Appliances: Fridge, Laundry, AC, Heater

🎯

TL;DR

냉장고 = refrigerator (noun) 🧊

세탁기 = washing machine (noun) 🌀

에어컨 = air conditioner (noun) ❄️

난방 = heating (noun) 🔥

전자레인지 = microwave (noun) 📡

🔊

Iru Helper Note

<mention-page url="https://app.notion.com/p/349be37590c08068a178f6d92b8a4a18">\

Try this: 냉장고에서 음식을 꺼내서 전자레인지에 데웠어요. 그리고 세탁기를 돌리고, 추워서 난방을 켰어요. 에어컨은 이제 안 써요.

(I took food out of the fridge and heated it in the microwave. Then I ran the washing machine, and since it was cold, I turned on the heating. I don't use the AC anymore.)

🌈 The Big Picture

These five appliances are the backbone of Korean home life. 냉장고 and 전자레인지 handle your food, 세탁기 handles your clothes, and 에어컨 and 난방 handle the temperature — cooling in summer, heating in winter. Knowing how to talk about turning them on, off, and troubleshooting them will make apartment life so much smoother. 🏠⚡

🎨 The Core Appliances Family

1. 냉장고 — refrigerator 🧊

The standard word for "refrigerator," including its freezer section.

냉장고에 넣어 두세요. (Please put it in the fridge.)

냉장고가 비어 있어요. (The fridge is empty.)

— Grammar note: 냉동실 = "freezer compartment" (inside the fridge); 냉동고 = a separate standalone freezer.

2. 세탁기 — washing machine 🌀

The appliance used for doing laundry.

세탁기를 돌려요. (I run the washing machine.)

세탁기가 고장 났어요. (The washing machine is broken.)

— Grammar note: 세탁기를 돌리다 = "to run the washing machine" (more natural than 켜다 here).

3. 에어컨 — air conditioner ❄️

A loanword (from "air con") for the air conditioner.

에어컨을 켜요/꺼요. (I turn on/off the AC.)

에어컨 좀 틀어 주세요. (Please turn on the AC.)

— Grammar note: 켜다/끄다 = "turn on/off"; 틀다 is also commonly used for AC and other electronics.

4. 난방 — heating 🔥

A noun for "heating," referring to the heating system or function.

난방을 켜요. (I turn on the heating.)

난방이 잘 돼요. (The heating works well.)

— Grammar note: 난방비 = "heating bill"; 난방이 되다/안 되다 = "heating works/doesn't work."

5. 전자레인지 — microwave 📡

The appliance used to heat up food quickly.

전자레인지에 데워요. (I heat it up in the microwave.)

전자레인지 사용법을 알아요? (Do you know how to use the microwave?)

— Grammar note: 데우다 = "to warm/heat up" — the verb that pairs naturally with 전자레인지.

🛠️ How They Work in a Sentence

냉장고에서 음식을 꺼내서 전자레인지에 데워요.

(I take food out of the fridge and heat it up in the microwave.)

— 냉장고 (storage) and 전자레인지 (heating) work as a pair.

더우면 에어컨을 켜고, 추우면 난방을 켜요.

(If it's hot, turn on the AC; if it's cold, turn on the heating.)

— 에어컨 and 난방 are opposite seasonal solutions.

세탁기를 돌리고 나서 냉장고를 정리했어요.

(After running the washing machine, I organized the fridge.)

— 세탁기를 돌리다 (run the washer) + 냉장고를 정리하다 (organize the fridge), chained with -고 나서.

🧩 General Formation Rule

All five are appliance nouns — 세탁기, 냉장고, 난방 are Sino-Korean; 에어컨, 전자레인지 are loanwords

켜다/끄다/틀다 — turn on/off appliances (에어컨, 난방, 전자레인지)

돌리다 — specifically for 세탁기 (and 청소기): "to run" a machine

고장 나다 — "to break down" (common with all appliances)

되다/안 되다 — 난방이 되다/안 되다 = "heating works/doesn't work"

📚 Cross-check note

All vocabulary cross-checked against korean.go.kr ✅

🪞 Synonym Alert

켜다 vs 틀다 — 켜다 = general "turn on" (lights, TV, AC); 틀다 = "turn on/play," largely interchangeable with 켜다 for appliances.

난방 vs 온도 — 난방 = the heating system/function; 온도 = temperature (a number/setting you adjust).

냉장고 vs 냉동고 — 냉장고 = refrigerator (includes a freezer compartment); 냉동고 = a separate standalone freezer.

세탁기 vs 건조기 — 세탁기 = washing machine; 건조기 = (clothes) dryer — different appliances.

전자레인지 vs 오븐 — 전자레인지 = microwave; 오븐 = oven — different cooking appliances.

⚠️ Pitfalls to Dodge

❌ Saying 세탁기를 켜다 → ✅ 세탁기를 돌리다 ("run the washing machine") is the natural collocation.

❌ Only using 난방을 켜다 → ✅ Also learn 난방이 되다/안 되다 to describe whether heating is working.

❌ Confusing 냉장고 and 냉동고 → ✅ 냉장고 = fridge (with built-in freezer); 냉동고 = standalone freezer.

❌ Forgetting 데우다 with 전자레인지 → ✅ 전자레인지에 데우다 = "to heat up in the microwave."

❌ Mixing up 세탁기 and 건조기 → ✅ 세탁기 = washer; 건조기 = dryer — often separate appliances.

냉장고, 세탁기, 에어컨, 난방, 전자레인지 — 이 다섯 가지만 알면 집안 살림 걱정 없어요! 🧊🌀❄️🔥📡

Try this exercise

Fill in each blank with the correct word (냉장고, 세탁기, 에어컨, 난방, or 전자레인지).

A. ___에 넣어 두세요. (Please put it in the fridge.)

Answer

냉장고

B. ___를 돌려요. (I run the washing machine.)

Answer

세탁기

C. ___을 켜요. (I turn on the AC.)

Answer

에어컨

D. ___이 잘 돼요. (The heating works well.)

Answer

난방

E. ___에 데워요. (I heat it up in the microwave.)

Answer

전자레인지

F. ___가 비어 있어요. (The fridge is empty.)

Answer

냉장고

G. ___가 고장 났어요. (The washing machine is broken.)

Answer

세탁기

H. ___ 좀 틀어 주세요. (Please turn on the AC.)

Answer

에어컨

I. ___을 켜요. (I turn on the heating.)

Answer

난방

J. ___ 사용법을 알아요? (Do you know how to use the microwave?)

Answer

전자레인지

📚

Vocabulary Box

냉장고 — refrigerator; 냉동실/냉동고

세탁기 — washing machine; 돌리다

에어컨 — air conditioner; 켜다/끄다/틀다

난방 — heating; 켜다, 되다/안 되다

전자레인지 — microwave; 데우다

💡

Pitfalls reminder

세탁기는 "돌리다", not 켜다

난방이 되다/안 되다 = working/not working

냉장고 ≠ 냉동고

🔁

Want more reps? Walk around your home (or imagine it) and describe each appliance: is it on, off, working, or broken? Use 켜다/끄다/돌리다/고장 나다!

📦

Practice Hub: Appliances (냉장고 / 세탁기 / 에어컨 / 난방 / 전자레인지)

Five rounds for talking about home appliances.

Exercise 1 — Word Recall: 냉장고 & 세탁기

A. "Put the milk in the fridge."

Answer

우유를 냉장고에 넣어요.

B. "The fridge is too small."

Answer

냉장고가 너무 작아요.

C. "I cleaned the fridge yesterday."

Answer

어제 냉장고를 청소했어요.

D. "I started the washing machine."

Answer

세탁기를 돌렸어요.

E. "The washing machine is making noise."

Answer

세탁기에서 소리가 나요.

F. "Is there anything in the fridge?"

Answer

냉장고에 뭐 있어요?

G. "I need a new washing machine."

Answer

새 세탁기가 필요해요.

H. "Don't forget to close the fridge door."

Answer

냉장고 문을 꼭 닫으세요.

I. "How long does the washing machine take?"

Answer

세탁기 얼마나 걸려요?

J. "The fridge light is broken."

Answer

냉장고 불이 고장 났어요.

📚

Quick Reference

냉장고 = fridge; 냉장고에 넣다/넣어 두다

세탁기를 돌리다 = run the washer

~에서 소리가 나다 = "makes a noise"

Exercise 2 — Word Recall: 에어컨 & 난방

A. "It's so hot, turn on the AC."

Answer

너무 더워요, 에어컨 켜 주세요.

B. "Turn off the AC, it's cold now."

Answer

에어컨 꺼 주세요, 이제 추워요.

C. "The heating isn't working."

Answer

난방이 안 돼요.

D. "Can you lower the AC temperature?"

Answer

에어컨 온도 좀 낮춰 줄 수 있어요?

E. "The heating bill is expensive in winter."

Answer

겨울에는 난방비가 비싸요.

F. "Is the AC on?"

Answer

에어컨 켜져 있어요?

G. "Please turn up the heat."

Answer

난방 좀 올려 주세요.

H. "This room has no AC."

Answer

이 방에는 에어컨이 없어요.

I. "The heating just turned on."

Answer

난방이 켜졌어요.

J. "I'm cold, can we turn on the heating?"

Answer

추워요, 난방 켜도 돼요?

📚

Quick Reference

에어컨을 켜다/끄다/틀다

난방이 되다/안 되다 = working/not

난방비 = heating bill

Exercise 3 — Pattern Practice: 켜다/끄다/돌리다/데우다

A. "Turn on the air conditioner, please."

Answer

에어컨 좀 켜 주세요.

B. "Turn off the microwave when done."

Answer

다 되면 전자레인지를 꺼요.

C. "I ran the washing machine twice today."

Answer

오늘 세탁기를 두 번 돌렸어요.

D. "The heating turned off by itself."

Answer

난방이 저절로 꺼졌어요.

E. "Heat up this soup in the microwave."

Answer

이 국을 전자레인지에 데워요.

F. "The air conditioner broke down."

Answer

에어컨이 고장 났어요.

G. "Don't run the washing machine at night."

Answer

밤에 세탁기를 돌리지 마세요.

H. "I turned off the fridge to clean it."

Answer

청소하려고 냉장고를 껐어요.

I. "Turn on the heating before you sleep."

Answer

자기 전에 난방을 켜세요.

J. "The microwave is broken, use the stove."

Answer

전자레인지가 고장 났으니 가스불을 사용하세요.

📚

Quick Reference

켜다/끄다 = turn on/off

돌리다 (세탁기), 데우다 (전자레인지)

저절로 = "by itself"

Exercise 4 — Pattern Practice: Troubleshooting

A. "The fridge isn't cold anymore."

Answer

냉장고가 안 차가워요.

B. "The washing machine won't turn on."

Answer

세탁기가 안 켜져요.

C. "The AC is leaking water."

Answer

에어컨에서 물이 떨어져요.

D. "The heating isn't working at all."

Answer

난방이 전혀 안 돼요.

E. "The microwave makes a weird noise."

Answer

전자레인지에서 이상한 소리가 나요.

F. "Call a repairman, the fridge is broken."

Answer

냉장고가 고장 났으니 수리공을 불러요.

G. "The AC remote is missing."

Answer

에어컨 리모컨이 없어요.

H. "The washing machine door won't close."

Answer

세탁기 문이 안 닫혀요.

I. "It's too cold, the heating must be broken."

Answer

너무 추워요, 난방이 고장 난 것 같아요.

J. "The microwave door is stuck."

Answer

전자레인지 문이 안 열려요.

📚

Quick Reference

안 + verb = "doesn't ~" (안 켜져요, 안 닫혀요)

고장 난 것 같아요 = "seems broken"

수리공을 부르다 = "call a repairman"

Exercise 5 — Mixed Mastery

A. "I put the food in the fridge, then heated it up in the microwave."

Answer

음식을 냉장고에 넣었다가 전자레인지에 데웠어요.

B. "Turn on the AC, it's too hot, and the heating is off."

Answer

에어컨을 켜 주세요, 너무 덥고 난방은 꺼져 있어요.

C. "The washing machine is broken, so I can't do laundry."

Answer

세탁기가 고장 나서 빨래를 못 해요.

D. "Please turn off the microwave and turn on the heating."

Answer

전자레인지를 끄고 난방을 켜 주세요.

E. "Is the fridge cold enough? The AC seems fine."

Answer

냉장고가 충분히 차가워요? 에어컨은 괜찮은 것 같아요.

F. "I ran the washing machine while the heating was on."

Answer

난방이 켜진 동안 세탁기를 돌렸어요.

G. "The microwave, AC, and heating are all working well."

Answer

전자레인지, 에어컨, 난방이 다 잘 작동해요.

H. "Something's wrong with the fridge — it's not cold."

Answer

냉장고에 문제가 있어요 — 안 차가워요.

I. "After running the washing machine, I checked the fridge."

Answer

세탁기를 돌리고 나서 냉장고를 확인했어요.

J. "In summer I use the AC, in winter I use the heating."

Answer

여름에는 에어컨을 쓰고, 겨울에는 난방을 써요.

📚

Quick Reference

All five together: 냉장고, 세탁기, 에어컨, 난방, 전자레인지

작동하다 = "to work/operate"

여름/겨울에는 ~을/를 쓰다 = "in summer/winter, use ~"

냉장고, 세탁기, 에어컨, 난방, 전자레인지 — 이 다섯 가전제품과 친해지면 집이 더 편해져요! 🧊🌀❄️🔥📡