Key Facts
- Hangul: 사진; Revised Romanization: sajin
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 寫眞 (寫 copy + 眞 truth)
- Register: Neutral.
Photo in Korean: What Does 사진 Mean?
사진 means a photograph. It translates both "photo" and "picture", but only in the sense of a camera image: "take a picture" is 사진을 찍다. A hand-made image is 그림, and a moving recording is 영상, "video". In daily speech 사진 pairs with verbs about taking, sending and viewing, and with the studio word 사진관.
How Do You Pronounce It?
Two syllables: sa-jin. The ㅈ is a soft, unaspirated sound between "j" and "ch", and the ㅣ in the second syllable is a clean "ee".
Example Sentences with 사진
사진을 찍어요.
Sajineul jjigeoyo.
I take a photo.
찍어요 is the verb Koreans use for "taking" a photo. 찍다 also means "to stamp" or "press", and it starts with the tense ㅉ sound.
이 사진이 예뻐요.
I sajini yeppeoyo.
This photo is pretty.
A compliment on an image. 이 points at the photo, and 예뻐요 means "is pretty".
친구에게 사진을 보냈어요.
Chinguege sajineul bonaesseoyo.
I sent a photo to my friend.
A sharing sentence. 에게 marks the recipient, so 친구에게 means "to a friend", and 보냈어요 is "sent".
Common Phrases and Collocations
The three typical phrases are taking, sending and the studio place.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 사진을 찍다 | take a photo |
| 사진을 보내다 | send a photo |
| 사진관 | photo studio |
The Mistake to Avoid
Learners confuse 사진 (photograph) with 그림 (drawing or painting), because English "picture" covers both.
Wrong: 그림 for a photo on your phone
Correct: 사진 for anything taken with a camera; 그림 for an image drawn or painted by hand
사진 Compared with 그림 and 영상
Three kinds of images get three different words, and the way the image is made is the dividing line.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 사진 | photo | This page's word |
| 그림 | drawing/painting | Made by hand rather than by camera. |
| 영상 | video | A moving recording rather than a still photograph. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
사진 is Sino-Korean, written 寫眞 in hanja: 寫 (copy) plus 眞 (truth). A "true copy" is how early photography was understood.
Asking Someone to Take Your Photo
Two visitors are standing at a viewpoint. One asks the other to take a photo, then asks to have the result sent to them.
Mina
사진 좀 찍어 주세요.
Sajin jom jjigeo juseyo.
Could you take a photo, please?
Jisu
네, 여기 서세요.
Ne, yeogi seoseyo.
Sure. Please stand here.
Mina
사진도 보내 주세요.
Sajindo bonae juseyo.
Please send me the photo too.
Jisu
네, 지금 보낼게요.
Ne, jigeum bonaelgeyo.
Sure, I’ll send it now.
사진 좀 찍어 주세요 is a request for help taking a photo. 좀 literally means “a little”, but here it softens the request. The person holding the camera is doing the taking; the person asking may be the one appearing in the image.
사진도 adds 도, “also” or “too”: sending the photo is an extra request after taking it. The recipient is left out because the situation makes “to me” clear. The earlier 친구에게 example names a recipient explicitly.
Taking a Photo or Appearing in One?
사진을 찍다 focuses on taking the photograph. 사진에 나오다 means appearing in a photo. The first phrase concerns the person using the camera; the second concerns someone visible in the result. A group photo can show several people even though only one person took it.
사진이 잘 나오다 literally says that a photo “comes out well”. It means the photo turned out well, often including how someone looks in it. A friend commenting on the result is evaluating the image, not saying that a printed photo has emerged from a machine.
사진 한 장 means “one photo”. 장 counts flat items, including photographs. In a request to take a photo, this can count a shot even when the result is digital. You do not need a physical print for that expression.
Where Will You Encounter 사진?
A phone conversation about sharing images often uses 사진을 보내다, “send a photo”, or 사진을 올리다, “upload or post a photo”. Sending focuses on delivering it to someone; posting focuses on putting it on a site, account or shared space. The verb tells you what happens to the same image.
At a museum or exhibition, 사진 촬영 means photography. 촬영 금지 means photography or filming is prohibited; 사진 촬영 금지 makes the still-photo restriction explicit. These are notice-style noun phrases, so they omit the polite endings you would use when speaking to a visitor.
At a photo studio, 증명사진 means an ID photo and 여권 사진 means a passport photo. These expressions specify the purpose of the image. 가족사진, a family photo, specifies who is in it instead. Do not infer an image’s official use just because it was taken at a 사진관.
Words for Your Next Photo Conversation
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 카메라 | camera | The device used to take the image. |
| 셀카 | selfie | A common everyday word for a self-taken photo. |
| 사진첩 | photo album | Can refer to an album of saved photos. |
| 증명사진 | ID photo | Names a purpose, rather than a photographic style. |
Photography belongs with the activities in the hobby vocabulary lesson. 사진 remains neutral in all these settings: the request ending makes a sentence polite, while the noun stays the same. With a stranger, the full 찍어 주세요 request is more useful than calling out the noun alone.
Quick Self-Test
- Which verb goes with taking a photograph: 찍다 or 그리다?
- What does 사진이 잘 나오다 mean?
- What does 장 count in 사진 한 장?
Show answers
- 찍다. 그리다 is for drawing or painting.
- The photo turns out well.
- One photograph or shot, including a digital one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "photo" in Korean?
Say 사진 (sajin).
How do you say "take a photo"?
사진을 찍다 means "take a photo".
What is the difference between 사진 and 그림?
사진 is a photograph. 그림 is a drawing or painting.
What is a 사진관?
It is a photo studio, the shop where you have portraits or ID photos taken.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: hobby words groups 사진 with other leisure words.
- Index: Korean words A to Z lists every single-word page.
- Practice: add 사진 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Compare with the page for the word picture.