K-Pop Concert on a Friday? Let’s Learn the Days!
Hello! Welcome to [Maeil Hangeul], here to upgrade your Korean skills!
Have you ever seen an announcement for your favorite K-Pop group’s concert and felt a rush of excitement? To make sure you don’t miss out, you need to know exactly when it’s happening. Today, we’re going to learn one of the most essential skills for any fan (and for daily life!): the days of the week in Korean!
Lately in Korea, getting concert tickets is like a battle! They sell out in seconds. Knowing how to ask and say the days of the week will help you be ready to grab those tickets and make plans with your friends. Let’s get started!
Core Expressions You Need to Know
Here are the essential words and phrases for mastering the days of the week.
1. The Days of the Week
First, let’s learn the seven days. The magic word here is 요일 (yoil), which means “day of the week.” You just add a word to the front!
- 월요일 (Woryoil): Monday
- 화요일 (Hwayoil): Tuesday
- 수요일 (Suyoil): Wednesday
- 목요일 (Mogyoil): Thursday
- 금요일 (Geumyoil): Friday
- 토요일 (Toyoil): Saturday
- 일요일 (Iryoil): Sunday
Detailed Explanation: These names come from ancient characters representing natural elements: Moon (월), Fire (화), Water (수), Wood (목), Gold (금), Earth (토), and Sun (일). So, “Woryoil” is literally “Moon Day”!
💡 Pronunciation Tip:
For 월요일 (Woryoil), the letters are ‘wol-yo-il’, but the ‘l’ sound from ‘wol’ links to the next syllable, making it sound like [woryoil]. The same thing happens with 일요일 (Iryoil). It’s written as ‘il-yo-il’ but pronounced smoothly as [iryoil]. Practice saying them in one flow!
2. 오늘 무슨 요일이에요? (Oneul museun yoirieyo?)
- Pronunciation [Romanized]: Oneul museun yoirieyo?
- English Meaning: What day is it today?
- Detailed Explanation: This is the most common and polite way to ask about the day.
- 오늘 (oneul): today
- 무슨 (museun): what / which
- 요일이에요 (yoirieyo): is it the day of the week?
This is your go-to phrase when you lose track of time while watching K-dramas!
💡 Pronunciation Tip:
The end of the phrase, 요일이에요 (yoil-ieyo), sounds like [yo-i-ri-e-yo]. The 받침 (bottom consonant) ‘ㄹ(l)’ from ‘일’ moves over to the next syllable ‘이’, which starts with a vowel. This linking rule, called 연음 (yeoneum), makes Korean sound smooth and connected.
3. 콘서트는 금요일에 해요. (Konseoteu-neun geumyoire haeyo.)
- Pronunciation [Romanized]: Konseoteu-neun geumyoire haeyo.
- English Meaning: The concert is on Friday.
- Detailed Explanation: This sentence structure is super useful! You can switch out the day and the event.
- 콘서트 (konseoteu): concert
- -는 (neun): topic marker
- 금요일에 (geumyoire): on Friday (The particle ‘에’ is attached to days and times to mean ‘on’ or ‘at’).
- 해요 (haeyo): (it) does / is.
💡 Pronunciation Tip:
Notice the first sound in 콘서트 (konseoteu). The letter ‘ㅋ(k)’ is an “aspirated” sound. This means you should release a strong puff of air when you say it, like the ‘k’ in “kite.” Hold your hand in front of your mouth—you should feel the air!
Example Dialogue
Let’s see how these expressions are used in a real-life conversation between two K-Pop fans, A and B.
A: 와! 새로운 아이돌 그룹 콘서트!
(Wa! Saeroun aidol geurup konseoteu!)
(Wow! A new idol group concert!)
B: 진짜? 오늘 무슨 요일이에요? 티켓팅 날짜 확인해야 해요!
(Jinjja? Oneul museun yoirieyo? Tiketing naljja hwaginhaeya haeyo!)
(Really? What day is it today? We have to check the ticketing date!)
A: 오늘 수요일이에요. 콘서트는 금요일에 해요!
(Oneul suyoirieyo. Konseoteu-neun geumyoire haeyo!)
(Today is Wednesday. The concert is on Friday!)
B: 좋아요! 우리 금요일에 같이 티켓팅해요!
(Joayo! Uri geumyoire gachi tiketinghaeyo!)
(Okay! Let’s try to get tickets together on Friday!)
Culture Tip & Trend Deep Dive
In Korea, the intense competition for concert tickets is famously called 피켓팅 (piketing). It’s a combination of the words 피 (pi – blood) and 티켓팅 (tiketing – ticketing), meaning it’s a “bloody war for tickets.”
Many ticket sales for popular concerts open on weekday afternoons, especially on 금요일 (Geumyoil – Friday). For K-Pop fans, Friday isn’t just the start of the weekend; it’s often the most stressful and exciting day of the week! Knowing the phrase “금요일 8시 (geumyoil yeodeolsi),” which means “Friday at 8 PM,” is crucial. If you can say and understand this, you’re one step closer to sounding like a true Korean fan!
Wrap-up & Practice Time!
Great job today! You’ve learned the days of the week and how to use them to talk about important events like a concert. Now you’re ready to make plans and catch your favorite artists live!
Let’s test your knowledge with a quick quiz.
- Fill in the blank: How would you say, “The party is on Saturday”?
- 파티는 _______에 해요. (Pati-neun _______e haeyo.)
- Make a sentence: How would you ask a friend, “Shall we meet on Sunday?”
- (Hint: Use 우리 (uri – we), 일요일 (Iryoil – Sunday), and 만날까요? (mannalkkayo? – shall we meet?))
Leave your answers in the comments below! We’d love to see you practice using the days of the week. What’s your favorite day? Tell us in Korean!
