Key Facts
- Hangul: 내일; Revised Romanization: naeil
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Register: Neutral, everyday word.
- Hanja: 來日 (來 coming + 日 day)
Tomorrow in Korean: How Do You Pronounce 내일?
Two syllables: nae-il. The second syllable begins with a vowel, so the two flow together with no consonant between them. The ㅐ is like the e in "bed".
Example Sentences with 내일
내일 만나요.
Naeil mannayo
Let's meet tomorrow.
An invitation: 만나요 is a present-tense form, but with 내일 and a friendly tone it works as let's meet.
내일은 비가 올 거예요.
Naeireun biga ol geoyeyo
It will rain tomorrow.
A forecast. 비가 올 거예요 is a future guess about rain, and 내일은 uses the topic marker to set tomorrow apart as the day under discussion.
내일 아침에 일찍 일어나야 해요.
Naeil achime iljjik ireonaya haeyo
I have to get up early tomorrow morning.
An obligation. 일찍 means early and 일어나야 해요 means must get up, so the sentence plans a tomorrow-morning wake-up.
Common Phrases and Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 내일 아침 | tomorrow morning |
| 내일 봐요 | see you tomorrow |
| 내일까지 | until tomorrow |
| 내일모레 | day after tomorrow |
내일 아침 is tomorrow morning, 내일까지 is a deadline, and 내일 봐요 is the farewell. 내일모레 pushes one more day ahead.
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ 내일에 가요 / ✗ writing 네일 for tomorrow
Correct: ✓ 내일 가요
Why: 내일 works as a time word on its own, so it does not need 에. And for most Seoul speakers today ㅐ and ㅔ sound the same, so 내일 and the loanword 네일 (nail, as in nail salon) are told apart by spelling and context: tomorrow is always spelled with ㅐ.
내일 Compared with Similar Words
Three neighbours sit near 내일 on the calendar or in sound.
| Word | Meaning | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|---|
| 모레 | day after tomorrow | 모레 is two days from now, one day after 내일. |
| 어제 | yesterday | 어제 is the day before today, the mirror of 내일. |
| 내년 | next year | 내년 also starts with 내 (來, coming), but means next year. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
내일 is written 來日: 來 (coming) and 日 (day). The same 來 explains why 내년 starts with 내 too.
After Class: Arranging Tomorrow’s Study Session
Two classmates arrange a meeting for the next day. They confirm the time and place before using 내일 in a farewell.
Sora
내일 같이 공부할까요?
Naeil gachi gongbuhalkkayo?
Shall we study together tomorrow?
Minho
좋아요. 내일 몇 시에 만나요?
Joayo. Naeil myeot sie mannayo?
Sounds good. What time shall we meet tomorrow?
Sora
오후 두 시에 도서관에서 만나요.
Ohu du sie doseogwaneseo mannayo.
Let’s meet at the library at two in the afternoon.
Minho
네, 내일 봐요.
Ne, naeil bwayo.
Yes, see you tomorrow.
내일 sets the day, 오후 두 시에 supplies the time, and 도서관에서 supplies the meeting place. Once both people have agreed on the plan, 내일 봐요 closes the conversation naturally. It works here because they expect to see each other the next day.
Where Will You Hear or See 내일?
At the end of a class or workday, 내일 봐요 is a friendly polite farewell. With a close friend who uses casual speech with you, 내일 봐 drops 요. To someone you treat with greater formality, 내일 뵙겠습니다 is a respectful alternative. The change is in the verb and ending, not in 내일.
Weather reports use 내일 to introduce the next day’s forecast. In a sentence such as the existing rain example, 내일은 can set up a contrast with today’s weather. The topic particle 은 points to the day being discussed; it does not turn tomorrow into a different kind of future time.
In delivery messages, 내일 도착 means “arrival tomorrow”. 도착 names arrival, so this short label can communicate the expected day without a full sentence. In any saved message, tomorrow is relative to when the message was sent. If you reopen it later, check the date before treating it as a fresh promise.
How Do 내일까지 and 내일부터 Differ?
내일까지 gives an endpoint: “until tomorrow” or “by tomorrow”. A deadline needs the “by” reading, while something continuing through tomorrow needs “until”. The particle 까지 gives the endpoint; the action tells you how that endpoint works. The phrase alone does not specify morning, closing time, or midnight.
내일부터 gives a starting point: “from tomorrow” or “starting tomorrow”. A notice about a new opening schedule can use this to say when the change begins. Compare the direction of the two particles: 까지 takes you up to tomorrow, while 부터 starts there and looks forward.
내일 아침에 places an action tomorrow morning. Although 내일 does not normally take 에 by itself, the longer phrase can have 에 after 아침. This explains the third example above: the particle belongs to the time-of-day noun. Keep the space in 내일 아침; the two words form a phrase.
Related Calendar Words
| Korean | Meaning | How it anchors a plan |
|---|---|---|
| 오늘 | today | The day you are speaking. |
| 모레 | day after tomorrow | One day later than 내일. |
| 다음 날 | the following day | The day after another day already mentioned. |
| 다음 주 | next week | A week-based plan rather than tomorrow specifically. |
The time expressions lesson teaches these words together. 다음 날 is especially useful in a story about the past: it moves forward from the day in the story, while 내일 normally looks forward from the speaker’s present day. For a reservation or an important meeting, an exact date removes doubt.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 내일까지 mark a starting point or an endpoint?
- Why can 내일 아침에 have 에 although 내일에 is not the ordinary pattern?
- What would you use for “the following day” in a story about last week?
Show answers
- An endpoint. 내일부터 marks the starting point.
- 에 follows 아침, the time-of-day noun, rather than 내일.
- 다음 날. It refers to the day after the day already mentioned.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "tomorrow" in Korean?
Say 내일 (naeil). It works as a time word on its own: 내일 만나요 means let's meet tomorrow.
Does 내일 take 에?
No. Say 내일 가요, not 내일에 가요. Like the word for today, 내일 marks the time without a particle, though it can take 은 for contrast: 내일은.
How do I say "see you tomorrow"?
Say 내일 봐요 to friends and colleagues. It literally means see you tomorrow and is the everyday way to say goodbye until the next day.
What is the day after tomorrow?
It is 모레, two days from now. 내일모레 means the same, and is also used loosely for very soon.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: time expressions word list. 내일 sits beside today, yesterday and the year words.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Compare with the next year page. 내년 shares the same opening syllable.