How to Say "A Little" in Korean: 조금, 좀, 약간, 살짝

Quick answer: "A little" in Korean is 조금 (jogeum), shortened in speech to 좀 (jom): 조금 매워요 — "It's a little spicy." But here's the part dictionaries skip: when 좀 shows up in a request, it usually isn't about quantity at all. It's there to soften the ask, the way English adds "just" or "could you" — 물 좀 주세요, "Could I get some water?"

That's the one idea for today. Korean has a handful of words that all come out as "a little" in English — 조금, 좀, 약간, 살짝, 잠깐 — and native speakers choose between them without thinking. Once you see what each one is actually measuring (amount? degree? time? gentleness?), the choice stops feeling random.

조금 — the plain "a little"

조금 is the default. It measures amount or degree, and it works with almost anything.

• 조금 매워요. — It's a little spicy.
• 밥을 조금만 주세요. — Just a little rice, please.
• 한국어를 조금 할 수 있어요. — I can speak a little Korean.
• 조금씩 좋아지고 있어요. — It's getting better little by little.

Two useful add-ons: 조금만 means "just a little (and no more)," and 조금씩 means "little by little, bit by bit." Both are everyday speech, not textbook decoration.

조금 also handles small distances in time: 조금 전에 왔어요 ("I arrived a little while ago"), 조금 뒤에 갈게요 ("I'll go in a bit"). If you want more ways to place things in time, see these Korean time words for later, earlier, and right now.

좀 — the softener

좀 is literally a shortened 조금, and sometimes it really does mean "a little": 좀 비싸네요 ("That's a bit pricey"). But most of the time you hear it, it's doing social work instead.

• 물 좀 주세요. — Could I get some water?
• 이것 좀 봐 주세요. — Could you take a look at this?
• 창문 좀 열어도 될까요? — Would it be okay to open the window?
• 좀 도와주세요. — Please help me out.

Notice that 물 좀 주세요 doesn't mean "give me a small amount of water." It means "water, please" with the edges sanded off. Drop the 좀 and 물 주세요 is still grammatical, still polite enough — just flatter and more transactional. Koreans add 좀 to almost every small request, which is why it's one of the highest-value words you can start using today. It shows up constantly when you're ordering food at a restaurant: 메뉴판 좀 주세요, 포장 좀 해 주세요.

One more very common use: 좀 그래요, roughly "it's kind of... (not great)." Koreans use it to say no without saying no.

• 오늘은 좀 그래요. — Today's a bit... (not great for me).

When 좀 sounds impatient

좀 softens requests, but with a blunt command and a sharp tone it does the opposite — it adds irritation, like English "would you please."

• 좀 조용히 해 주세요. — Please be quiet. (patient, with a normal tone)
• 야, 좀! — Hey, come on! (clearly annoyed)

So keep 좀 inside full polite requests — 좀 + verb + 주세요 — and you'll never land on the irritated side by accident.

약간 — slightly, a touch

약간 is a notch more measured than 조금. It describes a small degree of something, often a quality you're assessing: a taste, a temperature, a feeling. It sounds slightly more objective, a little more "I'm reporting this."

• 국이 약간 짜요. — The soup is slightly salty.
• 약간 매운 거 좋아해요. — I like things that are a bit spicy.
• 오늘은 약간 피곤하네요. — I'm a touch tired today.

In most of these, 조금 would also be fine, and nobody would blink. The difference is flavor: 조금 is warm and everyday, 약간 is cooler and more precise. What 약간 does not do is replace 좀 in a request — 물 약간 주세요 sounds odd, like you're specifying a measurement. For more ways to describe what's on your spoon, here are Korean words for food taste beyond 맛있어요.

살짝 — lightly, gently, just a crack

살짝 is about manner as much as amount. It means doing something lightly, gently, barely — a small physical movement or a faint version of something.

• 문 살짝 열어 주세요. — Open the door just a crack, please.
• 소금을 살짝 뿌리세요. — Sprinkle on a little salt.
• 살짝 웃었어요. — She smiled faintly.
• 어깨를 살짝 쳤어요. — He tapped me lightly on the shoulder.

In casual speech you'll also hear 살짝 used like 조금 for feelings and states: 오늘 살짝 추워요 ("It's a bit chilly today"). That's natural and common among younger speakers — it sounds light and friendly.

잠깐 / 잠시 — a little while

These two are the time words. 조금 can stretch to time, but when you specifically mean "a brief moment," Koreans reach for 잠깐 or 잠시.

• 잠깐만요. — Just a second. (also what you say to squeeze past someone)
• 잠시만 기다려 주세요. — Please wait a moment.
• 잠깐 쉴까요? — Shall we take a short break?
• 잠깐 얘기 좀 할 수 있을까요? — Could we talk for a minute?

잠깐 is the everyday one. 잠시 is a half-step more formal — it's what you hear in announcements and from staff: 잠시만 기다려 주십시오.

Side by side

Two mistakes worth avoiding

Leaving 좀 out of every request. Beginners learn 주세요 and stop there. 반찬 더 주세요 is fine; 반찬 좀 더 주세요 is what people actually say. (More on that in how to ask for more 반찬.)

Using 조금 for "not at all." To say something is not spicy at all, Koreans say 하나도 안 매워요 or 전혀 안 매워요 — not 조금 안 매워요, which doesn't work.

FAQ

What is the difference between 조금 and 좀 in Korean?

좀 is the shortened spoken form of 조금, so they overlap — but their jobs have drifted apart. 조금 states a small amount or degree (조금 매워요, "it's a little spicy"). 좀 most often softens a request and barely refers to quantity at all (물 좀 주세요, "could I get some water"). In writing, use 조금; in casual speech and requests, 좀.

How do you say "just a moment" in Korean?

잠깐만요 or 잠시만요 — both mean "just a second." For a fuller polite version, say 잠시만 기다려 주세요 ("please wait a moment"). 잠시 sounds slightly more formal than 잠깐, which is why you hear it from staff and in announcements.

Is 약간 more polite than 조금?

No — politeness in Korean comes from the verb ending, not from these words. 약간 just sounds a bit more measured and objective, so it fits descriptions like 약간 짜요 ("slightly salty"). For requests, 좀 is the one that makes you sound polite.

Practice

Say each of these in Korean.

1. Ask a server for water, politely softened.
2. "The soup is slightly salty."
3. "Please wait a moment." (polite, to a customer)
4. "Open the window just a crack, please."
5. "I can speak a little Korean."