Korean Job Vocabulary: Occupations, Workplace Words, and How to Say What You Do
Korean job and occupation vocabulary — common professions, workplace terms, and natural patterns for talking about your career. With honorific tips and examples.
Published:
Written by Alvin Lim Certified Korean Language Teacher (Level 2)
“무슨 일 하세요?” — What do you do? — arrives within minutes of meeting someone in Korea. Work sits at the center of Korean adult life and its vocabulary, so being able to name jobs and describe your own is core conversational equipment.
Everyday Jobs (일상 직업)
| Korean | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| 선생님 | seonsaengnim | Teacher |
| 학생 | haksaeng | Student |
| 회사원 | hoesawon | Office worker |
| 의사 | uisa | Doctor |
| 간호사 | ganhosa | Nurse |
| 약사 | yaksa | Pharmacist |
| 경찰관 | gyeongchalgwan | Police officer |
| 소방관 | sobanggwan | Firefighter |
| 요리사 | yorisa | Chef |
| 운전기사 | unjeon-gisa | Driver |
| 군인 | gunin | Soldier |
| 농부 | nongbu | Farmer |
회사원 deserves a note: it is the default self-description for millions of Koreans working at companies — where an English speaker might name their specific role, Koreans often just say 회사원이에요 and move on.
Example: 저는 회사원이에요. IT 회사에서 일해요. — I am an office worker. I work at an IT company.
Professional & Office (전문직·사무직)
| Korean | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| 변호사 | byeonhosa | Lawyer |
| 회계사 | hoegyesa | Accountant |
| 기자 | gija | Journalist |
| 교수 | gyosu | Professor |
| 연구원 | yeon-guwon | Researcher |
| 공무원 | gongmuwon | Civil servant |
| 개발자 | gaebalja | Developer |
| 디자이너 | dijaineo | Designer |
| 마케터 | maketeo | Marketer |
| 사업가 | saeopga | Entrepreneur |
| 프리랜서 | peurillaenseo | Freelancer |
공무원 carries cultural weight: government jobs are famously stable, and for years the civil-service exam (공무원 시험) was one of Korea’s most-attempted career paths.
Service & Creative (서비스·창작)
| Korean | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| 미용사 | miyongsa | Hairdresser |
| 가이드 | gaideu | Tour guide |
| 승무원 | seungmuwon | Flight attendant |
| 바리스타 | bariseuta | Barista |
| 가수 | gasu | Singer |
| 배우 | baeu | Actor |
| 작가 | jakga | Writer |
| 화가 | hwaga | Painter |
| 사진작가 | sajin-jakga | Photographer |
| 유튜버 | yutyubeo | YouTuber |
Spot the pattern: -사 (의사, 변호사, 요리사), -원 (회사원, 공무원, 승무원), -가 (작가, 화가, 사업가) — recognizing these suffixes lets you guess dozens of job words you have never studied.
Talking About Work (직업 표현)
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 무슨 일 하세요? | What do you do? (polite) |
| 직업이 뭐예요? | What is your job? |
| 저는 ___이에요/예요 | I am a ___ |
| ___에서 일해요 | I work at ___ |
| 출근하다 / 퇴근하다 | go to work / leave work |
| 야근하다 | work overtime |
| 월급 | monthly salary |
| 동료 | coworker |
| 상사 | boss / superior |
| 신입 | new employee |
| 경력 | work experience / career |
Example: 어제 야근해서 너무 피곤해요. — I worked overtime yesterday, so I am exhausted. A deeply Korean sentence.
Culture Note: Job Titles Replace Names
In Korean workplaces, people are addressed by title, not name: 김 과장님 (Manager Kim), 박 부장님 (Director Park), 이 대리님 (Assistant Manager Lee). The hierarchy ladder — 사원 → 대리 → 과장 → 차장 → 부장 — is its own vocabulary set, and attaching -님 to titles is mandatory politeness. Even outside the office, 사장님 (boss/owner) is how you address shop owners and restaurant proprietors.
Mini Dialogue
A: 무슨 일 하세요? What do you do?
B: 개발자예요. 스타트업에서 일해요. I am a developer. I work at a startup.
A: 와, 야근 많아요? Wow, lots of overtime?
B: 요즘은 괜찮아요. 워라밸 좋은 편이에요. These days it is fine. The work-life balance is pretty good.
워라밸 (work-life balance) — one of Korea’s most-used loanword abbreviations.
FAQ
How do I respond to 무슨 일 하세요? as a student? 저는 학생이에요 — or for language students: 어학당에서 한국어 공부하고 있어요 (I am studying Korean at a language institute).
What is the difference between 직업 and 직장? 직업 = occupation (what you do). 직장 = workplace (where you do it). 직장인 = “person with a workplace,” another common self-description like 회사원.
Do I add -님 to every job title? To titles when addressing someone: yes (선생님, 사장님, 과장님). Not to plain occupation words when describing yourself — calling yourself 선생님 sounds odd; say 선생이에요 or 교사예요.
Related: Korean electronics vocabulary covers the office tools side. Full curriculum: Vocabulary hub.