Understanding discussions about environmental issues and energy policies requires knowing the right terminology. This guide focuses on how to discuss 신재생에너지 (sin-jae-saeng-e-neo-ji), or renewable energy, in Korean. You’ll learn key terms, related phrases, and cultural context to help you engage in conversations about this important global topic in a Korean setting.
Table Of Content
Core Term: Renewable Energy
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Expression: 신재생에너지
Pronunciation: sin-jae-saeng-e-neo-ji
Meaning: Renewable energy (This term combines ‘new’ (신) and ‘renewable’ (재생) energy sources)
Types of Renewable Energy
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Expression: 태양 에너지
Pronunciation: tae-yang e-neo-ji
Meaning: Solar energy -
Expression: 태양광 발전
Pronunciation: tae-yang-gwang bal-jeon
Meaning: Solar power generation (photovoltaic) -
Expression: 풍력 에너지
Pronunciation: pung-ryeok e-neo-ji
Meaning: Wind energy -
Expression: 풍력 발전
Pronunciation: pung-ryeok bal-jeon
Meaning: Wind power generation -
Expression: 수력 에너지
Pronunciation: su-ryeok e-neo-ji
Meaning: Hydro energy / Hydropower -
Expression: 지열 에너지
Pronunciation: ji-yeol e-neo-ji
Meaning: Geothermal energy -
Expression: 바이오매스 에너지
Pronunciation: ba-i-o-mae-seu e-neo-ji
Meaning: Biomass energy -
Expression: 해양 에너지
Pronunciation: hae-yang e-neo-ji
Meaning: Ocean energy (tidal, wave) -
Expression: 폐기물 에너지
Pronunciation: pye-gi-mul e-neo-ji
Meaning: Waste energy -
Expression: 연료전지
Pronunciation: yeol-lyo-jeon-ji
Meaning: Fuel cell -
Expression: 수소 에너지
Pronunciation: su-so e-neo-ji
Meaning: Hydrogen energy
Basic Phrases about Energy
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Expression: 에너지 절약
Pronunciation: e-neo-ji jeol-yak
Meaning: Energy saving / Energy conservation -
Expression: 에너지 효율
Pronunciation: e-neo-ji hyo-yul
Meaning: Energy efficiency -
Expression: 에너지 정책
Pronunciation: e-neo-ji jeong-chaek
Meaning: Energy policy -
Expression: 에너지 전환
Pronunciation: e-neo-ji jeon-hwan
Meaning: Energy transition -
Expression: 화석 연료
Pronunciation: hwa-seok yeol-lyo
Meaning: Fossil fuel -
Expression: 탄소 배출
Pronunciation: tan-so bae-chul
Meaning: Carbon emissions -
Expression: 기후 변화
Pronunciation: gi-hu byeon-hwa
Meaning: Climate change -
Expression: 지구 온난화
Pronunciation: ji-gu on-nan-hwa
Meaning: Global warming -
Expression: 친환경 에너지
Pronunciation: chin-hwan-gyeong e-neo-ji
Meaning: Eco-friendly energy -
Expression: 지속 가능한 에너지
Pronunciation: ji-sok ga-neung-han e-neo-ji
Meaning: Sustainable energy -
Expression: 전력 생산
Pronunciation: jeol-lyeok saeng-san
Meaning: Electricity production -
Expression: 에너지 소비
Pronunciation: e-neo-ji so-bi
Meaning: Energy consumption
Discussing Renewable Energy
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Expression: 신재생에너지 사용을 늘려야 합니다.
Pronunciation: sin-jae-saeng-e-neo-ji sa-yong-eul neul-lyeo-ya ham-ni-da.
Meaning: We need to increase the use of renewable energy. -
Expression: 한국은 신재생에너지 비율을 높이고 있습니다.
Pronunciation: han-guk-eun sin-jae-saeng-e-neo-ji bi-yul-eul no-pi-go it-seum-ni-da.
Meaning: Korea is increasing the proportion of renewable energy. -
Expression: 태양광 발전은 환경에 좋습니다.
Pronunciation: tae-yang-gwang bal-jeon-eun hwan-gyeong-e jo-seum-ni-da.
Meaning: Solar power generation is good for the environment. -
Expression: 풍력 발전소 건설에 대한 논의가 있습니다.
Pronunciation: pung-ryeok bal-jeon-so geon-seol-e dae-han non-ui-ga it-seum-ni-da.
Meaning: There is discussion about the construction of wind power plants. -
Expression: 신재생에너지의 장점은 무엇인가요?
Pronunciation: sin-jae-saeng-e-neo-ji-ui jang-jeom-eun mu-eot-in-ga-yo?
Meaning: What are the advantages of renewable energy? -
Expression: 신재생에너지의 단점은 비용 문제입니다.
Pronunciation: sin-jae-saeng-e-neo-ji-ui dan-jeom-eun bi-yong mun-je-im-ni-da.
Meaning: The disadvantage of renewable energy is the cost issue. -
Expression: 정부의 신재생에너지 지원 정책이 중요합니다.
Pronunciation: jeong-bu-ui sin-jae-saeng-e-neo-ji ji-won jeong-chaeg-i jung-yo-ham-ni-da.
Meaning: Government support policies for renewable energy are important. -
Expression: 미래에는 신재생에너지가 주된 에너지원이 될 것입니다.
Pronunciation: mi-rae-e-neun sin-jae-saeng-e-neo-ji-ga ju-doen e-neo-ji-won-i doel geo-sim-ni-da.
Meaning: In the future, renewable energy will become the main energy source. -
Expression: 에너지 전환은 기후 변화 대응에 필수적입니다.
Pronunciation: e-neo-ji jeon-hwan-eun gi-hu byeon-hwa dae-eung-e pil-su-jeog-im-ni-da.
Meaning: Energy transition is essential for responding to climate change. -
Expression: 우리 집 옥상에 태양광 패널을 설치했어요.
Pronunciation: u-ri jip ok-sang-e tae-yang-gwang pae-neol-eul seol-chi-hae-sseo-yo.
Meaning: We installed solar panels on our rooftop. -
Expression: 신재생에너지 기술 개발이 활발합니다.
Pronunciation: sin-jae-saeng-e-neo-ji gi-sul gae-bal-i hwal-bal-ham-ni-da.
Meaning: Renewable energy technology development is active.
Korean Culture Notes
South Korea is heavily reliant on imported fossil fuels, making the transition to renewable energy a significant national goal for energy security and environmental reasons. The government has implemented various policies, like the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), to increase the share of renewable energy in the national grid.
Public awareness about climate change and the need for 신재생에너지 (sin-jae-saeng-e-neo-ji) is growing, although debates continue regarding the cost, efficiency, and land use associated with large-scale renewable energy projects like solar farms and wind turbines.
Korea is also investing heavily in hydrogen energy (수소 에너지, su-so e-neo-ji) as a key pillar of its future energy strategy, aiming to build a “hydrogen economy.” You might hear discussions about hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and power generation.
While large-scale projects are common, there’s also increasing interest in small-scale, distributed generation, such as rooftop solar panels (태양광 패널, tae-yang-gwang pae-neol) on homes and buildings, often supported by government incentives.
Real Conversation Example
Situation: Two friends, Minjun (A) and Sora (B), are discussing recent news about energy policy.
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Expression: A: 소라 씨, 요즘 뉴스에서 신재생에너지 이야기 많이 나오죠?
Pronunciation: So-ra ssi, yo-jeum nyu-seu-e-seo sin-jae-saeng-e-neo-ji i-ya-gi ma-ni na-o-jyo?
Meaning: Sora, there’s a lot of talk about renewable energy in the news these days, right? -
Expression: B: 네, 맞아요. 특히 정부에서 태양광이랑 풍력 발전을 늘린다고 하더라고요.
Pronunciation: Ne, ma-ja-yo. Teuk-hi jeong-bu-e-seo tae-yang-gwang-i-rang pung-ryeok bal-jeon-eul neul-lin-da-go ha-deo-ra-go-yo.
Meaning: Yes, that’s right. I heard the government is planning to increase solar and wind power generation specifically. -
Expression: A: 좋은 소식이네요. 화석 연료 사용을 줄이는 게 중요하잖아요. 기후 변화 때문에요.
Pronunciation: Jo-eun so-sig-i-ne-yo. Hwa-seok yeol-lyo sa-yong-eul jul-i-neun ge jung-yo-ha-ja-na-yo. Gi-hu byeon-hwa ttae-mun-e-yo.
Meaning: That’s good news. Reducing fossil fuel use is important, isn’t it? Because of climate change. -
Expression: B: 맞아요. 그런데 신재생에너지 발전소 짓는 비용이 아직 비싸다는 말도 있어요. 에너지 효율 문제도 있고요.
Pronunciation: Ma-ja-yo. Geu-reon-de sin-jae-saeng-e-neo-ji bal-jeon-so jit-neun bi-yong-i a-jik bi-ssa-da-neun mal-do i-sseo-yo. E-neo-ji hyo-yul mun-je-do it-go-yo.
Meaning: Right. But I also hear that the cost of building renewable energy power plants is still high. There are also issues with energy efficiency. -
Expression: A: 그렇긴 하죠. 그래도 장기적으로 보면 꼭 필요한 에너지 전환인 것 같아요.
Pronunciation: Geu-reo-kin ha-jyo. Geu-rae-do jang-gi-jeog-eu-ro bo-myeon kkok pil-yo-han e-neo-ji jeon-hwan-in geot ga-ta-yo.
Meaning: That’s true. But looking at it long-term, I think it’s a necessary energy transition. -
Expression: B: 저도 동의해요. 지속 가능한 에너지를 위해 계속 노력해야죠.
Pronunciation: Jeo-do dong-ui-hae-yo. Ji-sok ga-neung-han e-neo-ji-reul wi-hae gye-sok no-ryeok-hae-ya-jyo.
Meaning: I agree too. We need to keep striving for sustainable energy.
Practice Tips
Discussing topics like renewable energy requires specific vocabulary, so practice is key! Try reading Korean news articles about 신재생에너지 or environmental policies~ You can often find these online. Look for the terms you learned here and see how they are used in context.
You can also practice by forming your own sentences. Try explaining the difference between 태양 에너지 and 풍력 에너지 in Korean, or express your opinion on Korea’s 에너지 전환 efforts! Don’t be afraid to use these terms when discussing current events with Korean friends or language partners. 화이팅! (hwa-i-ting! – Good luck!)
