Regional Dialects of Korea

Standard language and dialects

표준어 (standard language) is the form of Korean used in schools, news, official documents and most textbooks. The South Korean standard is based on the modern speech of Seoul used widely by educated people. Everything you have learned on this site so far is standard Korean.

사투리 or 방언 (dialect) is the speech of a particular region. Korean dialects differ in vocabulary, sentence endings, and intonation. Most Koreans understand the major mainland dialects without difficulty, especially because they hear them in films, dramas and comedy shows.

Dialects are not "wrong" Korean. They are part of each region’s identity and history, and many people feel proud and warm when they hear their hometown speech. As a learner, your goal is to understand dialects when you hear them. For your own speaking, standard Korean is the safest choice.

Gyeongsang dialect (경상도 사투리)

Spoken in the southeast, including Busan, Daegu and Ulsan. It is famous for its strong rising and falling pitch; the same word can sound very different from the Seoul version. Speakers often sound direct and energetic.

In casual questions, the dialect uses two different endings. -나 is used for yes/no questions, and -노 for questions with a question word such as 뭐, 어디 or 왜. Very short questions like 와? (why?) are also typical.

Jeolla dialect (전라도 사투리)

Spoken in the southwest, including Gwangju and Jeonju. It is known for its rich, expressive sound and for the region’s famous food and traditional music.

The most famous word is 거시기, a handy word for something you cannot name right away, like "that thing" or "you know what". (거시기 is also listed in the standard dictionary, but it is strongly linked with Jeolla speech.) Speakers may add a soft -잉 at the end of a sentence, and use 허벌나게 to mean "very, a lot". The ending -부러 (from -아/어 버리다) also appears often.

Chungcheong dialect (충청도 사투리)

Spoken in the central region, including Daejeon and Cheongju. Its best-known feature is the polite ending -유 in place of -요. Chungcheong speakers are often described in comedy as calm and slow, though of course real people speak at many speeds.

Jeju: a language to protect

The speech of Jeju Island is so different from mainland Korean that mainland Koreans often cannot understand it when older islanders speak it fully. Because of this, many scholars call it the Jeju language (제주어) rather than just a dialect. It is also said to keep traces of older Korean, such as the old vowel ㆍ (아래아), in some words.

In 2010, UNESCO listed the Jeju language as critically endangered. Fewer and fewer young people speak it, and today many local groups and schools work to preserve it.