What does 기억 mean?
기억 (gi-eok) means: Memory.
Usually a neutral or painful memory. '기억을 지워줘' (Erase my memory) is a desperate plea to stop the pain of missing someone.
Other sides of 기억
◆ digital trace — While textbooks teach '기억' strictly as human memory, modern tech culture applies it personively to the ghost data our devices stubbornly hold onto. Natives use it when a phone remembers a typo you typed three months ago or when an app's UI asks if you want to clear your search history ('검색 기억'). It bridges the gap between mechanical data storage and human haunting, making your cache feel like a machine that just won't forget your past mistakes.
◆ commemoration — When you see 기억 used in this commemorative sense, drop your mental image of casual memory retrieval. This is the word carved into stone monuments, used in annual memorial events, and stamped onto the names of historical museums and foundation boards. It signals solemnity, civic duty, and collective obligation, making it far more formal than everyday remembering.
◆ commemoration — When you see 기억 used in this commemorative sense, drop your mental image of casual memory retrieval. This is the word carved into stone monuments, used in annual memorial events, and stamped onto the names of historical museums and foundation boards. It signals solemnity, civic duty, and collective obligation, making it far more formal than everyday remembering.
How it's actually used
- 어제 너무 취해서 영화 본 기억이 안 나.
eoje neomu chwihaeseo yeonghwa bon gieogi an na.
I was so drunk yesterday that I don't remember watching the movie.
💡 기억이 나다/안 나다 is the most common way to say remember/forget. - 헤어진 후로 그 사람과의 모든 기억이 지워졌으면 좋겠어.
heeojin huro geu saramgwa-ui modeun gieogi jiwojyeosseumyeon jokesseo.
Ever since we broke up, I wish all memories of that person would just be erased.
💡 Use this when talking about painful memories you desperately want to forget. - 너와 함께한 모든 아픈 기억을 지워버리고 싶어.
neowa hamkkehan modeun apeun gieogeul jiwobeorigo sipeo.
I want to erase every painful memory I shared with you.
💡 Expresses a desire to forget hurtful past events.