차례 (charye) — The 차례 in "It's Your Turn" and the 차례 of Lunar New Year Are Two Different Words
차례
차례 (charye) means the order in which something is done or happens — and, by extension, the chance that comes to you when that order reaches your spot. Spend a day in Korea and it’s harder not to hear this word. The display board at a hospital reception desk, the number-ticket machine at a bank, the waiting list outside a popular restaurant, the sequence of New Year’s bows on a holiday morning — wherever several people have to do something one at a time, 차례 (charye) is almost guaranteed to show up.
Here’s a fun one: the table of contents at the top of this post is also called 차례 (charye) in Korean. Open a Korean book and the first page says ‘차례’ in big letters. A word meaning “order” became the name for “a list of titles laid out in order.”
And there’s one more. When people say “차례를 지낸다” on the morning of Lunar New Year, that 차례 only sounds the same — it’s an entirely different word. We’ll come back to that later.
Let’s pin down the nuance. If the near-synonym 순서 (sunseo) is a somewhat dry word for the arrangement itself, 차례 (charye) carries the feeling that “this share has come around to me.” So 순서 looks down on the whole group — as in “순서대로 서세요 (sunseodaero seuseyo)”, please line up in order — while 차례 points at one person: “이제 네 차례야 (ije ne charyeya)”, now it’s your turn. A 차례 isn’t an object with length; it’s something that comes and goes — which is exactly why it pairs up with 오다 (oda), to come, 되다 (doeda), to become one’s turn, and 돌아오다 (doraoda), to come around.
One more thing. 차례 also has a use as a counter for how many times something happened, and there the temperature changes completely. It’s formal and heavy — the voice of news anchors, official reports, and historical writing. You don’t use it while chatting with a friend.
Checking It in the National Institute of Korean Language Dictionary
The National Institute of Korean Language’s Basic Korean Dictionary splits 차례 into four senses.
차례 (charye) 「명사 / noun」
- 어떤 일을 하거나 어떤 일이 일어나는 순서. — The order in which one does something, or in which something happens. [en] procedure; process — An order by which one does a certain task or a sequence in which work is done. [ja] じゅんじょ【順序】。じゅんばん【順番】 — 物事を行ったり物事が起こる手順。 [es] orden — Forma coordinada y regular de funcionar o desarrollarse algo. [zh] 次序 — 做某件事或某件事情发生的顺序。 — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
- 일을 하거나 일이 일어나는 순서에 따라 주어지는 기회. — The opportunity given according to the order in which something is done or happens. [en] order — The opportunity given according to an order by which one does a certain task or a sequence in which work is done. [ja] じゅんばん【順番】。ばん【番】 — 物事を行ったり物事が起こる手順に従って与えられる機会。 [es] orden — Oportunidad que se concede al realizar un trabajo o en orden de sucesión de un hecho. [zh] 顺序，次序 — 按照做事情或事情发生的顺序所得到的机会。 — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
- 책이나 글 등을 이루고 있는 내용의 제목을 순서대로 늘어놓은 것. — A list of the titles of the contents of a book or piece of writing, laid out in order. [en] table of contents — A sequential list of the titles or sections in a book, piece of writing, etc. [ja] もくじ【目次】 — 書物や文章などの内容を示した題名を順序立てて並べたもの。 [zh] 目录，目次 — 把构成书或文章等的各部分内容的题目按照顺序从上往下列出来。 — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
- 일이 일어나는 횟수를 세는 단위. — A unit for counting the number of times something happens. [en] time — A unit for counting the number of times something happened. [ja] かい【回】。ど【度】 — 物事が起こる回数を数える単位。 [zh] 次，回，遍，阵 — 计算事情发生次数的单位。 — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
The dictionary doesn’t carry a Portuguese translation, so here’s ours: ordem; vez (the Portuguese is our own translation, not dictionary material).
Below are the real usage examples the dictionary provides, quoted as they are, with a note on the situation behind each one.
이모, 이모가 윷을 던질 차례예요. Auntie, it’s your turn to throw the yut sticks. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
This is sense 2 — “the chance that has come around to me” — in its most typical form. You can picture it: the whole family sitting in a circle playing 윷놀이 (yunnori) on a holiday, and a niece or nephew nudging an aunt whose mind has wandered off. In games, 차례 is the word that singles a person out by name.
지수는 여러 차례 가요제에서 수상을 하며 가수로 데뷔했다. Jisu won awards at song festivals several times and debuted as a singer. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
This is sense 4, the counter. You could swap 차례 for 번 here — “여러 번 수상을 하며” — and the meaning would be the same, but in profiles and news articles 차례 turns up far more often. 여러 차례 (yeoreo charye), several times, is a chunk worth memorizing whole.
그 무역법은 시행되기 전까지 십여 차례의 개정이 이루어졌다. That trade law went through some ten rounds of revision before it took effect. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
Same sense 4, but even stiffer. This is the written register used for laws, institutions, and procedures — a sentence you could hear straight off a news report. Say “십여 번 고쳤다” in a setting like this and it suddenly sounds like idle chit-chat.
왕실의 혼사에는 세 차례의 간택이 실시되었다. For a royal marriage, the selection process was carried out three times. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
If you love historical dramas, this one will feel familiar. It describes the process by which a queen was chosen in the Joseon royal court, and it shows just how natural 차례 sounds in historical writing. When you meet this phrasing in sageuk subtitles, just read it as “over the course of several rounds.”
우리는 설날에 차례를 지내면서 조상님께 집안의 가호를 빌었다. On Lunar New Year we held the charye rite and prayed to our ancestors to watch over the family. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
And then this sentence. The 차례 here is a different word that merely shares a sound with the “order” 차례 we’ve seen so far. 차례를 지내다 (charyereul jinaeda) should be learned as one fixed expression. We’ll pick up the details in the culture section.
Seeing It in a Real Conversation
Situation: Lunar New Year morning, at Jun-kyung’s home. The charye table has just been cleared away and the adults have settled into the living room. This is the first year Emily has been invited.
Jun-kyung: 자, 상 다 치웠다. 이제 세배할 차례야. Okay, the table’s cleared. Now it’s time for the New Year’s bow.
Emily: 잠깐, 나 순서 헷갈려. 누구부터 해? Hold on, I’m mixed up on the order. Who goes first?
Jun-kyung: 할머니 할아버지 먼저. 그다음이 우리 부모님 차례. Grandma and Grandpa first. Then it’s my parents’ turn.
Emily: 야, 근데 아까 절하고 음식 올린 것도 차례라며. 지금도 차례고? Hey, but you said what we did earlier — the bowing, the food — was also charye. And this is charye too?
Jun-kyung: 아, 그건 한자가 달라. 소리만 같지 완전 다른 말이야. Ah, that one’s a different hanja. Same sound, totally different word.
Emily: 헐, 한국어 진짜 얄밉다. 아무튼 나 차례 되면 꼭 알려 줘. 나 세배 처음이란 말이야. Ugh, Korean is really something. Anyway, tell me when it’s my turn — this is my first time bowing.
These Sound Off
✗ (to a friend) 나 어제 편의점 세 차례 갔다 왔어. ✓ (to a friend) 나 어제 편의점 세 번 갔다 왔어. → I went to the convenience store three times yesterday. The counting 차례 belongs to the formal register of news, reports, and historical writing. Drop it into casual talk with a friend and you suddenly sound as heavy as a news anchor. In everyday speech, 번 (beon) is the natural choice.
✗ (outside a popular restaurant) 차례가 너무 길어서 한 시간 기다렸어. ✓ (outside a popular restaurant) 줄이 너무 길어서 한 시간 기다렸어. / 내 차례가 오는 데 한 시간 걸렸어. → The line was so long I waited an hour. / It took an hour for my turn to come. This mistake comes from translating English “queue” straight across. A 차례 isn’t a visible line but the concept of order, so it can’t have length. Lines are long; turns come.
Example Sentences by Situation
1. Hospital waiting room · bank counter (polite announcement style)
48번 고객님, 차례입니다. (48beon gogaengnim, charyeimnida.) Customer number 48, it’s your turn.
If you take a number ticket and sit down, you’ll hear this sentence dozens of times a day. Put a name or number in front of it: “○○ 님 차례입니다.” For an extra-polite version, you’ll also hear 차례가 되셨습니다 (charyega doesyeotseumnida).
2. Board games with friends (casual speech)
야, 폰 그만 보고. 네 차례야. (Ya, pon geuman bogo. Ne charyeya.) Hey, put the phone down. It’s your turn.
Whether it’s 윷놀이 (yunnori), a board game, or an online game, this is the exact line for calling out the friend who’s off doing something else. The casual ending is -야 (-ya); swap it for -예요 (-yeyo) to make it polite.
3. News and profile writing (formal, counting)
그 감독은 올해만 세 차례 국제 영화제에 초청받았다. (Geu gamdogeun olhaeman se charye gukje yeonghwaje-e chocheongbadatda.) That director was invited to international film festivals three times this year alone.
Say the same thing to a friend and it becomes “올해만 세 번 갔대.” A handy way to remember it: you swap between 차례 and 번 depending on whether you’re writing it or saying it out loud.
Polite and Casual Forms, and Similar Words
Casual is 네 차례야, polite is 차례입니다 / 차례예요, and the extra-polite step up is 차례가 되셨습니다. The form changes are simple; what’s worth pinning down in a table is the distance between 차례 and its neighbors.
| Expression | Tone / intensity | Where it’s used |
|---|---|---|
| 차례 (charye) | Neutral. The sense that your share has come around | Lines, games, meetings — anywhere people go one at a time. Works in both polite and casual speech |
| 순서 (sunseo) | Neutral. The arrangement itself | Procedures, lists, processes. “순서대로 하세요” |
| 번 (beon) | Light and everyday | Counting times. Conversation with friends and family |
| 차례 (as a counter) | Formal and heavy | News, reports, historical writing. “여러 차례” |
| 턴 (teon) | A loanword, games only | Board games and online games only |
Cultural Background — Two 차례 That Sound Alike
The 차례 in “차례를 지낸다” on the mornings of Lunar New Year (설날, Seollal) and Chuseok (추석) is written with the hanja 茶禮 — literally “the rite (禮) of offering tea (茶).” It’s the ceremony of setting out food for one’s ancestors and bowing, and although tea has long since been replaced by liquor plus tteokguk (rice cake soup) at Seollal and songpyeon (stuffed rice cakes) at Chuseok, the tea is still there in the name. It’s a separate word from the 차례 that means “order,” sharing only its sound — which is why Korean dictionaries list them as two different entries.
Koreans usually explain the pair by comparing them to 제사 (jesa). A 제사 is held mainly at night on the anniversary of an ancestor’s death, while a 차례 is held on a holiday morning. That’s why holiday episodes of Korean dramas always include the scene where the whole family bumps into each other in the kitchen at dawn, setting the 차례 table. And the order of New Year’s bows that follows that scene is exactly the “order” 차례 you learned today — two different 차례 appearing side by side on the very same morning.
Meanwhile, the “order” 차례 is built into Korean daily life as an actual system. Walk into a hospital, a bank, or a government office and the first thing you do is pull a number ticket; outside popular restaurants there’s a waiting list where you write your name and party size. In a society where turns are managed as visible numbers, ignoring that order even has its own dedicated word: 새치기 (saechigi), cutting in line. “제 차례인데요 (je charyeindeyo)”, excuse me, it’s my turn, is the quiet but firm line for exactly that moment.
Finally, the ‘차례’ of a book. Buy a Korean book and there’s usually a table of contents up front with ‘차례’ printed as the page title. For learners, the charm of this word is precisely that one word carries all three branches — order, number of times, and table of contents.
Today’s Quiz
Which of the following sounds the most natural?
- (to a friend) 나 그 카페 이번 주에 두 차례 갔어.
- (outside a popular restaurant) 차례가 너무 길어서 그냥 왔어.
- (during a board game) 잠깐만, 지금 내 차례 아니야?
The answer is 3. In 1, you’re talking to a friend, so “두 번” is the natural choice; using 차례 makes it as stiff as a news sentence. In 2, the thing that has length is the line, not the turn, so it should be “줄이 너무 길어서.” Number 3 is 차례 in its most typical use: the chance that has come around to you.
Definitions and example sentences are from the National Institute of Korean Language’s Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr); that portion of this post, including our translations, is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.