Living the “God-saeng”: Master Your Korean Work Routine!

Hello! This is [Daily Hangeul], here to upgrade your Korean skills to the next level! 👋

Today, we are going to talk about Jobs and the Workplace. Specifically, we will learn how to describe your “Simple Daily Routine” at work.

Are you following the latest trend in Korea called “God-saeng” (갓생)? It combines “God” and “Saeng” (Life), meaning to live a diligent and productive life. Many young Koreans love sharing their “God-saeng” work routines on social media! 📱✨

Let’s learn how to talk about your productive day so you can share your own “God-saeng” routine in Korean!

🔑 Key Expressions

Here are 4 essential expressions to talk about your workday.

1. 출근하다 (To go to work)

• Pronunciation: [Chul-geun-ha-da]
• English: To go to work / To clock in
• Details: This is the verb used when you start your workday. You can say “9시에 출근해요” (I go to work at 9).
• 💡 Pronunciation Tip:
  When you conjugate this to “출근해요” (I go to work), the ‘ㅎ(h)’ sound is often weak. However, let’s look at the noun 출근 (going to work). Make sure to pronounce the ‘ㄹ(l/r)’ clearly at the bottom of the first block!

2. 회의가 있어요 (I have a meeting)

• Pronunciation: [Hwe-i-ga i-sseo-yo]
• English: I have a meeting.
• Details: “회의” means meeting. This is a very common phrase in any office. You can use it to explain why you are busy.
• 💡 Pronunciation Tip:
  The vowel ‘의 (ui)’ can be tricky! In the word 회의 (meeting), the ‘의’ is often pronounced like [이 (i)] or [에 (e)] in casual speech because it’s easier. So, [Hwe-i] or [Hwe-e] sounds very natural to native speakers!

3. 연락해 주세요 (Please contact me)

• Pronunciation: [Yeol-la-kae ju-se-yo]
• English: Please contact me / Please call or text me.
• Details: Use this when asking a colleague or client to get in touch with you regarding work matters.
• 💡 Pronunciation Tip:
  Wait, why is it [Yeol-lak] and not ‘Yeon-lak’? This is a rule called Liquidization (유음화). When the patchim ‘ㄴ(n)’ meets ‘ㄹ(l)’, the ‘n’ sound changes to an ‘l’ sound to make it flow better.
  • 연락 (Yeon-lak) ➡️ [열락 (Yeol-lak)]
  • Try saying it smoothly: Yeol-la-kae ju-se-yo!

4. 퇴근하다 (To get off work)

• Pronunciation: [Toe-geun-ha-da]
• English: To finish work / To clock out
• Details: The best time of the day! It is the opposite of 출근하다.
• 💡 Pronunciation Tip:
  When you say “퇴근해요” (I’m getting off work), the ‘ㅎ’ in ‘해’ is weak, and the ‘ㄴ’ patchim moves over.
  • 퇴근해요 ➡️ [퇴그네요 (Toe-geu-ne-yo)]
  • This linking makes your Korean sound much more fluent!

🗣️ Example Dialogue

Let’s see how Minji and Jason talk about their busy “God-saeng” routine!

(At the office break room)

Minji: 제이슨 씨, 오늘 회의가 있어요?
(Jason, do you have a meeting today?)
[Je-i-seun ssi, o-neul hwe-i-ga i-sseo-yo?]

Jason: 네, 2시에 있어요. 그 후에 거래처에 연락해야 해요.
(Yes, I have one at 2. After that, I have to contact the client.)
[Ne, du-si-e i-sseo-yo. Geu hu-e geo-rae-cheo-e yeol-la-kae-ya hae-yo.]

Minji: 와, 정말 바쁘네요! 요즘 완전 갓생 사시네요!
(Wow, you are really busy! You are totally living the “God-saeng” these days!)
[Wa, jeong-mal ba-ppeu-ne-yo! Yo-jeum wan-jeon gat-saeng sa-si-ne-yo!]

Jason: 하하, 맞아요. 빨리 퇴근하고 운동 가고 싶어요.
(Haha, that’s right. I want to get off work quickly and go exercise.)
[Ha-ha, ma-ja-yo. Ppal-li toe-geun-ha-go un-dong ga-go si-peo-yo.]

🇰🇷 Culture Tip & Trends

What exactly is “God-saeng” (갓생)?

As mentioned, God-saeng is a combination of God (갓) + Life (인생). It doesn’t mean you are religious; it means you are focusing on self-improvement and being productive!

In the Korean workplace, showing that you manage your time well—from 출근 (start work) to 퇴근 (finish work) and even doing hobbies or exercise afterwards is considered very cool.
* Did you know? Many office workers post pictures of their desks or their finished to-do lists on Instagram with the hashtag #오운완 (O-Wun-Wan), which means “Today’s Workout Completed.” It’s part of the God-saeng routine!

Using phrases like “회의가 있어요” and “연락해 주세요” confidently shows you are a professional handling your busy schedule well. 😎

📝 Wrap-up & Quiz

Today we learned how to talk about a simple work routine. You are now ready to describe your busy day in Korean!

Let’s practice! Fill in the blanks:

1. I go to work at 9 AM.
   = 저는 9시에 [ ]해요.
2. Please contact me.
   = 저에게 [ ]해 주세요.

(Hint: Check the Key Expressions above!)

Answers: 1. 출근, 2. 연락

How is your daily routine? Try writing one sentence using today’s expressions in the comments below! I’d love to hear about your “God-saeng” life! 👇

See you in the next lesson! 안녕! 👋