Korean Korean Vocabulary Building Syllabus

Korean Vocabulary Building syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Korean Vocabulary Building in Korean, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Everyday Vocabulary

   3 topics

   • Greetings and Farewells
   • Numbers and Counting
   • Days and Time
2. 2

   Thematic Vocabulary

   3 topics

   • Family and Relationships
   • Food and Dining
   • Travel and Directions

Korean Vocabulary Building flashcards for Korean

23 of 50 cards from the Korean Vocabulary Building deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. How do you say the standard formal greeting "Hello" in Korean, and what does it literally imply?

   안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo). It literally asks "Are you at peace/well?" and is the polite standard greeting used at any time of day.

2. What is the casual/informal way to say "Hi" to a close friend or younger person in Korean?

   안녕 (annyeong). It works for both "hi" and "bye" in casual speech.

3. How do you say "Goodbye" in Korean when YOU are leaving and the other person is staying?

   안녕히 계세요 (annyeonghi gyeseyo) — literally "stay in peace," said to the person remaining.

4. How do you say "Goodbye" in Korean when the OTHER person is leaving and you are staying?

   안녕히 가세요 (annyeonghi gaseyo) — literally "go in peace," said to the person departing.

5. What is the polite Korean expression for "Thank you" (verb 감사하다)?

   감사합니다 (gamsahamnida). A slightly softer alternative is 고맙습니다 (gomapseumnida).

6. How do you say "I'm sorry" / "Excuse me (apology)" politely in Korean?

   죄송합니다 (joesonghamnida). A more casual form is 미안해요 (mianhaeyo).

7. What phrase do you use to say "Nice to meet you" in Korean?

   만나서 반갑습니다 (mannaseo bangapseumnida) — "I'm glad to meet you."

8. How do you politely ask "How are you?" or "How have you been?" in Korean?

   잘 지내세요? (jal jinaeseyo?) — "Are you getting along well?"

9. What are the two Korean number systems and what is each used for?

   Native Korean numbers (하나, 둘, 셋…) are used for counting objects, people, age, and hours. Sino-Korean numbers (일, 이, 삼…) are used for dates, money, phone numbers, minutes, and large numbers.

10. List the native Korean numbers 1 through 5.

    하나 (1), 둘 (2), 셋 (3), 넷 (4), 다섯 (5).

11. List the Sino-Korean numbers 1 through 5.

    일 (1), 이 (2), 삼 (3), 사 (4), 오 (5).

12. How do you say the numbers 6 through 10 in native Korean?

    여섯 (6), 일곱 (7), 여덟 (8), 아홉 (9), 열 (10).

13. In Sino-Korean, how are large place values named, and how do you say 100 and 1000?

    백 (baek) = 100 and 천 (cheon) = 1000. 만 (man) = 10,000, which becomes the base unit for grouping large numbers in Korean.

14. Which number system is used with counters like 개 (things) and 명 (people), and give an example for "three people."

    Native Korean numbers are used with most counters. "Three people" = 세 명 (se myeong), where 셋 shortens to 세 before a counter.

15. How do you tell time in Korean regarding hours vs. minutes?

    Hours use native Korean numbers + 시 (si), and minutes use Sino-Korean numbers + 분 (bun). Example: 3:30 = 세 시 삼십 분 (se si samsip bun).

16. List the seven days of the week in Korean, Monday through Sunday.

    월요일 (Mon), 화요일 (Tue), 수요일 (Wed), 목요일 (Thu), 금요일 (Fri), 토요일 (Sat), 일요일 (Sun). The 요일 part means "day of the week."

17. What Korean words mean "yesterday," "today," and "tomorrow"?

    어제 (eoje) = yesterday, 오늘 (oneul) = today, 내일 (naeil) = tomorrow.

18. How do you say "morning," "afternoon/daytime," and "evening" in Korean?

    아침 (achim) = morning, 낮/오후 (nat/ohu) = daytime/afternoon, 저녁 (jeonyeok) = evening.

19. What are the Korean words for "now" and "o'clock/hour" marker?

    지금 (jigeum) = now; 시 (si) is the counter attached to the hour, as in 다섯 시 (5 o'clock).

20. How do you ask "What time is it now?" in Korean?

    지금 몇 시예요? (jigeum myeot si-yeyo?)

21. What are the Korean words for the four seasons?

    봄 (bom) = spring, 여름 (yeoreum) = summer, 가을 (gaeul) = autumn, 겨울 (gyeoul) = winter.

22. How do you say "mother" and "father" in polite/standard Korean?

    어머니 (eomeoni) = mother and 아버지 (abeoji) = father. The casual forms are 엄마 (mom) and 아빠 (dad).

23. What are the Korean words for "older brother" as spoken by a male vs. a female?

    A male says 형 (hyeong); a female says 오빠 (oppa) to refer to an older brother.

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