Korean Words for Beginners
Basic Korean words for beginners: 엄마 (mom), 귀엽다 (cute; adorable; sweet), 사랑 (love) and more. Each word with its sound, the letters inside it, stroke order and example sentences.
What are basic Korean words for beginners?
Korean words for beginners are everyday nouns and describing words such as 엄마 (mom), 귀엽다 (cute; adorable; sweet), 사랑 (love), 예쁘다 (pretty; beautiful; comely), 친구 (friend). Every word below has its own lesson with its sound, the letters inside it, stroke order and example sentences.
Korean Words: 6 lessons
Korean WordsBasic Korean vocabulary
6 lessons, most searched first.
Basic Korean words, most searched first
Mom in Korean is 엄마 (eomma), the everyday word children and adults use to call their own mother.
Cute in Korean is 귀엽다 (gwiyeopda); in conversation you say 귀여워요 (gwiyeowoyo) for "it is cute" and 너무 귀여워!
Love in Korean is 사랑 (sarang), the noun for romantic love, family love and care for others.
Pretty in Korean is 예쁘다 (yeppeuda); to say something is pretty you use 예뻐요 (yeppeoyo), and before a noun it becomes 예쁜, as in 예쁜 꽃 (a pretty flower).
Friend in Korean is 친구 (chingu).
Water in Korean is 물 (mul).
Korean words with romanization and meaning
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning | Blocks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 엄마 | eomma | mom | 2 |
| 귀엽다 | gwiyeopda | cute; adorable; sweet | 3 |
| 사랑 | sarang | love | 2 |
| 예쁘다 | yeppeuda | pretty; beautiful; comely | 3 |
| 친구 | chingu | friend | 2 |
| 물 | mul | water | 1 |
Korean words by topic
People
Words for the people around you. Korean chooses the word by closeness and age, so 엄마 and 어머니 or 친구 and 선배 are used with different people.
- 엄마 (eomma) — mom
- 친구 (chingu) — friend
Describing and feeling words
Words for compliments and feelings. Describing words end in 다 in the dictionary and change to an 요 form in speech, such as 예뻐요 and 귀여워요.
- 귀엽다 (gwiyeopda) — cute; adorable; sweet
- 예쁘다 (yeppeuda) — pretty; beautiful; comely
- 사랑 (sarang) — love
Everyday things
Words you use every day at home, in cafés and in restaurants, often together with 주세요 (please).
- 물 (mul) — water
Korean words with their everyday forms
| Word | Type | Everyday form | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 엄마 | noun | 아빠 | 엄마, 배고파요. |
| 귀엽다 | adjective | 귀여워요 | 이 고양이 너무 귀여워요. |
| 사랑 | noun | 사랑하다 | 사랑은 어려워요. |
| 예쁘다 | adjective | 예뻐요 | 옷이 정말 예뻐요. |
| 친구 | noun | 친한 친구 | 이 사람은 제 친구예요. |
| 물 | noun | 찬물 | 물 한 잔 주세요. |
The letters inside each Korean word
| Korean | Blocks | Letters | Strokes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 엄마 | 2 | ㅇㅓㅁ · ㅁㅏ | 11 |
| 귀엽다 | 3 | ㄱㅟ · ㅇㅕㅂ · ㄷㅏ | 16 |
| 사랑 | 2 | ㅅㅏ · ㄹㅏㅇ | 10 |
| 예쁘다 | 3 | ㅇㅖ · ㅃㅡ · ㄷㅏ | 18 |
| 친구 | 2 | ㅊㅣㄴ · ㄱㅜ | 8 |
| 물 | 1 | ㅁㅜㄹ | 8 |
How to use Korean words in a sentence
| Ends in | Subject | Object | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| a vowel | 가 | 를 | 엄마가 와요 · 친구를 만나요 |
| a consonant | 이 | 을 | 물이 차가워요 · 물을 마셔요 |
Korean marks the role of a noun with a particle after it. Look at the last block: 엄마 and 친구 end in a vowel, so they take 가 and 를; 물 and 사랑 end in a consonant, so they take 이 and 을.
Describing words such as 예쁘다 and 귀엽다 are listed with 다 in the dictionary. In speech the 다 is replaced by a polite 요 ending: 예뻐요, 귀여워요. Before a noun they change again: 예쁜 꽃, 귀여운 강아지.
| Word | Korean | English |
|---|---|---|
| 엄마 | 엄마, 배고파요. | Mom, I am hungry. |
| 엄마 | 우리 엄마는 요리를 잘해요. | My mom is a good cook. |
| 귀엽다 | 이 고양이 너무 귀여워요. | This cat is so cute. |
| 귀엽다 | 귀여운 가방을 샀어요. | I bought a cute bag. |
| 사랑 | 사랑은 어려워요. | Love is difficult. |
| 사랑 | 첫사랑을 기억해요? | Do you remember your first love? |
| 예쁘다 | 옷이 정말 예뻐요. | Your clothes are really pretty. |
| 예쁘다 | 예쁜 컵을 샀어요. | I bought a pretty cup. |
| 친구 | 이 사람은 제 친구예요. | This is my friend. |
| 친구 | 친구랑 영화를 봤어요. | I watched a movie with a friend. |
| 물 | 물 한 잔 주세요. | A glass of water, please. |
| 물 | 물이 너무 차가워요. | The water is too cold. |
Some words have a respectful partner used for other people’s family or elders: 엄마 becomes 어머니 in formal speech and 어머님 for a friend’s mother. Learning the pair together saves you from sounding rude.
How to learn Korean words
Read each block from the first consonant to the vowel and the final consonant. If a letter is new, open its own lesson first.
Tap the tile to hear the word, then say it aloud. Notice where a final consonant links into the next block.
Trace each block on the screen with a finger or a mouse, following the numbered strokes, then write it once without the guide.
Read the example sentences and the short conversation on each lesson page and say them out loud.
Start with the Korean alphabet
Korean Words — FAQ
What are basic Korean words for beginners?
엄마 (mom), 귀엽다 (cute; adorable; sweet), 사랑 (love), 예쁘다 (pretty; beautiful; comely). They are everyday words that English speakers search for most.
How do Korean adjectives like 예쁘다 change in speech?
The dictionary form ends in 다. In polite speech it changes to an 요 ending, for example 예쁘다 becomes 예뻐요 and 귀엽다 becomes 귀여워요.
Do I need to learn Hangul before Korean words?
It helps a lot. Each word page splits the word into blocks and letters, and every letter has its own lesson.
How do I know whether a Korean word takes 이 or 가?
Look at the last block. If it ends in a consonant at the bottom, as in 물, use 이 and 을; if it ends in a vowel, as in 엄마 and 친구, use 가 and 를.
Are these Korean word lessons free?
Yes. Every lesson page on KoreanSheets is free to read and use.
How many Korean words are on this page?
6 words so far, ordered by how often people search for them. More are added in the same way.
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