Key Facts
- Word: 이번 주 (ibeon ju), noun, mixed origin
- Register: Neutral, standard phrase; written with a space.
- Hanja: 週 (週 week) in 주; 이번 is native
This Week in Korean: What Does 이번 주 Mean?
이번 주 means this week. The register is neutral and standard, and it is written with a space. The first part is native and the second comes from Sino-Korean 週, hence the mixed origin. It anchors many phrases: 이번 주말 is this weekend and 이번 주 안에 is within this week.
How Do You Pronounce It?
Say i-beon ju. The romanization ibeon ju keeps the space, matching the spelling. In natural speech the phrase is said as one unit, especially with a particle, as in 이번 주에.
Example Sentences with 이번 주
이번 주에 시간 있어요?
Ibeon jue sigan isseoyo
Do you have time this week?
A scheduling question: the particle 에 marks the time, and 시간 있어요 asks if the person is free.
이번 주는 정말 바빴어요.
Ibeon juneun jeongmal bappasseoyo
This week was really busy.
A past-tense comment: 정말 바빴어요 means "was really busy", said near the end of the week.
이번 주 토요일에 파티가 있어요.
Ibeon ju toyoire patiga isseoyo
There is a party this Saturday.
A specific plan: 이번 주 토요일에 pins down this Saturday, and 파티 is the party.
Common Phrases and Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 이번 주말 | this weekend |
| 이번 주에 | this week |
| 이번 주 금요일 | this Friday |
| 이번 주 안에 | within this week |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ 이 주 for "this week"
Correct: ✓ 이번 주
Why: 이 주 sounds the same as 이주, two weeks (二週), so listeners may hear a length of time. 이번 means this time, and it is the normal word for the current week.
이번 주 Compared with Similar Words
Week words line up as last, this and next, plus one formal synonym.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 금주 | this week (formal) | 금주 is a formal, written word for this week, used in notices and news. |
| 지난주 | last week | 지난주 is the previous week, written as one word. |
| 다음 주 | next week | 다음 주 is the coming week, written with a space like 이번 주. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
The phrase is of mixed origin: 주 is the Sino-Korean 週, week, and 이번 is a native word meaning this time.
Making a Plan for This Week
Two coworkers want to have lunch together. They start with the whole week, narrow it to Friday and then agree on a time. The dialogue uses polite everyday speech.
Yuna
이번 주에 같이 점심 먹을까요?
Ibeon jue gachi jeomsim meogeulkkayo?
Shall we have lunch together this week?
Jae
좋아요. 금요일은 어때요?
Joayo. Geumyoireun eottaeyo?
Sounds good. How about Friday?
Yuna
금요일 좋아요. 열두 시에 만나요.
Geumyoil joayo. Yeoldu sie mannayo.
Friday works. Let’s meet at twelve.
Jae
네, 그때 봐요.
Ne, geuttae bwayo.
Okay, see you then.
After 이번 주 establishes the week, the speakers can simply say 금요일. Repeating “this week” in every line would add little. If the conversation later turns to a different week, name the week again so that both people are planning the same lunch.
How Do Particles Change the Focus?
이번 주에 places an event in the current week. 이번 주는 makes the week the topic and can suggest a comparison with another week. In the existing busy-week example, the speaker sums up the week’s experience. The phrase itself does not tell you which verb tense to choose.
이번 주도 means “this week too”. The particle 도 adds the week to an earlier situation: another busy week, another lesson or another meeting. 이번 주만 means “only this week”. 만 limits the statement to the current week, which is useful for a temporary schedule change.
이번 주 안에 sets a completion window: sometime within the current week. 이번 주까지 means “until this week” or “by this week”, depending on whether the verb describes a continuing situation or a task to finish. For a deadline, add a day and time if the exact cutoff matters.
Reading Weekly Notices and Messages
이번 주 appears naturally in group chats about shifts, homework, deliveries and social plans. A short heading such as 이번 주 일정 means “this week’s schedule”. 일정 is the schedule or planned events; the heading is a noun phrase and needs no sentence ending.
금주 can refer to the same current week in a written notice. The difference is style, not an extra level of respect toward the reader. A polite message to a manager can still use 이번 주. There is no need to replace every everyday time expression with a formal synonym.
“This week” also depends on when the message was sent. If you read an old announcement, locate its posting date before treating its schedule as current. When making a booking, confirm the calendar date as well as the weekday. A weekday alone repeats every seven days.
Related Expressions for Weekly Plans
| Korean | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 주중 | during the week; weekdays | Contrast a weekday plan with the weekend. |
| 주말 | weekend | Name the weekend without specifying which one. |
| 매주 | every week | Describe a repeating weekly event. |
| 일주일 | one week | Give a duration rather than identify the current week. |
Compare 이번 주 with 일주일 when discussing a course. The first identifies a position on the calendar; the second tells you how long something lasts. A course can start 이번 주 and last 일주일, but the two expressions answer different questions. The time expressions lesson brings together calendar references and durations.
Quick Self-Test
- How is “this week” spaced in Korean?
- What does 이번 주만 emphasize?
- Which expresses a duration: 이번 주 or 일주일?
Show answers
- 이번 주, with a space between 이번 and 주.
- Only this week, rather than an ongoing arrangement.
- 일주일 means a period of one week.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I say 'this week' in Korean?
Say 이번 주 (ibeon ju), with a space. Add 에 for this week as a time: 이번 주에 시간 있어요? means do you have time this week?
What is the formal form?
금주 is the formal, written word for this week. You see it in notices and news; in conversation, 이번 주 is normal.
How do I say 'this weekend'?
Say 이번 주말. Note that 주말 is one word, so the phrase has only one space.
How do I say last and next week?
Last week is 지난주, written as one word. Next week is 다음 주, written with a space like 이번 주.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Time expression words groups 이번 주 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add it to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- See also: this year in Korean.