Say Words in Korean
Speaking a few handy phrases in Korean just might save your life and will most certainly make vacationing or living in South Korea a lot easier. It also helps with speaking to your Korean friends. In this wikiHow, we list a few common expressions in Korean to get you started. Remember, the following romanizations are written as they sound.
Steps
- Pronunciation:
- Eh = pronounced like e in let
- Ee/i = like teeth
- Eu = pronounced like saying ooh, but with clenched teeth
- R = r's sound like r's at the beginning of a syllable, but sound like an 'l' at the end of the syllable
- Oo = like tooth
- Uh/u = as is, like u in gut
- NOTE that any instance of w's are pronounced like a quick oo and the following vowel.For Example: gwen would not be pronounced like Gwen Stefani, but goo-en with the syllables having relatively no space between. Try this and see if you can hear the difference.
- Basic Vocabulary
- Yes = yeh/neh 예/네
- No = ah-nee-yo 아니요
- Any = a-mu-gguh-na 아무거나
- Cooked Rice (or meal) = bap 밥
- Give me some food please = bap jjom joo-seh-yo 밥 좀 주세요
- Water = mool 물
- Mom = Umma 엄마
- Dad = Appa 아빠
- Older Sister/Close Older Female (for a girl) = Unni 언니
- Older Sister/Close Older Female (for a boy) = Noona 누나
- Older Brother/Close Older Male (for a girl) = Oppa 오빠
- Baby/ Sweety = Ja-gi-ya
- Older Brother/Close Older Male (for a boy) = Hyung 형
- Grandma/old lady = hal-muh-nee 할머니
- Grandpa/old man = ha-ra-buh-jee 할아버지
- Aunt/Close, Much Older Female (mom's side) = ee-mo 이모
- Uncle (mom's side) = ee-mo-boo 이모부
- Uncle/Close, Much Older Male (both sides) = sam-chon 삼촌
- Aunt (dad's side) = go-mo 고모
- Uncle (dad's side) = go-mo-bo 고모부
- Taxi = tek-shi 택시
- School = hak-gyo 학교
- Friend = Ching-gu 친구
- Stupid / Fool = Babo 바보
- Fantastic/Great = Deh-bak
- Conversational Phrases
- My name is angelica= jeh ir-eu-meun Angelica ee-eh-yo
- The food was delicious (I ate well) = jal-mug-ut-seum-ni-da 잘먹었습니다
- I like you (I like it) = joh wah heh yo 좋아해요
- I love you (formal) = naneun dang-shin-eul saranghamnida 나는 당신을 사랑합니다
- I love you (informal) = saranghaeyo 사랑해요
- Turn around = dee-ro-do-ra 뒤로돌아
- Hi or Bye (informal) = an-nyeong 안녕 (add Haseyo for formal)
- Thank you = gam-sa-ham-ni-da (thank you very much) / go-map-seum-ni-da (thanks) 감사합니다, 고맙습니다
- I'm hungry = beh-go-pah-yo (use yo when talking to adults) 배고파요
- Where is the restroom? = hwa-jang-shil-eun-uh-dee-eh-eet-suh-yo? 화장실은 어디에 있어요?
- Are you OK? = gwen-chan-ah-yo? 괜찮아요?
- How much does it cost? = uhl-mah-eh-yo 얼마에요?
- Animal Vocabulary
- Puppy = gang-ah-jee 강아지
- Tiger = ho-rang-ee 호랑이
- Cow = soh 소
- Cat = goh-yang-ee 고양이
- Rabbit = tohk-gi 토끼
- Elephant = ko-gee-ree 코끼리
- Monkey = wong-soong-ee 원숭이
- Dog = gae 개
- Hobby Vocabulary
- Hobby = chwimi 취미
- Weekend = joo-mal 주말
- Did you have a nice weekend? = joomal jal bon-eh-syeo-ssuh-yo? 주말 잘 보내셨어?
- With a friend = chin-goo-rang 친구랑(친구와)
- Mountain = san 산
- Bukhan mountain = bukhansan 북한산
- Hiking = deungsan 등산
- To hike = deungsan-hada 등산하다
- to like / to enjoy = jo-ah-hada 좋아하다
- Other Basic Vocabulary
- Very = aju 아주
- Almost = guh-ee 거의
- The most = gajang 가장
- The best = je-il 제일
- Especially = teukhi 특히
- Fall / autumn = ga-eul 가을
- Maple = danpoong 단풍
- To be beautiful = ar-eum-dap-da 아름답다
- This weekend = ee-bun joomal 이번 주말
- Wife = ann-eh 아내
- Movie = yeong-hwa 영화
- To see a movie = yeong-hwa(reul) boda 영화(를) 보다
- To be fun = jeh-mee ee-tta 재미있다
- Often = ja-joo 자주
- Watching movies = yeong-hwa gamsang 영화감상
- Pretty / beautiful = yeh-ppeu-dah 예쁜
- Hurt = ap-peu-da 아프다
Tips
- Take time to read and pronounce Korean words to help speed up your progress.
- Speaking a new language is almost as much about accent and pronunciation as it is about memorization.
- Watch Korean movies/dramas and pay attention to the pronunciation.
- Take an afternoon and learn to read the Korean alphabet, as that will really help your pronunciation and speed up your progress.
- Listen to Korean songs.
- Korean is a very respiratory language, and much of the difficulty in grasping the accent lies here.
- Try watching free videos online that offer help with the basics (take notes). Then try watching a Korean drama without the subtitles to see if you recognize subjects, words, or phrases that you have learned. Patience is the key!
- Learning from a Korean friend may speed up and personalize the process.
- Korean pronunciation sounds are often more solid and firm than English.
- When speaking Korean your mouth should not open widely like when speaking English. Try mumbling the words.
- Find a Korean speaker to help you practice.
- For more help with pronunciation, look up the words on Google Translate and click the megaphone in the Korean box.
