KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean phrases › K-culture › 명절에는 온 가족이 모여 차례를 지냅니다

“On major holidays, the whole…” in Korean

명절에는 온 가족이 모여 차례를 지냅니다

myeongjeoreneun on gajogi moyeo charyereul jinaemnida

Situation: K-cultureLevel: Advanced (TOPIK 5–6)

Meaning

On major holidays, the whole family gathers for ancestral rites.

명절 are major holidays like Seollal and Chuseok. 차례 is a ritual honoring ancestors, and 지내다 here means to hold or perform a ceremony.

Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.

Syllables: 17 · Words: 6

In natural speech, sounds link and shift across words. The table below reads each word separately, as it sounds when said on its own.

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
명절에는
명	ㅁ+ㅕ+ㅇ	myeong
절	ㅈ+ㅓ+ㄹ	[저] jeo
에	ㅇ+ㅔ	[레] re
는	ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄴ	neun
온	ㅇ+ㅗ+ㄴ	on
가족이
가	ㄱ+ㅏ	ga
족	ㅈ+ㅗ+ㄱ	[조] jo
이	ㅇ+ㅣ	[기] gi
모여
모	ㅁ+ㅗ	mo
여	ㅇ+ㅕ	yeo
차례를
차	ㅊ+ㅏ	cha
례	ㄹ+ㅖ	rye
를	ㄹ+ㅡ+ㄹ	reul
지냅니다
지	ㅈ+ㅣ	ji
냅	ㄴ+ㅐ+ㅂ	[냄] naem
니	ㄴ+ㅣ	ni
다	ㄷ+ㅏ	da

A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.

Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 절에 → [저레]
Nasalization: a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ becomes ㅇ, ㄴ or ㅁ before ㄴ or ㅁ (and a ㄹ after ㅁ or ㅇ becomes ㄴ). 냅니 → [냄니]

Style: Formal polite (합쇼체)Sentence type: Statement or set phrase

Ends in -ㅂ니다 or -습니다. The most formal polite style, used for announcements, presentations, business and first meetings.

These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).

Korean	Part of speech	Meaning	Level
명절	noun	traditional holiday	TOPIK level 4

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Question 1 What does “명절에는 온 가족이 모여 차례를 지냅니다” mean?

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Answer: On major holidays, the whole family gathers for ancestral rites

Question 2 How do you say “On major holidays, the whole family gathers for ancestral rites” in Korean?

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Answer: 명절에는 온 가족이 모여 차례를 지냅니다 myeongjeoreneun on gajogi moyeo charyereul jinaemnida

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