명함 (myeongham) — In Korea, the Slip of Paper You Hand Over Before Your Name
명함
명함 (myeongham) means “a small piece of paper with your name, job, address, and contact details written on it, so that other people can know who you are.” Translated into English, one phrase — business card — covers it. But in Korea, this single slip of paper does much more than that. When Koreans meet someone for the first time, their hand goes to their inside jacket pocket before they say 안녕하세요, 저는 김준경입니다 (annyeonghaseyo, jeoneun Gim Jun-gyeong-imnida) — “Hello, I’m Kim Jun-kyung.” The card arrives half a beat ahead of the introduction. That’s why, for a Korean learner, 명함 isn’t a word you memorize so much as a scene you memorize.
And the office isn’t the only place these cards turn up. The neighborhood fried-chicken shop’s card stuck to your fridge with a magnet on moving day, the slip the hair salon hands you along with your receipt as they say “come again next time,” the card the moving-truck guy passes through the window as he shuts the truck door — in Korean daily life, 명함 is the contact network.
The verbs that attach to it have settled into a few fixed patterns. 명함을 주다 (myeonghameul juda) is the basic “give a card.” 명함을 교환하다 (myeonghameul gyohwanhada) is the formal setting where two people trade cards. 명함을 내밀다 (myeonghameul naemilda) is the one where you can actually see the gesture — the card thrust out toward the other person. 명함을 돌리다 (myeonghameul dollida) paints a picture of handing cards out to a whole roomful of people, scattering them around. And it’s from that last sense that one of the most common idioms in Korean comes: 명함도 못 내밀다 (myeonghamdo mot naemilda). More on that below.
Checking it in the National Institute of Korean Language dictionary
The National Institute of Korean Language’s Basic Korean Dictionary defines the word this way.
명함 (myeongham) (noun) A small piece of paper with one’s name, occupation, address, contact details, etc., written on it in order to make oneself known to others. [en] business card — A small piece of paper on which one’s name, occupation, address, contact number, etc, are printed to promote oneself. [ja] めいし【名刺】 — 人に知らせる目的で、自分の名前・職業・住所・連絡先などを書いた小さい紙。 [es] tarjeta personal — Pequeña hoja con nombre, profesión, dirección y número de contacto para darse a conocer al otro. [zh] 名片 — 为向别人介绍自己而准备的，写有个人姓名、职业、地址、联系方式等的小纸片。 — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
The dictionary doesn’t carry a Portuguese definition. For reference, here’s our own rendering (noting clearly that this is our translation, not the dictionary’s own text): cartão de visita — pequeno papel com o nome, a profissão, o endereço e o contato de alguém, feito para se apresentar aos outros.
Here are some of the most frequently used real examples listed in the dictionary, quoted as they appear. First, the short fixed phrases.
명함을 교환하다. (myeonghameul gyohwanhada.) — to exchange business cards. 명함을 내보이다. (myeonghameul naeboida.) — to show one’s business card. 명함에 넣다. (myeonghame neota.) — to put (something) on a business card. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
명함을 교환하다 isn’t one person handing something over one-sidedly — it’s two people giving and receiving at the same time. Think of it as a three-second ritual that happens in a meeting room, both parties still standing, right before everyone sits down. 명함을 내보이다 puts the weight on showing the card to the other person. Handing it over isn’t the point; the point is proving “this is who I am.” 명함에 넣다 is about what you put onto that piece of paper — a photo, a logo, a QR code, and so on.
Now let’s look at full-sentence examples.
나는 거래처 담당자와 인사를 나누고 명함을 교환했다. (naneun georaecheo damdangjawa insareul nanugo myeonghameul gyohwanhaetda.) I greeted the contact person from the client company and we exchanged business cards. 나는 명함을 내보이며 간단히 자기소개를 했다. (naneun myeonghameul naeboimyeo gandanhi jagisogaereul haetda.) I showed my business card and briefly introduced myself. 민준은 명함을 새로 만들면서 명함에 사진을 넣었다. (Minjuneun myeonghameul saero mandeulmyeonseo myeonghame sajineul neoeotda.) When Min-jun had new business cards made, he put a photo on them. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
The first sentence is one of the most common scenes in a Korean office worker’s day. Notice the order — greetings first, then the card. Shoving a card at someone without saying a word looks rude. The second sentence shows the card being used as a support for speech. Showing your card while also saying your name and affiliation out loud is the standard form of a Korean self-introduction. The third sentence is about the making side of things. In Korea, putting your face on your card is especially common in jobs where people need to remember your face — real estate agents, insurance planners, salon owners.
Seeing it in a real conversation
Setting: the evening of Emily’s moving day. Jun-kyung, who has come over to help her unpack, walks into the kitchen. The previous tenant’s cards are still stuck all over the fridge door.
준경: 야, 냉장고 이거 뭐야? 명함이 열 장은 붙어 있는데. Hey, what’s all this on the fridge? There must be ten business cards stuck here.
에밀리: 아, 전에 살던 사람이 두고 간 거. 귀찮아서 안 뗐어. Oh, the previous tenant left those. I didn’t bother taking them off.
준경: 떼지 마, 절대. 이 동네 치킨집이랑 열쇠 아저씨 명함이잖아. 이게 재산이야. Don’t take them off, seriously. That’s the local chicken place and the locksmith. This is treasure.
에밀리: 재산? 그냥 종이 쪼가리 아니야? Treasure? Isn’t it just scraps of paper?
준경: 배달앱에 안 나오는 집도 많아. 여기 중국집 봐, 20년 됐다잖아. A lot of these places aren’t on the delivery apps. Look at this Chinese restaurant — it says twenty years.
에밀리: 헐, 그럼 나도 하나 붙여야지. 아까 이삿짐 아저씨가 명함 주고 갔거든. Whoa, then I should add one too. The mover gave me his card earlier.
Say it this way and it sounds off
✗ (To a senior director you’re meeting for the first time) 상무님, 명함 좀 주세요. (sangmunim, myeongham jom juseyo.) ✓ (To a senior director you’re meeting for the first time) 상무님, 실례지만 명함 한 장 부탁드려도 될까요? (sangmunim, sillyejiman myeongham han jang butakdeuryeodo doelkkayo?) → “주세요 (juseyo)” is grammatically perfect, but it lands closer to a demand. With someone older than you or a senior person at a client company, it’s safer to lower yourself and ask with “부탁드리다 (butakdeurida).” Also, in Korea the natural order is for the junior person to offer their own card first and then receive the other person’s.
✗ 저는 요리를 잘해서 셰프한테도 명함을 내밀 수 있어요. (jeoneun yorireul jalhaeseo syepeuhantedo myeonghameul naemil su isseoyo.) ✓ 셰프 앞에서는 저는 명함도 못 내밀죠. (syepeu apeseoneun jeoneun myeonghamdo mot naemiljyo.) → 명함도 못 내밀다 (myeonghamdo mot naemilda) is a fixed idiom meaning “I fall so far short that there’s no comparison at all.” It only lives in the negative. Flip it into the positive as “명함을 내밀 수 있다 (myeonghameul naemil su itda)” and Korean ears stop hearing an idiom and start picturing an actual piece of paper being held out — which sounds odd.
Example sentences by situation
Situation 1 — A first meeting with a client. You walk into the meeting room and, before sitting down, exchange greetings while standing. Hand it over with both hands, receive it with both hands.
처음 뵙겠습니다. 제 명함 먼저 드리겠습니다. (cheoeum boepgetseumnida. je myeongham meonjeo deurigetseumnida.) Nice to meet you. Let me give you my card first.
Situation 2 — Paying at your neighborhood hair salon. The owner hands your card back with a small slip of paper on top of it. It’s a signal that they’d like you to become a regular.
여기 명함이요. 다음에 오실 때 전화 주고 오세요. (yeogi myeonghamiyo. da-eume osil ttae jeonhwa jugo oseyo.) Here’s my card. Give me a call before you come next time.
Situation 3 — When a friend compliments your skills. This is textbook Korean modesty: instead of taking the compliment head-on, you fold it away with an idiom.
에이, 저 사람 앞에선 나 명함도 못 내밀어. (ei, jeo saram apeseon na myeonghamdo mot naemireo.) Come on, next to that person I’m nowhere close.
Polite speech, casual speech, and related expressions
Even with the same word 명함, the temperature changes a lot depending on how you ask. Sorting these five by setting will save you from a lot of mistakes.
| Expression | Tone / intensity | Where to use it |
|---|---|---|
| 명함 한 장 부탁드립니다 (myeongham han jang butakdeurimnida) | Most polite; asking while lowering yourself | Clients, older people, formal meetings |
| 명함 좀 주세요 (myeongham jom juseyo) | Polite, but direct | Between coworkers of a similar age. A bit strong for a senior you’re meeting for the first time |
| 명함 있어? (myeongham isseo?) | Casual speech, relaxed | Between friends or people who joined the company together |
| 명함을 돌리다 (myeonghameul dollida) | The feel of handing cards out to a crowd | Gatherings, events, sales. Not used for a single person |
| 명함도 못 내밀다 (myeonghamdo mot naemilda) | A self-lowering idiom | When admitting a gap in skill. Nothing to do with actual paper |
Cultural background — a name handed over with both hands
명함 comes from the Sino-Korean word 名銜. The first character 名 means “name”; the second, 銜, is the 함 of 직함 (jikham), “job title.” In other words, it’s a name with a title stacked on top of it. Japanese calls the same object 名刺 (めいし) and Chinese calls it 名片, and both of those focus on the “slip of paper” side. It’s interesting that Korean alone tucked the job title into the word itself. And in fact, the first thing a Korean scans when handed a card isn’t the name — it’s the title next to the name. That one line decides how much honorific language everyone at the table will be using toward everyone else from here on.
So etiquette comes bundled with the card. Both hands when giving, both hands when receiving, and turn the card so the writing faces the other person. Stuffing it straight into your wallet reads as “I didn’t read you,” so take a moment to look it over, then lay it neatly on the table in front of you for the rest of the meeting. If you’ve met several people, many Koreans will line the cards up in the order people are seated — not because they can’t remember the names, but out of consideration, so they don’t call anyone by the wrong one. Scribbling notes on someone’s card right there at the table is best avoided.
In dramas, too, the business card is a favorite prop for showing a character’s circumstances in a single shot. The workplace drama Misaeng (tvN, 2014) has a scene where a new contract employee receives cards with his own name printed on them for the first time and stares at them for a long moment — with no dialogue at all, you feel exactly what he’s feeling: “now I belong somewhere.” Conversely, a character who loses their cards, or who can’t have any made, is drawn as someone who has lost their place in society. That’s why a retired father saying “이제 명함도 없다 (ije myeonghamdo eopda)” — “I don’t even have a business card anymore” — is such a recurring scene in Korean dramas.
And outside the company, the 명함 is very much alive. The magnet-backed card on the fridge door, the locksmith’s card wedged into your front-door handle, the card the moving-truck driver leaves behind — anyone who has moved house in Korea knows how genuinely useful these slips of paper are. When Jun-kyung said “이게 재산이야” (“this is treasure”) in the conversation above, he wasn’t entirely joking.
Today’s quiz
Jun-kyung said this to Emily, who is a great cook:
나는 너 앞에서 명함도 못 내밀어. (naneun neo apeseo myeonghamdo mot naemireo.)
What does it mean?
- He left his business cards in his wallet
- The gap in skill is so big there’s no comparison
- He hasn’t had business cards made yet
Answer: 2. The idiom 명함도 못 내밀다 (myeonghamdo mot naemilda) means the difference in skill or level is so great that you aren’t even qualified to be compared. It’s used with no connection to actual paper cards, and remember too that it only ever appears in the negative. For the record, if you want to say number 1, you’d say 명함을 안 가져왔어 (myeonghameul an gajyeowasseo).
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.