Korean Love Phrases & Romantic Words For Dating & Relationships

Hey there, lovebirds! Many people have been asking for Korean love phrases that they can use when dating Koreans.

Below, we’ve listed Korean words and phrases you need to express your love, including phrases to flirt, give compliments, and romantic Korean phrases. 

What better reason to learn Korean than to show your love to your significant other?

Here is the list of romantic Korean phrases you’ll need!

• I miss you – 보고 싶어 (bogo sipeo)
• I like you  – 좋아해 (joahae)
• I like you a lot – 많이 좋아해 (mani joahae)
• I want to see you – 만나고 싶어 (mannago sipeo)
• I love you – 사랑해 (saranghae)
• I love you too – 나도 사랑해 (nado saranghae)
• I love you with all my heart – 진심으로 사랑해 (jinsimeuro saranghae)
• I’m crazy about you – 너에게 반했어 (neoege banhaesseo)
• I’d like you to be my girlfriend or boyfriend. – 나랑 사귈래 (narang sagwillae)
• I miss your smile – 미소가 정말 그리워 (misoga jeongmal geuriwo)
• I would like to spend more time with you – 너랑 더 오래 같이 있고 싶어 (neorang deo orae gachi itgo sipeo)

You’ll learn more about the romantic Korean phrases below.

We’ve also got a PDF list of these phrases that you can take on the go or whenever you want to learn Korean love words.

Korean Love Phrases

Whether you’re dating a Korean or not, you’ll hear Korean love phrases when you consume much Korean content. It’ll be handy if you can understand them as you watch Korean dramas or movies and maybe use them if you’re dating a Korean. It’ll also be useful to know when and how to use them. 

And if you’re unfamiliar with dating culture in Korea or the culture in general, it’s useful to get acquainted. This will be especially useful if you visit or move to Korea. 

 The love phrases in the Korean language below can be used for many romantic situations, such as:

• Blind dates
• First dates
• Couples
• Fiancees
• Spouses 

In addition to Korean love phrases, we’ve also added plenty of romantic Korean words for you.

These love phrases are all up to date, so you can feel confident that you’re using the same words that couples in South Korea use these days to show and say their love and care for their boyfriend, girlfriend, or significant other.

All of these Korean love phrases are in standard form unless otherwise noted. You may use these romantic and cute Korean phrases for people who may be older or younger than you or who is the same age as you

If you can’t read Hangeul (Korean Alphabet) yet, you can get a free guide to learn in about 60 minutes here.  It’ll be helpful for learning Korean and as you learn the Korean love words and phrases below.

Learning these love phrases is a great way to up your language skills when showing someone that you like or love that person. Using phrases will be a great way to improve your speaking skills, and you may also want to add these love words to your study plan. We’ve got some great resources to help you with that here. Let’s get to it!

Two Rules for Korean Love Phrases

There are 2 rules you need to keep in mind when you want to use love and cute phrases in the Korean language. We’ll discuss the rules for Korean phrases you need to know below.

Rule #1: Only “You”

You’ll notice that in many of the love phrases below, there is often no specific word for “you.” That’s because it’s not used often in the Korean language.

Koreans will use the other person’s name or omit the pronoun “you” altogether.

You may see some phrasebooks that use the Korean word “당신 (dangsin)” to explicitly say “you.” That’s ok. However, the problem is that Koreans don’t use this term very often, so it sounds a bit strange. This term is very formal to be used with love phrases. 

Also, it’s a bit of an outdated term that means “honey,” so it can be confusing!

In the love expressions below, you usually don’t need the “you” if it’s clear who the recipient is. If it’s unclear, then you can add their name or title from part (ii) below.

Rule #2: The Korean Name Game

Koreans use a hierarchical system for referring to each other. Learning this system is important. It’s embedded in the language and in the Korean culture in a number of ways, and they consider it an important way of showing respect.

Simply put, Koreans will talk differently to one another depending on the age difference between them and the other people they speak with.

If you are in a relationship with someone older than you (older boyfriend or older girlfriend), learning to use the correct title (“오빠 | oppa” or “누나 | nuna”) is an important sign of respect.

You can use 오빠 (oppa) when you have an older boyfriend while 누나 (nuna) when you have an older girlfriend. If your significant other is the same age or younger, you may be able to use that person’s name. It depends on your level of closeness.

Here are the language rules for using names and titles when addressing your boyfriend or girlfriend:

The language rules above will help you correctly use the phrases below. Get practicing so you can shower your significant other with kind words and affection!

Meeting & Dating Korean Phrases

Maybe you’ve got a first date planned. Going to a fancy restaurant or a day to stroll around Korea. Or perhaps you’ve been meeting this special someone for a few weeks?

Use these dating Korean phrases to get the ball rolling. They will help you from planning the date all the way up to becoming a couple! 

You’ll notice a phrase about using KakaoTalk. KakaoTalk is a smartphone chat app that is the preferred app for residents of Korea. If you haven’t used it yet, get on it and learn the ins and outs! It could be just the boost your love life needs.

Kind & Caring Korean Compliments

These kind and caring Korean compliments will help you express your love or admiration and care for your date, Valentine, or significant other. He or she will appreciate your sincerity and kindness! If you’re close to that person, you can drop the 요 at the end of the compliments. Dropping the 요 is a more informal way of saying the phrase. 

Affectionate Korean Love Phrases

As you get further along with your relationship, you’ll want to explain what you like or love to your partner. You’d want to use affectionate Korean love phrases and express them to your partner.

Use the words and phrases below to show your affection. These phrases of love are in 반말 (banmal | informal language) since they’ll likely be used with a significant other or someone close to you.

Romantic Korean Phrases

As your feelings of love become stronger, learning the proper words to communicate these emotions to your partner will be important. These romantic phrases should help you accomplish just that!

Since you’ll most likely be using these romantic Korean phrases with someone close to you, they are in 반말 (banmal | informal) form. This is a more informal way of speaking, such as using 안녕 (annyeong) instead of 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) for a greeting. 

Below is a list of romantic Korean love phrases for you to express your emotions or affection to your partner. 

Korean Love Words

Here’s a list of common Korean love words that you’ll hear in dating, from cute names to serious lifelong commitments. These are helpful love words you can use with your significant other while you’re learning Korean. 

Cute Korean Phrases

Koreans love to express their feelings and affection by acting cute. You may have seen instances where a Korean says words and phrases in a cute way in a Korean drama you’ve watched. Below are Korean words and phrases that are considered to be cute phrases when expressed in a playful and childish way.

English	한국어 (Korean)	Romanization
Stay with me	내 곁에 있어줘	nae gyeote isseojwo
Come closer to me	더 가까이 와요	deo gakkai wayo
Stay still, don’t move	가만히 있어	gamanhi isseo
Can I hug you?	안아도 돼?	anado dwae?
Hold me tight	꼭 안아 주세요	kkok ana juseyo
I can’t give you up	당신을 포기할 수 없어요	dangsineul pogihal su eopseoyo
I can’t live without you	넌 없이는 못 살아	neon eopsineun mot sara
I love you with all my heart	진심으로 사랑해요	jinsimeuro saranghaeyo

“Relationship” in Korean

The word “relationship” in Korean language is 관계 (gwangye). However, “romantic relationship” in Korean is 낭만적 사랑 관계 (nangmanjeok sarang gwanggye). 

“Romantic” in Korean

The word “romantic” in Korean is 로맨틱한 (romantikhan) and 낭만적인 (nangmanjeokin).  If you are a fan of Korean dramas, you can say 로맨틱한 한국 드라마 (romantikhan hanguk deurama) and 낭만적인 한국 드라마 (nangmanjeokin hanguk deurama) for romantic Korean drama. 

“Flirt” in Korean

The word “flirt” in Korean is expressed as 바람둥이 (baramdungi). This is used when you’re using the word “flirt” as a noun.

For example:

그 사람은 정말 바람둥이 같아요. (geu sarameun jeongmal baramdungi gatayo)

He’s like a real flirt.

그는 타고난 바람둥이에요 (geuneun tagonan baramdungieyo)

He’s born a flirt. 

“Flirting” in Korean

Flirting in Korean is 추파를 던지다 (chupareul deonjida). This is the word you’ll use if you’re using “flirting” as a verb.

For example:

그는 계속 나한테 추파를 던졌어요. (geuneun gyesok nahante chupareul deonjyeosseoyo.)

He kept flirting with me.

“Compliment” in Korean

“Compliment” in Korean can be expressed as 칭찬 (chingchan) and 칭찬하다 (chingchanhada). 칭찬 (chingchan) is the noun form while 칭찬하다 (chingchanhada) is the verb form. 

For example:

유정 씨는 학교에서 칭찬을 받았어요. (yujeong ssineun hakkkyoeseo chingchaneul badasseoyo)

Yujeong was praised by her school.

많은 사람들이 송혜교의 미모를 칭찬해요. (maneun saramdeuri songhyegyoeui mimoreul chingchanhaeyo.)

Many people praise Song Hye-kyo’s beauty.

“Crush” in Korean

The word “crush” in Korean is expressed as 짝사랑 (jjaksarang). This word is usually used for unrequited love or one-sided love.

If you like someone but that person may not know or may not like you in return, then you’d use 짝사랑 (jjaksarang). For example, 그녀를 짝사랑하고 있어요 (geunyeoreul jjaksaranghago isseoyo). This means, “I have a crush on her.”

“First love” in Korean

The phrase “first love” in Korean is 첫사랑 (cheotsarang). For example, 엄마는 아빠의 첫사랑이에요 (eommaneun appaui cheotsarangieyo). This means “Mom is Dad’s first love.”

“Lovely” in Korean

The word “lovely” in Korean is 사랑스러운 ( sarangseureoun). For example, 그들은 정말 사랑스러운 학생였어요 (geudeureun jeongmal sarangseureoun haksaengyeosseoyo). This means, “They were really lovely students.”

Korean word for “love”

The Korean word for love is 사랑 (sarang). This is why when you say “I love you” to someone, you’ll say 사랑해요 (saranghaeyo) or 나는 너를 사랑해 (naneun neoreul saranghae).

Korean Words to Avoid

Some words will brighten your day, and some are bad news. These are the words that you probably don’t want to hear or use, but they’re good to know in order to recognize them.

You may hear them in K-Pop songs or K-Dramas, so now you can listen to them and know what they mean.

Below is a list of Korean words to avoid with their English meanings:

Korean Fight & Breakup Phrases

In relationships, you have to take the good with the bad. If the love wasn’t meant to be, then these breakup phrases will help you make a clean break and move on. 

These phrases are mixed between the standard form and the informal form. If it’s a phrase you’d likely use with someone close to you, then it’s listed in informal form (반말 | banmal).

These are just some of the more specific phrases of love you could learn. We have a lot more phrases to help you study in other categories as well. Start learning them now so you can begin to tell your special someone how much you care. You might want to include these phrases in sentences to express your love even more. You can start by learning the basics of the Korean sentence structure.

Wrap Up

If you want to learn Korean, we have a structured online Korean course that will teach you how to have a 3-minute conversation with your Korean loved ones in the first 90 days.

Are there any love phrases you would like to know how to say in Korean? If so, leave a comment below, and we’ll do our best to add it to the list!