4 · The written style
Formal vocabulary: Sino-Korean 하다 verbs
native verbs and their formal counterparts
Formal writing replaces everyday native verbs with precise Sino-Korean ones: 보다 becomes 관람하다, 사다 becomes 구입하다.
Korean has two layers of vocabulary for many everyday actions. The native verbs — 보다, 사다, 팔다, 주다, 바꾸다, 늘다 — are short, general and spoken. Beside them stand Sino-Korean nouns, built from Chinese-derived roots, which become verbs with 하다: 관람하다, 구입하다, 판매하다, 제공하다, 변경하다, 증가하다. English has the same two layers in “buy” and “purchase”, “give” and “provide”, “change” and “amend”.
The Sino-Korean word is not just more formal; it is narrower. 보다 covers every kind of seeing, but 관람하다 is for a performance, a film, an exhibition or a match that you attend, 시청하다 for television, and 열람하다 for reading documents in a library or an archive. Choosing the right one is part of writing well.
Many of these nouns pair 하다 with 되다. 하다 is active — someone does it: 회사가 일정을 변경했다. 되다 says it gets done, without naming who: 일정이 변경되었다. Notices and news prefer the 되다 form, and also use the bare noun: 판매 중 (on sale), 구입 문의 (purchase enquiries).
In conversation the native verb is normal, and the formal one can sound comically stiff: to a friend, “I saw a film” is 영화 봤어, not 영화를 관람했어. In writing it is the other way round: a report that says 사람들이 늘었다 is understandable but sounds chatty, where 인구가 증가했다 sounds right.
The form
| see a show | 보다 → 관람하다 |
| watch television | 보다 → 시청하다 |
| buy | 사다 → 구입하다 |
| sell | 팔다 → 판매하다 |
| give, provide | 주다 → 제공하다 |
| change, increase | 바꾸다 → 변경하다, 늘다 → 증가하다 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
In formal writing a native verb often gives way to a Sino-Korean noun with 하다.
표는 매표소에서 구입할 수 있다.Tickets can be bought at the ticket office.
The Sino-Korean verb is narrower: 관람하다 for a show you attend, 시청하다 for television.
많은 사람들이 집에서 경기를 시청했다.Many people watched the match at home.
하다 is active; 되다 says that something gets done.
회의 시간이 오후 세 시로 변경되었다.The meeting has been moved to three in the afternoon.
Notices and headlines often use the bare noun.
이 상품은 현재 판매 중이다.This item is currently on sale.
In conversation keep the native verb.
어제 친구랑 영화를 봤어요.I saw a film with a friend yesterday.
A closer look
Two layers, like English
A large part of Korean vocabulary goes back to Chinese, borrowed over many centuries, in much the same way as English took a large part of its formal vocabulary from Latin and French. The native layer stayed the language of the home and the street; the borrowed layer became the language of administration, scholarship and the press.
The parallel is close. A child says 많아졌어요, a newspaper says 증가했다 — as a child says “there are more” and a report says “there has been an increase”. Learners often know the native words first and meet the formal ones in their first newspaper article; learning them in pairs makes both easier.
How to spot it
- 관람하다
- 구입하다
- 판매하다
- 제공하다
- 변경되다
- 증가하다
Example sentences
공연을 관람하는 동안 사진을 찍을 수 없다.Photography is not permitted during the performance.
이 매장은 유기농 채소를 판매한다.This shop sells organic vegetables.
회원에게는 할인 혜택을 제공한다.Members are given a discount.
구입한 지 일주일 이내에는 상품을 교환할 수 있다.Goods can be exchanged within a week of purchase.
최근 혼자 여행하는 사람이 증가하고 있다.The number of people travelling alone has been increasing.
신청서는 검은색 펜으로 작성하십시오.Fill in the application form in black ink.
8 more example sentences
궁금한 점은 안내 데스크에 문의하시기 바랍니다.Please direct any questions to the information desk.
고장 난 기계는 내일 수리될 예정이다.The broken machine is due to be repaired tomorrow.
하루에 물을 충분히 섭취하는 것이 좋다.It is good to drink enough water every day.
겨울에는 전기 사용량이 증가한다.Electricity consumption rises in winter.
이 건물은 관계자 외 출입을 금지한다.No entry to this building except for authorised personnel.
행사는 오후 다섯 시에 종료된다.The event ends at five in the afternoon.
장학금은 매 학기 지급된다.The scholarship is paid every semester.
관객들은 조용히 영화를 관람했다.The audience watched the film quietly.
Worth knowing (1)
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The noun alone
Signs, labels and headings use the Sino-Korean noun without any verb: 판매 중, 출입 금지, 구입 문의. Reading these is often the first place a learner meets the formal layer.
이곳은 관계자 외 출입 금지 구역입니다.This is a restricted area: authorised personnel only.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Both words translate “watch”, but 관람하다 means going to see a performance, a film or a match. Television is 시청하다. A formal word is only better than the plain one if it is the right formal word.
The formal word is narrower than the plain one: know what each covers before you reach for it.
Your turn
9 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.