How to Say “Enjoy” in Korean – Express the fun

Today, you will learn how to say “enjoy” in Korean.

Do you think that the more positive vocabulary you know, the more positive you will sound? Who knows, right? But it surely wouldn’t hurt to try! It’s a fun and happy word that can be used in a variety of situations. Don’t you just enjoy the sound of that already?

All of 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.

“Enjoy” in Korean

The basic form of how to say enjoy in Korean is 즐기다 (jeulgida). It is the word used for expressing any type of enjoyment, from spending time with your loved ones to your favorite sport. It is sometimes used in a similar context with 재미있어요 (jaemiisseoyo), though the use of 즐기다 (jeulgida) is preferable in those instances.

There is also another word for enjoy in Korean, with a slightly different nuance. This word is 누리다 (nurida). It can be used in contexts where we are talking about people of a certain country having high living standards or in contexts where we talk about someone always being healthy. You can also replace this word with 향유하다 (hyangyuhada).

Sample sentences:

독신 생활을 즐기세요?  (dokshin saenghwareul jeulgiseyo?)

Do you enjoy the single life?

추석을 즐겁게 보내세요!  (Chuseokeul jeulgeobge bonaeseyo!)

Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday!

아쉽게 그 생일파티를 즐겁지 못했어요.  (aswibge geu saengilphathireul jeulgeobji mothaesseoyo.)

Unfortunately, I could not enjoy that birthday party.

요새 인생을 즐기고 있어요?  (yosae insaengeul jeulgigo isseoyo?)

Are you enjoying life these days?

그 사람들은 어떻게 높은 특권을 향유하는지 알고 있을까요?  (geu saramdeureun eoddeokhe nopheun theukkwoneul hyangyuhaneunji algo isseulggayo?)

Do you think those people know just how great privileges they are enjoying?

나는 때로는 혼자서 있는 것을 즐겁다고 생각해.  (naneun ddaeroneun honjaseo inneun geoseul jeulgeobdago saengkakhae.)

I think it’s enjoyable to be alone sometimes.

나는 바에서 근무하는 내 일을 즐겨.  (naneun baeseo geunmuhaneun nae ireul jeulgyeo.)

I enjoy my job at the bar.

나는 운동을 즐기지 않아.  (naneun undongeul jeulgiji anha.)

I don’t enjoy exercising.

어떤 스포츠를 즐겨?  (Eoddeon seuphocheureul jeulgyeo?)

What kind of sports do you enjoy?

Associations for “Enjoy” in Korean

Let’s create an association to help us remember 즐기다 (jeulgida). To do so, we’ll use “mnemonics” or associations and stories to make recall easier.

What’s the best way to enjoy a day? By chilling, of course! 즐 (jeul) sounds roughly likely chill, and if you have a guitar to play (or listen to), it is an enjoyable day indeed! Guitar sounds roughly like 기다 (gida).

So we can use the image of ourselves being chill with a guitar to enjoy ourselves. 즐기다 (jeulgida)

You can use this association to get started, and when you get better at it, you can create your own!

Wrap Up

Now that you know how to say “enjoy” in Korean, what other Korean words and phrases would you 즐기다 (jeulgida) us teach you next? Let us know in the comments below!