A Guide for Learners of Korean
Korean Characters and Their Pronunciation
The English alphabet is made up of characters—the 26 letters. Likewise, Korean has its own characters, and they’re called 한글 Hangul. Just like the English alphabet, 한글 contains consonants and vowels. But there’s an important difference between their combination principles. In English, letters are grouped together into syllables. Sometimes just one letter can be a syllable, and there are no rules about the location of vowels and consonants within a syllable. In Korean, on the other hand, syllables are never made up of just one character, and strict formulas govern the creation of syllables. They all contain a combination of Consonants and Vowels, and there are just two patterns for this: C1 + V and C1 + V + C2.
1 CONSONANTS
1.1 Basic consonants
ㄱ g, k: ㄱ is Romanized as g at the beginning of a syllable (C 1), k at the end of a syllable (C 2). EX.: 가게 gage = store, 식초 sikcho = vinegar
ㄴ n: EX. 나라 nara = country, 한국 hanguk = Korea
ㄷ d, t: ㄷ is Romanized as d at the beginning of a syllable, t at the end of a syllable. EX. 대학 daehak = college, 숟가락 sutkkarak = spoon
ㄹ r, l: ㄹ is Romanized as r at the beginning of a syllable, l at the end of a syllable. One exception is when ㄹ appears immediately after the final consonant ㄹ. In that case, the Romanization is ll, not lr. EX. 노래 norae = song, 달 dal = the moon; month, 빨래 ppallae = laundry
ㅁ m: EX.: 마음 maeum = heart, mind
ㅂ b, p: ㅂ is Romanized as b at the beginning of a syllable, p at the end of a syllable. EX.: 비누 binu = soap, 집 jip = house
ㅅ s: EX.: 사진 sajin = photo
ㅇ ø/ng: ㅇ has no sound when it comes at the beginning of a syllable, but is close to ng when it’s at the end of a syllable. EX.: 오징어 ojingeo = squid
ㅈ j: EX.: 사자 saja = lion
1.2 Double consonants
These consonants are formed by writing some of the basic consonants twice.
ㄲ kk: EX.: 꼬리 kkori = tail
ㄸ tt: EX.: 딸 ttal = daughter
ㅃ pp: EX.: 빠르다 ppareuda = fast
ㅆ ss: EX.: 쌀 ssal = rice
ㅉ jj: EX.: 찌개 jjigae = stew
1.3 Strong consonants
These consonants are formed by adding a line to or slightly modifying some of the basic consonants.
ㅋ k: EX.: 코 ko = nose
ㅌ t: EX.: 태도 taedo = attitude
ㅍ p: EX.: 포도 podo = grape
ㅎ h: EX.: 해 hae = the Sun; year
ㅊ ch: EX.: 배추 baechu = Chinese cabbage
2 VOWELS
Some of the vowels are written to the right of the consonant, while others are placed below the consonant. The former are called vertical vowels because their shape is like they’re standing up straight. And the latter are called horizontal vowels because they look like they’re lying down.
2.1 Basic vowels
2.1.1 Vertical basic vowels
ㅏ a: similar to the “a” in “want.” EX.: 아이 ai = kid
ㅓ eo: similar to the “o” in “done.” EX.: 어른 eoreun = adult
ㅣ i: similar to the “ee” in “keep.” EX.: 이름 ireum = name
2.1.2 Horizontal basic vowels
ㅗ o: similar to the “o” in “toe.” EX.: 오이 oi = cucumber
ㅜ u: similar to the “u” in “rude.” EX.: 우유 uyu = milk
ㅡ eu: similar to the “u” in “push.” EX.: 드럼 deureom = drum
2.2 Double vowels
These vowels are composed by adding a line to the basic vowels.
2.2.1 Vertical double vowels
ㅑ ya: similar to the “ya” in “yahoo.” EX.: 야구 yagu = baseball
ㅕ yeo: similar to the “yo” in “young.” EX.: 여름 yeoreum = summer
ㅐ ae: similar to the “e” in “pet.” EX.: 그래서 geuraeseo = so, therefore
ㅔ e: similar to the “e” in “pet.” EX.: 케이크 keikeu = cake
ㅒ yae: similar to the “ye” in “yes.” EX.: 얘기 yaegi = story
ㅖ ye: similar to the “ye” in “yes.” EX.: 예 ye = yes
2.2.2 Horizontal double vowels
ㅛ yo: similar to the “yo” in “yodel.” EX.: 교실 gyosil = classroom
ㅠ yu: similar to the “yu” in “yule.” EX.: 유리 yuri = glass
2.2.3 Horizontal + Vertical vowels
These vowels are combinations of a horizontal vowel and a vertical vowel.
ㅘ wa: ㅗ + ㅏ, similar to the “wa” in “want.” EX.: 왕 wang = king
ㅙ wae: ㅗ + ㅐ, similar to the “we” in “wet.” EX.: 왜 wae = why
ㅚ oe: ㅗ + ㅣ, similar to the “we” in “wet.” EX.: 외국 oeguk = foreign country
ㅝ wo: ㅜ + ㅓ, similar to the “wo” in “worry.” EX.: 원 won = won (Korean currency)
ㅞ we: ㅜ + ㅔ, similar to the “we” in “wet.” EX.: 스웨터 seuweteo = sweater
ㅟ wi: ㅜ + ㅣ, similar to the “wee” in “week.” EX.: 위험 wiheom = danger
ㅢ ui: ㅡ + ㅣ, similar to the “u” in “push” plus the “ee” in “keep.” EX.: 의사 uisa = doctor
For further study, refer to chapters 2 and 3 and the demonstration videos in Korean for Beginners: Mastering Conversational Korean by Henry J. Amen IV and Kyubyong Park (Rutland, Vermont: Tuttle Publishing, 2010).
Understanding the Format
1 WORDS INCLUDED
This dictionary includes 5,645 headwords in total (5,107 entries, plus 538 하다 entries). Basically, I applied The List of Vocabulary for Korean Language Learners, a report by The National Institute of Korean Language in 2003. It is considered one of the best research works of Korean vocabulary as a second language. However, some of the words in it don’t seem to reflect authentic frequency exactly. And it lacks a list of endings and particles. Endings are very important components of Korean language, and are essential for English speakers who study Korean to be exposed to, because they are much more numerous and varied than endings in English. Particles represent an element that doesn’t even exist in English, but they have never been explained in Korean dictionaries for foreign learners. The 5,645 main entries included here in the Tuttle Learner’s Korean-English Dictionary are the result of adding some essential words and removing non-essential words from the National Institute List of Vocabulary, resulting in a collection of all the first-priority words learners of Korean should know.
2 HEADWORDS
*mogyok(ada) 목욕(하다) /모굑, 모교카
다/ [沐 wash one’s hair + 浴 bathe] I NOUN = bath
II VERB = bathe
목욕하고 자야겠어요. Mogyokago jayagesseoyo.
I think I should take a bath and get some sleep.
2.1 948 words are marked with an asterisk (*). This signifies high-frequency words.
2.2 Headwords are shown in alphabetical order by Romanization in order to facilitate search.
2.3 In Korean, the verbal/adjectival suffix 하다 forms verbs/adjectives by attaching to other words, usually nouns. In this dictionary, the original word and the 하다 verb/ adjective are shown in the same entry instead of being treated separately. This both saves print space and helps readers understand how the words are related. Their parts of speech and their meanings appear separately.
2.4 For words whose pronunciation is different from their spelling, the pronunciation is indicated in slashes (/ /).
3 WORD FORMATION
3.1 Chinese-origin
*oegugin 외국인 /외구긴/ [外 outside + 國
country + 人 people → people from the outside of
country] NOUN = foreigner
As all languages do, Korean has integrated foreign words to enrich its vocabulary. Due to the strong cultural influence of the Chinese in East Asia, Koreans used to use Hangul in combination with Chinese characters. Nowadays Hangul is sufficient for almost all communication, and Chinese characters are used much less frequently in Korea. But because around two-thirds of all Korean words originate from Chinese, understanding how those words are formed is the key to improving word power.
3.2 Compound
pallida 팔리다 [팔다 sell + 리 passive suffix]
VERB = sell, be sold (SYN. 판매되다)
There are many compound words in Korean. Native Koreans intuitively know how they are composed, but foreign learners do not. This dictionary focuses on identifying the smaller words within compound words that learners might fail to notice.
3.3 English-origin, etc.
*bolpen 볼펜 [from English ball(point) pen] NOUN = ballpoint pen
볼펜 소리 좀 그만 내! Bolpen sori jom geuman nae! Stop clicking the pen!
NOTE: 볼펜 comes from the English word ball-point pen , but the “point” part has been dropped.
When English is imported into Korean, its pronunciation, meaning, and form are often modified. The Notes point out examples of this.
4 MEANING
*arae 아래 NOUN = the lower part (SYN. 밑; ANT. 위1 )
4.1 For each headword, part of speech and English equivalents are given.
4.2 This dictionary covers the following parts of speech:
NOUN: a word used to name a person, animal, place, or thing (EX.: 사람, 동물, 장소, 종이)
NUMERAL: a word that which denotes the quantity or sequence of something (EX.: 하나, 첫째)
PRONOUN: a word that is used in place of a noun (EX.: 나, 우리, 당신)
DEPENDENT NOUN: a noun that cannot be used alone (EX.: 것, 잔)
VERB: a word that denotes an action or occurrence (EX.: 때리다, 일어나다)
ADJECTIVE: a word that describe people, things, or actions (EX.: 예쁘다, 높다, 빠르다). In Korean, adjectives have much in common with verbs: they both conjugate, their basic form ends with – 다, etc. Therefore, adjectives are sometimes introduced as “descriptive verbs.”
ADVERB: a word that modifies other words such as a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or an entire sentence (EX.: 매우, 가끔)
DETERMINER: a word that modifies the noun following it. It cannot be used alone. (EX.: 헌, 새)
PARTICLE: a word that attaches to nouns, adverbs, or other particles and denotes their grammatical function (EX.: 이, 가, 은, 는)
INTERJECTION: a word that expresses strong emotions (EX.: 아, 어머)
AUXILIARY VERB: a verb that is used in conjunction with a main verb/adjective and adds meaning (EX.: 나다, 놓다)
AUXILIARY ADJECTIVE: an adjective that is used in conjunction with a main verb/adjective and adds meaning (EX.: 듯하다, 만하다)
ENDING: a word that attaches to the stem of verbs or adjectives and changes their mood, formality, grammatical functions, etc. (EX.: 을까, 읍시다, 음)
SUFFIX: a word that attaches to the end of another word or word stem to modify its meaning somehow (EX.: 님, 짜리)
INFIX: an affix inserted into the middle of a word (EX.: ㅅ). Technically, there’s no infix in Korean. I have applied the term to explain ㅅ (사이시옷) (see p. 285).
4.3 For some words, synonyms/antonyms are given in parentheses.
5 SAMPLE SENTENCES
제주도는 경치가 아름답기로 유명해요. Jejudoneun gyeongchiga areumdapkkiro yumyeonghaeyo. = Jeju Island is famous for its beautiful scenery.
5.1 Most headwords come with at least one sample sentence, its Romanization, and its English meaning. (Exception: Some words are redirected to other words without indicating sample sentences. These are mostly shortened forms of words.)
5.2 There are 5,633 sample sentences in total.
5.3 This dictionary targets beginner through intermediate learners, so the sample sentences focus on conversational style. However, when the headword is more often used in writing, its sample sentences follow a more formal style.
5.4 The sample sentences are 95% self-explanatory. That is, you can find almost all words used in the sample sentences elsewhere in this dictionary. This method continually reintroduces important words and makes it unnecessary for readers to turn to other dictionaries to find the meanings of words used in the sample sentences. Exceptions to this rule are mostly endings, but their meanings can easily be guessed at through intuition and practice.
6 NOTES AND IDIOMS
NOTE: 아내 is a general Korean word for one’s wife; these days the word 와이프 is also widely used, though. And 마누라 is used to refer to your wife in a casual manner. 부인 is used for someone else’s wife.
IDIOMS
eolguri dukkeoptta 얼굴이 두껍다 = be shameless
나한테 돈을 꾸러 오다니 참 얼굴도 두껍다. Nahante doneul kkureo odani cham eolguldo dukkeoptta. You’re so shameless. How dare you come to borrow money from me?
eolgure ssieo ittta 얼굴에 씌어 있다 = written all over one’s face
거짓말하지 마. 얼굴에 다 씌어 있어. Geojinmalhaji ma. Eolgure da ssieo isseo. = Don’t lie. It’s written all over your face.
6.1 The Notes include auxiliary but essential information such as grammar explanations, differences between words, collocations, and other relevant details.
6.2 There are 628 Notes and Idioms in total.