Korean(Basic)

Hangul Alphabet System Vowels : "a" "yo" Consonants : "g" or "k" "b" or "p" " g' " or " k' "
Double Vowels ()

"ya" "oo" or "u"

"eo" "yoo" or "yu"

"yeo" "eu"

"o" "i"

"n" "s" " d' "

"d" or "t" " p' "

" r " or " l " " ch " "h"

"m" " ch' "

eir

yeir

ere

yere

wa

where

wo

weo

weou wei
Use of Consonants () and Vowels ()

= ka = kya

= keo = ki

= kyeo = ko

 = pa = pyo = chu = meo = neo = ti = yo = tu

= peo = chi = cho = mo =i = ko =o = too

= pu = cheo = ma = na = ya = tya = to = ku

When constructing a word, you must add a mixture of consonants and vowels, beginning with the consonant at the beginning of the word. In some cases, there is no need to use a consonant at the beginning in which case (null character) is used.

+ + + + + + + + +

+ + + + + + + +

= = = = =

a rum kam kkoong ot eop kkot han guk

= = = =

More on constructing words A syllable that consists of a consonant and a "vertical vowel" is written with the consonant on the left and the vowel on the right += n + a = na A syllable that consists of a consonant and a "horizontal vowel" is written with the consonant on top and the vowel underneath: += m + o = mo

If a syllable has a consonant, vowel, and consonant, the final consonant, called patch'im (meaning "supporting floor" in Korean) goes to the bottom -- or floor -- of that syllable. ++= m + a + n = man More on Grammar
-hamnida and -jiman

In Korean, it is possible to add polite endings to verbs, for example, shillye hamnida (excuse me), which is comprised of the verb stem shille ha-, and the verb ending hamnida (note this is the formal style). There is also the verb and stem, shillye-jiman (I'm sorry but....) which is a abbreviation of the verb and stem shillye ha-jiman , containing the ending -jiman which means but.

Asking a person

In Korean, there is a special verb which may be used in the event where you want to ask someone if they are someone.....for example "Are you Mr Han". We would use -iseyo, and simply add this to the end of a phrase. Han songsaengnim-iseyo? ( Are you Mr Han?) Hangungmal songsaengnim-iseyo? (Are you the Korean Teacher?)

Subjects and topics of Korean sentences

In Korean, we attach -i to the end of nouns which end with consonants, or attach -ga to the end of nouns which end in a vowel. By doing this, it is possible to give emphasis, on subjects in sentences. For example, songsaenim-i ( teacher ) or maekju-ga (beer) give emphasis on each of these subjects in a sentence. For a sentence , "The man kissed the dog", the subject in this case would be The man. On the other hand, when a subject is mentioned for the first time, the subject particle is used, but later on in a conversation, this is switched back to the topic particle. The topic particle, is similar to that of the english "As for", and is best used in order to compare two things.

For example, as for as for mum (ma-nun), she hates it. Asking for things

me

na-nun

),

love

shopping

There Are / There is The Korean verb which means either "there are" and "there is" is issoyo ( ) They are dependent on the context in which you use them, and on what you are talking about. The stem of the verb is iss- with the inclusion of o and the polite particle -yo, thus forming the ending -oyo. However in the case where the verb stem ends in vowel, we use -a or -o, such as -ayo. Vowel stem Consonant stem Consonant Stem - yo - ayo - oyo if the last vowel ends with -a or -o

In context the oppposite of iss- is ops- which literally means "there isnt" or "there arent".

Uses of the verbs chogi issoyo means "it exist over there", or "its over there" Issoyo on its own can mean "I have/he has" Opsoyo means "I dont have" or "I havent got"

In a shop When addressing a shop keeper or waiters, Koreans use ajossi literally meaning uncle, but is used as a general word when addressing someone in a shop. However if it were to be used in a formal way, it is only for the referral of a man, For females the word ajumma meaning aunt is used, for people over 35-ish, and for younger woman agassi is used for young women. In Korean, we use a particle which comes after a noun that it relates to, such as na-do (me-too). In English, it is the opposite, we would say 'with-me', whereas Korean is 'me-with'. Using 'and' In Korean, the word for and is -hago, this is a particle so when it is to be used it must be attached to a noun. For example, when you say 'burger and chips', in Korean it would be 'burger-hago chips. The word hago becomes part of burger.

The particle hago can also mean with such as, Doojin-hago shinae-e kayo meaning 'I am going to town with Doojin'. Ordering with numbers When asking for 'one' item we say 'hana' which is said after you have selected the meal you wish to order. For example we would say, soju hana chuseyo meaning "soju one give me please". The word chuseyo utilises the polite word stem -yo, attached to chu-, which means "give me please"

Using Negative Copula's

Negative Copula

In Korean, when you are trying to say something is not something else, we use the negative copula anieyo. For instance, When saying 'A is not B', we would say :cho-nun songsaengnim-i anieyo ( I am not a teacher ). hanguk hakkwa-ga anieyo ( Not the Korean department ).

Answering questions with Yes and No in Korean

This is a tricky aspect of the Korean language, it is quite different to how we would speak in English. For example: Question in English = "Do you like Korea ?" Answer in English = "Yes I do like it" or "No i dont" Answer in Korean = "No, I do like it" or "Yes i dont" As you can see...it can be confusing at first, so you will need to think carefully.

Where is it?

When asking where something is in Korean, you would say (X-subject) odieyo? However, it is also possible to say (X-subject) odi issoyo? When answering a Where is question, you must always use issoyo as a verb such that:hakkyo-ga kogi issoyo ( the school is over there ).

Using Korean sentences with but....

We have previously seen that shillye hamnida and the equivalent shillye-jiman mean "Excuse me,but" or "I'm Sorry, but...." . There are lots of verbs where you may attach -jiman onto, here are a few of them:ka- ( go ) ka-jiman ( goes, but .......) ha- ( do ) ha-jiman ( does,but......) sa- ( buy ) sa-jiman ( buys,but.....) iss- ( is/are, have ) it-jiman ( has,but....) mashi- ( drink ) mashi-jiman ( drinks,but.....) mok- ( eat ) mok-jiman ( eats, but.......) anj- (sit ) anj-jiman ( sits, but.....) Note that for the word iss-jiman the double ss is re-written to itjiman

Using polite requests

In Korean, the word chom is used to mean "please", however do not mistake it to mean the same as the English word for please for all occurances. For instance, when you use chom in a request immediately before the verb at the end of the sentence, it takes on the effect of please. It is most frequently using in relation to chu- when making requests, for example Han songsaengnim chom pakkwo-juseyo( Can I speak to Mr Han ), or you might use it in Soju chom chuseyo ( Please give me the Soju ). As you can see, chom may be used to soften up requests by making it more polite . Using seyo
Making requests more polite

The polite honorific -seyo can be used to make requests more polite, -seyo is used when the verb stem ends in in a vowel, and -useyo is used when the verb stem ends in a consonant. Examples of these are:mashi- becomes mashiseyo ha- becomes haseyo kidari- becomes kidariseyo iss- becomes issuseyo anj- becomes anjuseyo If you want to request someone to wait for you, you would say kidariseyo (Please wait !!). The use of -seyo means that you have a special respect for the person, for example if you say

hansongsaengnim-i hakkyo-e kaseyo ,you are saying Mr Han is going to school. ( But you are also showing special respect for him ).

What you want to do ?

Koreans use -ko ship'oyo which literally means want to, and this can be added to a verb stem. For example you may say, cho-nun mok-ko ship'oyo which means I want to eat, notice that when it is used, the -ko is utilised by being added to the end of the verb stem.

Making Suggestions

When making suggestions, Koreans use -(u)pshida ( literally means lets do), as you may have guessed, -pshida is attached onto verb stems ending in a vowel, and -upshida is attached to verbstems ending in a consonant. Here are some examples:Umryosu mashipshida ( Lets have a drink )

Family Members Relative Titles - Older Woman - - ajumni (aunt) [Polite] Older Woman - - ajumma (auntie) [Less Polite] Older Man - - ajussi (Uncle) Elderly Woman - - hal muh ni (Grandmother) [Polite] Elderly Man - - hara buh ji (Grandpa) [Less Polite] Father - - ah buh ji Father in law - - shi ah buh ji

Father in law - - jang in uh reun Dad - - appa [Informal] Mum - - umma Mother - - uh muh ni Mother in law - - shi uh muh ni Mother in law - - jang mo nim Siblings - Older Sister - - unni (If the speaker is female) Older Brother - - oppa (If the speaker is female) Older Sister - - nuna (If the speaker is male) Older Brother - - hyung (If the speaker is male) Younger Sibling - - dong saeng (Regardless of speaker's gender)

Korean(Intermediate)
Learning the Days of the Week Yoli (day) Sunday---Ilyoil (Eel-yoh-eel) Monday---Wolyoil (Wole-yoh-eel)

Tuesday---Hwayoil (Wha-yoh-eel) Wednesday---Suyoil (Suu-yoh-eel) Thursday---Mokyoil (Mo-kyoh-eel) Friday---Kumyoil (Kume-yoh-eel) Saturday---Toyoil (Toe-yoh-eel) How to say the Time in Korean When talking about time (minutes, hours) in korean, it is common to use the korean-based numbers. Time, as in "What time is it?" is shi (she). Time in the sense of the hour is shigan (shegahn). In the sense of a period of time, it is kigan (kee-gahn). When used in the sense of occasion (some other time), it is ttae (ttay). Minute is pun (poon) or bun (boon). 1 O'clock---Hanshi (Hahn-she) Han-shi 2 O'clock---Tu-shi (Tuu-she) 3 O'clock---Se-shi (Say-she) 4 O'clock---Ne-shi (Nay-she) 5 O'clock---Tasot-shi (Tah-saht-she) 6 O'clock---Yosot-shi (Yoe-saht-she) 7 O'clock---Ilgop-shi (Eel-gope-she) 8 O'clock---Yodol-shi (Yoe-doel-she) 9 O'clock---Ahop-shi (Ah-hope-she) 10 O'clock---Yol-shi (Yole-she) 11 O'clock---Yolhan-shi (Yahl-hahn-she) 12 O'clock---Yoltu-shi (Yole-tuu-she) A.M.---Ojon (Oh-jahn) P.M.---Ohu (Oh-huu) Night---Pam (Pahm)

Five minutes after four---Ne-shi-obun (Nay-she oh-boon) Fifteen minutes after five---Tasot -shi-shibo-bun (Tah-soet-she she-boe-boon) Six-thirty---Yosot-shi-samship-pun (Yoe-soet-she sahm-ship-poon) Six-forty---Yoso-shi-saship-pun (Yoe-soet she-sah-ship-poon) What time is it?---Myot-shi-imnikka? (Myaht-shi-eem-nee-kkah) It is one o'clock---Han-shi-mnikka (Hahn-she-eem-nee-kkah) It is two thirty---tu-shi-sam-ship-poon-imnida (tu-she-sahm-she-poon-eem-nee-da) It is a quarter to four--- (Tu-shi-sah-ship-pun-imnida) (sah-she sah-ship-poon eem-nee-da) It is seven p.m.---Ohu-ilgop-shi-imnida (Oh-hu eel-gope-she-eem-nee-da) Learning the Months of the Year Months(wol) anuary---Ilwol (Eel-wole) Febuary---Iwol (Ee-wole) March---Samwol (Sahm-wole) April---Sawol (Sah-wole) May---Owol (Oh-wole) June---Yuwol (Yu-wol) July---Ch'ilwol (Cheel-wahl) August---P'alwol (Pahl-wole) September---Kuwol (Kuu-wole) October---Shiwol (She-wahl) November---Shibilwol (She-beel-wahl) December---Shibiwol (She-bee-wahl)

Learning how to Say Korean Dates 1st---I-ril (Ee-reel) 2nd---I-il (Ee-eel) 3rd---Sam-il (Sam-eel) 4th---Sa-il (Sah-eel) 5th---O-il (Oh-eel) 6th---Yuk-il (Yuke-eel) 7th---Chi-ril (Che-reel) 8th---Pa-ril (Pah-reel) 9th---ku-il (kuu-eel) 10th---Ship-il (Sheep-eel) 11th---Ship-i-ril (Sheep-ee-reel) 12th---Ship-i-il (Sheep-ee-reel) 13th---Ship-sam-il (Sheep-sam-eel) 14th---Ship-sa-il (Sheep-sah-eel) 15th---Ship-o-il (Sheep-oh-eel) 16th---Shim-nyuk-il (Sheem-nyuke-eel) 17th---Ship-chi-ril (Sheep-chee-reel) 18th---Ship-pa-ril (Sheep-pah-reel) 19th---Ship-ku-ril (Sheep-kuu-reel) 20th---I-ship-il (Ee-sheep-eel) 21th---I-ship-i-ril (Ee-sheep-ee-reel) 22nd---I-ship-i-il (Ee-sheep-ee-eel)

23rd---I-ship-sam-il (Ee-sheep-sam-eel) 24th---I-ship-sa-il (Ee-sheep-sah-eel) 25th---I-ship-o-il (Ee-sheep-oh-eel) 26th---I-shim-nyuk-il (Ee-sheem-nyuke-eel) 27th---I-ship-chi-ril (Ee-sheep-chee-reel) 28th---I-ship-pa-ril (Ee-sheep-pah-reel) 29th---I-ship-ku-il (Ee-sheep-kuu-eel) 30th---Sam-ship-il (Sam-sheep-eel) 31th---Sam-ship-i (Sam-sheep-ee) Counting Days, Weeks, and Years One day---Ha-ru (Hah-roo) Two days---Iteul (Ee-tule) Three days---Sa-heul (Sah-hule) Four days---Na-heul (Nah-hule) Five days---Tat-sae (Tah-say) Six days---Yeot-sae (Yote-say) Seven days---I-re (Ee-ray) Eight days---Yeo-deu-re (Yo-tu-ray) Nine days---A-heu-re (Ah-hoo-ray) Ten days---Yeo-reul (Yo-rule) Chu-il (Chu-eel)_ _ week One week---Il-chu-il (Eel-choo-eel) Two weeks---I-chu-il (Ee-choo-eel)

Three weeks---Sam-chu-il (Sam-choo-eel) Four weeks---Sa-chu-il (Sah-choo-eel) Five weeks---O-chu-il (Oh-choo-eel) Six weeks---Yuk-chu-il (Yuke-choo-eel) Seven weeks---Chil-chu-il (Cheel-choo-eel) Eight weeks---Pal-chu-il (Pahl-choo-eel) Nine weeks---Ku-chu-il (Koo-choo-eel) Ten weeks---Ship-chu-il (Sheep-choo-eel)

Year is Nyeon One year---Il-nyeon (Eel-nee-yone) Two years---I-nyeon (Ee-nee-yone) Three years---Sam-nyeon (Sahm-nee-yone) Four years---Sa-nyeon (Sah-nee-yone) Five years---O-nyeon (Oh-nee-yone) Six years---Yuk-nyeon (Yuke-nee-yone) Seven years---Chil-nyeon (Cheel-nee-yone) Eight years---Pal-nyeon (Pahl-nee-yone) Nine years---Ku-nyeon (Koo-nee-yone) Ten years---Ship-il-nyeon (Sheep-Eel-nee-yone) Time Phrases Today---O-neul (Oh-nule) Yesterday---Eo-je (Oh-jay)

The day before yesterday---Keu-jeo-kke (Koo-cho-kay) Tomorrow---Nae-il (Nay-eel) The day after tomorrow---Mo-re (Moh-ray) Two days after tomorrow---Keul-pi (Kule-pee) This week---I-beon-ju (Ee-bone-chu) Last week---Chi-nan-ju (Chee-nan-chu) Next week---Ta-eum-ju (Tah-reum-chu) For one week---Il-ju-il-gan (Eel-chu-eel-gan) For two weeks---I-ju-il-gan (Ee-chu-eel-gan) For one day---Ha-ru (Hah-roo) For two days---It-teul-gan (Eet-tule-gan) Three days ago---Sam-il-cheon (Sam-eel-chone) Four months ago---Sa-gae-weol-cheon (Sah-gay-wole-chone) Five years ago---O-nyeon-cheon (Oh-neeyone-chone) This year---Keum-nyeon (Kume-neeyone) Last year---Chang-nyeon (Chang-neeyone) Next year---Nae-nyeon (Nay-neeyone) At night---Pam-e (Pahm-may) In summer---Yeo-reum-e (Yoh-rume-eh) In winter---Kyeo-u-re (Keeyo-oo-ray) By Tuesday---Hwa-yo-il-ka-ji (Hwah-yo-eel-kah-chee) By June---Yu-weol-il-ka-ji (Yoo-wole-eel-kah-chee) By Morning---A-chim-ka-ji (Ah-cheem-kah-chee)

What's todays date?---O-neu-reun-myeo-chil-i-e-yo? (Oh-nule-rune-mee-yo-cheel-ee-eh-yo) It is ____.---____-i-e-yo. (___ee-eh-yo) This morning---O-neul a-chim (Oh-nule Ah-cheem) This afternoon---O-neul o-hu (Oh-nule Oh-hoo) This evening---O-neul cheon-nyeok (Oh-nule chone-neeyoke) Tonight---O-neul-pam (Oh-nule-bahm) Tomorrow night---Nae-il-pam (Nay-eel-bahm) For six years---Yung-nyeon-gan (Yung-neeyone-gahn) For seven months---Chil-gae-weol-gan (Cheel-gay-wole-gahn) In the morning---A-chim-e (Ah-cheem-may) In the afternoon---O-hu-e (Oh-hoo-eh) In the evening---Cheo-nyeok-e (Cho-neeyoke-eh) Learning and Saying the Human Body Parts in Korean Head---Mori (Moh-ree) Hair---Morigarak (Moh-ree-kah-rak) Eyes---Nun (Noon) Eyebrow---Nunseop (Noon-sope) Eyeball---Nundongja (Noon-dong-jah) Eyelid---Nunkeopul (Noon-kope-pool) Nose---Ko (Koh) Face---Ogeul (Oh-gule) Cheek---Bol (Bol) Moustache---Kosumyeom (Koh-sume-yome)

Beard---Suyeom (Suu-yome) Tounge---Hyeo (Heeyo) Lips---Ipsul (Eep-sule) Teeth---I (Ee) Chin---Teok (Toke) Forehead---Ima (Ee-mah) Mouth---Ip (Eep) Ear---Gwi (Gwee) Neck---Mok (Mohk) Arm---Pal (Pal) Fist---Jumok (Jew-mok) Elbow---Palkumchi (Pal-kume-chee) Hand---Son (Son) Palm---Sonbadak (Son-bah-dak) Wrist---Sonmok (Son-mok) Finger---Songarak (Son-kah-rak) Thumb---Omji (Ome-chee) Fingernail---Sontop (Son-top) Leg---Dari (Dah-ree) Foot---Bal (Bal) Toe---Balgarak (Bal-kah-rak) Toenail---Baltop (Bal-top) Ankle---Balmok (Bal-mok)

Waist---Heori (Ho-ree) Shoulder---Eokkae (Oke-kay) Stomach---Bae (Bay) Navel---Baekkop (Bay-kop) Back---Deung (Tung) Butt---Ondongi (Awn-dung-ee) Body---Mom (Mum) Chest---Gaseum (Kah-sume) Learning and Saying All the Basic Food Groups in Korean

Korean Meat Words

Meat (General)---Gogi (Koh-gee) Beef---So-gogi (Soh-koh-gee) Lamb---Yang-gogi (Yang-koh-gee) Pork---Dweji-gogi (Dweh-jee-koh-gee) Dog---Ke-gogi (Kek-koh-gee) Chicken---Tak-gogi (Tak-koh-gee) Duck---Ori-gogi (Oh-ree-koh-gee) Fish (General)---Seng-son (Seng-son) Seafood (General)---Hesan-mul (Hay-san-mool) Shrimp---Se-u (Say-oo) Squid---O-jeng-o (Oh-jeng-oh) Eel---Chang-o (Chang-oh) Eggs---Ke-ran (Kay-ran)

Fruit

Fruit (General)---Kwa-il (Kwah-eel) Apple---Sa-gwa (Sah-kwah) Mandarin---Kyool (Kee-yole) Banana---Panana (Pah-nahn-nah) Melon---Cham-we (Cham-weh) Pear---Pe (Bay)

Peach---Pok-soong-a (Pohk-soong-ah) Strawberies---Dal-gi (Tal-gee) Persimmon---Kam (Kahm) Dried Persimmon---Kot-kam (Kot-kam) Watermellon---Soo-bok (Suu-bohk) Chestnut---Pam (Pahm) Cherries---Che-ri (Chay-ree) Grapes---Po-do (Poh-doh) Grapefruit---Cha-mong (Chah-mong)