About this tool
This Korean office terms glossary explains workplace jargon and abbreviations that confuse new employees in Korea, and it is also useful for anyone who works with Korean teams.
It covers 176 terms in eight groups: approval and documents, meetings and reports, English abbreviations, HR and pay, email and messenger phrases, ranks and titles, collaboration and IT words, and money and deals.
Each entry gives a plain explanation and a realistic sentence you might hear at work.
A few examples that often trip up newcomers: pumui (품의) is a written request sent up the chain asking for permission before you spend money or start something, while gyeoljae (결재) is the manager's act of approving it.
Jeongyeol (전결) means a mid-level manager gives the final approval in place of the top boss under company rules, and daegyeol (대결) means someone signs for an approver who is away.
R&R here means Roles and Responsibilities, not rest and recreation. ASAP means as soon as possible, but without a time it is vague, so asking for a deadline helps.
FYI means for your information, so no reply or action is usually needed. CC is a carbon copy and BCC is a blind copy that other recipients cannot see.
Type in the search box to filter instantly; for Korean terms you can type just the initial consonants, such as ㅍㅇ for 품의.
Category chips narrow the list, the random button helps you learn one term a day, and the copy button lets you share a term card with a coworker. ⓘ These are general explanations.
The same word can be used differently across companies, industries and teams, so check your own workplace rules and ask a senior colleague.
Work conditions such as annual leave, inclusive wages and severance depend on the law and your contract, so please check Ministry of Employment and Labor guidance for details.
Labor-related entries are general information, not legal advice.
How to use
- Type a word in the search box, such as ASAP or 품의. Results filter as you type.
- For Korean terms you can type only the initial consonants, for example ㅍㅇ for 품의.
- Tap a category chip to see only one group, like English abbreviations or HR and pay.
- Tap Random term to learn one at a time, Copy to copy a card.