You may already know how to describe public transportation in Korean, but do you know how to say “car” in Korean? Can you yet name car manufacturers in Korea? In this lesson, you’ll learn the vocabulary and names for both.
The Korean vocabulary you’ll learn below will be in Hangeul (Korean Alphabet) with romanized Korean next to it. We recommend learning the Korean alphabet so you can learn these terms faster and have accurate pronunciation.
Being able to read the Korean alphabet will help you retain the core Korean words you should learn first. It will also improve your overall Korean language learning plan.
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“Car” in Korean
The basic word for “car” in Korean is 자동차 (jadongcha). However, outside of official use, it is not common. Instead, if you are speaking or texting to a friend and wish to refer to a car, you can simply use 차 (cha).
If you wish to say you are going somewhere by car, the basic phrase to use is 차를 타다 (chareul thada). This verb stem can either be used with the past tense -ㅆ다 (-ㅆ da) or -고 있다 (-go itda), the tense implying continuous action. The latter can only be used if you are currently in the car, but the past tense works whether you’re still in the car or already got out of it.
Sample sentences:
차를 운전할 줄 알아요? (chareul unjeonhal jul arayo?)
Do you know how to drive a car?
저는 자동차로 출근해요. (jeoneun jadongcharo chulgeunhaeyo.)
I go to work by car.
우리는 남자친구의 차를 타고 여행갈거에요. (urineun namjachingue chareul thago yeohengkalgeoeyo.)
We’ll take my boyfriend’s car and go on vacation.
There are also other ways to say “car” in Korean, but while this vocabulary is good to know to enrich your knowledge of Korean, you’re less likely to need them in actual conversation.
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 승용차 (seungyongcha) | (passenger) car |
| 차량 (charyang) | car (especially parked ones), vehicle |
| 자가용 (jagayong) | one’s own car |
| 중고차 (junggocha) | used car |
| 전기 자동차 (jeongi jadongcha) | electric car |
| 화물차 (hwamulcha) | truck |
| 승합차 (seunghabcha) | van |
| 용달차 (yongdalcha) | delivery van |
| 쓰레기차 (sseuregicha) | garbage truck |
| 순찰차 (sunchalcha) | police car |
Korean Cars
In addition, South Korea also has a booming car manufacturing industry. Thus, it might come in handy to learn some specific vocabulary related to Korea’s car industry as well.
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 자동차 산업 (jadongcha saneob) | car industry |
| 자동차 회사 (jadongcha hwoesa) | automobile company |
| 현대 (hyeondae) | Hyundai |
| 기아자동차 (giajadongcha) | Kia Motors |
| 쉐보레 (daeujadongcha) | Chevrolet | GM Korea |
| 르노삼성자동차 (reunosamseongjadongcha) | Renault samsung Motors |
| 쌍용자동차 (ssangyongjadongcha) | SsangYong Motor |
A word of caution about Romanization
While it is possible for you to study the words in this article simply by reading their Romanized versions, it will come in handy for you to be able to read Hangeul if you ever wish to come to Korea. Hangeul is the Korean alphabet, and not difficult to learn. In fact, you can learn it in just 90 minutes.
After you’ve familiarized yourself with Hangeul, life in Korea will suddenly seem so much easier, and the country won’t appear so foreign for you. So, if you’re serious about learning Korean, why not learn Hangeul today?
Wrap Up
Knowing basic words like this is a great base to jump off in your Korean studies. So, what’s your favorite Korean Car brand? Any on your wishlist? Let us know in the comments below!
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