TOPIK II Core Vocabulary · Work & the Office ②

A working life — 취직하다, 퇴근하다, 야근, 월급, 승진하다

These five words cover getting a job, leaving work, working late, monthly pay, and promotion. Two of them use particles you should watch closely. A particle is a small word added after a noun.

01취직하다chwijikada🔊 [취지카다]

to get a job · to be hired and start working at a company.

Pronunciation [취지카다]. The final consonant (patchim) ㄱ joins the next ㅎ and becomes ㅋ.

Note Use 에 for the company or organization with 취직하다, as in 회사에 취직하다. The related noun 취업 means employment. 취업 준비 means job preparation or job hunting.

드디어 원하던 회사에 취직했어요. I finally got a job at the company I wanted to work for.  |  드디어 = at last · 원하다 = to want

졸업 후 바로 취직하는 비율이 해마다 낮아지고 있다. The share of graduates going straight into work is falling every year.  |  비율 = proportion · 해마다 = yearly

02퇴근하다toegeunhada

to leave work · to finish for the day. The opposite is 출근하다.

Note Use 에 with 출근하다, and 에서 with 퇴근하다. Compare 회사에 출근하다 and 회사에서 퇴근하다.

Examples 일찍 퇴근하다 (to leave early) · 퇴근 시간 (the time you finish work) · 퇴근길 (the way home)

오늘은 좀 일찍 퇴근했어요. I left a bit early today.  |  일찍 = early

정시 퇴근을 보장하려는 움직임이 확산되고 있다. Efforts to ensure that employees can leave work on time are becoming more widespread.  |  정시 = the set time · 보장하다 = to guarantee

03야근yageun

working late, overtime work · working after your normal working hours end.

Note 야근 means working late into the evening. The verb is 야근하다. 야근 수당 means "overtime pay."

Examples 야근을 하다 (to work late) · 야근이 많다 (to have a lot of late nights) · 야근 수당 (overtime pay)

이번 주는 야근이 너무 많았어요. I've had far too many late nights this week.  |  너무 = too

잦은 야근은 결국 업무 효율을 떨어뜨린다. Frequent overtime ends up lowering work efficiency.  |  잦다 = to be frequent · 떨어뜨리다 = to lower

04월급wolgeup

monthly pay · money you get once a month for your work.

Note The first syllable 월 means "month." 연봉 means yearly salary. 월급 means monthly pay. 급여 is a more formal general word for pay.

Examples 월급을 받다 (to get paid) · 월급이 오르다 (pay goes up) · 월급날 (payday)

월급날이 벌써 지났네요. Payday has already passed.  |  -네요 marks mild surprise

월급이 올라도 물가가 더 빨리 오르면 소용이 없다. Even if your pay goes up, it is no use when prices rise faster.  |  -아/어도 = even if · 소용이 없다 = to be no use

05승진하다seungjinhada

to be promoted · to move up to a higher position.

Note The new position takes (으)로, as in 과장으로 승진하다.

Examples 과장으로 승진하다 (to make section chief) · 승진을 하다 (to get promoted) · 승진 시험 (a promotion exam)

이번에 과장으로 승진했어요. I've just been promoted to section chief.  |  Congratulate someone with 승진 축하해요

성과만이 승진의 기준이 되어서는 곤란하다. It is a problem when results are the only standard for promotion.  |  성과 = results · 기준 = standard

Quick check3 questions

Fill in each blank in Korean.

1. 드디어 원하던 회사________ 취직했어요. (which particle?)
2. 잦은 __________은 결국 업무 효율을 떨어뜨린다. (frequent ______)
3. 이번에 과장________ 승진했어요. (which particle?)

Show answers

1. 에   2. 야근   3. 으로

취직 takes 에, 승진 takes (으)로

Study tip The syllable 근 appears in several workplace words: 출근, 퇴근, 야근, 근무, and 재택근무. Study them as a group. That makes the words easier to recognize.