Learn Korean (Introduction) — Reading and writing •Conversation
1급: Beginner — 1. Greeting • 2. Forming sentences • 3. Connective forms and negation • 4. Colors / Shopping • 5. Recreation / In a taxi • 6.Family • 7. Around the house • 8. The workplace / Using the telephone • 9. School • 10. Onomatopoeia
2단계: High beginner • 3단계: Low intermediate • 4단계: High intermediate • 5단계: Low advanced • 6단계: AdvancedGrammar
Korean Conversation, Level I, Lesson 1: GreetingsWelcome to the first conversation lesson for learning Korean. By now you should be familiar with hangeul (theKorean writing system) and how to form syllables. If you are not yet familiar with hangeul, see Korean/Alphabet. Itis highly recommended that you know these basics before you embark on learning how to make sentences andcommencing dialogue.In this first section, we will introduce basic Korean sentence structure, basic vocabulary, and greetings in Korean.
시작할까요?(Shall we start?)
DialogueThe simple dialogue below is between Korean native 찬호 and Joseph (조세프) from America. Joseph is interestedin Korean culture and language, and was able to meet 찬호 through a program in his school. Here, they meet for thefirst time:
OverviewThe conversation began with 찬호 asking this:
찬호: 안녕하십니까, 조세프 씨?Here, we learn our first bit of Korean. "안녕하십니까?" is a common formal greeting in Korean. It literally means"Are you at peace?". "씨" is a title which means "Mr". Joseph replied like this:
조세프: 네. 안녕하십니까, 찬호 씨?"네" means "yes". Then Joseph asked 찬호 the same question. Typically, the response to "안녕하십니까?" is "네",but it is not necessary to respond that way, as we learn from 찬호's response:
찬호: 만나서 반갑습니다."만나서 반갑습니다" means "Nice to meet you." This can also be shortened to "반갑습니다", but since 찬호 andJoseph have first met, it is best to be as polite as possible. "만나서" means "because we've met".
조세프: 저도요. 저는 집에 갑니다.Here, we learn some important things about making a Korean sentence. "저" means "I," and "저도요" means "Metoo". Then Joseph says: "저는 집에 갑니다." This means "I go home." We'll dissect this sentence more in just amoment. First, let us finish analyzing the conversation:
찬호: 네. 안녕히 가십시오.조세프: 안녕히 계십시오.
Look carefully at how each says "Good bye" to each other. 찬호 says "안녕히 가십시오" while Joseph says"안녕히 계십시오" Why do their replies differ from each other? Well, Joseph is leaving, while it is assumed that찬호 is staying. So, 찬호 tells Joseph to "Go in peace" (like spock!) and Joseph tells 찬호 to "Stay in peace." It maysound funny, but that's how it works in Korea. Remember these two carefully and try not to mix them up!
Grammar: "I go home."The short sentence 저는 집에 갑니다 ("I go home.") reveals a great deal of usable grammar:
저 는 집 에 갑니다 .
I (topic) house (location) go .
Let's discuss 는, 에, and 갑니다. As mentioned above, 저 means "I". In Korean, "는" marks the primary topic of asentence. Joseph is talking primarily about himself, so he says "저는". Note that if the primary topic ends in aconsonant, "는" changes to "은" so it's easier to pronounce. So, if Joseph wanted to talk primarily about his house(집) instead himself, he would say "집은"."에" is in a similar class of elements (called "particles"), but it marks the location, such as "to school (학교에), to thebathroom (화장실에)," and so forth. However, if Joseph wanted to say "to me", he would say "저에게", not "저에."The difference is that "에" means "to that thing or place" and "에게" (the dative particle) means "to that person."This is an important distinction to remember, but even if you make a mistake, a Korean will probably stillunderstand.Finally, we see the verb, "갑니다." Now, if you were to look up "go" in a Korean dictionary, it would probably say"가다." This is the verb's unconjugated dictionary or "base" form. "가" is the actual root of the verb, or "Verb Stem"(VS). When we put the verb into a Korean sentence, it must be conjugated. The standard, polite statementconjugation in Korean is {VS + ㅂ/습니다}. What does this mean? This means we take the verb stem (가) and add"ㅂ니다" if the stem ends in a vowel and "습니다" if the verb stem ends in a consonant. In this case, "가" ends in avowel, so we slip the ㅂ under it (갑) and add "니다" = "갑니다". If the verb was "먹다 (to eat)" then we would add"습니다" because the verbstem ends in a consonant (먹). Thus, we have "먹습니다." A special thing to rememberabout this is, when conjugated, the verb is actually pronounced "감니다" like there's a ㅁ on the bottom. This isbecause of a special pronunciation rule called "nasalization" which we won't discuss here, but keep it in mind.In order to make a question, the form is {VS + ㅂ/습니까}. An astute student would see something like that in"안녕하십니까", which is actually a question. So, if 찬호 wanted to ask "Do you go (are you going)?" he would ask"갑니까?" (Remember pronunciation: "감니까"). Armed with this information, we can now make a statement or aquestion with almost any verb.
• 안녕하십니까? - a formal greeting• (만나서) 반갑습니다 - "Nice to meet you."• 안녕히 가십시오 - "Good bye" (to someone who is leaving)• 안녕히 계십시오 - "Good bye" (to someone who is staying)• 네 - "yes"• 아니요 - "no"• 저 - "I"• 집 - "house"• 학교 - "school"• 가다 - "to go"• 먹다 - "to eat"
Grammar: 문법
• VS + ㅂ니까 - Question, vs ends in vowel (e.g.: 가 -> 갑니까)• VS + 습니까 - Question, vs ends in consonant (e.g.: 먹 -> 먹습니까)• VS + ㅂ니다 - Statement vs ends in vowel (e.g.: 가 -> 갑니다)• VS + 습니다 - Statement vs ends in consonant (e.g.: 먹 -> 먹습니다)• N + 은/는 - Topic particle• N + 에 - Location particle (to that thing/place)• N + 에게 - Dative particle (to that person)
Practice: 연습Conjugate the following verbs into statement form (VS + ㅂ/습니다) and question form (VS + ㅂ/습니까?). Click"▼" to check your answers:Determine whether the subject marker should be "은" or "는":Determine whether the particle should be "에" or "에게":
[panel edit [1]]Other languages...
Learn Korean (Introduction) — Reading and writing •Conversation
1급: Beginner — 1. Greeting • 2. Forming sentences • 3. Connective forms and negation • 4. Colors / Shopping • 5. Recreation / In a taxi • 6.
Family • 7. Around the house • 8. The workplace / Using the telephone • 9. School • 10. Onomatopoeia
2단계: High beginner • 3단계: Low intermediate • 4단계: High intermediate • 5단계: Low advanced • 6단계:AdvancedGrammar
Learn Korean (Introduction) — Reading and writing •Conversation
1급: Beginner — 1. Greeting • 2. Forming sentences • 3. Connective forms and negation • 4. Colors / Shopping • 5. Recreation / In a taxi • 6.Family • 7. Around the house • 8. The workplace / Using the telephone • 9. School • 10. Onomatopoeia
2단계: High beginner • 3단계: Low intermediate • 4단계: High intermediate • 5단계: Low advanced • 6단계: AdvancedGrammar
IntroductionAn important part of being able to understand and speak Korean is that one must have a firm understanding of thegrammar used to make coherent sentences. During these first few lessons we shall focus on building a useablegrammar base. In this lesson, we will learn some more useful particles, Present progressive, future tense, and therequesting form. We will also learn some new grammar, but it will not be the main focus of this lesson.
ConversationHere we find Joseph meeting 찬호 again.
Dialogue
찬호: 앗! 오래간만 입니다, 조세프!조세프: 네, 안녕하십니까, 찬호?찬호: 네. 저는 지금 학교로 가고 있습니다.조세프: 선생님을 만나겠습니까?찬호: 아니요, 공부하겠습니다. 조세프는 오늘 숙제를 하겠습니까?조세프: 네, 저는 집에서 하겠습니다.찬호: 그래요. 안녕히 가십시요.조세프: 안녕히 가십시요.
Conversation review찬호 begins with another greeting:
찬호: 앗! 오래간만 입니다, 조세프!"오래간만 입니다" can be translated as: "Long time, no see" in English. At first, it's a hard expression to pronounce,but a little bit of practice should untie your tongue.
조세프: 네, 안녕하십니까, 찬호?찬호: 네. 저는 지금 학교로 가고 있습니다.
네. 저는 지금 학교 로 가 고 있습니다
Yes. I (topic) now school (to/towards) go (verb stem) (present progressive)
New vocabulary, new particle, new verb tense. 지금 means “now”. In a later lesson, we will learn many words suchas "later, tomorrow, yesterday, just a second ago, etc". In the next part, 찬호 uses a new particle with a similarmeaning to what we learned before: "N + (으)로". This particle means "to", "toward", or "in the direction of". It canbe interchanged with "에" relatively safely, but "로" with its additional usages, is a little more versatile. If the nounends in a consonant then it becomes "으로" (집으로). Simple.Finally, we have a new verb tense: the present progressive tense. It can also be made into a statement or question byadding the "VS + ㅂ/습니다" or "VS + ㅂ/습니까" forms. The strange thing about this verb tense is that thestandard "VS + ㅂ/습니다" can mean the same thing! Remember in lesson 1, Joseph said "집에 갑니다". This couldhave also been said "집에 가고있습니다" or even "집으로 가고 있습니다." It is your choice. Some combinationssound more natural to others, but a beginning student doesn't have to be concerned with that. You will eventually getthe feel of what sounds right.
조새프: 선생님을 만나겠습니까?This might sound funny, but one of the most important things to learn in Korean is not found in this sentence. Whereis the subject? Is it 선생님 (“teacher”)? No, there is no subject. In Korean, if the subject of the next sentence isunderstood, it can be omitted. This is often found in colloquial English:
English speaker A: "I'm a little busy."English speaker B: "Oh, studying today?"
However, in Korean, you can omit the subject more freely than English, and sometimes other elements can also beomitted, resulting in very short sentences. Well, if 선생님 ("teacher") isn't the subject, what is it? It's the directobject!
선생님 을
teacher (direct object)
The particle 을 is used to designate the direct object of the sentence, i.e. the thing or person upon which the action ishappening. In most textbooks, this is usually denoted as "을/를" because "을" comes after words ending in aconsonant, and "를" comes after words in a vowel. This particle is omitable, but for the beginner, it's best left in sonothing gets confused.Now, based on what we have learned so far, one might guess that the verb stem of the verb in this sentence is"만나겠다", which is a perfectly logical guess, but wrong. The actual verb stem is "만나다" which means "to meet"(as you might have gleaned from the previous paragraph). The "겠습니다" or, more correctly "겠다" is the futuretense form. For this form, it is unimportant whether the verb stem ends in a consonant or vowel. Simply add "겠" andthen finish off with "습니다" to speak politely. Easy as 파이, no?
This sentence may sound a little strange, but it is nonetheless correct. 공부하다 means "to study", 오늘 means"today" and 숙제 means "homework." 하다 will be explained in more detail later, but for now, it means "to do"when by itself. Notice the 를 on 숙제? What is he doing? his homework!
조새프: 네, 저는 집에서 하겠습니다.
네, 저는 집 에서 하겠습니다.
Yes, I (topic) home (at) will do.
Finally, we have another particle, 에서, which is translated "from" or "at". In this case, it functions as "at". Notice"Yes, I will do it at home."
찬호: 그래요. 안녕히 가십시요.조새프: 안녕히 가십시요.
그래요 is a polite way of saying "okay." It also means "Yes that's right."
Korean sentence orderKorean sentences have a different word order from English. Whereas an English sentence typically has aSubject-Verb-Object word order, a Korean sentence typically has a Subject-Object-Verb word order. For sentenceswith only a subject and a verb, Korean and English word order is essentially identical:
Korean: 철수는 먹는다.
subject verb
English: Cholsu eats.
subject verb
If a sentence includes an object, the English and Korean order differs:English: I am reading a book. English: I(subject) am reading(verb) a book(object)Korean: 저는 책을 읽고 있습니다. Korean: 저는(subject) 책을(object) 읽고 있습니다(verb).
PredicatesA more complete understanding of Korean sentence order requires an understanding of Korean predicates(서술부어). As in English, complete Korean sentences must have a predicate that contains a conjugated Koreanword (용언). Also as in English, Korean verbs (동사) are conjugated and so can be sentence predicates. However,with regard to forming sentences, Korean differs from English in two important ways:1. Korean sentences do not require subjects (주어), just predicates. (That is, a Korean sentence with only a predicate
is grammatically complete.)2. Korean adjectives (형용사) can be conjugated and used as sentence predicates.Korean sentences that include subjects, indirect objects, direct objects, and complements often arrange them in thisorder:
Subject predicate indirect object direct object complement
Above is the usual word order in Korean, which is the order most easily understood by native speakers of Korean.However, excluding the predicate (the verb), the placement of other words is not entirely relevant to the meaning ofthe sentence. The following arrangements have the same meaning as the above example:
Korean: 나에게 사과를 철수는 준다.
indirect object directobject
subject verb
to me the apple Cholsu gives
Korean: 철수는 사과를 나에게 준다.
subject directobject
indirect object verb
Cholsu the apple to me gives
Review
Vocabulary: 어휘
• 오래간만 입니다 - Long time, no see!• 선생님 - Teacher• 숙제 - Homework• 만나다 - To meet• 공부하다 - To study• 하다 - To do• 지금 - Now• 오늘 - Today
• VS + 겠다 - Future Tense• VS + 고 있다 - Present Progressive• N + (으)로 - Toward• N + 을/를 - Direct Object Marker• N + 에서 - From, At, Location of Action
Practice: 연습
Conjugate the following verbs with the future and present progressive tenses in polite form:Add 에서, (으)로, and 을/를 particles to each noun:When you are ready, continue on to Korean/Lesson I3.
[panel edit [1]]Other languages...
Learn Korean (Introduction) — Reading and writing •Conversation
1급: Beginner — 1. Greeting • 2. Forming sentences • 3. Connective forms and negation • 4. Colors / Shopping • 5. Recreation / In a taxi • 6.
Family • 7. Around the house • 8. The workplace / Using the telephone • 9. School • 10. Onomatopoeia
2단계: High beginner • 3단계: Low intermediate • 4단계: High intermediate • 5단계: Low advanced • 6단계:AdvancedGrammar
Korean/ Lesson I3
[panel edit [1]]
Other languages...
Learn Korean (Introduction) — Reading and writing •Conversation
1급: Beginner — 1. Greeting • 2. Forming sentences • 3. Connective forms and negation • 4. Colors / Shopping • 5. Recreation / In a taxi • 6.Family • 7. Around the house • 8. The workplace / Using the telephone • 9. School • 10. Onomatopoeia
2단계: High beginner • 3단계: Low intermediate • 4단계: High intermediate • 5단계: Low advanced • 6단계: AdvancedGrammar
"And" and "And?" "Or" or "Or"?One thing that varies in korean is that there is a difference between an “and” for a verb and an “and” for a noun. Inthis lesson, we will learn these ands, ors, and buts. It just so happens that today 찬호 is introducing his friends toJoseph, so this is a perfect opportunity to use these forms! (Don't feel overwhelmed, there's only 3 ways to say each!)
조세프: 네, 그래요.가영: 와우! 고생 많네요! 한식을 좋아합니까?조세프: 양식이나 한식 둘 다 좋아합니다. 하지만, 한국에서 양식을 먹지 않습니다.가영: 그렇군요... 학교에 걸어갑니까? 아니면 버스를 탑니까?찬호: 집에서 버스를 타지 못합니다. 걸어가거나 뛰어갑니다. 하하하!
The above example has several new forms in it because of the differentiation between noun "and/or" & verb"and/or". We'll look at the examples and pick out new vocabulary, and then discuss new grammar separately.
찬호: 오늘 저는 조세프에게 친구들을 소개하겠습니다.조세프: 오케이! 기대합니다!
소개하다 means "to introduce." It's used really often when talking about friends and people you know, but it canalso be used to refer to something like "introducing information." Following that, 기대하다 means "to awaitexpectedly or excitedly." This can also be said 기대되다, which sometimes sounds more natural.
찬호: 저 친구들은 "연희"와 "가영"입니다.Here we meet the noun connective particle 와 (“and”) and its alternative 과, used after vowels. More information canbe learned about this in the following section, but it's use is fairly straight forward.
찬호: 만나서 반갑습니다!연희와 가영: 반갑습니다.
Nothing new here.
연희: 조세프는 미국에서 오고 한국말을 공부하고 있습니까? 조세프: 네, 그래요.오다 means “to come” but the connective verb suffix -고 (“and”) is connected to it. 에서 in this case means “from”.(So keep track! You now know it means “from” or “at”.) Finally, Joseph responds with 그래요 (“that’s right”).
가영: 와! 고생 많네요! 한식을 좋아합니까?조세프: 양식이나 한식 둘 다 좋아합니다. 하지만, 한국에서는 양식을 먹지 않습니다.
가영 uses a phrase that is often heard in Korea: "고생 많다." This means "you have lots of struggles," but is usedsort of like "must be difficult," a sort of compliment for the listener who might be going through hard times. Theending on this is "VS+군요" Which is a sort of exclamatory form. This will also be discussed in the next section."한식" means "Korean food," a sort of contraction of "한국 음식," and "양식" is "Western food." Can you guess thecontraction for this one?Joseph links the two with "N+(이)나" which is "or" for nouns. The verb form is "VS+거나" (discussed later, ofcourse). "둘 다" means "both" Afterwards, Joseph uses the stand alone word "하지만," meaning "however" or "but."The verb form of this is "VS+지만." It's simplicity doesn't merit any further discussion.
가영: 그렇군요... 학교에 걸어갑니까? 아니면 버스를 탑니까?찬호: 집에서 버스를 타지 못합니다. 걸어가거나 뛰어갑니다. 하하하!
ColorsAs well as having two sets of numbers, Korean also uses two sets of colors, one being the native Korean set, theother being derived from Chinese characters hanja 한자 (漢字).
Native Korean setVarious like dozens of Korean words represent similar colors but express the different impression of colors. Thefollowing Korean words about color are the most neutral and normal words.
Korean colors may be followed by native word, bit 빛 or bitkkal 빛깔, or followed by saek 색 (色) which is derivedfrom Chinese characters. Each word means color.
Name Adjective Translation Notes
ppalgang 빨강 ppalgan 빨간 red
parang 파랑 paran 파란 blue
borasaek 보라색 purple
chorok(pulbit) 초록(풀빛) pureun 푸른 green The adjectives for blue may be used with green. Pulbit 풀빛 means grass-light.
norang 노랑 noran 노란 yellow
hayang 하양 hayan 하얀, hin흰
white
geomjeong 검정 geomeun 검은 black
• ppal gan ib sool 빨간 입술 red lips• pa ran ha neul 파란 하늘 blue sky• pu reun cho won 푸른 초원 green grassland• no ran byeong a ri 노란 병아리 yellow chick• hin nun(hin noon) 흰 눈 white snow• geom eun nun dong ja 검은 눈동자 black pupil
Chinese character set
jeok, hong 적 (赤), 홍 (紅) red
cheong 청 (靑) blue
nok 녹 (綠) green
hwang 황 (黃) yellow
ju hwang 주황 (硃黃) orange
nam 남 (藍) navy
ja ju 자주 (紫硃) purple
hwe 회 (灰) gray
baek 백 (白) white
heuk 흑 (黑) black
Korean/Lesson I4 11
• baek in 백인 (白人) white person• heuk in 흑인 (黑人) black person• heuk baek pilleum 흑백필름 (黑白 film) black & white film• jeok saek s(h)in ho 적색신호 (赤色信號) red light signal• cheong ba ji 청바지(靑바지) blue jeans
[panel edit [1]]Other languages...
Learn Korean (Introduction) — Reading and writing •Conversation
1급: Beginner — 1. Greeting • 2. Forming sentences • 3. Connective forms and negation • 4. Colors / Shopping • 5. Recreation / In a taxi • 6.
Family • 7. Around the house • 8. The workplace / Using the telephone • 9. School • 10. Onomatopoeia
2단계: High beginner • 3단계: Low intermediate • 4단계: High intermediate • 5단계: Low advanced • 6단계:AdvancedGrammar
Vocabulary• Taxi 택시• Hour 시간• Minute 분• Won (Korean currency) 원• Around, About ~ 정도
ConversationJoie: 강남역까지 가고 싶습니다. / I want to go to Kang-nam stationTaxi driver: 네 강남역까지 가겠습니다. / Yes I will drive to Kang-nam stationJoie: (거리가) 얼마나 걸립니까? / How long does it take?Taxi driver: 20분 정도 걸립니다. / It takes around 20 minutesJoie: 얼마입니까? / How much is it?Taxi driver: 5000원 입니다. / It is 5000 wonsJoie: 감사합니다. / Thank you• How far is it there? (거리가) 얼마나 멉니까?• How long does it take? (거리가) 얼마나 걸립니까?• Turn left 왼쪽으로 돌으십시오.• Turn right 오른쪽으로 돌으십시오.• Go straight 직진 하십시오.
[panel edit [1]]Other languages...
Learn Korean (Introduction) — Reading and writing • Conversation
1급: Beginner — 1. Greeting • 2. Forming sentences • 3. Connective forms and negation • 4. Colors / Shopping • 5. Recreation / In a taxi • 6.
Family • 7. Around the house • 8. The workplace / Using the telephone • 9. School • 10. Onomatopoeia 2단계: High beginner • 3단계: Low intermediate • 4단계: High intermediate • 5단계: Low advanced • 6단계:
Vocabulary• 할아버지 Grandfather• 할아버님 Grandfather (formal)• 할머니 Grandmother• 할머님 Grandmother (formal)• 아버지 Father (formal)• 아버님 Father (very formal)• 아빠 Father (informal)• 어머니 Mother (formal)• 어머님 Mother (very formal)• 엄마 Mother (informal)• 형 Elder brother (of a male)• 누나 Elder sister (of a male)• 오빠 Elder brother (of a female)• 언니 Elder sister (of a female)• 남동생 Younger brother• 여동생 Younger sister• 동생 Younger sibling• 성함 Name (formal)• 이름 Name (Informal)1) 님 words such as 아버님, 어머님 are very formal.
ConversationKim: 안녕하세요.John: 안녕하세요.Kim: 성함이 어떻게 되세요?John: John이에요. 저는 선생님에요. 그쪽은 성함이 어떻게 되시나요?Kim: 김이에요.John: 만나서 반갑습니다.Kim: 미국 사람이세요?John: 네, 미국에서 왔어요.Kim: 가족은 몇 분이세요?
John: 다섯 명 있어요. 형과 여동생이 있어요. 형은 의사예요. 여동생은 대학생이에요. 김씨는 형제분이계시나요?Kim: 없어요. 저희 다시 뵈요.John: 안녕히 가세요.
TranslationKim: Hello.John: Hello.Kim: What's your name.John: I'm John. I'm a teacher. What's your name?Kim: I'm Kim.John: Nice to meet you.Kim: Are you American?John: Yes, I came from America.Kim: How many people are in your family?John: There are 5 people. I have an older brother and a younger sister. My brother is a doctor. My sister is aUniversity student. Do you have siblings?Kim: I don't. Let's meet again.John: Good Bye.
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Learn Korean (Introduction) — Reading and writing •Conversation
1급: Beginner — 1. Greeting • 2. Forming sentences • 3. Connective forms and negation • 4. Colors / Shopping • 5. Recreation / In a taxi • 6.
Family • 7. Around the house • 8. The workplace / Using the telephone • 9. School • 10. Onomatopoeia
2단계: High beginner • 3단계: Low intermediate • 4단계: High intermediate • 5단계: Low advanced • 6단계:AdvancedGrammar
• bedroom 침실(寢室)• living room 거실(居室)• garden 정원(庭園)• garage 차고(車庫)
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Other languages...
Learn Korean (Introduction) — Reading and writing •Conversation
1급: Beginner — 1. Greeting • 2. Forming sentences • 3. Connective forms and negation • 4. Colors / Shopping • 5. Recreation / In a taxi • 6.Family • 7. Around the house • 8. The workplace / Using the telephone • 9. School • 10. Onomatopoeia
2단계: High beginner • 3단계: Low intermediate • 4단계: High intermediate • 5단계: Low advanced • 6단계: AdvancedGrammar
• Kindergarten 유치원 (yu chi won)• Elementary school 초등학교 (cho deng hak gyo)• Middle school 중 학 교 (jung hak gyo)• High school 고등학교 (go deng hak gyo)• University 대 학 교 (dae hak gyo)• Graduate School 대 학 원 (dae hak won)• Major 전 공 (jeon gong)• Minor 부 전 공 (bu jeon gong)• Study 공 부 (gong bu)• Dorm 기 숙 사 (gi suk sa)• School 학 교 (hak gyo)• College 대 학 (dae hak)• Philosophy 철 학 (cheol hak)
[panel edit [1]]Other languages...
Learn Korean (Introduction) — Reading and writing •Conversation
1급: Beginner — 1. Greeting • 2. Forming sentences • 3. Connective forms and negation • 4. Colors / Shopping • 5. Recreation / In a taxi • 6.
Family • 7. Around the house • 8. The workplace / Using the telephone • 9. School • 10. Onomatopoeia
2단계: High beginner • 3단계: Low intermediate • 4단계: High intermediate • 5단계: Low advanced • 6단계:AdvancedGrammar
Learn Korean (Introduction) — Reading and writing •Conversation — 1단계: Beginner •
2급: High beginner — 1. Sports • 2. Jobs • 3. Downtown • 4. Public transportation • 5. At the hotel • 6. At the library • 7. At the farm • 8. Medicalcare • 9. The Weather • 제10과
Learn Korean (Introduction) — Reading and writing •Conversation — 1단계: Beginner •
2급: High beginner — 1. Sports • 2. Jobs • 3. Downtown • 4. Public transportation • 5. At the hotel • 6. At the library • 7. At the farm • 8. Medicalcare • 9. The Weather • 제10과
Vocabulary• 경찰관 police officer• 소방수 fire fighter• 선생 teacher• 학생 student• 미술가 artist• 의사 doctor• 간호사 nurse• 이발사 barber• 회사원 office worker• 운동 선수 athlete• 과학자 scientist• 가수 singer• 군인 soldier• 조종사 pilot• 기사 engineer• 수리공 mechanic• 음악가 musician
Learn Korean (Introduction) — Reading and writing •Conversation — 1단계: Beginner •
2급: High beginner — 1. Sports • 2. Jobs • 3. Downtown • 4. Public transportation • 5. At the hotel • 6. At the library • 7. At the farm • 8. Medicalcare • 9. The Weather • 제10과
• Movie theater 극장(劇場)• DVD room DVD 방• PC room PC 방• small restaurant 식당
Conversation• PC방이 어디에 있어요? Where is the PC room?• 영화가 언제 시작해요? When does the movie start?
Korean/ Lesson II4
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Learn Korean (Introduction) — Reading and writing •Conversation — 1단계: Beginner •
2급: High beginner — 1. Sports • 2. Jobs • 3. Downtown • 4. Public transportation • 5. At the hotel • 6. At the library • 7. At the farm • 8. Medicalcare • 9. The Weather • 제10과
• Bus 버스 (beoseu)• Taxi 택시 (taek shi)• Train 기차 (gi cha)[This is just train in general. KTX is the new bullet train in Korea and they will know what
you are talking about if you ask for the location of KTX, but remember that KTX is more expensive. You can alsoride the 새마을 for about $10 less or the 무궁화 for half the cost of KTX, but neither are as fast nor as well kept.]
• Subway 지하철 (ji ha cheol)• Car 차 (Cha)[also the word for tea]• Station 역 (yeok)[as in subway/train station. For example, Seoul station is 서울역]• Subway line or route 선 (seon). [For example, if you took the yellow subway route, or the 분당선, there is a stop
at 야탑 where there is an awesome public park and bungee jumping.]
Learn Korean (Introduction) — Reading and writing •Conversation — 1단계: Beginner •
2급: High beginner — 1. Sports • 2. Jobs • 3. Downtown • 4. Public transportation • 5. At the hotel • 6. At the library • 7. At the farm • 8. Medicalcare • 9. The Weather • 제10과
호텔 (hoe-tel), Hotel 예약 (ye-yahk) reserve, make a reservation
Dialogue여기 위키 호텔인가요? 방 있어요?
Korean/ Lesson III2
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Learn Korean (Introduction) — Reading and writing •Conversation — 1단계: Beginner • 2단계: High beginner •
3급: Low intermediate — 1. The human body • 2. Religion • 3. Nature • 4. The universe • 5. Reading a book • 제6과:어느 정도로 나를 사랑해?• 7. Using computers • 8. At the restaurant • 제9과 • 제10과
4단계: High intermediate • 5단계: Low advanced • 6단계: AdvancedGrammar
IntroductionThis section covers the terms related to religion and encourage the student to speak about his/her religious beliefsusing the Korean language. When learning about religion in the Korean language, there are some important factors toconsider. First of all, there are 7 different speech levels in the Korean language accompanied by a set of honorificforms for each speech level. In the Korean Bible, the translators use the Hasoseoche(하소서체) form for many of theverses. For daily speech, the reader should use one of the lower speech forms instead.The second thing that the reader needs to do is be prepared to learn the hanja for many of the words used in thereligious texts. If the reader learns a few hanja every week, that reader will be able to be able to learn the vocabularymore quickly. The hanja are used in the mixed script Korean Bible, 백팔대참회문, as well as some other Koreanreligious texts.
성경(聖經) - The Bible절 - Buddhist Temple무교 - no religion불교 - Buddhism불경 - Buddhist Bible부처님 - Buddha교파 - sect영원히 - eternally낙원 - paradise화신 - reincarnation부활 - resurrection예수 그리스도 - Jesus Christ사도 - apostle기도하다 - to pray응답 - an answer(spiritual)믿다 - to believe이해하다 - to understand오해 - misunderstanding헷갈리다 - to be confused(혼란스럽다 too)경전 - scriptures
성전(聖殿) - Temple인자(人子) - Son of Man구원(救援) - salvation표적(表迹) - miracle
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Learn Korean (Introduction) — Reading and writing • Conversation — 1단계: Beginner • 2단계: High beginner •
3급: Low intermediate — 1. The human body • 2. Religion • 3. Nature • 4. The universe • 5. Reading a book • 제6과:어느 정도로 나를
사랑해? • 7. Using computers • 8. At the restaurant • 제9과 • 제10과
만큼 : as much as 하늘 : sky 땅 : earth, ground 부모 : parent 헤아리다 : consider: weigh(=재다;measure)• 유용 표현
하늘만큼 땅만큼 : very very much
Korean/ Lesson III7<<Lesson 6 | Lesson 7
제7과: 컴퓨터 사용하기• 컴퓨터 computer• 랩탑 컴퓨터 / 노트북컴퓨터 laptop computer/notebook computer• 모니터 monitor• 마우스 mouse• 소프트웨어 software• 온라인 online• 인터넷 internet• 홈피 homepage (slang for 홈페이지)
Learn Korean (Introduction) — Reading and writing •Conversation — 1단계: Beginner • 2단계: High beginner •
3급: Low intermediate — 1. The human body • 2. Religion • 3. Nature • 4. The universe • 5. Reading a book • 제6과:어느 정도로 나를 사랑해?• 7. Using computers • 8. At the restaurant • 제9과 • 제10과
4단계: High intermediate • 5단계: Low advanced • 6단계: AdvancedGrammar
제 8과 : At the restaurant
단어
• 밥 rice• 국 soup• 김치 kimchi• 고기 meat• 단무지 pickled radish• 된장 doenjang, soybean paste, miso• 찌개 jjigae, pot stew• 물 water• 와인 wine• 주방장 head cook• 요리사 cook• 커피 coffee• 음료 beverage• 빵 bread• 소금 salt• 설탕 sugar• 간장 soy sauce
단위
• 밥 한 공기 a bowl of rice• 커피 한 잔 a cup of coffee
문장
• 주문하시겠습니까? May I take your order?• 물은 셀프 taking water is self-service• 얼마입니까? How much is this/are these• 오늘의 추천 메뉴 Today's recommeded menu
IntroductionNote: If you are not aware of the general interpretations of the Korean alphabet, please first read Alphabet beforecontinuing.
This page uses the International Phonetic Alphabet to transcribe pronunciation. All text within square brackets[skwɛər ˈbrækət̩s] uses that system. See the Wikipedia entry on IPA for more information.
The few essential pronunciation rules and exceptions in this lesson will improve your accuracy in speaking andinterpreting Korean.
Plain, aspirated, and tenseIn English, certain pairs of consonants, like p/b, t/d, s/z, and k/g, have a pronunciation that differs mostly in whetherthey are voiced or voiceless. Korean consonants do not have that same distinction, but rather differ according towhether they are "plain", "aspirated", or "tense".
Some consonant jamo are plain, some aspirated, some tense:
Aspirated consonants (ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, and ㅊ) are pronounced with a burst of air that does not accompany their plaincounterparts. To feel or see the difference between aspirated and unaspirated sounds, put a hand or a lit candle infront of your mouth and say "tore" ([tʰɔɹ]) and then "store" ([stɔɹ]). You should either feel a puff of air or see aflicker of the candle flame with "tore" that does not appear with "store". In English, the t should be aspirated in"tore" and unaspirated in "store". In Korean, the aspirated consonants are like the t in "tore", in that you must expel aburst of air to say them correctly.Tense consonants (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, and ㅉ) are said with a harder, stiffer voice than their plain counterparts. Withthese "tense" consonants, the diaphragm, glottis, and tongue are tense. For example, imagine you were to say "duck!"kind of loudly. The hard d sound in "duck!" is like the sound made by the Korean ㄸ.
ㄹ (rieul)Proper pronunciation of the Korean letter ㄹ takes some practice for most English speakers. It is pronounced sort oflike a half r and half l sound. Specifically, it is either an alveolar tap or an alveolar lateral approximant, depending onthe following sound. While difficult at first, mastery is fairly easy.
Initial, Middle, and Final ConsonantsKorean alphabet charts have two tables: initial sounds, and final sounds. The sound of a Korean consonant canchange slightly when it is preceded or followed by another consonant. For example, ㄱ can be pronounced as avoiced sound (the English g) or voiceless (like the English k). To know how to pronounce such letters, it's importantto know the difference between an initial, a medial, and a final consonant.
Initial ConsonantAn initial consonant is any consonant at the beginning of a word. Initial consonants (especially at the beginning ofsentences and phrases) are usually pronounced voiceless. For example the ㅈ in the word 저 ("I") is typicallyvoiceless, especially as first word of a sentence. That makes it sound more like "ch" than "j" to an English speaker.The consonants that follow this rule are ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅈ, and ㅂ. Thus, initial ㄱ sounds more like "k" than "g", initial ㄷsounds more like "t" than "d", initial ㅈ sounds more like "ch" than "j", and initial ㅂ sounds more like "p" than "b":Examples:• 가 ([ka]): initial sound is unvoiced.• 다 ([ta]): initial sound is unvoiced.• 바 ([pa]): initial sound is unvoiced.• 자 ([ʨa], "cha"): initial sound is unvoiced.
Middle ConsonantsConsonants that come in the middle of a sentence can follow some complex sound changes, but the two mostimportant changes are whether the consonant follows another consonant or a vowel. For example, the word 막대기("stick") has a middle consonant-consonant sequence (ㄱㄷ) and a vowel-consonant sequence (ㅐㄱ). In many cases,a middle consonant with a preceding consonant becomes slightly more tensified, meaning a "tighter, stronger"pronunciation. So the ㄷ becomes a slightly harder "d" ([d̬]), but the second ㄱ is pronounced "normally" ([g]). Thesame consonants listed in the section above (ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅈ, and ㅂ) are also mainly the ones that follow this rule.Examples:• 막대기 ([mak̚d̬ɛːgi]): Middle consonant ㄷ follows another consonant, so it is more tense.• 막대기 ([mak̚d̬ɛːgi]): Middle consonant ㄱ follows another vowel, so it has the standard pronunciation.
Final ConsonantsA final consonant is a consonant that either ends a word, or is preceded by another consonant. Examples are found in밥 ([pap̚], "rice") and 식사 ([ɕik̚sa], "meal"). Notice that ㅂ is the final letter in 밥. This causes its pronunciation toshorten to an unreleased stop, like the p in the English word "apt" ([æp̚t]). The ㄱ in 식사 also has a similar change.It's pronounced similar to the c in the English word "act" ([æk̚t]). ㄱ,ㄷ,ㅈ, and ㅂ follow this rule in final position.Other consonants can sometimes follow more complex rules. Some of them will be discussed here, but many arevery complex and will be discussed in the ../Advanced Pronunciation Rules/ section.Examples:• 밥 ([pap̚], bap): Final consonant ㅂ is at the end of the word, so it sounds tensed and abbreviated.• 식사 ([ɕik̚sa]): Final consonant ㄱ is followed by another consonant, so it sounds tensed and abbreviated.
ㅇ (ieung)ㅇ (ieung) is a special letter in Korean, because sometimes it makes a sound and sometimes it doesn't. This isdetermined by whether it is in the initial, middle, or final position.• In initial position, such as in the word 엄마 ([ʌmma], "mother") ㅇ is not pronounced, and the vowel becomes the
initial sound.• In the middle position, there are two possibilities.
• When ㅇ follows a final consonant, that preceding consonant replaces ㅇ. For example, 한국어 (Hangugeo,"Korean language") has an ㅇ following the final consonant ㄱ in 국 . That ㄱ is pronounced as if it replacesthe initial ㅇ of the following syllable, thus the word is pronounced as if it were written "한구거" [hangugʌ].
• However, when ㅇ is not preceded by a consonant, such as in the word 아이 ([ai], "child"), it is silent.• Finally, if ㅇ is in the final position, such as in 강 ([kaŋ], "river") or 영어 ([jʌŋʌ], "English language"), then it is
pronounced [ŋ], similar to the ng in the English word "sing".Examples:• 엄마 ([ʌmma]): ㅇ in initial position is not pronounced.• 한국어 ([hangugʌ]): ㅇ in middle position with preceding consonant is replaced by the consonant (한국어 ->
"한구거").• 아이 ([ai]): ㅇ in middle position with no preceding consonant is silent.• 강 ([kaŋ]): ㅇ in final position is similar to ng sound.
Final-initial pairs ㄴㄹ and ㄹㄹThe final-initial pairs ㄴㄹ and ㄹㄹ each become [ll] (or for some speakers, [ɭl]):Examples:• 몰라 ([molla], low form for "don't know")• 곤란 ([kollan], "troubles, difficulty")• 원래 ([wʌllɛ], "originally")Note that the final-initial pair ㄴㄴ does not follow this rule. Each ㄴ in ㄴㄴ retains its natural sound ([n̚n]).
T-stopsThere are a few consonants that, when are in final position, are pronounced [t̚] (an unreleased t, like in the Englishword "atlas"). These characters are: ㄷ, ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, and ㅌ:• 맛 ([mat̚], "flavor, taste")• 꽃 ([g̬ot̚], "flower")• 끝 ([g̬ɯt̚], "end")• 돋보기 ([tot̚pogi], "magnifying glass")• 맞다 ([mat̚da], "to correct")• 있다 ([it̚da], "to exist")However, if an ㅇ (ieung) follows a t-stop letter, then the normal sound is simply carried over:• 맛이 ([maɕi], as if it were spelled "마시")
ExercisePronounce the following:
Next stepsIf you want to know more about specific pronunciation rules, then you can read more in the ../AdvancedPronunciation Rules/ section. Otherwise, you are ready to start learning Korean vocabulary and grammar!
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Learn Korean (Introduction)Reading and writing — Course • Principles of Orthography • Essential Pronunciation Rules • Advanced Pronunciation Rules
This lesson is incomplete. Help by clicking "edit" or use [[]].
Medials• ㅗㅏ becomes ㅘ• ㅜㅓ becomes ㅝ
FinalsThe sounds of some final consonants (받침, batchim) are different from their sounds as initials.Only seven consonant sounds are found at the end of syllables.In general, obstruents before nasals are assimilated to nasals, while keeping the same place of articulation as before:Notice the pattern: 1) ㄱ, ㅋ becomes ㅇ 2) The 't-stops' ㄷ,ㅅ,ㅆ,ㅈ,ㅊ,ㅌ,ㅎ becomes ㄴ 3) ㅂ, ㅍ becomes ㅁ• ㄱㄴ becomes ㅇㄴ
받침 followed by ㅇ: replace ㅇ with 받침 (use second 받침 if there are two). Otherwise, 받침 followed byconsonant:• ㄱ, ㅋ: like ㄱ• ㄴ: like ㄴ• ㄷ, ㅅ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ, ㅎ: like ㄷ• ㄹ: like /l/• ㅁ: like ㅁ• ㅂ, ㅍ: like ㅂ• ㅇ: like /ng/
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Learn Korean (Introduction)Reading and writing — Course • Principles of Orthography • Essential Pronunciation Rules • Advanced Pronunciation Rules
