Key Facts
- Hangul: 자막; Revised Romanization: jamak
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 字幕 (字 character + 幕 curtain)
- Register: Neutral.
Subtitles in Korean: What Does 자막 Mean?
자막 means subtitles or captions. It is neutral. Three phrases cover most uses: 자막을 켜다 (turn on subtitles), 자막을 끄다 (turn off subtitles) and 영어 자막 (English subtitles). That makes it a short, practical word for settings menus and requests.
How Do You Pronounce 자막?
Two syllables, ja and mak. The final ㄱ of mak is unreleased, so it closes the sound without a vowel. When followed by the subject marker, as in 자막이, the ㄱ moves across and sounds like [ja-ma-gi].
Example Sentences with 자막
한국어 자막을 켜요.
hangugeo jamageul kyeoyo.
I turn on the Korean subtitles.
한국어 means the Korean language, and 켜요 is the verb to turn on. The object marker 을 shows the subtitles are what you switch on.
자막이 없어서 이해하기 어려워요.
jamagi eopseoseo ihaehagi eoryeowoyo.
There are no subtitles, so it's hard to understand.
없어서 means "because there are none". The sentence explains why understanding is hard, which is the most common reason people look for 자막.
영어 자막이 있어요?
yeongeo jamagi isseoyo?
Are there English subtitles?
영어 자막이 is English subtitles with a subject marker, and 있어요? turns the sentence into a question, so it is a request you can ask at a counter or online.
Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 자막을 켜다 | turn on subtitles |
| 영어 자막 | English subtitles |
| 자막을 끄다 | turn off subtitles |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: using 자막 to mean what the actors say.
Correct: 자막 is the written text on screen. The spoken lines are 대사.
자막 Compared with 번역 and 대사
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 자막 | subtitles | This page's word |
| 번역 | translation | The act of translating, not the on-screen text |
| 대사 | lines | What the actors say aloud |
Origin and Culture
자막 is Sino-Korean, written 字幕 in hanja: 字 (character) plus 幕 (curtain). 幕 originally meant a curtain or screen, which is where the text appears.
Choosing Subtitles for a Movie
Mina and Alex are about to watch a movie at home. Mina wants Korean text to help her follow the spoken dialogue.
Mina
이 영화에 한국어 자막이 있어요?
I yeonghwae hangugeo jamagi isseoyo?
Does this movie have Korean subtitles?
Alex
네. 자막을 켤까요?
Ne. Jamageul kyeolkkayo?
Yes. Shall I turn on the subtitles?
Mina
네, 켜 주세요. 대사가 너무 빨라요.
Ne, kyeo juseyo. Daesaga neomu ppallayo.
Yes, please turn them on. The dialogue is too fast.
Alex
그럼 자막을 보면서 봐요.
Geureom jamageul bomyeonseo bwayo.
Then let’s watch with the subtitles.
자막을 켤까요? offers to turn the text on. 켜 주세요 makes a polite request to the person holding the remote. Neither line asks for a translation to be written; both refer to a subtitle track already available. In the final line, 보면서 means “while looking at”, so the suggestion is to read along while watching.
What Do Subtitle Settings Mean?
자막 often appears as a short menu heading without a verb. A language name tells you the language of the written text: 한국어 자막 means Korean subtitles, even when the original soundtrack is another language. 영어 자막 means the text is in English. The language of the subtitles and the language you hear are separate choices.
자동 자막 means automatic captions. You may see this label on online videos when captions are generated from speech. Names and fast speech can be transcribed incorrectly, so a caption is not always an exact guide to the spoken words. A missing word in the text does not necessarily mean you misheard it.
자막 is also used for the large written comments, reactions and explanations added to Korean variety shows. Those captions may add a joke rather than repeat a speaker’s words. If the screen text and the audio do not match, first ask whether the text is a comment about the scene.
Korean usually leaves 자막 unmarked for number. One caption and a whole subtitle track can both be called 자막; English “subtitles” does not require you to add the Korean plural ending 들. The screen or viewing context supplies the scale.
Phrases beyond Switching Subtitles On
자막 없이 means “without subtitles”. The ending 없이 expresses absence, so the phrase describes watching without written help. 자막을 보다 means “to look at/read the subtitles”, while 자막을 읽다 explicitly focuses on reading. Both are useful when explaining why your eyes are on the bottom of the screen.
자막을 달다 means “to add subtitles”. 달다 literally has the sense of attaching something; here it means putting text onto a video. A creator adds subtitles with 달다, and a viewer enables an available track with 켜다. Turning a track on does not create it.
These are ordinary combinations rather than figurative idioms. In 자막을 끄다, “turn off” applies to the display of text, just as it applies to a device. You can ask someone to hide the subtitles without asking them to delete the subtitle file.
Words for Following a Scene
| Korean | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 대사 | dialogue / spoken lines | Names the words spoken by actors. |
| 더빙 | dubbing | Replaces spoken audio with another voice or language. |
| 화면 | screen / on-screen image | Points to where the captions appear. |
| 줄거리 | plot / storyline | Summarizes what happens rather than each spoken line. |
The K-drama vocabulary lesson places these viewing words in a wider set. When choosing a version of a film, distinguish written support from dubbed speech: 자막 helps you read along, while 더빙 changes what you hear.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 한국어 자막 tell you the language of the soundtrack?
- Which phrase means adding subtitles to a video: 자막을 달다 or 자막을 켜다?
- Why might variety-show captions differ from the words being spoken?
Show answers
- No. It tells you the subtitles are written in Korean.
- 자막을 달다. 켜다 enables a track that is already available.
- They may add a written joke, reaction or explanation rather than transcribe the speech.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "subtitles" in Korean?
Say 자막 (jamak).
How do you say "English subtitles" in Korean?
Say 영어 자막.
How do you say "turn off the subtitles"?
Use 자막을 끄다. To turn them on, use 자막을 켜다.
What is 번역?
번역 means translation. It is the work behind subtitles, not the on-screen text itself.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: the K-Drama Words page puts 자막 beside its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 자막 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.