Learn and Master Korean Vocabulary

Learning Korean vocabulary may be the most important thing you can do to improve your ability to speak Korean. After all, you can only understand what others are saying if you have enough vocabulary knowledge. So learning and developing Korean vocabulary knowledge is an absolute must for all Korean learners.

In this article, we’ll go over the most basic Korean vocabulary words so that you are able to speak Korean and understand what others are saying.

Korean nouns

Korean nouns work just like English nouns. We use nouns to refer to people, things, concepts and places. There are, of course, thousands of different nouns, but let’s learn some of the most common nouns in Korean. Each table below shows how to write and say nouns related to a topic from everyday life.

Korean verbs

Like the nouns, Korean verbs work in the same way as English verbs. We can use verbs to describe actions and states. The tables below show some of the more common verbs in Korean. (Check out our article on Korean verb conjugation to learn how to conjugate as well!)

Verbs ending in 하다

Many Korean verbs are made up of a noun + 하다 (to do), and we’ve already seen some examples in the table before. For example, the verb ‘to love’ is 사랑하다, and this is made up of the noun 사랑 (love) and the verb 하다 (to do). So when we say 사랑하다, it kind of means ‘to do love,’ and we use 사랑하다 to say “I love something.”

Below is a table with some of the most common verbs that follow this pattern.

Korean adjectives

Korean adjectives are unique, as they act like verbs. What that means is that we can conjugate Korean adjectives into different tenses, and in a sentence, they take the same position as verbs do.

Because Korean adjectives function like verbs, they generally include the meaning of the verb ‘to be,’ so a Korean adjective doesn’t just mean ‘big,’ it means ‘to be big.’ However, the main function of Korean adjectives is to modify nouns, so we often refer to Korean adjectives as descriptive verbs.

Let’s learn some of the more common Korean adjectives, shown in the table below.

Korean adverbs

We can use Korean adverbs to modify verbs, and many of these adverbs end in 히 or 게. There are also many adverbs we can use to modify adjectives, such as 정말 (really) and 아주 (very). Below are some of the more common adverbs in Korean.

Korean particles

Korean has many particles. Particles mainly function like prepositions (words like ‘in,’ ‘on,’ and ‘at’), or conjunctions (words like ‘and,’ and ‘or’). Particles do not have any meaning on their own, but they help to express certain concepts.

For example, one of the most common particles is 에, and we can use this particle to indicate the destination of movement, similar to the preposition ‘to’ in English.

Many particles have several different uses, so a single particle can be used to say where we are going to but also where we are. This is not different from English prepositions, as they are often used in many different ways also.

Below are some of the more common particles in Korean.

Vocabulary and the origins of the Korean language

Over 50% of the Korean language is rooted in Chinese characters, and Chinese characters are called 한자 [han-ja]. Because of these Chinese roots, syllables with a certain meaning are often used in many other words that relate to the meaning of that syllable. For example, the syllable 비 can mean cost or expense, so it’s used in many other words that refer to cost and expenses.

The table below shows words that use the syllable 비 and are related to the meaning of cost.

So as you can see, all these words use the syllable 비, and each phrase refers to a certain cost or expense depending on the words used with 비.

Similarly, 학 in 학비 (school tuition) means ‘school,’ so this syllable is used in many other words that relate to the meaning of school, such as 학교 (school) and 학생 (student). Also, 식 in 식비 (food expenses) refers to food or a meal, so this syllable is used in many other words that relate to the meaning of food, such as 식당 (restaurant) and 식탁 (dining table).

So as you learn Korean vocabulary, it’s useful to think about the Chinese origin of each syllable. This will help you to remember related words much more easily.

Loanwords

Korean uses a lot of loanwords, and many of them are from English. The use of loanwords is so common that it is important for you to learn them. The main difficulty of learning these loanwords is that you have to pronounce them the way you would pronounce Korean words, so pronunciation can prove to be a little tricky.

Learn some of the most common loanwords from English in the table below.

Konglish

Loanwords are words from other languages which we use in the same way in Korean. The word 펜 in Korean and the word ‘pen’ in English refer to the same writing tool, so 펜 is a loanword.

However, Konglish is different. Konglish refers to the use of English words that are used differently in Korean. Even the word ‘Konglish’ combines Korean and English. Like loanwords, the use of Konglish words is very common in Korean, so learning Konglish words should be an important part of learning Korean vocabulary.

The following table shows some common Konglish words to get you started.

Wrapping up learning Korean vocabulary

When you learn a new language, one of your first tasks is to learn all the basic vocabulary of that language. In this article, we’ve covered daily Korean vocabulary you can use in everyday life. As you continue to learn Korean vocabulary, remember the tips we’ve shared about how words like verbs and adjectives differ from English words, and also think about how understanding the Chinese origin of Korean words can help you learn and retain new words.

From nouns and verbs to loanwords and Konglish, there is a lot to learn when it comes to Korean vocabulary! But with consistent practice, you’ll be able to steadily build up your vocabulary until you can speak and understand Korean well.