Beginner Korean 27: How to Talk About Hobbies and Interests in Korean

What do you like to do in your free time?

Hobbies are one of the easiest topics to talk about when you meet someone new in Korea. You can ask what someone enjoys, talk about your own interests, and keep the conversation going with just a few simple expressions.

In this lesson, you will learn how to ask about hobbies in Korean, say what you like to do, and talk naturally about activities such as reading, listening to music, watching movies, exercising and traveling.

Ask → Answer → Add a detail → Ask back

1. How Do You Ask “What Is Your Hobby?” in Korean?

A simple expression you may learn first is:

취미가 뭐예요?
chwimiga mwoyeyo?
What is your hobby?

취미 means “hobby,” and 뭐예요? means “what is it?”

So:

취미 + 가 + 뭐예요?
= What is your hobby?

This is correct Korean and is easy for beginners to remember.

2. A More Natural Way to Ask About Someone's Interests

In everyday conversation, you do not always need to use the word 취미.

You can also ask:

뭐 하는 거 좋아해요?
mwo haneun geo joahaeyo?
What do you like doing?

Or:

시간 있을 때 뭐 해요?
sigan isseul ttae mwo haeyo?
What do you do when you have free time?

These questions are useful because they allow the other person to talk about interests naturally instead of giving a formal “My hobby is...” answer.

3. The Most Useful Pattern: 저는 ___ 좋아해요

One of the easiest ways to talk about things you like is:

저는 ___ 좋아해요.
jeoneun ___ joahaeyo.
I like ___.

For example:

저는 음악을 좋아해요.
jeoneun eumageul joahaeyo.
I like music.

저는 영화를 좋아해요.
jeoneun yeonghwareul joahaeyo.
I like movies.

저는 여행을 좋아해요.
jeoneun yeohaengeul joahaeyo.
I like traveling.

Beginner Tip:

In conversation, Koreans often leave out 저는 when it is already obvious who they are talking about.

So instead of always saying:

저는 음악을 좋아해요.

you may simply hear:

음악 좋아해요.

4. How to Say What You Like Doing

Knowing the names of hobbies is useful, but knowing the activity verbs is even more useful.

Korean	Meaning
책을 읽어요	I read books
음악을 들어요	I listen to music
영화를 봐요	I watch movies
게임을 해요	I play games
운동해요	I exercise
축구를 해요	I play soccer
요리해요	I cook
사진을 찍어요	I take photos
그림을 그려요	I draw
여행해요	I travel

5. How to Say “I Like Reading” in Korean

What if you want to say that you like doing something rather than simply saying that you like books, music or movies?

A very useful pattern is:

Verb + 는 것을 좋아해요
I like doing ___.

For example:

책 읽는 것을 좋아해요.
chaek ilgneun geoseul joahaeyo.
I like reading books.

음악 듣는 것을 좋아해요.
eumak deutneun geoseul joahaeyo.
I like listening to music.

영화 보는 것을 좋아해요.
yeonghwa boneun geoseul joahaeyo.
I like watching movies.

사진 찍는 것을 좋아해요.
sajin jjikneun geoseul joahaeyo.
I like taking photos.

In everyday speech, 것을 is often shortened to 걸.

So you may hear:

책 읽는 걸 좋아해요.
I like reading books.

For beginners, learning both forms is useful:

읽는 것을 좋아해요 — full form
읽는 걸 좋아해요 — common conversational form

6. 좋아해요 vs 재미있어요: What Is the Difference?

These two expressions are related, but they do not mean exactly the same thing.

좋아해요 means:

I like it.

재미있어요 means:

It is fun / interesting.

For example:

저는 축구를 좋아해요.
I like soccer.

축구는 재미있어요.
Soccer is fun.

You can also use both ideas together:

축구를 좋아해요. 재미있어요.
I like soccer. It's fun.

7. How to Say You Don't Like Something

To say that you do not like something, use:

안 좋아해요.
an joahaeyo.
I don't like it.

For example:

저는 운동을 안 좋아해요.
I don't like exercise.

공포 영화를 안 좋아해요.
I don't like horror movies.

However, in a friendly conversation, you can sometimes sound softer by saying:

별로 안 좋아해요.
byeollo an joahaeyo.
I don't really like it.

별로 is commonly used with a negative expression and makes the answer sound less absolute.

8. How to Add More Detail

A one-word answer can end a conversation quickly.

Instead, add one small detail.

For example:

책 읽는 걸 좋아해요. 특히 소설을 좋아해요.
I like reading. I especially like novels.

음악 듣는 걸 좋아해요. K-pop을 자주 들어요.
I like listening to music. I often listen to K-pop.

운동을 좋아해요. 주말에 축구를 해요.
I like exercising. I play soccer on weekends.

여행을 좋아해요. 새로운 곳에 가는 걸 좋아해요.
I like traveling. I like going to new places.

This is much closer to how a real conversation works.

9. Useful Words for Talking About Hobbies

Korean	Meaning
취미	hobby
음악	music
영화	movie
독서	reading
운동	exercise
축구	soccer / football
요리	cooking
여행	travel
사진	photography / photo
게임	game / gaming

10. A Realistic Korean Conversation About Hobbies

Here is a simple conversation you could actually have when meeting someone:

A: 취미가 뭐예요?
chwimiga mwoyeyo?
What are your hobbies?

B: 저는 음악 듣는 걸 좋아해요.
jeoneun eumak deutneun geol joahaeyo.
I like listening to music.

A: 어떤 음악 좋아해요?
eotteon eumak joahaeyo?
What kind of music do you like?

B: K-pop을 좋아해요. 요즘은 밴드 음악도 자주 들어요.
K-pabeul joahaeyo. yojeumeun baendeu eumakdo jaju deureoyo.
I like K-pop. These days, I also listen to band music often.

B: 취미가 뭐예요?
What about you?

A: 저는 운동을 좋아해요. 주말에 축구를 해요.
jeoneun undongeul joahaeyo. jumare chukgureul haeyo.
I like exercising. I play soccer on weekends.

Notice what happens:

Ask → Answer → Add a detail → Ask another question

That simple pattern can turn one Korean sentence into a real conversation.

11. Useful Follow-Up Questions

Once someone tells you their hobby, try one of these questions:

Korean	Meaning
어떤 음악 좋아해요?	What kind of music do you like?
어떤 영화 좋아해요?	What kind of movies do you like?
자주 해요?	Do you do it often?
언제 해요?	When do you do it?
주말에 해요?	Do you do it on weekends?
왜 좋아해요?	Why do you like it?

12. Five Expressions to Remember First

If you remember only five expressions from this lesson, learn these:

1. 취미가 뭐예요?
What is your hobby?

2. 뭐 하는 거 좋아해요?
What do you like doing?

3. 음악을 좋아해요.
I like music.

4. 책 읽는 걸 좋아해요.
I like reading.

5. 자주 해요?
Do you do it often?

Try It Yourself

Complete these sentences with your own information.

1. 저는 __________ 좋아해요.

2. 저는 __________ 하는 걸 좋아해요.

3. 주말에 __________ 해요.

Now imagine someone says:

저는 영화를 좋아해요.

What could you ask next?

For example:

어떤 영화 좋아해요?
What kind of movies do you like?

The Conversation Pattern to Remember

You do not need to memorize dozens of hobby words at once.

Remember this:

취미가 뭐예요? → ___ 좋아해요 → Add one detail → Ask back

That is enough to start a simple conversation about hobbies in Korean.

At Korean For You, the goal is not just to memorize Korean words. It is to learn expressions you can actually use when a real conversation begins.

Keep Learning Korean

After learning how to talk about hobbies and interests, continue with other everyday Korean expressions: