다음 주

Hey there! 다음 주 (da-eum ju) is one of the most useful phrases you will learn in Korean. It literally translates to next week.

Think of it as your go-to tool for making plans. Whether you are scheduling a meeting, a coffee date, or just thinking about your upcoming tasks, this is the phrase you will reach for every single time.

It is perfectly neutral, meaning you can use it with your boss, your teachers, or your best friends without worrying about being rude. It is a staple in daily conversation, so practice saying it out loud!

The phrase 다음 주 is a combination of two distinct Korean words. The first part, 다음, comes from the Sino-Korean root meaning 'next' or 'following'. It is used in many other contexts, such as 다음 사람 (next person).

The second part, 주, is the Sino-Korean character for 'week'. Interestingly, while Korea traditionally used lunar-based calendars, the modern seven-day week system was adopted alongside Western influence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Because these are Sino-Korean words, they follow a very logical structure. Once you learn the character for 'next', you can apply it to months, years, and even sequence numbers, making your learning journey much faster!

You will use 다음 주 whenever you need to talk about future time frames. It is often paired with particles like -에 (at/on) to create 다음 주에, which means 'in next week' or 'during next week'.

Common collocations include 다음 주 월요일 (next Monday) or 다음 주말 (next weekend). Notice how we just stack the time words together!

It is important to note that this is a neutral register term. You don't need to change it for formal or casual speech, though the verb ending of your sentence will change depending on who you are talking to.

While 다음 주 itself is a literal time marker, it appears in many common expressions.

• 다음 주에 봐요: See you next week (a very common parting phrase).
• 다음 주로 미루다: To push something to next week (to procrastinate).
• 다음 주 내내: All through next week.
• 다음 주쯤: Around next week.
• 다음 주까지: Until next week.

Using these phrases helps you sound much more natural when managing your calendar in Korean.

Pronunciation-wise, 다음 주 is pronounced [da-eum ju]. The 'm' at the end of 다음 flows smoothly into the 'j' sound of 주.

Grammatically, it acts as a noun phrase. You don't need to pluralize it; the context of your sentence will make it clear if you are talking about a single week or multiple events within that time.

Remember that in Korean, time expressions usually come early in the sentence, right after the subject. For example: 'I will go next week' becomes 'I [subject] next week [time] go [verb]'.