Key Facts
- Hangul: 저축 (jeochuk)
- Meaning: savings; saving money
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Register: neutral; used with 하다 for the act of saving money
- Hanja: 貯蓄 (貯 store + 蓄 accumulate)
- Level: B1
Savings in Korean: What Does 저축 Mean?
저축 combines two hanja, store and accumulate, which is exactly what saving is. Add 하다 and you get 저축하다, to save money. The noun alone names the habit or the sum. Two nearby words are easy to mix up. 예금 is money held in a bank deposit, so it is one place where savings can sit. 절약 is using less of something, such as money or electricity, which is about spending rather than putting aside.
How Do You Pronounce 저축?
저축 is jeo-chuk. The ㅊ is aspirated, and the final ㄱ is not released, so the word ends on a closed stop. With the object marker it links across: 저축을 is jeochugeul. With 하다 the ㄱ meets ㅎ and becomes aspirated, which is why 저축해요 is written jeochukaeyo in the Revised Romanization.
How Do You Use 저축 in a Sentence?
매달 저축해요.
I save money every month.
maedal jeochukaeyo. 매달 저축해요 says I save money every month. 매달 is every month, and 저축해요 is 저축하다 in the polite present.
저축을 시작했어요.
I started saving.
jeochugeul sijakaesseoyo. 저축을 시작했어요 says I started saving. 을 marks 저축 as the object of 시작했어요, and the ㅎ of 했어요 aspirates the ㄱ before it, giving sijakaesseoyo.
저축 통장을 만들었어요.
I opened a savings account.
jeochuk tongjangeul mandeureosseoyo. 저축 통장을 만들었어요 says I opened a savings account. 통장 is the bankbook or account, and 만들었어요 is made, the usual verb for opening one.
Common Word Combinations
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 저축하다 | to save money |
| 저축 통장 | savings account |
| 저축 습관 | saving habit |
| 저축을 늘리다 | to increase savings |
저축하다 is the verb to save money, and 저축 통장 is a savings account. 저축 습관 is a saving habit, and 저축을 늘리다 is to increase savings. Notice that 늘리다 pairs with 저축 to mean grow, so it points at the amount rather than the act.
Common Mistake
Mix-up: Treating 저축 and 절약 as the same thing.
Instead: 저축 is putting money aside. 절약 is spending less. You can combine them: 절약해서 저축하다, to save by spending less.
Think of 절약 as the way and 저축 as the result.
How Does 저축 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | Meaning | How it differs from 저축 |
|---|---|---|
| 예금 | deposit | Money held in a bank deposit. 저축 is the broader idea of setting money aside. |
| 절약 | saving (frugality) | Using less of something, such as money or electricity. |
Talking about a Travel Fund
Two friends discuss how one is putting money aside for a trip. The amount is an example for the conversation, rather than a suggested savings target.
Mina
여행 가려고 저축해요?
Yeohaeng garyeogo jeochukaeyo?
Are you saving to go on a trip?
Alex
네. 매달 십만 원씩 저축해요.
Ne. Maedal simman wonssik jeochukaeyo.
Yes. I save one hundred thousand won each month.
Mina
따로 통장을 만들었어요?
Ttaro tongjangeul mandeureosseoyo?
Did you open a separate account?
Alex
네. 여행 자금을 모으고 있어요.
Ne. Yeohaeng jageumeul moeugo isseoyo.
Yes. I’m building up my travel fund.
매달 gives the monthly rhythm. 씩 after the amount means “each”, so 십만 원씩 describes repeated amounts being set aside. 여행 자금 names the money’s purpose: a travel fund. The final line uses 모으다, “collect” or “build up”, to describe the same ongoing plan.
Phrases for Habits, Amounts and Goals
저축 습관 means “a saving habit”. 습관 identifies a repeated behavior, rather than a bank product. Someone describing 매달 저축해요 is talking about that kind of routine. The noun 저축 can therefore concern what a person does as well as money already accumulated.
저축을 늘리다 means “increase saving” or “increase savings”. In a conversation about monthly income, it may refer to putting aside a larger amount each month. When talking about money accumulated over time, it can concern growing the total. The surrounding time expression tells you which focus is intended.
돈을 모으다 literally means “collect money”, and in personal money talk it often means “save up”. 모으다 emphasizes accumulation toward an amount or purpose. 저축하다 more directly names saving as an activity. The travel dialogue uses both without introducing two unrelated goals.
푼돈을 모으다 means “save up small amounts of money”. 푼돈 is a small sum. The phrase focuses on small contributions accumulating, without promising a particular result. It is useful in stories about how someone paid for a purchase over time.
Where Will You See 저축?
Bank information, household budget discussions and articles about money habits use 저축. 저축 목표 means “savings goal”, and 저축액 means “amount saved” or “savings amount”. 목표 names the aim; 액 points to an amount of money. Those endings help you distinguish a plan from a figure.
A bank may use more specific terms than the broad English phrase “savings account”. 적금 commonly refers to saving through regular deposits over a set period. 예금 is a broader deposit term. Learning 저축 first gives you the overall activity, while the product name tells you more about the arrangement.
통장 literally refers to a bankbook and also appears in everyday talk about an account. That is why 저축 통장을 만들었어요 can be translated as “I opened a savings account”. The Korean sentence uses “made” where English uses “opened”.
절약 and 저축 can describe separate steps. Spending less on something is 절약; putting the money aside is 저축. A person may cut an expense and spend the difference elsewhere, so the first action does not automatically mean that savings grew.
Money Words around a Saving Plan
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 적금 | regular-deposit savings | Names a more specific saving arrangement. |
| 잔액 | balance | The amount remaining in an account. |
| 이자 | interest | Appears in descriptions of deposits and loans. |
| 목표 | goal / target | Combines with 저축 to name a saving aim. |
The money vocabulary lesson groups saving with deposits, spending and withdrawals. When reading a bank screen, distinguish the action 저축 from an account’s 잔액 and from the name of a particular product.
Quick Self-Test
- Is spending less on electricity 저축 or 절약?
- What does 매달 십만 원씩 add to a saving sentence?
- Does 저축 목표 name a goal or an account balance?
Show answers
- 절약. Putting money aside is 저축.
- A repeated amount: one hundred thousand won each month.
- A goal. 잔액 means balance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does 저축 Mean?
It means savings, and with 하다 it means to save money.
How Do I Say I Opened a Savings Account?
Say 저축 통장을 만들었어요.
Is 저축 the Same as 예금?
No. 예금 is a bank deposit. 저축 is the general act or amount of saving.
What Is the Difference between 저축 and 절약?
저축 is putting money aside, while 절약 is spending less.
Where to Go Next
For related money words, open the money vocabulary list or browse Korean words A to Z. Next, see the word for withdrawal, and review the set in the vocabulary flashcard decks.