The 1000 most useful Korean words

“There is” and “I have” are the same verb. Honorific (to be): 계시다.

Irregular: 해요, 했어요. It makes hundreds of verbs out of nouns: 공부하다.

In Korean usually someone of your own age; an older friend is 형, 언니 and so on.

Honorific: 드시다.

Also “to take (a test)”: 시험을 봐요.

Also used for rain and snow: 비가 와요.

Said [마니].

Said [만타]; 많아요 is [마나요].

After a verb it asks someone to do something for you: 보여 주세요.

Before another number it means “about”: 한 십 분, “about ten minutes”.

A grief or grievance that cannot be let go.

Said [업따]; 없어요 is [업써요].

The noun before it takes 이/가: 선생님이 됐어요.

To work is 일하다.

Spelt like the verbs for writing and using.

써요, 썼어요. It also means to use: 이 펜 써도 돼요?

Takes native numbers: 한 시, 열두 시.

Counted with 편: 시 한 편.

Honorific: 주무시다.

Irregular: 커요, 컸어요.

The person met takes 을/를: 친구를 만나요; 친구하고 만나요, “meet with a friend”, also works.

Irregular: 들어요, 들었어요.

Stands before a noun and never changes.

In restaurants water is free and often self-service.

Written and formal; in speech age is counted with native numbers and 살: 일곱 살.

It sounds like the word for death, so some buildings label the fourth floor with a letter instead.

Said [가치].

To someone you respect: 드리다.

Takes 을/를; 좋다, “to be good”, takes 이/가.

Counting hours uses native numbers: 두 시간.

Sino-Korean numbers.

Who beat you takes 에게 or 한테.

Said [갇따]; 같이, “together”, is [가치].

Said [익따]; 읽어요 is said [일거요].

The vehicle takes 을/를: 택시를 타요.

Also a polite way to address any old woman.

The honorific of 주다; the request 주세요 is this verb.

With native numbers 번 counts times instead: 두 번, “twice”.

Irregular: 들어요, but 드는, 드세요.

Normally followed by a counter or unit: 몇 개, 몇 명.

With Chinese numbers a month is 개월: 삼 개월.

Said [마싣따] (also [마딛따]).

Before a counter: 한.

The counter to fall back on when you do not know a better one.

Native numbers; with Sino-Korean numbers it is 년.

The sun 뜨다, rises, and 지다, sets.

Takes native numbers: 열 살, 서른 살.

Irregular: 추워요, 추웠어요.

Irregular: 바빠요, 바빴어요.

The polite form of 명, used for customers, guests and older people.

Takes Chinese numbers: 오 분, 삼십 분.

Irregular: 아파요, 아팠어요.

Irregular: 몰라요, 몰랐어요.

What is seen takes 이/가, not 을/를.

The polite word, used even for your own parents; the plain 부모 sounds detached.

Said [조타]; 좋아요 is [조아요].

Something finishes by itself; to finish something is 끝내다.

주시다 raises the giver; 드리다 raises the one who receives.

To have a temperature is 열이 나다; the same word is the number ten.

Also “to catch (a cold)”: 감기에 걸렸어요.

The unit Korean counts in: 50,000 is 오만, “five ten-thousands”.

The l drops before some endings: 사세요, “you live”.

Can sound curt; the tone decides whether it is “no, thank you” or “forget it”.

Honorific: 말씀하시다.

The l drops before some endings: 아세요.

The l drops before an n: 긴 머리, “long hair”.

Tens are built by putting a number in front: 이십 20, 삼십 30.

What you wait for takes 을/를.

The thing needed is the subject: 돈이 필요해요, "I need money".

눈 is also the eye.

찾다 usually means "to look for"; with money in a bank it means "to take out".

우리 동네, "our neighbourhood", is how you say "my area".

To queue is 줄을 서다.

Also a polite way to address any old man.

Irregular: 더워요, 더웠어요.

How shop staff address a customer.

Politely: 성함이 어떻게 되세요?.

Also what a man calls an older male friend.

Irregular: 달라요, 달랐어요.

Irregular: 따라요, 따랐어요. Also to pour: 물을 따르다.

The verb is 생각하다, to think.

Said [안따]; 앉아요 is [안자요].

Also what a woman calls an older female friend.

Also of problems and plans: 일이 생겼어요, something has come up.

Usually suggested by the older or more senior person; waiting to be asked is the polite course.

먼저 갈게요: “I will be off” — leaving before the others.

Literally “I want to see”: the usual way to say you miss someone.

Literally “number one”.

Thin like a thread or a noodle; the opposite is 굵다.

What a waiter or host says as the food arrives.

Another 경기 is the state of the economy.

Said [꼳]; 꽃이 is said [꼬치].

Not for sports or instruments, which have their own verbs.

Irregular: 불러요, 불렀어요. Also “to call (a taxi)”.

Irregular: 올라요, 올랐어요. Also to climb.

A native word; 항상 is the Sino-Korean one.

On doors: 미세요, push, and 당기세요, pull.

Uncooked rice is 쌀.

The owner of a shop or restaurant is addressed as 사장님 too.

For clothes on the body; shoes take 신다, hats 쓰다, gloves 끼다.

김밥 is rice rolled in it.

Irregular: 불러요, 불렀어요.

회사에 다녀요 is how Koreans say they work somewhere; 학교에 다녀요, they go to school.

ㅂ-irregular: 도와요. Asking for help: 도와 주세요.

Irregular: 매워요, 매운.

Blunt; 잘 모르겠어요 is softer.

입에 맞다, “to fit the mouth”, means to suit your taste.

The person called takes 에게 or 한테.

Also "to play" the piano: 피아노를 치다.

The adjective is 건강하다, to be healthy.

The vehicle takes 에서: 버스에서 내려요.

The everyday reply to thanks and to compliments; literally “it is not (so)”.

지금 is this moment; 이제 is now as against before.

누구 with the subject particle: never 누구가.

Addressed as 의사 선생님.

Native numbers.

Any TV series with a story, comedy as well as tragedy.

An accident 나다, happens; a driver 사고를 내다, causes one.

After the full name or the given name; after the surname alone it sounds condescending. Never about yourself or to someone senior.

Irregular: 예뻐요, 예뻤어요.

A result that came about gradually, without being planned.

Said [널따].

Hair is washed with 감다, not with 씻다.

Written as one word it means “to be bad at”; 못 해요, with a space, is “I cannot do it”.

Used by whoever runs the thing named: 본 행사, 본 건물.

Irregular: 가까워요, 가까운.

Often shortened to 대학.

Something changes by itself; to change it yourself is 바꾸다.

Native numbers.

Both the light in a room and a fire: 불이 났어요, “there is a fire”.

To lend is 빌려주다.

Irregular: 빨라요, 빨랐어요.

Something opens by itself with 열리다; somebody opens it with 열다.

Written with a space; 고장 alone is the fault.

Any place with a doctor, not only a large hospital.

A flat in a high-rise block, and also the block itself; a low-rise block of flats is a 빌라.

In speech often shortened to 얘기하다.

Said [장년].

The same word means a bridge.

Irregular: 무거워요, 무거웠어요.

배 is also a pear and a boat; 배고프다 is to be hungry.

Native numbers for small amounts, 두 배, 세 배; Sino-Korean for tens: 십 배.

Literally “to have a stomach ache”, which is also its everyday meaning.

Also to share: 이야기를 나누다, to talk together.

Usually 덕분에; 덕분에요 answers "how are you?" with "fine, thanks to you".

Pancakes on a rainy day are a Korean habit.

Said [옌날].

Not for people: an older person is 나이가 많다. Said in the past form, like 오래됐어요, because it describes a state reached.

Sino-Korean numbers, usually written in figures: 4인 가족. In speech people are counted with 명.

Irregular: 지어요, 지었어요.

꺼요, 껐어요.

Irregular: 새로워요; before a noun, 새로운.

ㅂ-irregular: 쉬워요.

Stands before the number; 쯤 and 정도 come after it.

The spoken form of 이것.

Something grows by itself; 늘리다 is to make it grow.

The l of the stem drops before some endings: 먼 곳, a faraway place.

After a verb it means “nearly”, a different use: 넘어질 뻔했어요, “I nearly fell”.

More formal than 밥.

Literally “eat medicine”; to an older person, 약을 드세요.

Almost always heard as 어때요?, “how is it?”.

An umbrella takes 쓰다, like a hat.

르-irregular: 잘라요, 잘랐어요.

For adults; for children, 어리다.

Counted from the street: 일 층 is the ground floor, 지하 일 층 the first basement.

Irregular: 가벼워요, 가벼웠어요.

A common saying about the clear autumn sky.

Also used for any small dog, and fondly for a child.

The partner takes 하고: 민수하고 결혼했어요; being married is also 결혼했어요.

You boil them: 라면을 끓이다.

Said [박따].

Irregular: 어두워요, 어두웠어요.

르-irregular: 일러요, 일렀어요.

The school takes 을/를: 대학교를 졸업하다.

Often just 티브이.

Only in comparisons.

Means the same as 제일; a little more formal.

Not the adverb 가장, “most”.

Said [갑], and 값이 [갑씨]; 가격 is more formal.

Said [나타]; 낳아요 is said [나아요].

The same word means snow: 눈이 와요, “it is snowing”.

More everyday than 묻다, which is irregular: 물어요.

Irregular: 발라요, 발랐어요.

After a modifier: 활발한 반면에; at the start of a sentence, 반면에.

Everyday word for ordering; 주문하다 is more formal.

Said by the one who stays: “go in peace”.

Literally “to raise”; also to raise a price or a hand.

Said [짤따].

Surroundings as well as "the environment": 환경이 좋다 praises a place to live.

Time off work; school holidays are 방학.

Irregular: 골라요, 골랐어요.

Points both ways: 금방 왔어요 is “I have just arrived”.

The l of the stem drops before some endings: 단 음식, sweet food.

Before a counter: 두.

Said [막따]; 맑아요 is said [말가요].

Korean gives nights first, then days: 이 박 삼 일.

The same word is a bottle.

What is short is the subject: 시간이 부족해요, “time is short”.

Literally “receive much luck in the new year”; said at both the solar and the lunar new year.

What children call their father, and many adults too.

Usually 오랜만에; on meeting, 오랜만이에요, “long time no see”.

With a negative it means "hardly": 거의 없어요, there is hardly any.

Also a polite refusal: offered more food, 괜찮아요 means “I am fine, thanks”.

A paper notebook is 공책.

Irregular: 물어요, 물었어요.

Irregular: 빨개요, 빨간.

Only with a negative.

Glasses are put on with 쓰다, like a hat.

Said by the one who leaves: “stay in peace”. Leaving a shop or a restaurant, this is the one you need.

Stronger than 잊다: gone from your mind entirely.

The counterpart of 상기, “the above”.

Only with a negative verb.

A dream is “dreamt”: 꿈을 꾸다.

Irregular: 나아요, 나았어요.

뛰다 is everyday running; 달리다 is running fast, also of cars and trains.

Honorific of 집.

For something you have been waiting for.

Irregular: 말라요, 말랐어요. Also means to be thin.

"To have an interview" is 면접을 보다.

ㅂ-irregular: 무서워요. It means both scary and scared.

밑 is directly underneath; 아래 is lower down in general.

Also to choose by vote: 대표를 뽑다.

In practice the father's unmarried brother; once married he is 큰아버지 or 작은아버지.

Anyone who started before you; often with 님: 선배님.

Said [설랄].

Pleasantly cool; of a drink or a soup it means refreshing.

A saying: once you have begun, half the work is done.