Korean Reading Practice for Beginners: What Is a Jjimjilbang?

Oct 26, 2026

You can eat a meal, take a nap, play games, and have a hot bath, all under one roof, open 24 hours.

Where in Korea can you do all of that in a single place?

Let's find out through a short, easy Korean reading.

💡 A Quick Tip Before You Read

Read once without stopping at every unfamiliar word. Focus on the meaning first, then read again while listening to the audio. You might be surprised by how much you understand the second time!

1. Read in Korean

Try reading the passage below. Don't worry if you don't understand every single word.

찜질방에서 뭐 해요?

🟢 Beginner

여기에서 밥을 먹어요. 여기에서 자요. 여기에서 게임을 해요. 여기에서 쉼어요. 여기에서 놀아요. 여기에서 목욕을 해요.

여기는 따뜻해요. 여기는 재미있어요. 여기는 어디예요? 여기는 '찜질방'이에요.

2. Listen and Read Again

Now, let's hear how it sounds in Korean.

Try listening while following the text. Then listen again without reading. Did you catch anything you missed the first time?

3. Check the English Translation

How much did you understand? Let's take a look at the English version.

What Do You Do at a Jjimjilbang?

You eat here. You sleep here. You play games here. You rest here. You hang out here. You take a bath here.

It's warm here. It's fun here. Where is this place? This is a 'jjimjilbang,' a Korean sauna.

4. Korean Expressions to Know

You just came across some useful Korean expressions in the passage. Let's take a closer look!

Korean	Meaning	From the passage
찜질방	a Korean sauna and bathhouse	여기는 '찜질방'이에요.
목욕	a bath	여기에서 목욕을 해요.
쉬다	to rest	여기에서 쉬어요.
따뜻해요	to be warm	여기는 따뜻해요.
여기	here	여기에서 밥을 먹어요.

Here's a tip: notice how -에서 keeps coming back every time someone does something in a place. The next time you relax in a 찜질방, you'll know exactly what people do there, and how to say it.