기쁨
gippeum[kip͈ɯm]
Joy in Korean is expressed as 기쁨 (gippeum). Wiktionary also lists 즐거움 (jeulgeoum).
Meaning: feeling of happiness (noun)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 기쁨 | gippeum | [kip͈ɯm] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 즐거움 | jeulgeoum | [t͡ɕɯɭɡʌ̹um] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
The word refers to a feeling of happiness. You can use the noun form to talk about the concept of joy or the adjective form 기쁘다 to describe being joyful or happy.
Which one should you use?
기쁨 refers to a deep, often emotional sense of joy or delight. In contrast, 즐거움 is used to describe pleasure or enjoyment derived from an activity or something fun and engaging.
How does it change in a sentence?
When 기쁨 is the subject of a sentence, it often takes the subject marker 이 (gippeum-i).
How do you pronounce it?
gippeum
Did you know?
- The difference between 기쁨 and 즐거움 can be understood as the difference between the 'heart' and the 'senses'.
- In poetic or spiritual contexts, 기쁨 can describe a sublime state of joy that transcends ordinary daily pleasure.
- The adjective 기쁘다 (gippeuda) is almost always accompanied by a reason, such as 'receiving a gift' or 'meeting a friend', to feel natural in conversation.
Examples in context
- 기쁨도 슬픔도 영원히 계속되지는 않아.Neither joy nor sorrow can last forever.This sentence shows how 기쁨 can be contrasted with sorrow.Tatoeba #13755195 by qlTmalffk, translation #562897 by kebukebu
- 기쁨에 넘쳐 자신도 모르게 크게 소리치다To be so overcome with joy that one cries outThis sentence describes being overcome with 기쁨.
- 기쁨은 나눌수록 더 크게 커집니다.Joy increases as you share it.
- 이 축제는 많은 사람들에게 기쁨을 선사합니다.This festival brings joy to many people.
- 오늘 정말 즐거웠어!Today was really joyful!
- 같이 있는 순간이 정말 즐거웠어요.The moment we spent together was truly joyful.
- 큰 기쁨Great joy
- 작은 기쁨Small joy
- 뜻밖의 기쁨Unexpected joy
- 평범한 즐거움Ordinary joy
- 아이의 웃음은 큰 기쁨을 준다.aiui useumeun keun gippeumeul junda.A child's laughter brings great joy.
Example conversation
Jihoon and Subin are talking about their hobbies.
- 지훈 Ji-hun수빈 씨는 요즘 무엇을 할 때 가장 행복해요?Subin ssi-neun yojeum mueos-eul hal ttae gajang haengbok-haeyo?Subin, what makes you the happiest these days?
- 수빈 Su-bin저는 그림을 그릴 때 정말 큰 기쁨을 느껴요.jeoneun geurim-eul geuril ttae jeongmal keun gippeum-eul neukkyeoyo.I feel a great joy when I paint.
- 지훈 Ji-hun정말 멋지네요. 저도 한번 보고 싶어요.jeongmal meotjineyo. jeodo hanbeon bogo sipeoyo.That's really cool. I want to see your work sometime.
- 수빈 Su-bin다음에 꼭 보여 드릴게요, 지훈 씨.da-eume kkok boyeo deurilgeyo, Jihoon ssi.I will definitely show you next time, Jihoon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “joy” translations and entries 기쁨, 즐거움, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
