What does 아침 mean?
아침 (a-chim) means: Morning.
Speakers use this to refer to the early part of the day, from dawn until the morning hours when daily activities begin. It frequently appears alongside time expressions, verbs of waking and movement, and routine morning actions. It pairs with modifiers indicating timing such as 이른, 늦은, and 오늘, and combines with verbs like 일어나다, 밝다, and 오다.
Mentioning the morning hours often carries an immediate sense of daily routine, brisk movement, or the quiet atmosphere of early awakening.
Mentioning the morning hours often carries an immediate sense of daily routine, brisk movement, or the quiet atmosphere of early awakening.
Other sides of 아침
◆ mealtime shorthand — Speakers use this to refer directly to the first meal of the day, dropping its temporal meaning entirely. It commonly combines with verbs like 먹다, 거르다, 굶다, 준비하다, and 차리다 to describe eating or preparing the morning meal. It also appears in routine conversational check-ins about whether someone has eaten.
Using this for the meal rather than the time of day is standard and automatic, requiring no special context.
Using this for the meal rather than the time of day is standard and automatic, requiring no special context.
How it's actually used
- 나는 아침에 커피를 한 잔 마시고 출근 준비를 한다.
na-neun a-chim-e keop-i-reul han jan ma-si-go chul-geun jun-bi-reul han-da.
I drink a cup of coffee in the morning and prepare to go to work.
💡 Shows the word used within a daily morning routine. - 아침에 운동을 하면 해가 떠오르는 것도 볼 수 있고 상쾌한 아침 공기도 마실 수 있어서 좋다.
a-chim-e un-dong-eul ha-myeon hae-ga tteo-o-neun geot-do bol su it-go sang-kwae-han a-chim gong-gi-do ma-sil su it-seo joh-da.
Exercising in the morning is good because you can watch the sun rise and breathe in the fresh morning air.
💡 Shows the word combined with morning exercise and air. - 그는 아침 일찍 일어나는 편이다.
geu-neun a-chim il-jjik il-eo-na-neun pyeon-i-da.
He tends to wake up early in the morning.
💡 Shows the word combined with early waking habits.