Greetings and polite phrases
| Korean | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 안녕하세요 | hello | annyeonghaseyo | 안녕하세요, 만나서 반가워요.Hello, nice to meet you. |
| 안녕히 가세요 | goodbye (to someone leaving) | annyeonghi gaseyo | 내일 봐요, 안녕히 가세요.See you tomorrow, goodbye. |
| 감사합니다 | thank you | gamsahamnida | 도와주셔서 감사합니다.Thank you for helping me. |
| 죄송합니다 | I'm sorry | joesonghamnida | 늦어서 죄송합니다.I'm sorry for being late. |
| 네 | yes | ne | 네, 맞아요.Yes, that's right. |
| 아니요 | no | aniyo | 아니요, 괜찮아요.No, it's okay. |
| 실례합니다 | excuse me | sillyehamnida | 실례합니다, 길 좀 알려주세요.Excuse me, please tell me the way. |
| 처음 뵙겠습니다 | nice to meet you (first time, formal) | cheoeum boepgetseumnida | 처음 뵙겠습니다, 저는 민수예요.Nice to meet you, I'm Minsu. |
| 반갑습니다 | pleased to meet you | bangapseumnida | 만나서 반갑습니다.Pleased to meet you. |
| 잘 지내요? | how are you? | jal jinaeyo? | 요즘 잘 지내요?How have you been lately? |
| 괜찮아요 | it's okay | gwaenchanayo | 저는 괜찮아요, 걱정하지 마세요.I'm okay, don't worry. |
| 부탁합니다 | please (a request) | butakhamnida | 도와주세요, 부탁합니다.Please help me, I'm asking a favor. |
Numbers
| Korean | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 하나 | one | hana | 사과 하나 주세요.Please give me one apple. |
| 둘 | two | dul | 커피 둘 주세요.Please give me two coffees. |
| 셋 | three | set | 친구가 셋 있어요.I have three friends. |
| 넷 | four | net | 의자가 넷 있어요.There are four chairs. |
| 다섯 | five | daseot | 사람이 다섯 명이에요.There are five people. |
| 여섯 | six | yeoseot | 지금 여섯 시예요.It's six o'clock now. |
| 일곱 | seven | ilgop | 일곱 살이에요.I am seven years old. |
| 여덟 | eight | yeodeol | 여덟 시에 만나요.Let's meet at eight o'clock. |
| 아홉 | nine | ahop | 아홉 개 있어요.There are nine of them. |
| 열 | ten | yeol | 열 살이에요.I am ten years old. |
| 백 | hundred | baek | 백 원이에요.It's one hundred won. |
| 천 | thousand | cheon | 천 원 주세요.Please give me a thousand won. |
Colors
| Korean | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 빨간색 | red | ppalgansaek | 사과는 빨간색이에요.The apple is red. |
| 파란색 | blue | paransaek | 하늘은 파란색이에요.The sky is blue. |
| 노란색 | yellow | noransaek | 바나나는 노란색이에요.The banana is yellow. |
| 초록색 | green | choroksaek | 나뭇잎은 초록색이에요.The leaf is green. |
| 검은색 | black | geomeunsaek | 제 가방은 검은색이에요.My bag is black. |
| 흰색 | white | huinsaek | 눈은 흰색이에요.Snow is white. |
| 보라색 | purple | borasaek | 이 꽃은 보라색이에요.This flower is purple. |
| 주황색 | orange | juhwangsaek | 오렌지는 주황색이에요.The orange is orange-colored. |
| 분홍색 | pink | bunhongsaek | 그 옷은 분홍색이에요.That clothing is pink. |
| 갈색 | brown | galsaek | 제 눈은 갈색이에요.My eyes are brown. |
| 회색 | gray | hoesaek | 하늘이 회색이에요.The sky is gray. |
| 금색 | gold (color) | geumsaek | 반지가 금색이에요.The ring is gold-colored. |
Family members
| Korean | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 가족 | family | gajok | 우리 가족은 네 명이에요.My family has four people. |
| 아버지 | father | abeoji | 아버지는 회사원이에요.My father is an office worker. |
| 어머니 | mother | eomeoni | 어머니는 선생님이에요.My mother is a teacher. |
| 형 | older brother (of a male) | hyeong | 저는 형이 있어요.I have an older brother. |
| 누나 | older sister (of a male) | nuna | 누나는 대학생이에요.My older sister is a college student. |
| 오빠 | older brother (of a female) | oppa | 오빠는 키가 커요.My older brother is tall. |
| 언니 | older sister (of a female) | eonni | 언니는 서울에 살아요.My older sister lives in Seoul. |
| 동생 | younger sibling | dongsaeng | 저는 동생이 있어요.I have a younger sibling. |
| 할아버지 | grandfather | harabeoji | 할아버지는 일흔 살이에요.My grandfather is seventy years old. |
| 할머니 | grandmother | halmeoni | 할머니는 요리를 잘해요.My grandmother cooks well. |
| 아들 | son | adeul | 아들이 학교에 가요.My son goes to school. |
| 딸 | daughter | ttal | 딸은 세 살이에요.My daughter is three years old. |
Food and drink
| Korean | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 밥 | rice / meal | bap | 저녁에 밥을 먹어요.I eat a meal in the evening. |
| 물 | water | mul | 물 좀 주세요.Please give me some water. |
| 김치 | kimchi | gimchi | 김치는 매워요.Kimchi is spicy. |
| 고기 | meat | gogi | 저는 고기를 좋아해요.I like meat. |
| 야채 | vegetable | yachae | 야채를 많이 드세요.Please eat a lot of vegetables. |
| 과일 | fruit | gwail | 과일이 신선해요.The fruit is fresh. |
| 커피 | coffee | keopi | 아침에 커피를 마셔요.I drink coffee in the morning. |
| 차 | tea | cha | 차 한 잔 주세요.Please give me a cup of tea. |
| 빵 | bread | ppang | 아침에 빵을 먹어요.I eat bread in the morning. |
| 계란 | egg | gyeran | 계란 두 개 주세요.Please give me two eggs. |
| 국 | soup | guk | 국이 뜨거워요.The soup is hot. |
| 우유 | milk | uyu | 저는 우유를 마셔요.I drink milk. |
Time, days and dates
| Korean | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 오늘 | today | oneul | 오늘 날씨가 좋아요.The weather is nice today. |
| 내일 | tomorrow | naeil | 내일 만나요.Let's meet tomorrow. |
| 어제 | yesterday | eoje | 어제 바빴어요.I was busy yesterday. |
| 지금 | now | jigeum | 지금 몇 시예요?What time is it now? |
| 월요일 | Monday | woryoil | 월요일에 학교에 가요.I go to school on Monday. |
| 주말 | weekend | jumal | 주말에 쉬어요.I rest on the weekend. |
| 아침 | morning | achim | 아침에 운동해요.I exercise in the morning. |
| 저녁 | evening | jeonyeok | 저녁에 텔레비전을 봐요.I watch TV in the evening. |
| 시간 | time / hour | sigan | 시간이 없어요.I don't have time. |
| 분 | minute | bun | 십 분만 기다려요.Wait just ten minutes. |
| 년 | year | nyeon | 올해는 이천이십육 년이에요.This year is 2026. |
| 달 | month | dal | 다음 달에 여행 가요.I'm going on a trip next month. |
Common verbs
| Korean | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 가다 | to go | gada | 학교에 가요.I go to school. |
| 오다 | to come | oda | 친구가 집에 와요.My friend comes to my house. |
| 먹다 | to eat | meokda | 저는 아침을 먹어요.I eat breakfast. |
| 마시다 | to drink | masida | 물을 마셔요.I drink water. |
| 보다 | to see / watch | boda | 영화를 봐요.I watch a movie. |
| 하다 | to do | hada | 숙제를 해요.I do homework. |
| 자다 | to sleep | jada | 일찍 자요.I sleep early. |
| 일하다 | to work | ilhada | 회사에서 일해요.I work at a company. |
| 공부하다 | to study | gongbuhada | 한국어를 공부해요.I study Korean. |
| 말하다 | to speak | malhada | 저는 한국어로 말해요.I speak in Korean. |
| 사다 | to buy | sada | 옷을 사요.I buy clothes. |
| 읽다 | to read | ikda | 책을 읽어요.I read a book. |
Common adjectives
| Korean | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 크다 | to be big | keuda | 이 집은 커요.This house is big. |
| 작다 | to be small | jakda | 강아지가 작아요.The puppy is small. |
| 좋다 | to be good | jota | 날씨가 좋아요.The weather is good. |
| 나쁘다 | to be bad | nappeuda | 기분이 나빠요.I feel bad (my mood is bad). |
| 예쁘다 | to be pretty | yeppeuda | 꽃이 예뻐요.The flower is pretty. |
| 맛있다 | to be delicious | masitda | 음식이 맛있어요.The food is delicious. |
| 비싸다 | to be expensive | bissada | 이 가방은 비싸요.This bag is expensive. |
| 싸다 | to be cheap | ssada | 이 옷은 싸요.This clothing is cheap. |
| 많다 | to be many / much | manta | 사람이 많아요.There are many people. |
| 적다 | to be few / little | jeokda | 시간이 적어요.There is little time. |
| 빠르다 | to be fast | ppareuda | 기차가 빨라요.The train is fast. |
| 느리다 | to be slow | neurida | 걸음이 느려요.The walking pace is slow. |
Question words
| Korean | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 누구 | who | nugu | 저 사람은 누구예요?Who is that person? |
| 무엇 | what | mueot | 이것은 무엇이에요?What is this? |
| 어디 | where | eodi | 화장실이 어디예요?Where is the bathroom? |
| 언제 | when | eonje | 생일이 언제예요?When is your birthday? |
| 왜 | why | wae | 왜 늦었어요?Why were you late? |
| 어떻게 | how | eotteoke | 학교에 어떻게 가요?How do you go to school? |
| 얼마 | how much | eolma | 이거 얼마예요?How much is this? |
| 몇 | how many | myeot | 몇 개 있어요?How many are there? |
| 어느 | which | eoneu | 어느 나라에서 왔어요?Which country are you from? |
| 무슨 | what kind of | museun | 무슨 음식을 좋아해요?What kind of food do you like? |
| 어떤 | which / what kind | eotteon | 어떤 색을 좋아해요?Which color do you like? |
| 얼마나 | how much / how long | eolmana | 시간이 얼마나 걸려요?How long does it take? |
Everyday places and life
| Korean | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 집 | house / home | jip | 저는 집에 있어요.I am at home. |
| 학교 | school | hakgyo | 학교가 커요.The school is big. |
| 회사 | company | hoesa | 아버지는 회사에 가요.My father goes to the company. |
| 병원 | hospital | byeongwon | 병원에 가요.I go to the hospital. |
| 시장 | market | sijang | 시장에서 과일을 사요.I buy fruit at the market. |
| 은행 | bank | eunhaeng | 은행에서 돈을 찾아요.I withdraw money at the bank. |
| 식당 | restaurant | sikdang | 식당에서 밥을 먹어요.I eat a meal at the restaurant. |
| 버스 | bus | beoseu | 버스를 타요.I take the bus. |
| 지하철 | subway | jihacheol | 지하철로 학교에 가요.I go to school by subway. |
| 친구 | friend | chingu | 제 친구는 착해요.My friend is kind. |
| 이름 | name | ireum | 이름이 뭐예요?What is your name? |
| 나라 | country | nara | 한국은 아름다운 나라예요.Korea is a beautiful country. |
Study tips for Korean
- Learn Hangul first: it is a phonetic alphabet you can master in a few hours, and it makes every word on this page far easier to read than romanization alone.
- Korean sentences end in the verb, and this page uses the polite -아요/-어요 and -ㅂ니다 endings you will hear most often in everyday conversation.
- Pay attention to sibling terms like hyeong, nuna, oppa and eonni, since Korean uses different words depending on the speaker's own gender.
- Practice counting with native Korean numbers (hana, dul, set) for age and objects, and Sino-Korean numbers for money, dates and phone numbers.
- Say each example sentence aloud using the romanization, then check it against the Hangul to build recognition of common syllable blocks.
Frequently asked questions
What is basic Korean vocabulary for beginners?
Beginner Korean vocabulary usually covers greetings, numbers, family terms, food, common verbs and question words, the same core topics grouped on this page and often useful for early conversation.
Is TOPIK 1 vocabulary the same as basic Korean vocabulary?
They overlap closely. TOPIK I tests everyday, beginner-level Korean, so words often covered at TOPIK I level, like greetings, numbers and family terms, are also the words most useful for basic conversation.
Should I learn Hangul before learning Korean vocabulary?
Yes. Hangul is a simple phonetic alphabet, and learning it first lets you read the native spelling of every word here instead of relying only on romanization.
How do you say thank you in Korean?
Thank you is 감사합니다 (gamsahamnida) in polite formal speech, or a more casual but still polite 고마워요 (gomawoyo) among friends and peers.