방금 vs 금방 (Banggeum vs Geumbang): Just Now or Soon?
Written and reviewed by Jun and Jin, native Korean speakers
Published · How we write & review
After this page, you can choose between 방금 (just a moment ago) and 금방 (soon, in no time) by asking whether the moment points to the past or to what is about to happen.
10-second answer
The short answer
방금 (banggeum) means "just a moment ago" and always points to the past. 금방 (geumbang) mostly means "soon" or "in no time" for something about to happen, as in 금방 갈게 (geumbang galge), "I'll be right there." A few sentences allow either word, but 방금 can never describe a future event.
Quick check — did that land?
1. Which word fits: 점심을 ___ 먹어서 아직 배가 안 고파요 ("I just ate lunch, so I'm not hungry yet")?
Side by Side
Both words talk about a very short stretch of time, which is why English speakers mix them up: "just now" and "in a moment" feel like neighbors. In Korean they face opposite directions. 방금 (banggeum) looks back at the moment that has just passed. 금방 (geumbang) is mostly used to look ahead, at a new situation that is about to happen or will happen quickly.
| 방금 (banggeum) | 금방 (geumbang) | |
|---|---|---|
| Basic meaning | just a moment ago | soon, in no time, right away |
| Direction in time | the past | mostly the future, and short stretches of time |
| Typical feel | "this just happened" | "a new situation is about to happen" |
| Future events | not possible | the normal use |
| Example | 방금 도착한 택배 (banggeum dochakhan taekbae), "the parcel that just arrived" | 금방 갈게 (geumbang galge), "I'll be there in no time" |
The one rule
The two words can be swapped in some sentences, but 방금 cannot be used for a future event. If the thing has not happened yet, reach for 금방.
See also: Korean past tense (-았/었)
방금: Just a Moment Ago
방금 (banggeum) marks something that finished right before the moment of speaking. All five sentences below look backward: a box that has just arrived, words that were just said, a lunch that was just eaten.
방금 도착한 따끈따끈한 택배 상자를 열어보았다.
banggeum dochakhan ttakkeunttakkeunhan taekbae sangjareul yeoreoboatda.
I opened the piping-hot parcel box that had just arrived.
따끈따끈한 (ttakkeunttakkeunhan) means pleasantly warm or fresh from the oven. Something that "just arrived" is also still fresh, so the two ideas go together here.
네가 방금 한 말은 평생 잊지 못할 거야.
nega banggeum han mareun pyeongsaeng itji motal geoya.
I will never forget what you just said, not for my whole life.
한 말 (han mal) is "the thing said." The past form 한 (han) goes with 방금.
전화를 걸었더니 상대방이 방금 통화 중이라며 연결이 안 됐다.
jeonhwareul georeotdaeni sangdaebangi banggeum tonghwa jung-iramyeo yeongyeori an dwaetda.
I made the call, but the other person had just been on another call, so it did not connect.
통화 중 (tonghwa jung) means "in the middle of a call." See phone call phrases for more.
방금 나간 사람은 우리 팀에 새로 오신 대리님이다.
banggeum nagan sarameun uri time sero osin daerinimida.
The person who just left is the assistant manager who newly joined our team.
나간 (nagan) is the past form of "go out," modifying 사람 (saram). 대리님 (daerinim) is a job title with the respectful -님, see titles with 님 and 씨.
점심을 방금 먹어서 아직 배가 전혀 고프지 않다.
jeomsimeul banggeum meogeoseo ajik baega jeonhyeo gopeuji anta.
I just ate lunch, so I am not hungry at all yet.
먹어서 (meogeoseo) is "because I ate," a finished action.
Notice that in every one of these sentences the verb is in the past: 도착한, 한, 통화 중이라며, 나간, 먹어서. That matches the dictionary meaning below: the thing has already happened. The past tense is covered in Korean past tense.
금방: Soon, in No Time
금방 (geumbang) is used when a new situation is about to happen, or will come about after only a short time. Four of the five sentences below are plain predictions or promises. The second one is a general habit: a child who cries will stop crying right away once there is a snack in the hand.
준비하고 나갈 테니까 조금만 기다려, 금방 갈게.
junbihago nagal tenikka jogeumman gidaryeo, geumbang galge.
I will get ready and head out, so wait just a little. I'll be there in no time.
갈게 (galge) is the casual "I'll go" promise. This is the classic 금방 sentence, and it matches the future patterns with -ㄹ 거예요.
아이는 울다가도 과자를 쥐여주면 금방 울음을 그친다.
aineun uldagado gwajareul jwiyeojumyeon geumbang ureumeul geuchinda.
Even in the middle of crying, a child stops crying right away if you put a snack in their hand.
Here 금방 means "right away, after a very short time."
하늘을 보니 먹구름이 가득해서 금방이라도 비가 쏟아질 것 같다.
haneureul boni meokgureumi gadeukhaeseo geumbang-irado biga ssodajil geot gatda.
Looking at the sky, it is full of dark clouds, so it looks like rain could pour down at any moment.
금방이라도 (geumbang-irado) is "at any moment now." It is used for something that seems about to happen.
서툰 일도 매일 반복하다 보면 금방 손에 익게 마련이다.
seotun ildo maeil banbokhada bomyeon geumbang sone ikge maryeonida.
Even a task you are clumsy at will get familiar to your hands in no time if you repeat it every day.
손에 익다 (sone ikda) is "to become familiar to the hands," meaning you get the knack.
약을 먹고 한숨 자고 일어나면 몸이 금방 좋아질 거야.
yageul meokgo hansum jago ireonamyeon momi geumbang joajil geoya.
If you take the medicine and sleep for a bit, you will feel better soon.
좋아질 거야 (joajil geoya) is a casual prediction, another -ㄹ 거야 future.
What these have in common is a short time before something new takes hold: you arrive, the crying stops, the rain comes, the skill sticks, the body recovers.
What the Dictionary Says, and Why the Two Overlap
The Standard Korean Dictionary defines 방금 as the moment "just before the time of speaking" (말하고 있는 시점보다 바로 조금 전). That is the plain "just now."
금방 is more flexible than the everyday picture suggests. The same dictionary lists the adverb 금방 with three senses, quoted in an answer from the National Institute of Korean Language: (1) a short time before the moment of speaking, (2) some time after the moment of speaking, and (3) a short time after the moment of speaking. The first sense is the same "just before" meaning as 방금, and the dictionary even gives 방금 as its synonym. That shared sense is the reason a few sentences accept either word.
In everyday speech, though, 금방 is mostly used for the future and for short time spans, while 방금 is the word that is only ever about the past. So the working rule is not "금방 is future only," but a one-way check: 방금 is never future, and 금방 can reach into the future freely.
A note on reading the dictionary
The dictionary entry shows that 금방 can look backward as well. The native-speaker judgment in this article is that, in real conversation, 금방 is most often heard for what is about to happen, and that you cannot put 방금 into a future sentence. Both statements fit together.
A Quick Test: Which Way Does the Time Point?
When you are unsure, ask where the situation sits compared with the moment you are speaking.
| If the situation is... | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| already finished a moment ago | 방금 (banggeum) | 점심을 방금 먹었어요 (jeomsimeul banggeum meogeosseoyo), "I just ate lunch" |
| about to happen, or will happen very soon | 금방 (geumbang) | 금방 갈게 (geumbang galge), "I'll be there in no time" |
| happening after a very short time, as a general fact | 금방 (geumbang) | 금방 울음을 그친다 (geumbang ureumeul geuchinda), "stops crying right away" |
Do not try to swap in 방금 for a promise or prediction. 금방 갈게 (geumbang galge) is right, but 방금 cannot replace it, because the going has not happened yet. If you are also working on the plans side of this, making plans in Korean uses this kind of short-wait phrasing.
Another time-pressure word you will hear often is 빨리빨리 (ppalli-ppalli).
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1: 방금 for something still to come
방금 never describes a future event. When the English is "I'll be there in a moment," Korean wants 금방, not 방금.
Mistake #2: thinking 금방 is future only
The dictionary also lists a "short time before" sense for 금방, which is why the two overlap in some sentences. Treat it as mostly future in conversation, but not as a word that is banned from the past.
Mistake #3: translating both as "soon" or both as "now"
Translate by direction instead: 방금 is "just a moment ago," 금방 is "soon, in no time, right away."
Mini Quiz
3 short questions — about 2 minute
2. What does 준비하고 나갈 테니까 조금만 기다려, 금방 갈게 mean?
3. What is the one thing 방금 can never do?
4. Which sentence is about something that looks about to happen?
Part of Korean Grammar Basics — Particles, Tense, and Negation
Related Knowledge
1 more related
Learn Next
금방 sentences are mostly about the future, so the -ㄹ 거예요 patterns come up in nearly every example.
Will you remember this tomorrow?
Save it — your daily review brings it back right before you'd forget. No account needed.