Difference between pay and wages in Korean

지급하다·임금

pay

지급하다pay

To pay (지급하다) means to give money to someone, often in an official or organized way. It is used for things like salary, refunds, support money, or prizes. You will often see this word in workplaces, schools, banks, and public notices.

How to say pay
wages

임금wages

임금 means the money someone is paid for work, usually by a company or boss. It is used when talking about a worker’s pay. You may see it in simple phrases like “get wages” or “raise wages.”

How to say wages

The difference

지급하다 means to give money, often in formal situations like salary or benefits. 임금 is the wages themselves, not the action of giving them.