Definition
Often; happening many times or at short intervals.
Example
그는 도서관에 자주 가요.
Show translation
He goes to the library often.
Etymology
Native Korean adverb, well-attested in classical texts as 자조 (jazo), shifting to the modern form 자주 over time. Unrelated to the homographic noun 자주 (紫朱, "purple"), which comes from Sino-Korean.
Cultural note
자주 is one of the most natural ways to express frequency in everyday Korean. Learners should not confuse it with the Sino-Korean adjective/noun 자주(自主), meaning "independence" or "autonomy" — a common false-friend trap when reading Korean newspapers, where both forms appear frequently.