Voice recognition technology is increasingly integrated into our daily lives, from smartphones to smart home devices. This guide provides essential Korean vocabulary and phrases related to voice recognition, enabling you to use these features effectively in Korean or discuss them with native speakers. Learn how to give commands, ask questions, and understand responses related to voice-activated systems.
Table Of Content
Core Expression
- Expression: 음성인식
Pronunciation: eum-seong-in-sik
Meaning: Voice Recognition
Basic Voice Recognition Commands
- Expression: 음성인식 켜줘
Pronunciation: eum-seong-in-sik kyeo-jwo
Meaning: Turn on voice recognition (casual) - Expression: 음성인식 꺼줘
Pronunciation: eum-seong-in-sik kkeo-jwo
Meaning: Turn off voice recognition (casual) - Expression: 음성인식 설정
Pronunciation: eum-seong-in-sik seol-jeong
Meaning: Voice recognition settings - Expression: [이름]에게 전화 걸어줘
Pronunciation: [i-reum]-e-ge jeon-hwa geol-eo-jwo
Meaning: Call [Name] (casual) - Expression: [이름]에게 문자 보내줘
Pronunciation: [i-reum]-e-ge mun-ja bo-nae-jwo
Meaning: Send a text message to [Name] (casual) - Expression: 오늘 날씨 어때?
Pronunciation: o-neul nal-ssi eo-ttae?
Meaning: How’s the weather today? - Expression: 알람 설정해줘
Pronunciation: al-lam seol-jeong-hae-jwo
Meaning: Set an alarm (casual) - Expression: 음악 틀어줘
Pronunciation: eu-mak teul-eo-jwo
Meaning: Play music (casual) - Expression: 다음 곡
Pronunciation: da-eum gok
Meaning: Next song - Expression: 볼륨 높여줘
Pronunciation: bol-lyum nop-yeo-jwo
Meaning: Turn up the volume (casual) - Expression: 볼륨 낮춰줘
Pronunciation: bol-lyum nat-chwo-jwo
Meaning: Turn down the volume (casual) - Expression: 길 찾아줘
Pronunciation: gil cha-ja-jwo
Meaning: Find directions (casual)
Using Voice Assistants
- Expression: 시리야 / 헤이 시리
Pronunciation: si-ri-ya / he-i si-ri
Meaning: Hey Siri - Expression: 하이 빅스비
Pronunciation: ha-i bik-seu-bi
Meaning: Hi Bixby - Expression: 오케이 구글
Pronunciation: o-ke-i gu-geul
Meaning: OK Google - Expression: 내 목소리 등록하기
Pronunciation: nae mok-so-ri deung-rok-ha-gi
Meaning: Register my voice - Expression: 음성 명령 목록 보여줘
Pronunciation: eum-seong myeong-ryeong mong-nok bo-yeo-jwo
Meaning: Show the list of voice commands (casual) - Expression: 음성 비서 설정은 어디서 해요?
Pronunciation: eum-seong bi-seo seol-jeong-eun eo-di-seo hae-yo?
Meaning: Where do I configure the voice assistant? - Expression: 음성 호출 기능 켜기
Pronunciation: eum-seong ho-chul gi-neung kyeo-gi
Meaning: Turn on voice wake-up feature - Expression: 이 앱을 음성으로 열 수 있나요?
Pronunciation: i ae-beul eum-seong-eu-ro yeol su in-na-yo?
Meaning: Can I open this app with my voice? - Expression: 음성인식 언어 변경
Pronunciation: eum-seong-in-sik eon-eo byeon-gyeong
Meaning: Change voice recognition language - Expression: 음성 피드백 끄기
Pronunciation: eum-seong pi-deu-baek kkeu-gi
Meaning: Turn off voice feedback - Expression: 내 질문 이해했어?
Pronunciation: nae jil-mun i-hae-hae-sseo?
Meaning: Did you understand my question? (casual to assistant) - Expression: 다시 말해줄래?
Pronunciation: da-si mal-hae-jul-lae?
Meaning: Can you say that again? (casual to assistant)
Troubleshooting and Questions
- Expression: 음성인식이 잘 안 돼요.
Pronunciation: eum-seong-in-si-gi jal an dwae-yo.
Meaning: Voice recognition isn’t working well. - Expression: 내 말을 못 알아들어요.
Pronunciation: nae mal-eul mot a-ra-deut-eo-yo.
Meaning: It doesn’t understand what I’m saying. - Expression: 목소리를 다시 등록해야 하나요?
Pronunciation: mok-so-ri-reul da-si deung-rok-hae-ya ha-na-yo?
Meaning: Do I need to register my voice again? - Expression: 음성인식 정확도를 높이려면 어떻게 해야 해요?
Pronunciation: eum-seong-in-sik jeong-hwak-do-reul nop-i-ryeo-myeon eo-tteo-ke hae-ya hae-yo?
Meaning: How can I improve voice recognition accuracy? - Expression: 주변 소음 때문에 인식이 안 되는 것 같아요.
Pronunciation: ju-byeon so-eum ttae-mu-ne in-si-gi an doe-neun geot ga-ta-yo.
Meaning: I think it’s not recognizing because of the background noise. - Expression: 마이크에 문제가 있나요?
Pronunciation: ma-i-keu-e mun-je-ga in-na-yo?
Meaning: Is there a problem with the microphone? - Expression: 음성인식 기능 업데이트가 있나요?
Pronunciation: eum-seong-in-sik gi-neung eop-de-i-teu-ga in-na-yo?
Meaning: Is there an update for the voice recognition feature? - Expression: 이 기기는 한국어 음성인식을 지원하나요?
Pronunciation: i gi-gi-neun han-gu-geo eum-seong-in-si-geul ji-won-ha-na-yo?
Meaning: Does this device support Korean voice recognition? - Expression: 음성인식 사용법 좀 알려주세요.
Pronunciation: eum-seong-in-sik sa-yong-beop jom al-lyeo-ju-se-yo.
Meaning: Please tell me how to use voice recognition. - Expression: 왜 자꾸 잘못 알아듣죠?
Pronunciation: wae ja-kku jal-mot a-ra-deut-jyo?
Meaning: Why does it keep misunderstanding me? - Expression: 인터넷 연결이 필요해요?
Pronunciation: in-teo-net yeon-gyeol-i pil-yo-hae-yo?
Meaning: Does it require an internet connection? - Expression: 음성인식 기록 삭제
Pronunciation: eum-seong-in-sik gi-rok sak-je
Meaning: Delete voice recognition history
Cultural Tips
South Korea is a technologically advanced country, and voice recognition features are widely used on smartphones (especially Samsung’s Bixby and Google Assistant) and smart home devices. Many Koreans are comfortable using voice commands for convenience.
When using voice commands in public, Koreans tend to be mindful of their surroundings and may speak more quietly or avoid using them in very crowded or silent places like libraries or packed subways.
Accuracy can sometimes be affected by regional dialects (사투리 – sa-tu-ri). While standard Korean (표준어 – pyo-jun-eo) is generally recognized well, strong dialects might occasionally cause issues.
Voice assistants often have specific “wake words” like “하이 빅스비” (ha-i bik-seu-bi) or “오케이 구글” (o-ke-i gu-geul). Using these correctly is key to activating the service.
Privacy concerns regarding voice data exist, similar to other countries. Users might be cautious about what information they share via voice commands, especially sensitive personal details.
Real Conversation Example
Situation: User A is trying to set up voice recognition on their new phone and asks Friend B for help.
Roles: A (User), B (Friend)
- Expression: A: 이 새 핸드폰 음성인식 설정 좀 도와줄래? 어떻게 하는지 잘 모르겠어.
Pronunciation: i sae haen-deu-pon eum-seong-in-sik seol-jeong jom do-wa-jul-lae? eo-tteo-ke ha-neun-ji jal mo-reu-ge-sseo.
Meaning: Can you help me set up voice recognition on this new phone? I’m not sure how to do it. - Expression: B: 응, 쉬워. 설정 메뉴 들어가서 ‘음성인식’ 이나 ‘음성 비서’ 찾아봐.
Pronunciation: eung, swi-wo. seol-jeong me-nyu deu-reo-ga-seo ‘eum-seong-in-sik’ i-na ‘eum-seong bi-seo’ cha-ja-bwa.
Meaning: Sure, it’s easy. Go into the settings menu and look for ‘Voice Recognition’ or ‘Voice Assistant’. - Expression: A: 아, 찾았다. ‘내 목소리 등록하기’ 누르면 돼?
Pronunciation: a, cha-jat-tta. ‘nae mok-so-ri deung-rok-ha-gi’ nu-reu-myeon dwae?
Meaning: Ah, found it. Should I press ‘Register my voice’? - Expression: B: 맞아. 그거 누르고 화면에 나오는 문장 몇 번 따라 읽으면 네 목소리를 인식할 거야.
Pronunciation: ma-ja. geu-geo nu-reu-go hwa-myeon-e na-o-neun mun-jang myeot beon tta-ra il-geu-myeon ne mok-so-ri-reul in-sik-hal kkeo-ya.
Meaning: That’s right. Press that, and if you read the sentences on the screen a few times, it will recognize your voice. - Expression: A: “하이 빅스비.” 오, 된다! 신기하다. 고마워!
Pronunciation: “ha-i bik-seu-bi.” o, doen-da! sin-gi-ha-da. go-ma-wo!
Meaning: “Hi Bixby.” Oh, it works! That’s cool. Thanks! - Expression: B: 천만에. 이제 “오늘 날씨 어때?” 같은 거 물어봐. 잘 될 거야.
Pronunciation: cheon-ma-ne. i-je “o-neul nal-ssi eo-ttae?” ga-teun geo mul-eo-bwa. jal doel kkeo-ya.
Meaning: You’re welcome. Now try asking something like “How’s the weather today?”. It should work fine.
Practice Tips
Ready to practice using voice recognition in Korean? Start by activating the voice assistant on your phone or smart device and setting the language to Korean! Try simple commands first, like asking for the time (지금 몇 시야? – ji-geum myeot si-ya?) or the weather (오늘 날씨 알려줘 – o-neul nal-ssi al-lyeo-jwo). Pay attention to how the assistant responds~.
Gradually move on to more complex requests like setting reminders (내일 아침 7시에 깨워줘 – nae-il a-chim il-gop-si-e kkae-wo-jwo) or sending messages ([친구 이름]에게 ‘지금 가는 중’이라고 문자 보내줘 – [chin-gu i-reum]-e-ge ‘ji-geum ga-neun jung’-i-ra-go mun-ja bo-nae-jwo). Don’t worry if it doesn’t understand you perfectly at first! Pronunciation practice is key. Listen carefully to native Korean speech in dramas or movies to get a feel for natural intonation and speed. Keep practicing, and soon you’ll be commanding your devices in Korean like a pro!
