Dictionary — Entry No. 0606
저녁
jeonyeok · noun
저녁
jeonyeok
[JUH-nyuhk]
nounbeginner
Meaning
The Korean word for ‘evening’ or ‘dinner,’ covering the transitional period from late afternoon to nightfall. Like 아침 and 점심, it refers to both the time of day and the associated meal, reflecting a culture that structures daily rhythm around communal eating.
K-Pop & K-Drama Context
K-Drama evening scenes carry enormous narrative weight — romantic confessions, family tensions, and life-changing decisions unfold over 저녁 tables more than anywhere else. IVE’s ‘After LIKE’ evokes the nostalgic, golden-hour quality of late afternoon fading into evening, a mood deeply familiar in Korean emotional aesthetics. The tradition of gathering for 저녁 식사 (jeonyeok siksa, evening meal) as family or friends is depicted across dramas from ‘Reply 1988’ to ‘Vincenzo’ as a ritual of belonging.
Example Sentences
저녁 같이 먹을래?
Jeonyeok gachi meogeullae?
Do you want to eat dinner together? (A casual dinner invitation — 같이 means ‘together’ and -을래 softens it into a warm suggestion)
저녁 하늘이 너무 예뻐.
Jeonyeok haneuri neomu yeppeo.
The evening sky is so beautiful. (저녁 하늘 = ‘evening sky’ — a poetic image that appears often in K-Drama OST lyrics and rooftop scenes)
저녁에 연락해.
Jeonyeoge yeollakae.
Contact me in the evening. (A practical everyday phrase for scheduling communication later in the day)
⚠️ Don’t use jeonyeok when…
저녁 (evening/dinner) and 밤 (bam, night) are not interchangeable — 저녁 is the transitional dusk period and the dinner meal, while 밤 is full nighttime after dark. Also: 저녁 식사 is formal for ‘dinner,’ while simply saying 저녁 먹었어? is the casual everyday version.
🎵 Heard In
- K-Drama: Vincenzo — a key confrontation unfolds over a 저녁 meal where the warmth of shared food contrasts sharply with the threat underneath the table, a recurring K-Drama technique for building tension.
- K-Pop: IVE — After LIKE
ℹ️ Editorial Note: The cultural context and example usage are for educational reference only. Artist names, song titles, and drama references are used descriptively to illustrate vocabulary in context. This content is AI-assisted and reviewed for accuracy. For official information, please refer to the respective artists’ or studios’ official channels.