How to say “Honey” in Korean

  1. 자기야jagiya

    Honey

"Honey" as a pet name in Korean is 자기야 (jagiya), used between dating couples. Married couples say 여보 (yeobo). If you mean the food, honey is 꿀 (kkul).

Ways to say it

KoreanLevelWhen to use it
자기야
jagiya		Casual"Honey" or "babe" when calling your partner. The 야 is added when you call out to someone.
자기
jagi		CasualThe same pet name without 야, used in the middle of a sentence, like "Did honey eat?"
여보
yeobo		Any"Honey" between husband and wife.
애기야
aegiya		Casual"Baby". A cute pet name some couples use. 애기 is the spoken form of 아기 (baby).
꿀
kkul		AnyHoney the food, the sweet thing bees make.

Examples

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Greeting a partner

Honey, I love you.

A husband calling his wife

Honey, where are you?

Asking for honey at a cafe

Some honey, please.
Kkachi the magpie

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Tips

자기 also means "oneself" in other sentences, so do not be surprised to see it outside romance. As a pet name, use it only with your partner. Calling a friend 자기야 sounds odd.

Korean has no exact word for honey as a casual term for strangers, like a waiter saying "Here you go, honey". Those uses do not translate.

More on 자기야 and 여보 in our Korean phrase guides.

Questions learners ask

What does jagiya mean?

자기야 (jagiya) means "honey" or "babe". Dating couples use it to call each other.

What is the difference between jagiya and yeobo?

자기야 is used mostly by dating couples. 여보 is used between married couples.

How do you say honey the food in Korean?

Honey the food is 꿀 (kkul).

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