3 · 40 words
Animals and plants
Wild animals, insects and pets, and the parts and growth of plants.
Korean children meet animals through folk tales and the twelve signs of the zodiac, so 호랑이 (the tiger), 토끼 (the rabbit) and 까치 (the magpie, a bird of good news) carry more weight than their English equivalents. Plant words are mostly native and short: 잎, 씨, 뿌리. Flowers 피다, “open”, and you 기르다 a pet and a plant alike.
The words
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Verb (4)
기르다to raise, keep (animals, plants)Verb3
어릴 때부터 강아지를 길렀어요.I have kept dogs since I was little.
Irregular: 길러요, 길렀어요. 키우다 means the same and is more common in speech.
심다to plantVerb3
아버지와 함께 마당에 사과나무를 심었어요.I planted an apple tree in the yard with my father.
자라다to growVerb3
이 식물은 그늘에서도 잘 자라요.This plant grows well even in the shade.
짖다to barkVerb3
밤마다 옆집 개가 짖어서 시끄러워요.The dog next door barks every night and it is noisy.
This list belongs to Nature, weather and the environment — nine lists and 359 words that can also be practised as a whole.
Practise this list
Multiple choice and gaps, drawn from exactly these 40 words. Whatever you get wrong comes back tomorrow.