Korean Words – 100+ Basic Vocabulary For Beginners

Do you know the Korean words that will get you speaking the fastest? Learn this basic Korean vocabulary, and you’ll be having conversations sooner than you think!

Here is a list of some of the common basic Korean words:

• Hello – 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo)
• Please – 주세요 (juseyo)
• Sorry – 죄송합니다 (joesonghamnida)
• Thank you – 고맙습니다 (gomapseumnida)
• Yes – 네 (ne)
• No – 아니요 (aniyo)
• Maybe – 아마도 (amado)
• Help – 도와 주세요 (dowa juseyo)
• Excuse me – 저기요 (jeogiyo)

Below, we’ll cover more of the basic vocabulary that is commonly used in the language.

Easy Korean Words

These are words that you can easily learn and remember. You may hear these words in Korean dramas, movies, variety shows, or live broadcasts of your favorite K-pop group.

Below are a few easy Korean words you can start learning:

Korean Words for Beginners

The Korean words for beginners like you are words you can easily learn as they are often used in Korean dramas, movies, and other entertainment channels. These are essential Korean words as they are often used in daily conversations.

Here’s a list of Korean words for beginners:

Food Vocabulary in Korean

If you’re planning on learning the Korean language, then you’re definitely going to want to know some basic Korean food vocabulary. With lots of tasty options and a huge variety, you’ll be happy you did!

Korean food plays a big part in Korean culture. Learning these simple Korean words will be helpful as you learn Korean and South Korean culture. It’ll be easy for you to talk about food in your everyday life in South Korea if you learn these basic Korean words. Below are the basic words related to food.

Here are a few notes related to these Korean food words:

• If you want to order or ask for any of these items, add the phrase 주세요 (ju-se-yo) to any of these Korean words. This is one of the most useful phrases in the language. It means “Please give me.”
• If you need to ask for water at a restaurant, a good phrase to say is 물 좀 주세요 (mul jom ju-se-yo).
• The word 밥 (bap) means “rice,” so you can use it for that exact meaning. It’s also used to reference food in general, as in a meal.
• One of the most common phrases you’ll hear in Korea is “밥 먹었어요?” (bap meogeosseoyo | did you eat?). In this case, the 밥 (bap) means “food,” not specifically rice. This is a great phrase to use when you meet your friends and want to use your language skills to ask about food plans.
• To order a beer, you can say 맥주 한 병 주세요 (maekju han byeong ju-se-yo), which means “Please give me 1 bottle of beer” in English. This is a really useful phrase when you meet with friends and want to order some drinks.

Korean Family & Relationship Words

These are fantastic Korean family words to learn to help you understand everyday conversations. You’ll definitely need these if you’re going to meet and talk to Koreans in their language!

You’ll also hear Koreans say them often in K-Dramas and K-Pop lyrics. Get to recognize them in your favorite Korean shows and movies–or just listen for them in regular conversations.

They’re sure to show up, and you’ll be one step closer to understanding the Korean language!

Here are a few useful notes about Korean family and relationship words:

• You might hear the Korean phrase 우리 남편 (uri nampyeon | our husband). While the direct English language translation is “our husband,” it actually means “my husband.”
• The Korean word 우리(uri | we, our) is used quite commonly to talk about things that belong to the whole group, such as the phrases 우리 나라 (uri nara | our country), 우리 집 (uri jip | our house), and 우리 아내 (uri anae | our wife).
• Another commonly used Korean vocabulary word for “wife” is 부인 (buin). You can use the two interchangeably.
• The Korean word 친구 (chingu) means “friend,” but only same-age friends. If someone you know is a different age, then you would want to use the correct title.
• 가족 (gajok) means “family.” This Korean word will come up often in the language, so it is best to make sure you know how to talk about your family in Korean.
• You can use the Korean word 아빠 (appa) which is similar to the English word “dad.” You can also use the slightly more respectful/formal version 아버지 (abeoji), which is similar to saying “father.”
• You can use the Korean word 엄마 (eomma) for “mom” or 어머니 (eomeoni) for “mother.” Both are commonly used terms in the language.

Korean Time Words

Korea is an organized and fast-paced country, and we’re here to keep you on schedule! Use these Korean time words to talk about common events and when they happen.

After learning the words below, you can up your time game by learning the Korean numbers and start telling time in Korean. Having these two skills are very useful for learning the Korean language.

Korean Verbs

Did you know that you can make a sentence in Korean with just a single verb? It’s one of the great things about the simplicity of the Korean language! Learn these common Korean verbs first and be having conversations in Korean in no time. Here are the common Korean verbs that’ll help you speak Korean in daily conversations. 

Once you know these Korean verbs, you can continue to make good progress in the language with Korean grammar and Korean particles.

Korean Adjectives

Korean adjectives help you a lot with your language learning as it enables you to describe objects, events, places, or feelings. As you’re starting out with your Korean language learning, you don’t need to know all of them. You just need to know the most common Korean words.

Here are the top adjective Korean words commonly used in everyday life. You will surely hear these as you learn the Korean language, so it’s good to add them to your vocabulary stack and get some practice with them.

Korean Adverbs

Another set of basic Korean words for everyday life you need to know when you learn Korean is adverbs. These are words that will be helpful as you speak Korean. They’ll enable you to describe verbs and adjectives that’ll make you sound more like a native.

There are many adverbs in the Korean language, but we’ll list a few of the most common ones here. Below are some of the basic Korean adverbs.

Beautiful Korean Words

Beautiful Korean words are made up of words that are natively Korean. There are a lot of words in the Korean language that have Chinese origins. These words that have Chinese origins are oftentimes referred to as “loan words.” But in the section below, you’ll learn about a few of the many beautiful Korean words which are natively Korean. 

Aesthetic Korean Words

As you discover how to learn Korean vocabulary, you’ll know that there are words in the language that don’t have a direct English translation. There might be words in English that can be used to explain them, but they don’t necessarily give the exact meaning.

Below is a list of these aesthetic Korean words. You might be surprised to know about them as you’ve already might have heard them from Korean dramas, movies, or even from your favorite K-pop idols.

눈치 (nunchi)

This word is translated as “sense” or “wits” in English. However, this Korean word is more than just sense and wits. It’s one’s ability to read, feel and understand people or situations without the need to verbally hear what it is.

A person who has 눈치 (nunchi) is able to react, do, or say something simply by observing.

This word is where the expressions 눈치가 없다 (nunchiga eopda) and 눈치가 빠르다 (nunchiga ppareuda) are based on.

눈치가 없다 (nunchiga eopda) is used for someone who doesn’t know how to weigh or understand situations. Thus making them unable to respond, react or act accordingly. 눈치가 빠르다 (nunchiga ppareuda) is its opposite, as it is used for a person who’s quick to see things through. They easily understand people and situations.

정 (jeong)

정 (jeong) is a word that can talk about affection, attachment, feelings of connection. When Koreans use this word, they’re usually referring to the invisible bond that exists in Korean society.

효 (hyo)

This is a word that can be defined as “filial duty.” This can be used to talk about one’s devotion to one’s parents in taking care of them and taking responsibility for them until their old age.

내숭 (naesung)

내숭 is used to describe a person who is not real or in other words fake. This can be used for a person who hides their real identity or color.

애교 (aegyo)

There’s no exact one English word that can directly express the meaning of 애교 (aegyo). However, it may be defined as “acting cute” or “being lovely.”

온돌 (ondol)

This word literally means “heated rock.” However, in practice, this word is used to refer to the Korean floor heating system.

답답해 (dapdapae) or 답답하다 (dapdapada)

These 2 expressions are translated as “stuffy” or “suffocating.” However, these 2 words, when in use, can have a meaning other than “stuffy” or “suffocating.”

In usage, 답답해 or 답답하다 are used when someone feels “frustrated.” It can also be used when you get impatient or feel irritated at someone’s slowness or narrow point of view.

엄친아 (eomchina)

This word is a combination of 3 Korean words, which are 엄마 (eomma), and 친구 (chingu), and 아들 (adeul). These words combined mean “son of one’s mother’s friend.” However, this isn’t exactly what 엄친아 (eomchina) means. 엄친아 (eomchina) is used to describe someone, particularly a man who is close to perfection or someone who comes from or has a good background. He could be someone better than you.

For example, a man who is very talented, smart, handsome, and has a good educational background can be described as 엄친아 (eomchina). The word used to describe women like this is 엄친딸 (eomchinttal).

어이없다 (eoieopda)

This word can express one’s unbelief of an event or news. It may also be used when you’re left speechless or have nothing to say or comment about because of an out-of-the-ordinary event.

Korean Words Vocabulary

Here are some useful vocabulary words in Korean. These are common Korean words you’ll often encounter as you learn the Korean language.

“Words” in Korean

Korean words are called 단어 (daneo). The word for vocabulary in Korean is 어휘 (eohwi) or 용어 (yongeo). There are special words in the Korean language for different types of vocabulary.

“Nouns” in Korean

The word 명사 (myeongsa) is used to talk about nouns in Korean. The different types of nouns are called 보통 명사 (botong myeongsa), 고유 명사 (goyu myeongsa), and 불가산 명사 (bulgasan myeongsa). The Korean phrases 보통 명사 (botong myeongsa), 고유 명사 (goyu myeongsa), and 불가산 명사 (bulgasan myeongsa) are used for common nouns, proper nouns, and uncountable nouns respectively.

“Verbs” in Korean

동사 (dongsa) is the Korean word for verbs. The Korean phrases for regular and irregular verbs are 규칙동사 (gyuchik dongsa) and 불규칙 동사 (bulgyuchik dongsa).

“Adjectives” in Korean

The Korean word for adjectives is 형용사 (hyeongyongsa).

English to Korean Words

You can write English words in Korean by sounding them out slowly in English and then writing the equivalent sounds in Korean. 

Korean to English Words

You can write Korean words in English by following the romanization rules.

Wrap Up

That’s a lot of words, but take your time in learning them. You can also find dictionary and translator app recommendations here if you prefer using these helpful tools! Knowing these words will help you sound closer to native Korean speakers.

If you want more goodness to supercharge your Korean language and culture skills, then check out our top resources here!