Korean vocabulary · 23 words
Korean words for everyday objects: 책, 가방, 핸드폰 and more
Korean nouns have no articles and no plural to worry about: 책 is a book, the book or books. Point at something and name it with 이에요/예요 and you have a sentence: 이거 책이에요, this is a book. The last group has the three pointing words, because Korean splits that into near me, near you and far from both of us.
Examples are written in Hangul. New to it? Start with the hangul chart.
Good to know
- 이거 (this, near me), 그거 (that, near you), 저거 (that over there). With a particle they shrink: 이게 뭐예요? (what is this?)
- Count things with native numbers + 개: 사과 두 개 (two apples).
- 누구 거예요? asks whose it is; 제 거예요 is it's mine.
At school and at home
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 책 | chaek | book | |
| 펜 | pen | pen | |
| 가방 | gabang | bag | |
| 의자 | uija | chair | |
| 문 | mun | door | |
| 핸드폰 | haendeupon | cellphone | |
| 지도 | jido | map | |
| 그림 | geurim | drawing / picture | |
| 사진 | sajin | photo |
Things you wear and carry
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 옷 | ot | clothes | |
| 모자 | moja | hat | |
| 치마 | chima | skirt | |
| 구두 | gudu | dress shoes | |
| 우산 | usan | umbrella | |
| 물건 | mulgeon | thing / item (an object) |
This, that and which
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 이거 | igeo | this (thing) | |
| 그거 | geugeo | that (thing, near you) | |
| 저거 | jeogeo | that (thing, over there) | |
| 이것 | igeot | this (thing) — full form of 이거 | |
| 그것 | geugeot | that (thing) — full form of 그거 | |
| 거 | geo | thing / one (spoken 것) | |
| 어떤 | eotteon | what kind of / which | |
| 다른 | dareun | other / different |
Test yourself
Five of the 23 words on this page, meaning to word. Pick an answer to check it; nothing is saved.
1.Which Korean word means "book"?
2.Which Korean word means "door"?
3.Which Korean word means "clothes"?
4.Which Korean word means "umbrella"?
5.Which Korean word means "this (thing) — full form of 이거"?
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Keep going
- Grammar guide은/는 vs 이/가When to use 은/는 and when to use 이/가 in Korean, how to pick the right form after a consonant or vowel, with course examples and practice questions.
- Word listSino-Korean vs native Korean numbersThe two Korean number systems: Sino-Korean 일, 이, 삼 for minutes, months and money, native 하나, 둘, 셋 for things, people and age, with counters and audio.
- Grammar guideThe object particle 을/를 and Korean word orderHow the Korean object particle 을/를 works, how Korean word order puts the verb last, and why 좋아하다 takes 을/를.
- ChartHangul chartEvery Korean consonant and vowel with romanization, stroke order and example words, how syllable blocks work, and a syllable chart with audio.