퇴사 (toesa)

퇴사 (toesa) means quitting the company you’ve been working at and walking away from it. You know that scene in Korean dramas where the main character drops an envelope on the boss’s desk and strides out? Compress that entire scene into two syllables and you get this word. If a friend texts you “나 퇴사했어 (na toesahaesseo),” it doesn’t mean their shift is over for the day — it means they aren’t going back to that company at all.

Open the dictionary, though, and the story splits in two. The National Institute of Korean Language lists two meanings for 퇴사, and the first one is “회사에서 일을 끝내고 집으로 감 (hoesa-eseo il-eul kkeutnaego jib-euro gam)” — finishing the day’s work at the company and going home. It’s right there in print, but Koreans today almost never use the word that way. When you finish your day and head home, you say 퇴근 (toegeun). So if you announce “먼저 퇴사하겠습니다 (meonjeo toesahagetseumnida)” at six in the evening, the air in the office freezes on the spot. The speaker meant definition 1; every single listener hears definition 2.

The word 퇴사 itself carries no emotion. Storming out in anger, moving to a better place, stepping away to rest because your health gave out — all of it is 퇴사. Even when someone has been let go, people will often say 퇴사 on the surface. That makes it a rather considerate word: it lets you state the fact without digging into the other person’s circumstances. But just because the word is neutral doesn’t mean the news is light. In Korea, news of a 퇴사 goes in the “major life event” box, right alongside moving house or getting married. Which is why the first reaction from whoever hears it is almost always the same: “왜? (wae?)” — “Why?”

Checking It in the National Institute of Korean Language Dictionary

First, let’s look at exactly what the dictionary wrote down. That there are two meanings, and how far apart those two meanings are — that’s the whole story of this word.

퇴사 (toesa) 「명사」 (noun)

회사에서 일을 끝내고 집으로 감. — finishing work at the company and going home [en] leaving work; going home from work — An act of going home after finishing a day at work. [ja] たいしゃ【退社】 — 会社でその日の勤めを終えて帰宅すること。 [es] retirada del trabajo, salida de la oficina — Acción de regresar a casa después de terminada la jornada laboral. [zh] 下班 — 完成工作从公司回家。 — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

퇴사 (toesa) 「명사」 (noun) 2. 회사를 그만둠. — quitting the company [en] resignation; quitting a job — To quit one’s job at a company. [ja] たいしゃ【退社】 — 会社を辞めること。 [es] renuncia al trabajo — Acción de renunciar al trabajo. [zh] 辞职，退出公司 — 不再做某公司的工作。 — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

The Portuguese translation isn’t included in this dictionary, so what follows is our own rendering for this post: 1. saída do trabalho / 2. demissão, pedido de demissão.

Now let’s look at the real usage examples the dictionary provides alongside those definitions. It’s worth noticing that every one of them uses meaning 2.

승규야 너 퇴사했다며? (Seung-gyu-ya neo toesahaetdamyeo?) Seung-gyu, I hear you quit your job? — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

This is 반말 (banmal), the casual speech friends use with each other. The ending “-다며? (-damyeo?)” is used to confirm news you heard secondhand, so this single sentence also carries the backstory “I heard about it through the grapevine first.” It’s extremely common for news of a 퇴사 to travel through other people’s mouths before it comes from the person themselves.

내가 퇴사한다는 걸 온 회사 사람들이 다 알고 있어서 정말 깜짝 놀랐어. (naega toesahandaneun geol on hoesa saramdeuri da algo isseoseo jeongmal kkamjjak nollasseo.) Everyone in the whole company already knew I was quitting, and it really took me by surprise. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

This reads like the sequel to the previous example. It shows nicely just how fast news of a 퇴사 spreads inside a Korean company. People usually intend to tell their team lead first and then work down the list in order, but the rumor is generally faster than the plan.

삼 년 전에 홍보를 하는 회사에 입사했고 작년 이월에 동 회사를 퇴사했습니다. (sam nyeon jeone hongboreul haneun hoesa-e ipsahaetgo jangnyeon iwore dong hoesareul toesahaetseumnida.) I joined a public relations company three years ago and left that same company in February of last year. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

This is the stiff, formal register you’d use in a job interview or on a résumé. 입사 (ipsa, joining a company) and 퇴사 form a pair that marks the beginning and the end of one job. When you’re walking someone through your career history, these two words almost always show up together.

직원들이 줄줄이 퇴사하면서 사실상 업무가 교착한 상태이다. (jigwondeuri juljuri toesahamyeonseo sasilsang eommuga gyochakhan sangtae-ida.) With employees quitting one after another, operations are effectively at a standstill. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

This is the language of a news article or a report. “줄줄이 (juljuri)” paints a picture of person after person heading out in a line, so the sentence lays down an unspoken implication that things at the company have gone badly.

네. 하루에도 몇 번씩 그만두고 싶죠. 하지만 가족의 만류에 퇴사할 생각을 접곤 합니다. (ne. haru-edo myeot beonssik geumandugo sipjyo. hajiman gajogui mallyue toesahal saenggageul jeopgon hamnida.) Yes. I want to quit several times a day. But with my family talking me out of it, I keep folding up the idea of leaving. — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

This is an answer from an interview. “퇴사할 생각을 접다 (toesahal saenggageul jeopda)” — literally “to fold up the thought of quitting” — is worth memorizing as one whole chunk. It captures exactly how people feel when they quit over and over inside their own heads.

Seeing It in a Real Conversation

Scene: three in the afternoon on a weekday, the produce section of a neighborhood supermarket. At an hour when he should be at work, Jun-kyung is standing there in a tracksuit holding a shopping basket.

Emily: 어? 준경 씨? 이 시간에 여기서 뭐 해요? Huh? Jun-kyung? What are you doing here at this hour?

Jun-kyung: 아… 나 지난달에 퇴사했어. Ah… I quit my job last month.

Emily: 네? 왜 말을 안 했어요! 나 진짜 하나도 몰랐는데. What? Why didn’t you tell me! I had absolutely no idea.

Jun-kyung: 말하면 다들 왜 그만뒀냐고 물어보잖아. 그거 설명하는 게 더 피곤해. If I tell people, everyone asks why I quit. Explaining that is more exhausting.

Emily: 하긴. 근데 얼굴은 퇴사하기 전보다 훨씬 좋아 보여요. Fair enough. But you look way better than you did before you quit.

Jun-kyung: 티 나? 요즘 아홉 시에 일어나서 아침도 챙겨 먹어. Can you tell? These days I get up at nine and even eat breakfast.

Emily: 부럽다. 그래서 이제 뭐 할 거예요? I’m jealous. So what are you going to do now?

Jun-kyung: 몰라. 일단 세 달은 아무 계획 없이 살아 보려고. No clue. For now I’m going to spend three months with no plans at all.

Saying It This Way Sounds Off

✗ (six in the evening, to your team lead) 팀장님, 저 먼저 퇴사하겠습니다. (timjangnim, jeo meonjeo toesahagetseumnida.) — “Boss, I’m quitting the company ahead of you.” ✓ (six in the evening, to your team lead) 팀장님, 저 먼저 퇴근하겠습니다. (timjangnim, jeo meonjeo toegeunhagetseumnida.) — “Boss, I’m heading home ahead of you.” → The dictionary really does list “finishing work and going home” as a meaning, but in today’s office this word is heard only as “I’m quitting the company.” When you’re wrapping up your day and going home, it must be 퇴근.

✗ (to someone you’ve just met for the first time at a gathering) 아, 퇴사하셨다면서요? 왜요? 혹시 잘리신 거예요? (a, toesahasyeotdamyeonseoyo? waeyo? hoksi jjallisin geoyeyo?) — “Oh, I hear you left your job? Why? Were you fired, by any chance?” ✓ (to someone you’ve just met for the first time at a gathering) 아, 요즘은 좀 쉬고 계세요? (a, yojeumeun jom swigo gyeseyo?) — “Oh, are you taking some time off these days?” → The word 퇴사 is neutral in itself, but the moment you start prying into the reason, it turns into a question that digs into someone’s private business. In Korea, the reason behind a 퇴사 is fairly personal territory, so the polite move is to wait until the person brings it up themselves.

Example Sentences by Situation

1) Catching a friend up on your news after a long time apart (casual 반말)

나 저번 달에 퇴사하고 지금은 좀 쉬고 있어. (na jeobeon dal-e toesahago jigeumeun jom swigo isseo.) I quit last month and I’m taking a break right now.

“퇴사하고 쉬고 있어 (toesahago swigo isseo)” often travels together as a single chunk. It’s a great phrase for gently closing the door when you don’t want to talk about your next step yet.

2) Making the official announcement to your team (polite 존댓말)

이번 달까지만 근무하고 퇴사하게 되었습니다. 그동안 감사했습니다. (ibeon dalkkajiman geunmuhago toesahage doeeotseumnida. geudongan gamsahaetseumnida.) I’ll be working until the end of this month and then leaving the company. Thank you for everything.

The key is that it uses “퇴사하게 되었습니다 (toesahage doeeotseumnida)” rather than “퇴사합니다 (toesahamnida).” It softens the sense that you made the decision, which puts less weight on the people staying behind. It’s used almost as a fixed formula in farewell messages.

3) Asking carefully after a colleague who has left (polite 존댓말)

김 대리님 퇴사하셨다면서요? 잘 지내신대요? (gim daerinim toesahasyeotdamyeonseoyo? jal jinaesindaeyo?) I heard Mr. Kim left the company. Is he doing all right?

What matters here is that it asks how he’s doing without asking why. It’s the exact opposite of the item in the “sounds off” section above — a safe, warm way to ask.

Formality Levels and Similar Expressions

Just by changing the ending you can produce all three levels of politeness. With friends it’s 퇴사했어 (toesahaesseo); with a senior or coworker you’re reasonably comfortable with, 퇴사했어요 (toesahaesseoyo); in formal settings or documents, 퇴사했습니다 (toesahaetseumnida). There’s also 퇴사자 (toesaja), a word for a person who has left the company — but it’s not something you call someone to their face; it’s a word that shows up in HR paperwork.

There are several look-alike words, so you have to pick the right one for the right setting.

Expression	Temperature / intensity	Where it’s used
퇴사 (toesa)	Neutral. States the fact only	Everyday conversation and messaging. The most widely used
퇴근 (toegeun)	Neutral. An everyday occurrence	When you finish today’s work and go home
사직 (sajik)	Stiff and official	Resignation letters, official documents, news articles
퇴직 (toejik)	Heavy and final	Leaving at retirement age or after a long tenure. 퇴직금 (severance pay)
이직 (ijik)	Neutral, slightly positive	When the next company is already lined up
그만두다 (geumanduda)	Plain, conversational	Casual 반말 talk between friends

The pair that trips people up most is 퇴사 and 이직. 이직 carries the implication that your next company is already decided, so asking someone who quit with nowhere to go “이직하셨어요? (ijikhasyeosseoyo?)” lands a little off. In that case, plain 퇴사 is the safe choice.

Cultural Background — Where Two Characters Changed the Meaning

The hanja behind 퇴사 are 退 (물러날 퇴, toe — to withdraw) and 社 (회사 사, sa — company). Read literally, it’s “to withdraw from the company.” The problem is that the withdrawal could be for a single day or for good. That’s exactly why the dictionary has two meanings. In Korean, though, the one-day withdrawal was claimed by 退勤 (퇴근). 勤 means “work, duty,” so 퇴근 is withdrawing from today’s work, while 퇴사 is withdrawing from the company itself. Someone who withdraws from the work comes back tomorrow; someone who withdraws from the company doesn’t come back at all. That’s how big the difference between two characters can be.

Since the late 2010s, 퇴사 has become something of a cultural keyword in Korea. Bookstores have opened up dedicated shelves for essays about quitting, and “퇴사 브이로그 (toesa beuirogeu, quitting vlogs)” have settled in on YouTube as a genre of their own. As the idea of a job for life has faded, 퇴사 has shifted from being a mark of failure to a mark of choice. Ever since Misaeng (미생, tvN, 2014), the drama that took office life head-on and became a huge talking point, both enduring life inside a company and walking away from one have been among the subjects Korean pop culture returns to most often.

An actual 퇴사 also comes with something like a set procedure. You finish the 인수인계 (insuingye, handover) of your work to whoever takes over, on your last day you hand out coffee or snacks to the team and say your goodbyes, and then you quietly leave the company group chat. Which is why Korean office workers joke that the moment you leave the group chat is the real 퇴사.

Today’s Quiz

It’s six in the evening. Emily has finished everything on her list for the day and is packing up her bag as she says goodbye to her team lead. What belongs in the blank?

“팀장님, 저 먼저 ○○하겠습니다.”

① 퇴사 (toesa) ② 퇴근 (toegeun) ③ 이직 (ijik) ④ 사직 (sajik)

Show the answer

The answer is ② 퇴근 (toegeun). The dictionary does list “finishing work and going home” as a meaning of 퇴사, but in an actual office this word is only ever heard as “I’m quitting the company.” If you picked ①, your team lead will be waiting for your resignation letter by the next morning. ③ 이직 and ④ 사직 also mean leaving the company, so they can’t be used as a goodbye at the end of the day either.

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.