisil baro yeopieyo.
Yes, it is right next to the meeting room.
사무실이 asks about the office as a place. The answer can give a floor without repeating the noun. 옆 means “beside,” and 바로 adds “right”: the final line gives a more precise location than the floor number alone.
Where Will You See 사무실?
On a building directory or a door label, 사무실 identifies a working space. In a school, shop or warehouse, it can mean the room where administrative work happens, even when the building is not an office building. Look for the room label rather than assuming that every 사무실 belongs to a large company.
In conversation, 사무실 points to the physical workplace. If a colleague has left a bag there, the important fact is the location. 회사 can also refer to someone's workplace in everyday speech, but it can name the employer as well. A question about the company name needs the organization; a question about a forgotten bag needs the place.
Which Particle Goes with 사무실?
Use 사무실에 with 있어요 when saying someone or something is in the office. Use 사무실에서 with an action such as 일해요, “work.” The difference is visible in the existing examples: the location sentence has 에, while the work sentence has 에서.
For movement toward the office, 사무실로 means “to the office.” A noun ending in ㄹ takes 로 rather than 으로, so 사무실로 is the useful form to remember. The room stays the same; the particle changes whether you are locating something, describing work there or giving a destination.
Office Combinations beyond the Room Name
사무실 번호 usually means the office telephone number when people are exchanging contact details. On a floor plan, a numbered room may also be described by its number, so check whether the conversation concerns calling someone or finding a door. The noun 번호 alone means “number”; the situation supplies the type.
사무실 직원 refers to the people working in the office. 사무직 describes a type of job, usually clerical or administrative work. Someone doing 사무직 may work in a 사무실, but the first word answers “what kind of work?” and the second answers “where?”
회의실 shares the ending 실, “room,” with 사무실. Its purpose is meetings. A visitor told to wait in the 회의실 has been given a different destination from the staff working area, even if both rooms belong to the same company.
Words for Navigating an Office
| Korean | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 회의실 | meeting room | A separate space for discussions or presentations. |
| 책상 | desk | A piece of furniture inside the office. |
| 복사기 | photocopier | A machine you may need to locate at work. |
| 직원 | staff member | A person who works for the organization. |
The office vocabulary lesson groups workplace rooms, people and equipment. These words help turn a general question about the 사무실 into a specific request for a person or object.
Quick Self-Test
- Which particle fits “I work in the office”: 사무실에 or 사무실에서?
- Which names a type of work: 사무직 or 사무실?
- In an exchange of contact details, what does 사무실 번호 usually mean?
Show answers
- 사무실에서, because working is an action at that location.
- 사무직 names the job type.
- The office telephone number.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say office in Korean?
Say 사무실 (samusil).
How do you say "I work in an office"?
Say 저는 사무실에서 일해요.
What is the difference between 사무실 and 회사?
사무실 is the office room, while 회사 is the company.
What does the last part 실 mean?
It comes from the hanja 室, which means room.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: office vocabulary. 사무실 is part of the office vocabulary list.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 사무실 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next: the word for overtime. The next entry follows the office day into the evening: the word for overtime.
- Compare: 회사. See the page for 회사 as well.