Korean Dictionary
How to say "Bonus" in Korean
“Bonus” in Korean is 보너스 (pronounced "boneoseu").
보너스
boneoseu
Usage & Context
Additional payment given for good performance or special occasions. In Korea, bonuses are typically given during Chuseok and Lunar New Year. They are an important part of total compensation packages.
Example Sentence
올해 보너스가 증가했습니다.
This year's bonus has increased.
How to use 보너스 naturally
Quick answer
The Korean word for “Bonus” is 보너스, romanized as boneoseu.
Usage tip
Business Korean usually needs polite or formal endings, especially in emails, meetings, and customer situations.
Common mistake
Do not rely only on the English meaning. Read the Korean example sentence and notice the particles, word order, and politeness level around 보너스.
Pronunciation Guide
Pronounced 'BOH-neo-seu' — three light syllables borrowed from English 'bonus'. '보' is 'boh', '너' is 'nuh' (the 'ㅓ' vowel), '스' is 'seu' with the neutral 'ㅡ'. Flow smoothly: boh-nuh-seu.
More Example Sentences
Chatting with coworkers in December
올해 연말 보너스가 두둑해요.
Year-end bonuses are generous this year.
Explaining incentive structure
성과급 보너스 받으려면 실적이 좋아야 해요.
You need strong results to get the performance bonus.
Planning a reward splurge
보너스 받으면 여행 가고 싶어요.
If I get a bonus, I want to go on a trip.
Cultural Context
보너스 in Korean corporate life is structured very differently from the West: many big companies pay 상여금 (bonuses) on a fixed schedule — '명절 보너스' for Lunar New Year and Chuseok, plus a '연말 보너스' in December. The pure-Korean term is 상여금, but everyone says 보너스 in daily conversation. Performance-based bonuses are called '성과급', which became a national debate topic in 2021 when big-tech employees publicly demanded transparency on how 성과급 amounts were calculated.
Editorial note
We review business terms like 보너스 for formality, so the example fits emails, meetings, or workplace conversations instead of casual speech.
Reviewed by Min-jung Park, Korean Language Teacher. Updated May 31, 2026. See our editorial standards.
Common Phrases
보너스를 받았어요.
I got a bonus.
보너스가 얼마예요?
How much is the bonus?
이번 달 보너스가 없어요.
There's no bonus this month.
Related Expressions
상여금
Sangyeogeum
Bonus (formal, payroll term)
성과급
Seonggwageup
Performance-based bonus
명절 보너스
Myeongjeol boneoseu
Holiday bonus (Lunar New Year / Chuseok)
인센티브
Insentibeu
Incentive / commission bonus
More Business Words
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