Watching sports like baseball and soccer is a popular pastime in Korea, but understanding the rules and terminology in Korean can enhance the experience significantly. This guide provides essential vocabulary and phrases to help you discuss and comprehend the rules of Korean baseball (야구 – ya-gu) and soccer (축구 – chuk-gu), whether you’re watching a game live or discussing it with friends.
Table Of Content
Core Concept: Understanding Rules
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Expression: 규칙 이해하기
Pronunciation: gyu-chik i-hae-ha-gi
Meaning: Understanding rules (The act of comprehending regulations or guidelines)
Baseball Rules Vocabulary
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Expression: 스트라이크
Pronunciation: seu-teu-ra-i-keu
Meaning: Strike -
Expression: 볼
Pronunciation: bol
Meaning: Ball -
Expression: 아웃
Pronunciation: a-ut
Meaning: Out -
Expression: 이닝
Pronunciation: i-ning
Meaning: Inning -
Expression: 홈런
Pronunciation: hom-leon
Meaning: Home run -
Expression: 안타
Pronunciation: an-ta
Meaning: Hit (base hit) -
Expression: 파울
Pronunciation: pa-ul
Meaning: Foul -
Expression: 도루
Pronunciation: do-ru
Meaning: Stolen base -
Expression: 투수
Pronunciation: tu-su
Meaning: Pitcher -
Expression: 타자
Pronunciation: ta-ja
Meaning: Batter -
Expression: 심판
Pronunciation: sim-pan
Meaning: Umpire/Referee -
Expression: 만루
Pronunciation: man-ru
Meaning: Bases loaded
Soccer Rules Vocabulary
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Expression: 골
Pronunciation: gol
Meaning: Goal -
Expression: 오프사이드
Pronunciation: o-peu-sa-i-deu
Meaning: Offside -
Expression: 파울 / 반칙
Pronunciation: pa-ul / ban-chik
Meaning: Foul -
Expression: 페널티킥
Pronunciation: pe-neol-ti-kik
Meaning: Penalty kick -
Expression: 코너킥
Pronunciation: ko-neo-kik
Meaning: Corner kick -
Expression: 프리킥
Pronunciation: peu-ri-kik
Meaning: Free kick -
Expression: 옐로카드 / 경고
Pronunciation: yel-lo-ka-deu / gyeong-go
Meaning: Yellow card / Warning -
Expression: 레드카드 / 퇴장
Pronunciation: re-deu-ka-deu / toe-jang
Meaning: Red card / Ejection -
Expression: 전반전 / 후반전
Pronunciation: jeon-ban-jeon / hu-ban-jeon
Meaning: First half / Second half -
Expression: 골키퍼
Pronunciation: gol-ki-peo
Meaning: Goalkeeper -
Expression: 수비수
Pronunciation: su-bi-su
Meaning: Defender -
Expression: 공격수
Pronunciation: gong-gyeok-su
Meaning: Forward/Striker
Asking About Rules
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Expression: 이 규칙은 뭐예요?
Pronunciation: i gyu-chi-geun mwo-ye-yo?
Meaning: What is this rule? -
Expression: [단어]가 무슨 뜻이에요?
Pronunciation: [da-neo]-ga mu-seun tteu-si-e-yo?
Meaning: What does [word] mean? (e.g., 오프사이드가 무슨 뜻이에요? – o-peu-sa-i-deu-ga mu-seun tteu-si-e-yo? – What does offside mean?) -
Expression: 방금 무슨 상황이었어요?
Pronunciation: bang-geum mu-seun sang-hwang-i-eo-sseo-yo?
Meaning: What just happened? / What was that situation? -
Expression: 이거 파울/반칙 아니에요?
Pronunciation: i-geo pa-ul/ban-chik a-ni-e-yo?
Meaning: Isn’t this a foul? -
Expression: 왜 멈췄어요?
Pronunciation: wae meom-chwo-sseo-yo?
Meaning: Why did they stop (the play)? -
Expression: 이럴 때는 어떻게 돼요?
Pronunciation: i-reol ttae-neun eo-tteo-ke dwae-yo?
Meaning: What happens in this kind of situation? -
Expression: 규칙 좀 설명해 줄 수 있어요?
Pronunciation: gyu-chik jom seol-myeong-hae jul su i-sseo-yo?
Meaning: Can you explain the rule? -
Expression: 저 선수는 왜 퇴장당했어요?
Pronunciation: jeo seon-su-neun wae toe-jang-dang-hae-sseo-yo?
Meaning: Why was that player ejected? -
Expression: 점수는 어떻게 내는 거예요?
Pronunciation: jeom-su-neun eo-tteo-ke nae-neun geo-ye-yo?
Meaning: How is the score kept? / How do they score points? -
Expression: 이게 무슨 신호예요?
Pronunciation: i-ge mu-seun sin-ho-ye-yo?
Meaning: What does this signal (from the referee/umpire) mean? -
Expression: 지금 몇 회예요? (야구)
Pronunciation: ji-geum myeot hoe-ye-yo? (ya-gu)
Meaning: What inning is it now? (Baseball) -
Expression: 경기 시간 얼마나 남았어요? (축구)
Pronunciation: gyeong-gi si-gan eol-ma-na na-ma-sseo-yo? (chuk-gu)
Meaning: How much time is left in the game? (Soccer)
Explaining Rules Simply
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Expression: 이건 [용어]라고 해요.
Pronunciation: i-geon [yong-eo]-ra-go hae-yo.
Meaning: This is called [term]. (e.g., 이건 오프사이드라고 해요 – i-geon o-peu-sa-i-deu-ra-go hae-yo – This is called offside.) -
Expression: 이 규칙은 [상황]일 때 적용돼요.
Pronunciation: i gyu-chi-geun [sang-hwang]-il ttae jeog-yong-dwae-yo.
Meaning: This rule applies when [situation]. -
Expression: 간단히 말하면, [설명]는 거예요.
Pronunciation: gan-dan-hi mal-ha-myeon, [seol-myeong]-neun geo-ye-yo.
Meaning: Simply put, it means [explanation]. -
Expression: 만약 [행동]하면, [결과]가 돼요.
Pronunciation: ma-nyak [haeng-dong]-ha-myeon, [gyeol-gwa]-ga dwae-yo.
Meaning: If [action happens], then [result] occurs. -
Expression: 그래서 [결과]가 된 거예요.
Pronunciation: geu-rae-seo [gyeol-gwa]-ga doen geo-ye-yo.
Meaning: That’s why [result] happened. -
Expression: 축구에서는 공을 손으로 만지면 안 돼요. (골키퍼 제외)
Pronunciation: chuk-gu-e-seo-neun gong-eul son-eu-ro man-ji-myeon an dwae-yo. (gol-ki-peo je-oe)
Meaning: In soccer, you can’t touch the ball with your hands (except the goalkeeper). -
Expression: 야구에서는 스트라이크 세 번이면 아웃이에요.
Pronunciation: ya-gu-e-seo-neun seu-teu-ra-i-keu se beon-i-myeon a-u-si-e-yo.
Meaning: In baseball, three strikes mean an out. -
Expression: 오프사이드는 공격수가 수비수보다 골대에 더 가까이 있을 때 공을 받으면 안 된다는 규칙이에요.
Pronunciation: o-peu-sa-i-deu-neun gong-gyeok-su-ga su-bi-su-bo-da gol-dae-e deo ga-kka-i i-sseul ttae gong-eul ba-deu-myeon an doen-da-neun gyu-chi-gi-e-yo.
Meaning: Offside is a rule that an attacking player cannot receive the ball when they are closer to the goal than the defenders (at the moment the ball is played). -
Expression: 파울을 하면 상대 팀에게 프리킥이나 페널티킥 기회를 줘요.
Pronunciation: pa-u-reul ha-myeon sang-dae tim-e-ge peu-ri-ki-gi-na pe-neol-ti-kik gi-hoe-reul jwo-yo.
Meaning: If you commit a foul, you give the opposing team a free kick or penalty kick opportunity. -
Expression: 홈런은 공을 쳐서 경기장 밖으로 넘기는 거예요.
Pronunciation: hom-leon-eun gong-eul chyeo-seo gyeong-gi-jang bak-keu-ro neom-gi-neun geo-ye-yo.
Meaning: A home run is when you hit the ball out of the playing field. -
Expression: 9회 말까지 동점이면 연장전에 들어가요. (야구)
Pronunciation: gu-hoe mal-kka-ji dong-jeom-i-myeon yeon-jang-jeon-e deu-reo-ga-yo. (ya-gu)
Meaning: If it’s tied at the end of the 9th inning, it goes into extra innings. (Baseball)
Korean Culture Notes
Cheering Culture: Korean baseball and soccer games are known for their incredibly energetic and organized cheering sections. Each team often has specific chants and songs, sometimes led by professional cheerleaders, especially in baseball. Participating in the cheering is a big part of the fun!
Stadium Food (치맥 – Chi-maek): Enjoying chicken and beer (치맥 – chi-maek, chi-kin-gwa maek-ju) is almost a ritual when watching sports, particularly baseball, in Korea. Many other snacks and drinks are readily available at stadiums.
Team Loyalty: Regional loyalty to KBO (Korean Baseball Organization) teams and K League (soccer) teams is quite strong. Knowing the local team can be a great conversation starter.
International Competitions: National pride runs high during international competitions like the World Cup or the Olympics. Support for the Korean national teams (국가대표팀 – guk-ga-dae-pyo-tim) becomes intense across the country.
Real Conversation Example
Situation: Two friends, Minjun (who knows baseball well) and Lisa (who is learning), are watching a KBO baseball game.
Characters:
- A: Minjun (민준)
- B: Lisa (리사)
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Expression: B: 민준 씨, 방금 심판이 손을 들었는데, 저건 뭐예요? 스트라이크?
Pronunciation: min-jun ssi, bang-geum sim-pan-i son-eul deu-reon-neun-de, jeo-geon mwo-ye-yo? seu-teu-ra-i-keu?
Meaning: Minjun, the umpire just raised his hand, what was that? A strike? -
Expression: A: 아니요, 그건 ‘볼’이에요. 스트라이크 존을 벗어난 공이라서 그래요.
Pronunciation: a-ni-yo, geu-geon ‘bol’-i-e-yo. seu-teu-ra-i-keu jon-eul beo-seo-nan gong-i-ra-seo geu-rae-yo.
Meaning: No, that’s a ‘ball’. It’s because the pitch was outside the strike zone. -
Expression: B: 아하, 그럼 ‘볼’이 네 개가 되면 어떻게 돼요?
Pronunciation: a-ha, geu-reom ‘bol’-i ne gae-ga doe-myeon eo-tteo-ke dwae-yo?
Meaning: Aha, so what happens if there are four ‘balls’? -
Expression: A: 볼넷이라고 해서 타자가 1루로 걸어 나가요. 공짜로 진루하는 거죠.
Pronunciation: bol-ne-si-ra-go hae-seo ta-ja-ga il-lu-ro geo-reo na-ga-yo. gong-jja-ro jin-ru-ha-neun geo-jyo.
Meaning: It’s called a ‘walk’ (base on balls), and the batter walks to first base. They advance for free. -
Expression: B: 그렇군요! 야구 규칙이 좀 복잡하네요. 스트라이크는 세 번이면 아웃이죠?
Pronunciation: geu-reo-kun-yo! ya-gu gyu-chi-gi jom bok-ja-pa-ne-yo. seu-teu-ra-i-keu-neun se beon-i-myeon a-u-si-jyo?
Meaning: I see! Baseball rules are a bit complicated. Three strikes is an out, right? -
Expression: A: 네, 맞아요. 스트라이크 세 번이면 삼진 아웃이에요. 보다 보면 금방 익숙해질 거예요!
Pronunciation: ne, ma-ja-yo. seu-teu-ra-i-keu se beon-i-myeon sam-jin a-u-si-e-yo. bo-da bo-myeon geum-bang ik-suk-hae-jil geo-ye-yo!
Meaning: Yes, that’s right. Three strikes is a strikeout. You’ll get used to it quickly as you watch more!
Practice Tips
Understanding sports rules in Korean takes practice! Try watching KBO baseball or K League soccer games with Korean commentary if possible~ Listen for the terms you’ve learned here. Don’t be afraid to ask Korean friends to explain rules during a game using phrases like “이거 뭐예요?” (i-geo mwo-ye-yo? – What’s this?) or “설명해 주세요” (seol-myeong-hae ju-se-yo – Please explain). The more you watch and discuss, the easier it will become. Enjoy the games!
