좋은 아침이에요, 내 사랑
joeun achim-ieyo, nae sarang
The English phrase "good morning, my love" is translated into Korean as 좋은 아침이에요, 내 사랑 (joeun achim-ieyo, nae sarang).
This phrase is a romantic greeting used to wish a partner a good start to their day. While grammatically correct, using 내 사랑 (my love) as a direct address can sound somewhat dramatic or poetic in spoken Korean. Many couples use other terms of endearment like 자기야 instead.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 좋은 is the adjective form of 좋다 (to be good), used here to modify the noun 아침 (morning).
How do you pronounce it?
joeun achim-ieyo, nae sarang
Did you know?
- In Korea, a morning greeting is often accompanied by asking if the other person slept well, as 잘 잤어요? is considered more essential than saying 'good morning'.
- The sound 내 (nae) was once the general word for 'smoke', but it was replaced by the Sino-Korean word 연기 because 내 developed too many different meanings.
- While 내 사랑 means 'my love', Korean couples are more likely to use 자기야 (jagi-ya), which literally translates to 'honey' or 'self'.
Example conversation
A couple wakes up together in the bedroom.
- 도현 Do-hyeon좋은 아침이에요, 내 사랑.Joeun achimieyo, nae sarang.Good morning, my love.
- 서연 Seo-yeon좋은 아침이에요, 도현 씨.Joeun achimieyo, Dohyun ssi.Good morning, Dohyun.
- 도현 Do-hyeon오늘 기분 어때요?Oneul gibun eottaeyo?How are you feeling today?
- 서연 Seo-yeon당신을 봐서 정말 행복해요.Dangsin-eul bwa-seo jeongmal haengbokhaeyo.I'm really happy to see you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 내, CC BY-SA 4.0.
