Key Facts
- Hangul: 소셜 미디어; Revised Romanization: sosyeol midieo
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: loanword from English
- Register: Neutral; in speech the abbreviation SNS, said 에스엔에스, is the usual term, and 소셜 미디어 is more common in news, business and academic contexts.
Social Media in Korean: What Does 소셜 미디어 Mean?
소셜 미디어 means social media, the sites and apps for posting and sharing. It is two loanwords written with a space between them. In daily chat you will usually hear 에스엔에스 instead, though the longer term is also valid in conversation.
How Do You Pronounce 소셜 미디어?
Five syllables in two words: so-syeol mi-di-eo. The ㅅ before ㅕ gives a soft sh, so 소셜 sounds like "so-shyeol", and the final ㄹ is a light l. Say the gap between the two words as a tiny pause. The last word is three even beats, mi-di-eo.
Example Sentences with 소셜 미디어
저는 소셜 미디어를 자주 해요.
Jeoneun sosyeol midieoreul jaju haeyo.
I use social media often.
저는 introduces the speaker, 자주 means often, and 해요 turns the noun into "use". Korean says you "do" social media.
소셜 미디어가 우리 생활을 바꿨어요.
Sosyeol midieoga uri saenghwareul bakkwosseoyo.
Social media has changed our lives.
The noun is the subject, marked with 가. 바꿨어요 is the past of change, so it describes something that already happened.
소셜 미디어에 사진을 올려요.
Sosyeol midieoe sajineul ollyeoyo.
I post photos on social media.
에 marks the place where you post. 올려요 is the verb for uploading something to a site.
Phrases and Collocations with 소셜 미디어
Business and everyday topics pair with the term: accounts, marketing, the verb for using it and the concern about overuse.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 소셜 미디어 계정 | social media account |
| 소셜 미디어 마케팅 | social media marketing |
| 소셜 미디어를 하다 | to use social media |
| 소셜 미디어 중독 | social media addiction |
The Mistake to Avoid
Less usual in casual chat: 소셜 미디어
Common conversational choice: SNS, said 에스엔에스
Why: The long loanword is correct. Friends often say SNS (에스엔에스), while 소셜 미디어 is common in news and reports. This is a usage preference, rather than a rule that makes the longer expression wrong.
소셜 미디어 Compared with Similar Words
Several words surround the term, from the abbreviation to the apps and sites.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 에스엔에스 | SNS (spoken Korean form) | The usual spoken term for social media. |
| 인스타그램 | One specific platform. | |
| 블로그 | blog | A blog, one kind of online space. |
Where Does 소셜 미디어 Come From?
소셜 미디어 is a loanword from English, so it has no native or Sino-Korean roots. Korean writes loanword compounds either with a space or without, and the version with a space is used here.
After Taking a Photo Together
Two classmates have taken a photo and are deciding whether to post it. The conversation uses SNS, pronounced 에스엔에스, as people commonly do in everyday talk.
Jisu
이 사진을 에스엔에스에 올려도 돼요?
I sajineul eseueneseue ollyeodo dwaeyo?
May I post this photo on social media?
Sam
네, 괜찮아요.
Ne, gwaenchanayo.
Yes, that is fine.
Jisu
계정 이름이 뭐예요?
Gyejeong ireumi mwoyeyo?
What is your account name?
Sam
제가 메시지로 보내 줄게요.
Jega mesijiro bonae julgeyo.
I will send it to you in a message.
올려도 돼요 asks for permission to upload. The question is about this particular photo, so answering yes does not make a broader statement about all photos. 메시지로 means “by message”: 로 identifies how Sam will send the account name.
Which Verbs Go with a Post or an Account?
사진을 올리다 literally means “to put a photo up”, and in an online setting it means to upload or post one. 사진을 보다 means to look at a photo. Both actions can happen on social media, so 소셜 미디어를 하다 alone does not tell the listener which action you mean.
계정을 만들다 means to create an account. A 계정 is the account itself, while a 게시물 is an individual post. If someone asks about a 게시물, they may be asking about one photo, video or text entry rather than your whole profile.
댓글을 달다 means to leave a comment. 달다 literally has the sense of attaching something; here the comment is attached to a post or discussion. 좋아요를 누르다 means to press “like”. 좋아요 is a button label in this expression, rather than a complete reply meaning “it is good”.
Where Do the Long Name and SNS Appear?
소셜 미디어 appears in discussions of marketing, communication and the effects of online platforms. SNS is common in conversation, captions and notices too. These are tendencies in usage, so a friend who says 소셜 미디어 is still using a valid Korean expression.
The particle follows the complete term: 소셜 미디어에 identifies where something is posted, and 소셜 미디어를 marks social media as the object of an activity. There is no space before the particle. When SNS is written in Latin letters, the particle still follows its spoken Korean ending, so SNS에 works in the same way.
Related Words for Reading a Social Media Screen
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 계정 | account | The identity used to access or publish on a service. |
| 게시물 | post | One published item rather than the account. |
| 댓글 | comment | A response beneath a post or discussion. |
| 팔로우 | follow | Keeping up with an account; different from liking one post. |
The social media vocabulary lesson teaches the wider set for posting and interacting. Learning the action with the noun helps: a comment takes 달다, while the like button takes 누르다.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 소셜 미디어에 사진을 올려요 mean posting or deleting photos?
- Which word means an account: 계정 or 댓글?
- Is SNS reserved for speech, or can you see it in writing too?
Show answers
- Posting or uploading photos.
- 계정. 댓글 means a comment.
- It also appears in writing, including captions and notices.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say social media in Korean?
Say 소셜 미디어 (sosyeol midieo). In everyday talk people say 에스엔에스.
How do you say "I post photos on social media"?
Say 소셜 미디어에 사진을 올려요.
Is 소셜 미디어 the same as SNS?
They mean about the same. SNS is the usual spoken word and 소셜 미디어 is the term in news and academic writing.
How do you say social media account?
Say 소셜 미디어 계정.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: social media vocabulary collects the vocabulary of apps and posting.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add it to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Contrast: the page for Instagram covers one platform.
- Next in the list: the page for subscription.