쯤 is a particle meaning "about," "around," or "approximately," used to indicate rough estimates or approximations. It's more casual than 약 (yak) and commonly used in everyday conversation.
Structure
Noun/Number + 쯤
Meaning: "about [noun]," "around [number]"
Characteristics:
- Casual, conversational
- Used with time, quantity, location
- More vague than 약
- Common in spoken Korean
Basic Usage
With Numbers
Approximate quantities:
- 10개쯤 (about 10)
- 100명쯤 (around 100 people)
- 5개쯤 (about 5)
- 천 원쯤 (around 1,000 won)
Examples:
- 10개쯤 주세요 (Please give me about 10)
- 100명쯤 왔어요 (Around 100 people came)
With Time
Time approximation:
- 5시쯤 (around 5 o'clock)
- 10분쯤 (about 10 minutes)
- 내일쯤 (around tomorrow)
- 다음 주쯤 (around next week)
Examples:
- 5시쯤 올게요 (I'll come around 5)
- 10분쯤 걸려요 (Takes about 10 minutes)
- 언제쯤 올 거예요? (Around when will you come?)
With Locations
Approximate locations:
- 여기쯤 (around here)
- 저기쯤 (around there)
- 어디쯤? (Around where?)
Examples:
- 여기쯤에서 기다릴게요 (I'll wait around here)
- 집쯤에서 만나자 (Let's meet around your house)
Time Expressions
Clock Time
Specific times:
- 3시쯤 (around 3 o'clock)
- 6시 반쯤 (around 6:30)
- 정오쯤 (around noon)
- 자정쯤 (around midnight)
Usage:
- 몇 시쯤 올 거예요? (Around what time will you come?)
- 7시쯤 만나요 (Let's meet around 7)
Duration
Approximate length:
- 한 시간쯤 (about an hour)
- 30분쯤 (about 30 minutes)
- 하루쯤 (about a day)
- 일주일쯤 (about a week)
Examples:
- 한 시간쯤 걸려요 (Takes about an hour)
- 30분쯤 기다렸어요 (Waited about 30 minutes)
Relative Time
Time references:
- 이때쯤 (around this time)
- 그때쯤 (around that time)
- 지금쯤 (around now)
- 나중쯤 (around later)
Examples:
- 이때쯤이면 올 거예요 (They'll come around this time)
- 지금쯤 도착했을 거예요 (Should have arrived around now)
Quantity and Amount
Counting Objects
Approximate count:
- 3개쯤 (about 3)
- 10권쯤 (about 10 books)
- 5명쯤 (about 5 people)
Examples:
- 사과 몇 개쯤 필요해요? (About how many apples do you need?)
- 5개쯤 사세요 (Buy about 5)
Money
Approximate cost:
- 만 원쯤 (about 10,000 won)
- 천 원쯤 (about 1,000 won)
- 5만 원쯤 (about 50,000 won)
Examples:
- 얼마쯤 들었어요? (About how much did it cost?)
- 만 원쯤 있어요 (I have about 10,000 won)
With Question Words
언제쯤 (Around when)
Time questions:
- 언제쯤 올 거예요? (Around when will you come?)
- 언제쯤 끝나요? (Around when does it end?)
- 언제쯤 시작해요? (Around when does it start?)
어디쯤 (Around where)
Location questions:
- 어디쯤이에요? (Around where is it?)
- 어디쯤에서 만날까요? (Around where shall we meet?)
얼마쯤 (About how much)
Quantity questions:
- 얼마쯤 필요해요? (About how much do you need?)
- 얼마쯤 있어요? (About how much is there?)
몇 시쯤 (Around what time)
Time questions:
- 몇 시쯤 올 거예요? (Around what time will you come?)
- 몇 시쯤 끝나요? (Around what time does it end?)
Comparison with Similar Words
쯤 vs 약
약 (more formal/precise):
- 약 10개 (about 10 - slightly more precise)
- More formal contexts
- Written language
- News, reports
쯤 (casual/vague):
- 10개쯤 (about 10 - rougher estimate)
- Casual conversation
- Spoken language
- Everyday talk
쯤 vs 정도
정도 (degree/extent):
- 10개 정도 (about 10 - similar to 쯤)
- Slightly more formal than 쯤
- More neutral
쯤 (about/around):
- 10개쯤 (about 10)
- More casual
- More vague
Often interchangeable: 10개쯤 ≈ 10개 정도
쯤 vs 즈음
즈음 (around the time):
- 그때즈음 (around that time - more formal)
- More literary
- Time-specific
쯤 (about/around):
- 그때쯤 (around that time - casual)
- More conversational
- General approximation
Position in Sentence
After the Noun/Number
Standard position:
- Number/Noun + 쯤
Examples:
- 5시쯤 와요 (Come around 5)
- 10개쯤 주세요 (Give me about 10)
- 여기쯤에 놔요 (Put it around here)
Combining with Other Particles
쯤에 (at around)
Time/location marking:
- 5시쯤에 (at around 5)
- 여기쯤에 (around here)
Examples:
- 5시쯤에 만나요 (Let's meet at around 5)
- 여기쯤에 앉아요 (Sit around here)
쯤에서 (around at/in)
Location approximation:
- 학교쯤에서 만나자 (Let's meet around the school)
- 집쯤에서 기다려 (Wait around home)
쯤은 (around - topic)
Topic marking:
- 이것쯤은 할 수 있어요 (Can do at least this much)
- 10개쯤은 필요해요 (Need at least about 10)
Nuance: Suggests "at least this much"
Casual Nature
Informal Speech
Very common in casual talk:
- 언제쯤 와? (Around when are you coming?)
- 몇 개쯤? (About how many?)
- 어디쯤이야? (Around where is it?)
Less Common in Formal Writing
Prefer 약 or 정도 in formal contexts:
- Formal: 약 10개 또는 10개 정도
- Casual: 10개쯤
Vague Approximation
Rougher Than Other Terms
Most vague approximation:
- Spectrum: 약 (precise) > 정도 (neutral) > 쯤 (vague)
Examples:
- 약 10개 (about 10 - fairly accurate)
- 10개 정도 (about 10 - moderate estimate)
- 10개쯤 (about 10 - rough guess)
Common Expressions
이쯤 (About this much)
Indicating degree:
- 이쯤이면 충분해요 (This much is enough)
- 이쯤에서 끝낼까요? (Shall we end around here?)
그쯤 (About that much)
Referencing amount:
- 그쯤 주세요 (Give me about that much)
- 그쯤이면 돼요 (About that much is fine)
지금쯤 (Around now)
Current time reference:
- 지금쯤 도착했을 거예요 (Should have arrived around now)
- 지금쯤이면 알 거예요 (Should know by around now)
With Verb Stems
-ㄹ 쯤
Around the time of:
- 갈 쯤 (around the time of going)
- 올 쯤 (around the time of coming)
Usage:
- 갈 쯤에 연락할게요 (I'll contact you around the time I leave)
- 올 쯤 되면 (Around the time they come)
Note: Less common than with nouns
Regional Usage
Standard Korean
Widely used across Korea:
- Universal understanding
- Common in all regions
Politeness Levels
Works in All Levels
Formality-neutral particle:
- Casual: 5시쯤 와 (Come around 5)
- Polite: 5시쯤 오세요 (Come around 5)
- Formal: 5시쯤 오십시오 (Come around 5)
Common Mistakes
❌ Incorrect: 약쯤 (combining with 약)
Redundant approximation
✅ Correct: 약 OR 쯤 (use one)
Choose one approximation word
❌ Incorrect: 5시간에쯤 (wrong particle order)
Particle position error
✅ Correct: 5시쯤에
쯤 before location particle
❌ Incorrect: Using in very formal writing
Too casual for formal contexts
✅ Correct: Use 약 or 정도 in formal writing
Match formality to context
Summary Table
| Context | Example | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time | 5시쯤 | Around 5 o'clock | Very common |
| Duration | 10분쯤 | About 10 minutes | Common |
| Quantity | 10개쯤 | About 10 | Very common |
| Money | 만 원쯤 | About 10,000 won | Common |
| Location | 여기쯤 | Around here | Common |
| Question | 언제쯤? | Around when? | Very common |
| Question | 어디쯤? | Around where? | Common |
| Question | 얼마쯤? | About how much? | Common |
Quick Comparison
| Word | Formality | Precision | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 약 | Neutral | High | All contexts |
| 정도 | Neutral | Medium | General use |
| 쯤 | Casual | Low | Spoken Korean |
| 대략 | Formal | Low | Formal estimates |
When to Use 쯤
Best for:
- Casual conversation ✓
- Rough estimates ✓
- Time approximations ✓
- Everyday speech ✓
Avoid when:
- Formal writing ✗
- Precise information needed ✗
- Professional contexts ✗
- Official documents ✗