매튜의 한국어 연습 블로그

I like Korean cell phones for a number of reasons. One of which is that almost all have an easily accessible Eng-Kor and Kor-Eng dictionary available. While never quite as detailed as Naver's dictionary, when I need to find a quick answer it gets the job done. One of my favorite features is the ability to add a word to a saved list to remember for later. The following is what is left after a year in Korea and also after deleting plenty of words that I have since learned and was too embarrassed that I ever didn't know them. What remains are words that I am either vaguely aware of or not confident yet to use on my own. Hopefully, a year later I can look at these and laugh. I'll spare you some of the words that I'm omitting from the list but suffice it is to say that it used to include words like 장갑, 열쉬, 이틀, 부장 and 전문가답지 못하다. Enjoy!

구파 - the old school, conservative

구토하다 - to vomit

처방전 - prescription

배려 - consideration, care, concern

기침 - cough

전립선 - prostate

예술가 - artist

원자력 - nuclear power

계약 - contract

독립 - independence

자유로운 상태 - freedom

논어 - Analects of Confucius

병따개 - bottle opener

자녀 - sons and daughters

침 뱉다 - to spit

보물 - treasure, highly prized item

통근하다 - to commute

비단 - silk

신용 사기 - scam

공룡 - dinosaur

추천 - recommendation

명령 - order (someone to do something)

질질 끌다 - procrastinate

훈련 - training

부적당한 - inappropriate

무사히 - safely

완전하다, 완벽하다 - perfect

간접적 - indirect

직접적 - direct

암에 걸리다 - to get cancer

선입관 - preconception

확인하다 - to check, verify

종교 - religion

합창단 - choir

세례 - baptism

보육 - childcare

낙태 - abortion

공연 - public performance

자루 걸레 - a mop

건축학 - architecture

품질 - quality

수량 - quantity

여정 - itinerary

지원자 - volunteer

미신 - superstition

면접 - interview

일반적 - universal, general

정확 - accuracy, precision

식물 - plant

결심 - determination, resolution

셜합 - a union

경헙 - an experience

편집병의 - paranoid

나누다 - to divide, share

합격 - success in examination

안심 - peace of mind

무덥다 - sweltering, steaming

환영 - a welcome, ovation

성과 - a result, product, fruit of labor

과연 - as was expected, just as one thought

멍 - bruise

독후감 - one's impression after reading a book or poem

I'm not one for comparing levels in school; honestly I think it's pointless to brag or claim one's level because I know people "lower" than me who speak awesome Korean and those "higher" than me whose Korean makes me cringe. An academic score or level does not always correspond to actual ability. Having said that, someone might wonder what it's like to study at Level 4 out of 6. I can't tell much other than obviously the class is in 100% Korean with the aid of a new textbook with minimal English explanations. What I can tell you is what kind of vocabulary to expect.

The following words are new to me in my level and I thought I might share it. If you know all of these words, you're doing fine and can expect to be placed in an advanced class if not already formally studying. If not, no problem because we all have to start somewhere. No shame in that whatsoever. Language learning is a process. I can't help but smile thinking of how I couldn't even tell time in Korean two years ago but now I'm functioning in all Korean language environments. I may not be leading the conversations or anything like that but I certainly hold my own.

Anyway, this is a selected list from the first half of my class. Expect a part two sometime towards the final exam.

청반지 blue jeans
면반지 cotton pants
인상착의 appearance
압머리 bangs
정장 formal clothes
농구 선수 basketball player
정확하다 to be exact
꽃다발 flower bouquet
마중하다 to go out and meet someone
동그랗다 round
네모나다 square
장례식 funeral
천 cloth
가죽 leather
이상형 ideal type
활발하다 active personality
상관없다 irrelevant
첫인상 first impression
자연스럽다 natural
영돈 pocket money (allowance)
소리 sound
학기 semester
돌잔치 first birthday
자동판매기 vending machine
행사 event
축제 festival
거의 almost
공공장소 public places
정리하다 to put in order
애완동물 pet
키우다 to raise
이미 already (벌써)
요금 fee
소포 package
속히 quickly
서명 signature
부족하다 to be insufficient
매진되다 to be sold out
부치다 to send something via mail
들르다 to stop by someplace on your way
환전하다 to exchange money
반납하다 to return a borrowed item
신분증 ID card
지루하다 to be boring
중간 middle (as in 중간 시험 "midterm test")

Learning Korean can be incredibly frustrating especially when the seemingly most simple vocabulary escapes you. I know all of these words now obviously but I learned them incidentally through embarrassing moments with tutors, teachers and patient parents-in-law. There's nothing wrong with not knowing a new word but these are way too basic to not know. If you're learning Korean on your own, make it a point to burn these to memory.

문법 grammar
주어 subject
목적어 object
동사 verb
명사 noun
형용사 adjective
부사 adverb
자음 consonant
모음 vowel

제목 title, topic
문장 sentence


연습 practice
복습 review

억양 intonation
발음 pronunciation *
사투리 dialect
표준어 standard speech

규칙 regular, class rules
불규칙 irregular

문전 thing
장소 location
단어 word
표현 phrase, expression

첫글자 first letter
대문자 uppercase letters
소문자 lowercase letters
글씨 handwriting


* not to be confused with 바람 (wind)

인쇄, 복사 의뢰서 - A written request for some copies.

At my work, we have a small half sheet sized form to fill out in if one would like to make mass copies. I like it because if I want a crapton of sheets like my biweekly spelling quiz printed on recycled paper, I use the service. The form itself is simple to fill out once you know what each description means:

용도: which class is this for? 6th grade English? After-school math?
매수: how many copies do you need?
사용일: date that you need it by
사용면: single sided (단면) or double sided (양면)
갱지: recycled paper (재생용지)
복사지: normal white paper
신청자: your name (person who requests)
*결재: stamp of approval

Here's a few copy related terms that also might help:
복사해도 될까요? Should I copy this? / Can I copy this?
복사하다 to copy
프린트 print
프린트 해주세요 Please print this for me
복사기 copy machine
이면지 reusable paper
이면지를 사용하세요 please use recycled paper
이 종이는 이면지예요 this paper is reusable/recycled paper
재활용 recycling
이 종이는 재활용 할 수 있어요 you can recycle this paper
이 종이는 재활용 상자에 넣어주세요 please place the paper into the recycle bin

*note to be confused with 결제: pay the account, make up account

An old thread that has a whole mess of helpful similarities between Korean and Japanese might be of interest. Here's just a short sample list of the more common examples that can be heard fairly regularly. Enjoy!

배 = 乾杯 = (cheers!)

가방 = カバン = (bag)

약속 = 約束 = (promise)

신문 = 新聞 = (newspaper)

가족 = 家族 = (family)

사진 = 写真 = (photo)

시간 = 時間 = (time, hour)

공원 = 公園 = (park)

도로 = 道路 = (road, street)

아르바이트 = アルバイト = (part-time job)

물 = 水 = (water)

섬 = 島 = (island)

닭 = 鳥 = (bird)

해 = 日 = (sun, day)

빛 = 光 = (ray)

다시마 = 出し = (kelp for making broth)

설직히 = 正直 = (honestly)

성격 = 性格= (personality, character)

기분 = 気分 = (feeling, mood)

태도 = 態度 = (attitude)

기대 = 期待 = (expectation, hope)

세계 = 世界 = (world)

확실하다 = 確実 = (certain, sure, reliable, tangible)

Normally I don't crosspost from my reference guide as it is always changing. However, do to the fickleness of the internet and the absence of similar content available, it would be a disservice not to mention these valuable terms. During this whole process, these words have made me feel so much better about the wedding. Of course, all work is courtesy of very feisty young woman whom I know very well.

originally posted at Matthew + Korean = Fun (please click here for the most up-to-date version)


General wedding terms
혼인 Marriage
혼배 marriage (a term used in the Catholic church)
결혼식 Wedding Ceremony
예식 wedding
신랑 Groom
신부 Bride
신부님 Catholic priest
택일 choosing the date (택- to choose, 일- date in Hanja)
예물 wedding gifts
예복 formal dress/ wedding dress, wedding suit
주례 moderator for the wedding
사회 moderating speaker who lead the wedding preparation
하객 guests to wedding
가족, 친지 Family, relatives
양가 both families (양 both, 가 family in Hanja)
지인 acquaintances, friends
연주 musical performance
축의금 congratulatory money
촬영 photo shots
원판 original shots
본식 actual wedding (본 actual, basic, foundation in Hanja)
청첩장 wedding invitation card
피로연 reception
방명록 guest book
신부대기실 bride room
폐백 preparation of gifts and polite family greeting ceremony from brides’ family to groom’s family
신혼 new marriage (신 means new in Hanja)

Cathedral terms
묵주반지 Catholic rings
가나혼인강좌 Pre-Cana class (marriage prep class)
혼인성사 a nuptial mass
혼배성사 a nuptial mass
성당 Cathedral, catholic church (distinguished from 교회 which is a general term for a Protestant church)
본당 Church hall
성수 holy water
성가 holy songs (Mass songs)
수녀님 Sister, nun
세례증명서 Certificate of baptism

Document terms
가족관계증명서 Birth certificate
혼인관계증명서 Marriage certificate
주민등록증 ID card (Korean social security card)
증명하다 to certify, to prove
등록하다 to register
가족관계 증명서 Family Relationship Certificate (registry)
혼인관계 증명서 Marriage/Single Status Certificate
주민등록증 Korean identification card