자정
jajeong[t͡ɕa̠d͡ʑʌ̹ŋ]
The English phrase 'midnight' translates to Korean as 자정 (jajeong). Wiktionary also lists 밤 열두시 (bam yeoldu-si) and 밤 12시 (bam 12-si).
Meaning: 12 o'clock at night exactly (noun)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 자정 | jajeong | [t͡ɕa̠d͡ʑʌ̹ŋ] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 밤 열두시 | bam yeoldu-si | |
| 밤 12시 | bam 12-si |
The term refers to exactly 12 o'clock at night. You may also see the term 한밤 used to translate 'midnight'.
Which one should you use?
In contrast, 밤 열두시 and 밤 12시 are more common, native-style ways to say 'twelve o'clock at night'.
How does it change in a sentence?
While English allows 'midnight' to function as an adjective (such as in 'midnight snack'), the Korean noun 자정 is typically used as a noun and requires a particle or a modifier to function within a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
jajeong
When do people say it?
The formal counterpart to the midnight term 자정 is 정오, which means noon.
Did you know?
- In Korean, the word 밤 meaning 'night' is a homonym for the word for 'chestnut'. Context is the only way to tell if someone is talking about the time of day or a snack.
- The term 자정 contains the character 子, which represents the 'Rat' in the twelve zodiac signs. In traditional timekeeping, midnight is the precise moment when the energy of the Rat begins to govern the cycle.
- Because 자정 is a Sino-Korean word, it sounds more formal and academic than the native-style 밤 열두시, which is used more frequently in daily conversation.
Examples in context
- 콘서트는 한밤중에 끝납니다.The concert ends at midnight.
- 우린 밤 12시에 만나자!Let's meet at midnight!
- 자정에 영화가 시작해요.jajeonge yeonghwaga sijakhaeyo.The movie starts at midnight.
- 자정까지 숙제를 끝내야 해요.jajeongkkaji sukjereul kkeutnaeya haeyo.I must finish my homework by midnight.
- 자정에 만나기로 했어요.jajeonge mannagiro haesseoyo.We decided to meet at midnight.
Example conversation
Minji and Hyunwoo are discussing their plan for a late-night study session.
- 민지 Min-ji우리 자정에 만날까요?uri jajeonge mannalkkayo?Shall we meet at midnight?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo너무 늦은 것 같아요.neomu neujeun geot gatayo.I think it is too late.
- 민지 Min-ji현우 씨, 자정이면 괜찮아요.Hyunwoo ssi, jajeong-imyeon gwaenchanayo.Hyunwoo, midnight is fine.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo알겠어요. 그때 봐요.algetseoyo. geuttae bwayo.Okay. See you then.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “midnight” translations and entries 자정, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
