재
jae[t͡ɕɛ]
The English word 'ash' is translated into Korean as 재 (jae).
재 refers to the solid remains of a fire.
Meaning: solid remains of a fire (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
jae
Did you know?
- Historically, Koreans used 재 as a natural alkaline cleaning agent to wash clothes before modern soap was widely available.
- While 재 means 'ash', the word is also a homonym for 'mountain pass', creating potential confusion in travel descriptions.
- In pre-modern times, the word for 'ash' 재 and the word for 'castle' 잣 shared the same Chinese character 城 for their readings.
Examples in context
- 꽁꽁 얼어붙은 재를 치웠어요.I cleared away the frozen ash.
- 잿가루가 옷에 묻었어요.I got ash on my clothes.
- 조심해, 바베큐 그릴 위에 잿가루가 있어.Be careful, there's ash on the barbecue grill.
- 재를 조심하세요.jaereul josimhaseyo.Please be careful of the ash.
- 벽난로에 재가 가득해요.byeoknalloe jaega gadeukhaeyo.The fireplace is full of ash.
- 남은 재를 치워야 해요.nameun jaereul chiwoya haeyo.I have to clean up the remaining ash.
Example conversation
Ji-eun and Ji-hun are cleaning up after a campfire.
- 지은 Ji-eun지훈 씨, 여기 재가 많아요.Ji-hun ssi, yeogi jaega manayo.Ji-hun, there is a lot of ash here.
- 지훈 Ji-hun제가 다 치울게요.jega da chiulgeyo.I will clean it all up.
- 지은 Ji-eun재가 날릴 수 있으니 조심해요.jaega nallil su isseuni josimhaeyo.Be careful because the ash might fly around.
- 지훈 Ji-hun네, 지은 씨. 걱정 마세요.ne, Ji-eun ssi. geokjeong maseyo.Okay, Ji-eun. Don't worry.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ash” translations and entries 재, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 재, CC BY-SA 4.0.
