작년
jangnyeon[t͡ɕa̠ŋɲʌ̹n]
The Korean phrase for "last year" is 작년 (jangnyeon).
작년 is used to refer to the year immediately preceding the current one.
Meaning: year before this one (adv)
How does it change in a sentence?
When using 작년 as a time adverb to indicate when an action occurred, it is common to add the particle 에 to form 작년에.
How do you pronounce it?
jangnyeon
Did you know?
- The word 작년 contains the character 작, which means 'yesterday'. This makes the word literally translate to 'yesterday year' in its Sino-Korean roots.
- If you want to refer to the year before last, you would not use '작년' plus a number, but instead use the specific term 재작년.
- Because 작년 is a Sino-Korean word, it is often used in news reports, newspapers, and formal speeches, whereas 지난해 feels much more natural in casual conversation.
Examples in context
- 작년에 눈이 엄청 내렸어.It snowed a lot last year.This sentence is useful for describing weather conditions in the form of 작년.Tatoeba #4748098 by kimhkng, translation #569759 by kebukebu
- 그 사람 작년에 담배 끊었어.He stopped smoking last year.This sentence is useful for describing a person's habit change in the form of 작년.Tatoeba #4748400 by kimhkng, translation #295260 by CK
- 그는 작년에 클럽에 가입했다.He joined the club last year.This sentence is useful for describing an action taken in the form of 작년.Tatoeba #11104831 by intertime, translation #296922 by CK
- 지난 해에 한국을 여행했어요.I traveled to Korea last year.
- 작년에 함께 여행했었어.We traveled together last year.
- 작년에 한국에 갔어요.I went to Korea last year.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Subin and Minjun are talking about their travel experiences.
- 수빈 Su-bin민준 씨는 작년에 어디에 갔어요?Minjun ssineun jaknyeone odie gasseoyo?Where did you go last year, Minjun?
- 민준 Min-jun저는 작년에 제주도에 다녀왔어요.Jeoneun jaknyeone Jejudo-e danyeowasseoyo.I went to Jeju Island last year.
- 수빈 Su-bin정말 좋았겠네요!Jeongmal joasseonggeneyo!That must have been great!
- 민준 Min-jun네, 정말 즐거운 시간이었어요.Ne, jeongmal jeulgeoun siganieosseoyo.Yes, it was a really wonderful time.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “last year” translations and entries 작년, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 작년, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
