Key Facts
- 세일 (seil) means a sale or discount event in a shop.
- Part of speech: noun; origin: loanword.
- Register: neutral, casual loanword, often used with 하다 or 중.
- Level: A1.
Sale in Korean: What Does 세일 Mean?
세일 is a loanword from English, so you will recognise it quickly. It is casual and often paired with 하다 or 중. It names the event, the period when a shop lowers prices, rather than the price cut itself.
How Do You Pronounce 세일?
Say se-il in two clear beats, close to the English word. In 세일해요 the ㅎ is weak, so the verb sounds close to se-i-rae-yo.
How Do You Use 세일 in a Sentence?
오늘 세일해요.
There is a sale today.
oneul seilhaeyo. 오늘 is today, and 세일해요 turns the noun into a verb by adding 하다. This is the shop-window sentence: a sale is on right now.
세일 기간에 옷을 샀어요.
I bought clothes during the sale.
seil gigane oseul sasseoyo. 기간 means period, so 세일 기간 is the sale window. The verb 샀어요 is bought, in the past tense, which fits a purchase already made.
백화점이 세일 중이에요.
The department store is having a sale.
baekhwajeomi seil jungieyo. Here 중 means in the middle of something, so 세일 중이에요 says the store is currently on sale. The subject is 백화점, the department store.
Common Word Combinations
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 세일하다 | to have a sale |
| 세일 기간 | sale period |
| 세일 중 | on sale |
| 바겐세일 | bargain sale |
세일하다 and 세일 중 both state that a sale is happening, one as a verb and one as a status. 세일 기간 names the window. 바겐세일 is the bargain sale, a stronger, more promotional label you will see on banners.
Common Mistake
- Wrong: 세일을 받다 for "get a discount"
- Right: 할인을 받다 (to get a discount)
세일 is the sale event, so it is not something you receive.
How Does 세일 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | Meaning | How to tell it from 세일 |
|---|---|---|
| 할인 | discount | 할인 is the reduction in price. Pay attention to the verb: you get a 할인, but a shop has a 세일. |
| 특가 | special price | 특가 is a special promotional price. 세일 names the sale event, which may cover selected products rather than the whole shop. |
Checking Whether a Jacket Is Included
A customer sees a sale banner but wants to check one jacket. The shop assistant confirms the item is included and explains when the event ends.
Customer
이 재킷도 세일해요?
I jaekitdo seilhaeyo?
Is this jacket on sale too?
Assistant
네. 지금 세일 중이에요.
Ne. Jigeum seil jungieyo.
Yes. It is on sale now.
Customer
세일은 언제까지예요?
Seireun eonjekkajiyeyo?
When does the sale end?
Assistant
이번 주 일요일까지예요.
Ibeon ju iryoilkkajiyeyo.
Until this Sunday.
도 in 재킷도 means “also” or “too”: the shopper is checking whether this item joins the others in the promotion. 언제까지 asks for the end point, and 일요일까지 supplies it. A sale banner does not answer either question by itself. The useful follow-up is whether your particular item is included and when that price ends.
How Do You Read Sale Language?
정기 세일 means a regular or scheduled sale. 시즌 오프 means an end-of-season sale, often used for clothes. Both describe the kind of event, while 세일 기간 gives its time window. These are shopping labels rather than idioms with a hidden figurative meaning.
세일 상품 means an item included in a sale. The label narrows the claim to particular goods: a shop can run a 세일 without reducing every item. When you see 일부 품목, meaning “selected items”, look for which products actually carry the reduced price.
English “sale” also means the act of selling, but Korean 세일 normally points to reduced prices. 판매 is the word to recognise for selling or sales activity. A notice saying 판매 중 means something is being sold; 세일 중 announces a price promotion. That difference matters when a listing merely says an item is available.
Where Will You See 세일?
Store windows, shopping apps and department-store banners use 세일 as a short headline. A date range beside it gives the promotion period. The product page or price label supplies the actual reduction; the word 세일 alone tells you neither the percentage nor the final amount you will pay.
할인율 means discount rate, and 할인가 means discounted price. If an advertisement shows an original price crossed out beside a new price, the latter is the figure to compare with your budget. A 세일 can involve a percentage reduction, a fixed reduction or selected special prices, so read the offer attached to the item.
The loanword is ordinary shopping vocabulary, not slang restricted to friends. In a store, 세일해요? is a polite everyday question. A banner may use only 세일 or 세일 중 because signs often leave out complete sentence endings. That short sign style is useful to recognise, even when you ask a full question aloud.
Shopping Words to Learn beside 세일
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 가격 | price | Ask about the amount before paying. |
| 정가 | regular; list price | The reference price before a reduction. |
| 할인가 | discounted price | The price after the stated discount. |
| 품절 | sold out | A promotion does not guarantee stock. |
| 판매 | sale; selling | Describes selling rather than a discount event. |
The shopping vocabulary lesson teaches the wider set. Together, these labels let you separate three questions: whether an item is available, whether its price is reduced, and what it costs now.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 판매 중 promise a discount?
- What does 세일 기간 identify?
- Which phrase asks when a sale ends: 세일은 언제까지예요? or 오늘 세일해요?
Show answers
- No. It means the item is being sold.
- The time period of the sale.
- 세일은 언제까지예요? asks for the end date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 세일 an English Word?
Yes. It is a loanword from English "sale", which is why it sounds so close.
How Do I Say 'the Shop Is on Sale'?
Say 세일 중이에요, as in 백화점이 세일 중이에요.
Can I Use 세일 as a Verb?
Yes, add 하다 to get 세일하다, to have a sale.
What Is 바겐세일?
A bargain sale, a promotional label you will see on banners.
Where to Go Next
세일 belongs to the daily life shopping vocabulary list. The most useful neighbour is the discount word, which you should read next. Then try the shopping word or return to Korean words A to Z.