올해
olhae[o̞ɾɦɛ]
In Korean, "this year" is 올해 (olhae).
The phrase refers to the current calendar year in which the speaker is living.
Which one should you use?
올해 is frequently used in contrast with 작년 (last year) and 내년 (next year).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Gyeongsang region, the dialect version 울해 is used, which replaces the ㅗ sound with a ㅜ sound.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the topic marker -는 to form 올해는 is a common way to say "as for this year," typically used when contrasting the current year's situation with previous years.
How do you pronounce it?
olhae
Did you know?
- The structure of 올해 actually comes from a Middle Korean term where a locative particle was accidentally fused into the noun itself. This transformed a phrase meaning 'in this year' into a single noun.
- While many Korean words for time are built from the character for 'year' (년), 올해 is a native Korean word that does not rely on Sino-Korean roots.
- In some formal contexts, such as business or government, 본년 is used instead of 올해 to refer to 'the current year'.
Examples in context
- 올해 생일파티 할 계획이야?Are you planning to have a birthday party this year?This example is useful for asking about birthday plans regarding 올해.Tatoeba #13755288 by qlTmalffk, translation #9738092 by CK
- 우리 할아버지는 올해 말기 암으로 돌아가셨어.My grandfather succumbed to a terminal cancer this year.This example is useful for expressing a past event that occurred during 올해.Tatoeba #13756558 by qlTmalffk, translation #1291942 by Scott
- 올해는 발렌타인 데이가 일요일이다.This year, Valentine's Day falls on a Sunday.This example is useful for noting a specific date or event falling on a certain day during 올해.Tatoeba #1587226 by JanAson, translation #1581922 by jubjubbird01
- 올해는 본국으로 돌아가고 싶어요.I want to go back to my home country this year.
- 금년은 비즈니스 확장에 집중할 것입니다.This year, we will focus on business expansion.
- 올해 여행 계획이 어때?How about the travel plans for this year?
- 이번 해에 어떤 일을 시작할까?What kind of project should we start this year?
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their travel plans at a cafe.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo올해는 어디로 여행 갈 거야?ol-hae-neun eo-di-ro yeo-haeng gal geo-ya?Where are you going to travel this year?
- 수빈 Su-bin아직 정하지 못했어.a-jik jeong-ha-ji mot-haet-eo.I haven't decided yet.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo수빈아, 꼭 어디든 가야 해.su-bin-a, kkok eo-di-deun ga-ya hae.Subin, you definitely have to go somewhere.
- 수빈 Su-bin응, 현우 너도 꼭 가.eung, hyeon-u neo-do kkok ga.Yeah, you should go too, Hyeonwoo.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 올해, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 올해, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
