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Translate NowEnglish to Korean Translation
Translate English text to Korean instantly with our free online translator, and learn what makes Korean unique so you can judge and improve the results.
About the Korean Language
Korean is spoken by around 80 million people in South Korea, North Korea, and communities worldwide, and global interest in the language has surged with the popularity of K-pop, Korean drama, and Korean cinema. It is the official language of both Koreas, with vocabulary differences that have grown between North and South.
Korean is written in Hangul, a scientific alphabet created under King Sejong in the 15th century, in which letters are grouped into syllable blocks. Hangul is famously quick to learn to read - the letters' shapes even hint at how the mouth forms each sound - though mastering Korean grammar and honorifics takes far longer.
How Korean Differs from English
Knowing these structural differences helps you write source text that translates well and spot problems in the output:
- Word order: Korean is Subject-Object-Verb: "I drink coffee" becomes literally "I coffee drink" (jeoneun keopireul masyeoyo).
- Particles: Endings such as -eun/-neun, -i/-ga, and -eul/-reul attach to nouns to mark topic, subject, and object.
- Speech levels: Korean has multiple politeness levels baked into verb endings, from casual banmal to polite -yo forms to formal -seumnida endings.
- Honorific vocabulary: Some words change entirely when speaking about respected people - "to eat" is meokda normally but deusida honorifically.
- No gender or articles: Korean nouns have no grammatical gender and there are no words for "a" or "the".
Essential English to Korean Phrases
These everyday phrases are a useful starting point. Use the Listen button on our translator to hear them spoken aloud:
| English | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | 안녕하세요 | Annyeonghaseyo |
| Thank you | 감사합니다 | Gamsahamnida |
| Yes | 네 | Ne |
| No | 아니요 | Aniyo |
| How are you? | 어떻게 지내세요? | Eotteoke jinaeseyo? |
| Please | 부탁합니다 | Butakhamnida |
| Sorry | 죄송합니다 | Joesonghamnida |
| What is your name? | 이름이 뭐예요? | Ireumi mwoyeyo? |
| Water | 물 | Mul |
| Goodbye (to someone leaving) | 안녕히 가세요 | Annyeonghi gaseyo |
Common Pitfalls When Translating English to Korean
- Speech level is the main risk: casual banmal output can read as disrespectful in messages to elders, colleagues, or strangers.
- Korean often drops subjects and objects when context makes them clear, so translate complete sentences rather than fragments.
- Korean has two "goodbye" phrases depending on who is leaving - annyeonghi gaseyo (you are leaving) vs annyeonghi gyeseyo (you are staying).
- Romanized Korean in the source text (like "oppa" or "aegyo") may not translate back correctly; use Hangul where possible.
For a broader look at translation errors and how to avoid them, read our guide to 10 common translation mistakes.
How to Translate English to Korean
- Open the Translate All Words home page
- Select English as the source language and Korean as the target
- Type or paste your English text and click Translate
- Use the Listen button to hear the Korean pronunciation, and Copy to save the result
- For anything important, review the output against the tips above or ask a native speaker