Some conjunctions push a sentence forward — they add a new point, or draw a consequence. 즉 and 다시 말해(서) do the opposite: they point backward at the sentence you just uttered and say it again, more precisely. They are the Korean for "that is," "namely," "i.e.," and "in other words" — a single family of restatement (appositive) conjunctions whose whole job is to signal same idea, said more clearly. The trap is that English lumps "that is / i.e. / in other words" together, while Korean splits them by register: 즉 is the compact, written "that is / namely," and 다시 말해서 is the expansive, spoken "in other words."
즉: the terse, written "that is / namely"
즉 (卽; formal, written) is the economical one. It equates or specifies — it takes the thing you just named and pins it down, restating it as an identity, a definition, or a precise value. It is a single syllable doing the work of a whole English clause, which is exactly why it belongs to careful writing: essays, definitions, legal text, formal notices, historical prose. In speech it sounds clipped and bookish.
한글은 1443년, 즉 조선 세종 때 만들어졌다.
hangeureun 1443-nyeon, jeuk Joseon Sejong ttae mandeureojeotda
Hangul was created in 1443 — that is, in the reign of King Sejong of Joseon. (written)
성인, 즉 만 19세 이상만 입장하실 수 있습니다.
seong-in, jeuk man 19-se isangman ipjanghasil su itseumnida
Adults — that is, those aged 19 and over — only may enter. (formal notice)
Notice what 즉 does in each case: it does not introduce a new fact. "조선 세종 때" is the same moment as "1443년," restated. "만 19세 이상" is the same group as "성인," specified. That equation — this = that, said more exactly — is the entire meaning of 즉.
우리 팀은 세 명, 즉 저랑 지수랑 유나예요.
uri timeun se myeong, jeuk jeorang Jisurang Yuna-yeyo
Our team is three people — namely, me, Jisu, and Yuna.
다시 말해(서): the spoken "in other words"
다시 말해(서) (neutral; spoken and written) is 즉's roomier cousin. It is built transparently from 다시 ("again") + 말하- ("to say") + the sequential ending -아/어서 — literally "saying it again, and so…". Both 다시 말해 and 다시 말해서 are correct; the -서 form is very slightly fuller. Because it is an ordinary verb phrase rather than a Sino-Korean particle, it flows naturally in conversation, where you use it to rephrase something for clarity or to spell out an implication.
이 단어는 사전에 없어요. 다시 말해, 표준어가 아니에요.
i daneoneun sajeone eopseoyo. dasi malhae, pyojuneoga anieyo
This word isn't in the dictionary. In other words, it's not standard Korean.
지금 예산이 부족해요. 다시 말해서, 이번 프로젝트는 미뤄야 해요.
jigeum yesani bujokaeyo. dasi malhaeseo, ibeon peurojekteuneun mirwoya haeyo
We're short on budget right now. In other words, this project has to be postponed.
그건 불가능해요. 다시 말해서, 다른 방법을 찾아야 해요.
geugeon bulganeunghaeyo. dasi malhaeseo, dareun bangbeobeul chajaya haeyo
That's impossible. In other words, we need to find another way.
The English speaker's instinct is right here: wherever English would say "in other words," 다시 말해서 fits. It reframes a claim so the listener can't miss the point — often to make an unwelcome implication ("postponed," "impossible") explicit and unavoidable.
The rest of the restatement family
즉 and 다시 말해서 are the two anchors, but three more openers do closely related work, and recognizing them rounds out your reading:
| Opener | Meaning | Register / flavor |
|---|---|---|
| 즉 | that is / namely / i.e. | compact, written |
| 다시 말해(서) | in other words | spoken and written, expansive |
| 요컨대 | in short / to sum up | wraps up several points into one |
| 말하자면 | so to speak / as it were | flags a loose or figurative rephrasing |
| 곧 | namely / that is | literary; a homonym of 곧 "soon" |
요컨대 ("in short") is a summarizing restatement — it compresses everything you've said into a single takeaway.
요컨대, 준비가 아직 안 됐다는 거예요.
yokeondae, junbiga ajik an dwaetdaneun geoyeyo
In short, the point is that we're not ready yet.
말하자면 ("so to speak") flags that the rephrasing is figurative or approximate — you're reaching for an image, not a definition.
그 사람은, 말하자면, 걸어 다니는 사전이에요.
geu sarameun, malhajamyeon, georeo danineun sajeonieyo
He is, so to speak, a walking dictionary.
곧 as "namely" is genuinely literary — you'll meet it in essays and elevated prose, not in speech. Do not confuse it with the everyday adverb 곧 meaning "soon"; the restatement 곧 sits between two equated nouns.
진정한 용기란 곧 두려움을 마주하는 것이다.
jinjeonghan yonggiran got duryeoumeul majuhaneun geosida
True courage is, namely, facing one's fears. (literary)
The reframe: restate, don't add, don't conclude
The single most useful thing to hold in your head is a three-way split that English blurs. Before you reach for 즉, ask what relationship your second sentence has to the first:
| Relationship | Korean | Test |
|---|---|---|
| Restatement (same fact, reframed) | 즉 / 다시 말해서 | "= in other words…" |
| Addition (a new, extra fact) | 그리고 / 게다가 | "…and also…" |
| Consequence (a result of the fact) | 그래서 / 그러니까 | "…and as a result…" |
Common Mistakes
1. Using 즉 to introduce a new fact. 즉 must restate or equate what you just said — never add a separate piece of information. Adding a second, independent fact is 그리고's job.
❌ 저는 커피를 마셨어요. 즉 케이크도 먹었어요.
Incorrect — eating cake is a new, additional fact, not a restatement of drinking coffee. Use 그리고.
✅ 저는 커피를 마셨어요. 그리고 케이크도 먹었어요.
jeoneun keopireul masyeosseoyo. geurigo keikeudo meogeosseoyo
I had coffee. And I also had cake.
2. Using 즉 for a consequence. A result that follows from the first sentence is 그래서, not a restatement.
❌ 비가 왔어요. 즉 우산을 샀어요.
Incorrect — buying an umbrella is a consequence of the rain, not a restatement of it. Use 그래서.
✅ 비가 왔어요. 그래서 우산을 샀어요.
biga wasseoyo. geuraeseo usaneul sasseoyo
It rained. So I bought an umbrella.
3. Dropping 즉 into casual speech. 즉 is a written particle; among friends it sounds stiff. Rephrase with 그러니까 or 다시 말해서 instead.
❌ 즉 나 지금 못 가.
Too stiff for casual speech — 즉 belongs to writing.
✅ 그러니까 나 지금 못 가.
geureonikka na jigeum mot ga
So basically, I can't go right now. (banmal)
4. Restating with something that isn't the same thing. The clause after 즉 has to be the same fact reframed, not an unrelated comment about it.
❌ 그 영화는 3시간이에요. 즉 재미있어요.
Incorrect — 'it's fun' doesn't restate the runtime; it's an unrelated new claim.
✅ 그 영화는 3시간이에요. 즉 굉장히 길어요.
geu yeonghwaneun 3-sigan-ieyo. jeuk goengjanghi gireoyo
The movie is three hours — that is, really long.
Key Takeaways
- 즉 = the compact, written "that is / namely," equating or specifying the fact you just stated (성인, 즉 만 19세 이상).
- 다시 말해(서) = the spoken, expansive "in other words," from 다시 + 말하- + -아서; use it to rephrase for clarity.
- Both restate the same fact — they never add a new one (그리고/게다가) or draw a consequence (그래서/그러니까).
- Round out the family with 요컨대 (in short), 말하자면 (so to speak), and literary 곧 (namely) — and don't confuse restatement 곧 with the adverb 곧 "soon."
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