Basic Korean Words: Beginner’s Guide to Korean
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Once memorizing the basic Korean words and alphabet, you’ll unlock the first level of language acquisition. Common vocabulary can help understand foreign characters, say frequently used words, and form phrases and sentences. All this knowledge will strengthen your language skills and make you feel more confident when conversing with other Korean-speaking people. In this article, we’ll explore helpful terms on several topics you should know as a beginning Korean learner.
Korean Phrases: Basic Greetings and Courtesies
Being respectful to an interlocutor, even if it’s a person you already know, is highly important in Korean culture. Maintaining the right pronunciation, avoiding eye-to-eye contact, and bowing are some basic rules. In addition, communication style also suggests certain conduct.
Common Korean Greetings
To make a good impression when having conversations with Korean speakers, you’ll need to know how to greet them properly. The following are different ways to start meetings in Korea:
Let’s start with formal Korean greetings:
안녕하세요 (annyeong haseyo) [ahn-nyuhng-ha-se-yo] – Hello!
안녕히 가세요 (annyeonghi gaseyo) [ahn-nyuhng-hee ga-se-yo] – Goodbye.
Let’s move on to more casual ways of greeting people. 반말 (banmal) is a style of speech that refers to “casual language,” suitable for close-circle discussions:
안녕! (annyeong) [ahn-nyuhng] – Hi! (Note: It can also be used for farewell, depending on the context.)
잘 지냈어? (jal jinaesseo) [jal jee-nae-ssuh] – Have you been well? / How have you been?
Polite Expressions
존댓말 (jondaetmal) is a respectful style of communication in Korea. This style suggests distinct Korean words for showing courtesy to interlocutors. Look at some examples of showing ethical behavior:
감사합니다 (gamsahamnida) [gam-sa-ham-ni-da] – Thank you.
잠시만 기다려 주세요 (jamsiman gidaryeo juseyo) [jam-si-man gi-da-ryeo ju-se-yo] – Please wait a moment.
If you want to be polite when speaking Korean, ensure you know how to properly converse with others. In addition, there are some gestures that must accompany respectful interactions, including bows, distance, and others.
Common Adjectives and Verbs
To enrich your speech and build basic Korean phrases, you’ll need to learn typical adjectives. In addition, expanding your vocabulary with beginner’s verbs will enable you to create sentences for forming a complete thought.
Frequently Used Adjectives
Here are some of the most common adjectives used in everyday speech and Korean sayings. Learning these will help you add more information about something and strengthen your language skills.
크다 (keuda) [kŭ-da] – big
작다 (jakda) [jak-da] – small
좋다 (jota) [jo-ta] – good
나쁘다 (nappeuda) [na-ppeu-da] – bad
These adjectives are essential for creating common Korean phrases for beginners. They are great starters for simple and clear objects, people, and events descriptions.
Essential Korean Verbs
Verbs are the most important building blocks of any sentence. Learn the most common verbs from Korean for beginners vocabulary to talk about your or someone else’s actions.
하다 (hada) [ha-da] – to do, to make
가다 [ga-da] (gada) – to go
먹다 (meokda) [meok-da] – to eat
자다 (jada) [ja-da] – to sleep
These common Korean words can have several meanings. For instance, 하다 (hada) can be used with nouns and create completely new verbs. Follow this example: 공부하다 (gongbu-hada) becomes “to study” with 공부 (gongbu) meaning “study” or “studying,” and 운동하다 (undong-hada) converts into “to exercise” with 운동 (undong) referring to “physical activity.”
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How to Speak Korean About Family and Relationship
One of the popular topics to talk about is family and interactions with others. So, knowing the right words in Korean is super helpful.
Family Member Vocabulary
Learning the basics about friends and family will make chatting in everyday situations easier and more natural. Look at these easy Korean words to refer to your loved ones.
가족 (gajok) [gah-jok] – family
아버지 (abeoji) [ah-buh-jee] – father
어머니 (eomeoni) [uh-muh-nee] – mother
할아버지 (harabeoji) [hah-rah-buh-jee] – grandfather
Note: In Korean, 가족 (gajok) “family” can refer not only to close members but also to extended relatives. To tell the difference, use precise terms or direct names.
Essential Honorifics
In Korean society, seniority and social status are rooted in the country’s culture. Here are some Korean words to know to show high respect for different statuses:
님 (nim) [neem] refers to “Mr., Mrs., Miss, or a polite suffix” and is used in professional settings or with acquaintances.
씨 (ssi) [shee] refers to “Mr., Mrs., Miss, or a polite suffix” and can be used for someone of higher status or in a more respectful context.
오빠 (oppa) [oh-ppa] means “older brother” (used by females) and is an affectionate term for an older male friend or partner.
형 (hyeong) [hyuhng] means “older brother” and is used by younger males to address older males, including friends and seniors.
Now, you know how to show respect to individuals from different levels of society. Grasping these intricacies of addressing someone in Korean can help not be misunderstood and come across as impolite.
Promova: The Best App to Learn Korean in an Engaging Way
Join Promova, the language learning platform, to study Korean! With the app’s exercises, you’ll be able to tap into the language’s intricacies, including formal and casual collocations and terms. All are accompanied by engaging audio, video, and visual content.
Being able to follow an individual program is the best way to learn Korean if you enjoy customization. Promova offers bite-sized lessons on different parts of speech that will help you grasp the daily vocabulary and essential grammatical principles.
The app is available for free installation. If you’re an eager student who wants to explore a full learning experience, opt for the Premium subscription, with more valuable content and insights about Korean.
Conclusion
Take the first steps in learning Korean – acquire essential vocabulary! There are many common words and Korean phrases to know that will be useful for greetings, describing things, showing respect, and talking about your family. Build a basic vocabulary and start simple discussions, expanding your language skills!
FAQ
How do you say “Good morning” and “Good night” in Korean?
The Korean language doesn’t have a particular greeting at different times of the day. So, Koreans don’t use time-specific greetings such as “Good morning” or “Good night” as we do in English or other languages. You can simply use common greetings like 안녕하세요 “Hello!” or 안녕히 가세요 for “Goodbye.” All of them can be used instead of “good morning/afternoon/evening.”
What’s the right way to introduce yourself in Korean?
There are several ways of introducing yourself in Korean. You may say, “안녕하세요, 저는 릴리입니다” (annyeonghaseyo, jeoneun Lily imnida) (Hello, I am Lily). This variant is perfect for official and formal settings. If you want to introduce yourself in a casual way in the laid-back environment, say, “안녕, 나는 릴리야” (annyeong, naneun Lily ya). It all depends on the context.
What are the Korean words for “Yes” and “No”?
Say “네” (ne) for “Yes,” which sounds like “nay” and is a simple way to agree with someone. For “No,” you use “아니요” (aniyo), pronounced “ah-nee-yoh.” It’s best used in more formal settings. In everyday chat, people might just say “아니” (ani) for “nah” and “alright.” The first one is used with a firm tone and is often followed by a reason, while the latter has a neutral or positive tone, followed by confirmation.
Are there any irregular verbs in Korean?
Yes, Korean has some irregular verbs with their own rules, like those in English. Basically, many common Korean verbs are irregular. For instance, “돕다” [dob-da] “to help” and “낫다” [nat-da] “to recover.” They don’t follow regular rules and change their stem when conjugated. Despite being tricky at first sight, you can actually learn them by memorizing the most typical ones and following similar rules when finding a new irregular verb.
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