Key Facts
- 시즌 (sijeun) means a season of a TV series or a sports season.
- Part of speech: noun; origin: loanword.
- Register: neutral loanword, used for TV series seasons and sports seasons, not weather seasons.
- Level: A1.
Season (TV) in Korean: What Does 시즌 Mean?
시즌 is a loanword from English with one main sense: a season of a TV series or of a sport. It does not name spring, summer, autumn or winter; those are 계절. If you watch dramas, it is the word that follows a title when a show returns for another run.
How Do You Pronounce 시즌?
Say si-jeun, the Revised Romanization sijeun. The word ends in n, so a following number or particle flows on. In 시즌 2 the number is read with the Sino-Korean 이 (i), so it sounds like sijeun i.
How Do You Use 시즌 in a Sentence?
이 드라마는 시즌 2가 나와요.
This drama has a season 2.
i deuramaneun sijeun iga nawayo. 이 드라마는 means this drama as the topic, and 나와요 means comes out. The number after 시즌 names which run is being released.
시즌 1을 다 봤어요.
I watched all of season 1.
sijeun ireul da bwasseoyo. 다 means all, so the viewer finished every episode of the first run. 봤어요 is watched, in the past.
야구 시즌이 시작됐어요.
The baseball season has started.
yagu sijeuni sijakdwaesseoyo. 야구 is baseball. Here 시즌 is a sports season, and 시작됐어요 says it has begun.
Common Word Combinations
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 시즌 2 | season 2 |
| 새 시즌 | new season |
| 시즌 종료 | season end |
시즌 2 names a numbered season. 새 시즌 is a new season, and 시즌 종료 is the end of a season, a phrase you see in sports news.
Common Mistake
Wrong: using 시즌 for one of the four seasons, such as spring or winter.
Correct: use 계절 for spring, summer, autumn and winter. Keep 시즌 for TV series, sports and similar busy periods.
How Does 시즌 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | Meaning | How to tell it from 시즌 |
|---|---|---|
| 계절 | season | 계절 is the season of the year, such as spring or summer. |
| 회 | episode | 회 is an episode, one part inside a 시즌. |
Talking about a Show after Class
Two classmates compare how much of a drama they have watched. The season number keeps them from talking about different parts of the story.
Jin
이 드라마 봤어요?
I deurama bwasseoyo?
Have you watched this drama?
Sam
네, 시즌 1을 다 봤어요.
Ne, sijeun ireul da bwasseoyo.
Yes, I watched all of season 1.
Jin
시즌 2도 봤어요?
Sijeun ido bwasseoyo?
Have you watched season 2 too?
Sam
아니요, 아직 안 봤어요.
Aniyo, ajik an bwasseoyo.
No, I have not watched it yet.
도 means “too” in the third line. 아직 안 봤어요 says the speaker has not watched it yet, so it is a useful point to stop before revealing the next part of the plot. The speakers leave out “I” and “you” because the turn-taking makes them clear.
How Do Season and Episode Numbers Work Together?
시즌 2 means the second season as a whole. An episode number selects one installment within that season. A listing such as 시즌 2, 1회 points to episode one of season two. The two numbers answer different questions: which run of the show, then which installment to play.
회 is common in numbered episode labels, and 화 also appears in episode titles and online listings. You may see 1회 or 1화 where an English interface would show “Episode 1”. Neither label by itself tells you that a new season has begun. Keep the 시즌 number when telling a friend exactly where you are in a series.
In speech, the number after 시즌 uses Sino-Korean numbers: 시즌 1 is read with 일, and 시즌 2 with 이. The phrase 첫 시즌 means “the first season” in running speech. It describes the same position in the sequence without using the numeral label you would click on a screen.
Where Will You Hear 시즌?
Streaming menus use 시즌 to group episodes, while entertainment conversations use 새 시즌 for a new run of a show. A new season can continue an earlier story; the expression alone does not promise a different cast or a fresh storyline. Not every Korean drama has multiple seasons, so use the labels supplied for that particular show.
Sports coverage uses 시즌 for the stretch of organized competition. 시즌 종료 literally means “season end” and works as a compact headline or label. It is not a normal complete reply to a friend: a headline can omit the verb that a spoken sentence would usually include.
The loanword also appears in travel and sales contexts for periods of demand or activity. 성수기 means a peak or busy season, and 비수기 means the quieter off-season. A summer travel peak may overlap with 여름, but the business period and the weather season describe different things.
Collocations Worth Recognizing
시즌 내내 means “throughout the season”. 내내 adds duration: the statement covers the whole run rather than one match or episode. 시즌 초 and 시즌 말 mean the beginning and end of a season. These phrases locate an event inside a season without supplying a calendar date.
새 시즌 and 다음 시즌 are literal combinations, not idioms. 새 highlights a new season; 다음 means the next season in the sequence. A viewer waiting for 다음 시즌 is waiting for another run of the same show, so 계절 would change the subject to the time of year.
Words beside 시즌 in a Viewing Menu
| Korean | Meaning | What it helps you identify |
|---|---|---|
| 드라마 | drama series | The program itself, which may contain several seasons. |
| 회 | episode | One numbered installment within a season. |
| 자막 | subtitles | Written dialogue displayed while you watch. |
| 예고편 | trailer, preview | A preview rather than the full episode. |
The K-drama vocabulary lesson teaches the surrounding viewing words. Compare a program title, its season selector and an individual episode label to see how the hierarchy works.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 시즌 2 mean episode two?
- How do you read the number in 시즌 2: 이 or 둘?
- What does 시즌 내내 add to a statement?
Show answers
- No. It means season two; an episode is an installment inside it.
- 이, the Sino-Korean number.
- It means throughout the season, rather than at one point in it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 시즌 Mean Spring or Winter?
No. Those are 계절.
How Do I Say 'Season 2'?
Say 시즌 2.
Can 시즌 Refer to Sports?
Yes. For example, 야구 시즌이 시작됐어요 means "The baseball season has started."
What Is 회?
It is the word for an episode.
Where to Go Next
시즌 belongs to the K-drama vocabulary list. Compare it with season in Korean, the word for spring, summer and so on, and episode in Korean, then read subtitles in Korean. See Korean words A to Z.