Korean Basic Phrases: Your First 50 Words

Ask a Korean person their age within five minutes of meeting them, and they won't be offended — they'll be relieved. Age determines which words you use, how you conjugate your verbs, and how deep you bow. It shapes the entire conversation.

Hangul: Learn to Read in an Afternoon

Hangul (한글) was deliberately designed to be easy to learn. Consonant shapes mimic your mouth position when making the sound. Letters combine into syllable blocks. Most people can read Hangul in 2–4 hours.

Consonants		Vowels
ㄱ = g/k	ㅁ = m	ㅏ = a	ㅗ = o
ㄴ = n	ㅂ = b/p	ㅓ = eo	ㅜ = u
ㄷ = d/t	ㅅ = s	ㅡ = eu	ㅣ = i
ㄹ = r/l	ㅇ = silent/ng	ㅐ = ae	ㅔ = e

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ = 한 (han). ㄱ + ㅜ + ㄱ = 국 (guk). Together: 한국 (Hanguk) = Korea.

Polite vs. Casual: Don't Skip This

존댓말 (jondaenmal) = polite speech. 반말 (banmal) = casual speech. Using banmal with someone older or someone you just met is a serious social error.

The practical difference: polite phrases end in -yo (요) or -mnida (습니다). Drop those endings and you're speaking banmal. As a foreigner, always use polite forms.

Greetings (1–8)

#	Korean	Romanization	Meaning
1	안녕하세요	annyeonghaseyo	Hello
2	안녕히 가세요	annyeonghi gaseyo	Goodbye (to someone leaving)
3	안녕히 계세요	annyeonghi gyeseyo	Goodbye (to someone staying)
4	감사합니다	gamsahamnida	Thank you (formal)
5	죄송합니다	joesonghamnida	I'm sorry (formal)
6	네	ne	Yes
7	아니요	aniyo	No
8	만나서 반갑습니다	mannaseo bangapseumnida	Nice to meet you

Two different goodbyes — Korean distinguishes between the person leaving (gaseyo, "go" verb) and the person staying (gyeseyo, "stay" verb).

Food & Dining (9–20)

#	Korean	Romanization	Meaning
9	잘 먹겠습니다	jal meokgesseumnida	I will eat well (before eating)
10	잘 먹었습니다	jal meogeosseumnida	I ate well (after eating)
11	맛있어요	masisseoyo	It's delicious
12	물 주세요	mul juseyo	Water, please
13	메뉴 주세요	menyu juseyo	Menu, please
14	이거 주세요	igeo juseyo	This one, please
15	얼마예요?	eolmayeyo?	How much?
16	계산해 주세요	gyesanhae juseyo	Check, please
17	반찬	banchan	Side dishes (refillable for free)
18	소주	soju	Korean rice liquor
19	치맥	chimaek	Fried chicken + beer (a cultural institution)
20	맵지 않게 해주세요	maepji anke haejuseyo	Not spicy, please

여기요 (yeogiyo, "over here!") is how you call a server. It's called out loudly. This isn't rude in Korea — it's expected.

Getting Around (21–28)

#	Korean	Romanization	Meaning
21	어디예요?	eodiyeyo?	Where is it?
22	화장실 어디예요?	hwajangsil eodiyeyo?	Where's the restroom?
23	지하철역	jihacheol-yeok	Subway station
24	오른쪽 / 왼쪽	oreunjjok / oenjjok	Right / Left
25	직진	jikjin	Straight ahead
26	도와주세요	dowajuseyo	Please help me
27	택시	taeksi	Taxi
28	여기요	yeogiyo	Over here! (to get attention)

Useful Expressions (29–38)

#	Korean	Romanization	Meaning
29	괜찮아요	gwaenchanayo	It's okay / I'm fine
30	주세요	juseyo	Please give me
31	잠깐만요	jamkkanmanyo	Just a moment
32	모르겠어요	moreugesseoyo	I don't know
33	한국어 못해요	hangugeo mothaeyo	I can't speak Korean
34	천천히 말해 주세요	cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo	Please speak slowly
35	영어 할 수 있어요?	yeongeo hal su isseoyo?	Can you speak English?
36	사랑해요	saranghaeyo	I love you
37	이름이 뭐예요?	ireumi mwoyeyo?	What's your name?
38	저는 [name]이에요	jeoneun [name]-ieyo	I'm [name]

K-Culture Words You Already Know (39–50)

#	Korean	Romanization	Meaning
39	대박	daebak	Amazing / Jackpot
40	화이팅	hwaiting	You can do it! (from English "fighting")
41	아이고	aigo	Oh my / Oh dear
42	진짜	jinjja	Really? / Seriously
43	헐	heol	OMG / Whoa
44	오빠	oppa	Older brother (from a woman) / close older male
45	눈치	nunchi	Social awareness / reading the room
46	언니	eonni	Older sister (from a woman)
47	형	hyeong	Older brother (from a man)
48	누나	nuna	Older sister (from a man)
49	맞아	maja	That's right
50	파이팅	paiting	Fighting! (alternate spelling)

눈치 (nunchi) — "eye measure." The ability to read a room and respond to unspoken expectations. Considered a form of intelligence in Korean culture, as important as book smarts.

Build Your Vocabulary

These 50 words are your entry point. Belugaro helps you build on them by weaving Korean vocabulary into your everyday web browsing — so you encounter words naturally, the way your brain is designed to learn them.