예약하다
yeyakhada
To reserve in Korean is 예약하다 (yeyakhada).
The verb 예약하다 is used for booking services or spaces, such as restaurant tables, hotel rooms or doctor appointments.
Meaning: to book in advance (verb)
Which one should you use?
Do not confuse 예약하다 (to reserve/book a spot) with 주문하다 (to order food or items), which refers to the act of requesting specific goods or dishes.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
yeyakhada
Did you know?
- The Hanja for the first syllable of 예약하다, 豫, contains the radical for 'rain', a remnant of its ancient connection to predicting weather or timing, which eventually evolved into the concept of 'preparing' or 'pre-'.
- While 예약하다 is the standard term for booking, if you are reserving a seat in a cinema or a specific spot in a lecture, Koreans often use the word 찜하다 (jjimhada), which literally means 'to claim or mark something as one's own'.
- While 예약하다 is for bookings, Koreans use the term 팅 (ting) in slang, derived from 티케팅 (ticketing), to describe the high-stress, competitive act of reserving concert seats online.
Examples in context
- 저는 식당을 사전 예약했어요.I made a prior reservation for the restaurant.
- 저는 호텔을 예약하려고 합니다.I would like to reserve a hotel.
- 내일 영화 예약해 줄래?Can you reserve the movie for tomorrow?
- 우리는 여행을 미리 예약했어요.We reserved our trip in advance.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 예약하다, CC BY-SA 4.0.
