It’s time to pick up some common vocabulary words. Study time! Let’s get some basics under our belt. Let’s get it started!
The basics:
안녕하세요 – An-nyeong ha-se-yo? – Your basic formal hello – you should already know this after your first or second day here.
잘지내 – Jal-ji-nae? – How are you, or what’s up? A more casual ‘hello’ amongst friends or peers.
감사합니다 – Kam-sa hab-ni-da – Your basic formal thank you – again, you probably know this after your first or second day here.
고맙습니다 – Go-mab seub-ni-da – Another way of saying ‘thank you’ – still formal in nature.
고마워 – Go-ma-wo – A more casual ‘thank you’.
천만에요 cheon-man-e-yo – you’re welcome.
아마도 – a-ma-do – maybe. The classroom (click here for some more Korean in the classroom)
조용히해 – jo-yong-hi-hae – be quiet
한국말 하지 마세요 – han-gook-mal ha-jee-mah-say-yo – don’t speak Korean
시작 – si-jak – start, as in start working
알겠지 – all-get-gee – do you understand? The people
아주마 – A-ju-ma – a married or older woman.
아저씨 – A-jeo-ssi – a married or older man.
아가씨 – A-ga-ssi – a young or unmarried woman.
선생님 – Seon-saeng-nim – teacher
학생 – Hak-saeng – student
회사원 – Hoi-sa-won – salaryman or company worker
꽃미남 – ggoch-mi-nam (pronounced goat-mee-nam)
왕따 – wang-ta – a dork or nerd, a person nobody likes (slang)
The places
방 – bang – by itself, it’s just a room. It’s what you do in the room that will complete the noun.
노래방- no-rae-bang – literally, singing room. Also a place to hear singing, usually badly and by drunk people.
공원 – gong-won – a good old-fashioned park.
모텔 – mo-tel – motel; one of few Korean words transliterated from English that doesn’t sound different whichever language you use.
여관 – yeo-gwan – smaller family-run hotel. Usually cheaper and more basic. (HT to White Rice for catching the vowels)
역 – yeok – by itself, a stop or station. Combine it with the name of a subway station and you’re in business. For example, Seoul Station is 서울역.
시장 – si-jang – a traditional market of some kind, usually open-air and outdoors.
Okay, sinipag si ako hahaha..