야근
yageun
The Korean word for overtime is 야근 (yageun).
야근 is the most common and widely accepted term for overtime in South Korea. While it is used frequently in conversation, you may also encounter 연장근무, which is a term for overtime more frequently used in official documents or policies.
Meaning: exceeding regular working hours (adv)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 야근 is a compound of 야 (night) and 근 (work), literally meaning "night work."
Which one should you use?
야근 specifically refers to working late into the night on a weekday, whereas 주말 근무 is used for working on weekends.
How does it change in a sentence?
To use 'overtime' as a verb, you add the verb suffix 하다 to the noun 야근 to form 야근하다. In natural conversation, the noun 야근 is often used with the object marker 를 and the verb 하다 to mean "to work overtime", resulting in the phrase 야근을 하다.
How do you pronounce it?
yageun
Did you know?
- In Korean office culture, 'overtime' is often not viewed as a choice but as a sign of loyalty, where 'doing 야근' can be a subtle way to show dedication to one's boss.
- The Chinese characters in 야근 (夜勤) are the same characters used in Japanese to mean 'night shift' or 'night work'.
- Korean has a specific term 포괄임금제 (comprehensive wage system) where a set amount of 야근 pay is included in the monthly salary regardless of actual hours worked.
Examples in context
- 나는 어제 야근을 해야 했어.I had to work overtime yesterday.This sentence shows how to use 야근 to express having to work overtime.Tatoeba #8360730 by Eunhee, translation #257775 by CK
- 저는 야근을 하겠습니다I will do overtime.
- 연장근무 수당Overtime pay
- 연장 시간이 있나요?Is there any overtime available?
- 오늘 야근해야 돼I have to do overtime tonight.
- 초과근무는 정말 힘들어Overtime is really difficult.
- 제가 오늘 야근해야 해요.I have to do overtime today.
- 야근을 정말 싫어해요.I really hate overtime.
- 회사에서 연장근무를 요구했어요.The company requested overtime work.
- 오늘은 너무 야근을 많이 했어.oneureun neomu yageuneul mani haesseo.I worked way too much overtime today.
- 매주 야근을 하면 너무 힘들 것 같아.maeju yageuneul hamyeon neomu himdeul geot gata.I think it will be too hard if I do overtime every week.
Example conversation
Two colleagues are talking in the office at 6 PM.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo민지 씨, 오늘 야근 해요?Minji ssi, oneul yageun haeyo?Minji, are you working overtime today?
- 민지 Min-ji네, 보고서를 다 써야 해요.ne, bogoseoreul da sseoya haeyo.Yes, I have to finish writing the report.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo힘드시겠네요. 같이 힘내요.himdeusigessneyo. gachi himnaeyo.That must be tough. Let's hang in there.
- 민지 Min-ji고마워요, 현우 씨.gomawoyo, Hyeonu ssi.Thank you, Hyeonu.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 야근, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
