The First 150 Korean Nouns Beginners Need to Learn
Need to start filling up your Korean vocabulary bank?
This list contains 150 must-know nouns from the language that’ll serve as a great foundation for the rest of your studies.
While 150 might sound like a lot, you’ll probably notice patterns between words that can make memorization easier.
Plus, there are plenty of words that are just Korean transliterations of English words!
Contents
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People
There are over 50 million people living in Korea today. A big population for a relatively small country, and all the more reason you should learn the nouns associated with folks.
Knowing these nouns will get you by in a lot of social situations that require identification.
남자 (nam-ja) — man
여자 (yuh-ja) — woman
소년 (so-nyun) — boy
소녀 (so-nyuh) — girl
친구 (chin-gu) — friend
아기 (ah-gi) — baby
어린이 (uh-ri-nii) — child
십대 (ship-dae) — teen
어른 (uh-reun) — adult
아줌마 (ah-joom-ma) / 아주머니 (ah-joo-muh-ni) — middle-aged woman
아저씨 (ah-juh-ssi) — middle-aged man
노인 (no-iin) / 어르신 (uh-reu-shin) — elderly person
대선배 (dae-sun-bae) / 선배 (sun-bae) — senior
후배 (hu-bae) — junior
고객 (go-gaek) — customer / client
낯선 사람 (nat-sun sa-ram) — stranger
관계 (gwan-geh) — relationship
Family
Family is a big deal in Korean culture. The close bonds between family members are seen as hallmarks of societal success.
There are a lot of special names and titles for Korean family members, and I’ll be the first to admit that memorizing all of them can be difficult.
The titles can differ depending on which side of the family a person comes from, and whether or not they’re older or younger than you or someone else.
That said, knowing at least these nouns will definitely get you some brownie points with the fam!
가족 (ga-jok) — family
아이들 (ah-ii-deul) — children
아들 (ah-deul) — son
딸 (ddal) — daughter
형제 (hyung-jeh) — brothers
자매 (ja-meh) — sisters
부모 (bu-mo) — parents
어머니 (uh-muh-nii) — mother
아버지 (ah-buh-ji) — father
남편 (nam-pyun) — husband
아내 (ah-nae) — wife
조부모 (jo-bu-mo) — grandparents
사촌 (sa-chon) — cousin
손주 (son-ju) — grandchild
Professions
These are helpful nouns to know if you’re interested in learning about (or joining) the Korean workforce. Korea is a popular hub for international employees, so it’s definitely an option to consider if you’re looking to work abroad.
직업 (jih-geop) — career
일 (il) — work
학생 (hak-seng) — student
선생님 (sun-saeng-nim) — teacher
의사 (ui-sa) — doctor
간호사 (gahn-ho-sa) — nurse
요리사 (yo-rii-sa) — chef
변호사 (byun-ho-sa) — lawyer
과학자 (gwa-hak-ja) — scientist
경찰관 (gyung-chal-gwan) — police officer
운동 선수 (oon-dong sun-soo) — athlete
배우 (bae-woo) — actor
예술가 (yeh-sul-ga) — artist
미용사 (mi-yong-sa) — beautician
기관사 (gi-gwan-sa) — engineer
정비사 (jung-bii-sa) — mechanic
판매원 (pahn-mae-won) — salesperson
Transportation
Trains, buses, cars—oh my!
Cars may remain the most common mode of vehicle-based travel in Korea, but the expansive public transportation system is certainly a thing to behold.
In fact, if you ever travel to the country, I highly recommend you just bask in the convenience, speed and cleanliness of the available public transport modes.
자동차 (ja-dong-cha) — car
버스 (buh-seu) — bus
택시 (taek-shi) — taxi
기차 (gi-cha) — train
배 (bae) — ship / boat
비행기 (bi-haeng-gi) — airplane
자전거 (ja-jeon-guh) — bicycle
오토바이 (oh-toh-ba-ii) — motorcycle
역 (yuk) — train station
버스 정류장 (buh-seu jung-nyu-jang) — bus station
공항 (gong-hahng) — airport
도로 (doh-ro) — road
거리 (guh-rii) — street
승객 (seung-gek) — passenger
운전수 (oon-jun-soo) — driver
티켓 (tee-ket) — ticket
교통 (gyo-tong) — traffic
Places
Sure, you can simply call most things on this list a “building,” but knowing just that noun won’t get you far in navigating a Korean town or city. Actually, you may just be stuck standing in the same spot.
So make sure you know these nouns for common places to visit!
집 (jiip) – house / home
도시 (doh-shi) — city
시골 (shi-gol) — countryside
학교 (hak-gyo) — school
식당 (shik-dang) — restaurant
사무실 (sa-mu-shil) — office
가게 (ga-geh) — store
시장 (shi-jang) — market
쇼핑몰 (sho-piing-mol) — shopping mall
병원 (byung-won) — hospital
약국 (yak-gook) — pharmacy
경찰서 (gyung-chal-suh) — police station
은행 (eun-haeng) — bank
미술관 (mi-sul-gwan) — museum
공원 (gong-won) — park
교회 (gyo-hwae) — church
극장 (geuk-jang) — theater
노래방 (no-rae-bang) — karaoke
호텔 (ho-tel) — hotel
카페 (ka-peh) — café
Media and Technology
Whether it’s the newest K-pop music video or the next household cleaning robot, Korea is very big on trends in both media and technology.
And these trends are quick to get picked up. With a super-fast internet connection and high digital immersion among the population, it’s no wonder that communications can reach the masses so easily.
And that’s a good reason to learn some of the vocabulary related to technology and media.
전자 공학 (jeon-ja gong-hak) — electronics
기술 (gi-sul) — technology
텔레비전 (tel-leh-bii-jeon) — TV
인터넷 (een-tuh-net) — internet
컴퓨터 (kum-pyoo-tuh) — computer
노트북 (no-teu-book) — laptop
전화기 (jun-hwa-gi) — telephone
스마트 폰 (seu-ma-teu pon) — smartphone
메세지 (meh-seh-ji) — message
카메라 (ka-meh-ra) — camera
소식 (so-shiik) — news
음악 (eu-mak) — music
영화 (yung-hwa) — movie
라디오 (ra-dii-oh) — radio
광고 (gwang-go) — commercial
Food
Korean cuisine is continuing to rise in popularity, what with its reputation for being healthy, unique and just plain delicious. If you haven’t tried any Korean food yet, you’re missing out on some fantastic experiences your taste buds will cherish.
And whether you’re going to a Korean restaurant or the local Korean supermarket, you’re going to have to know some basic food vocab to get by.
음식 (eum-shiik) — meal
쌀 (ssal) / 밥 (bahp) — rice
빵 (bbang) — bread
물 (mul) — water
주스 (ju-seu) — juice
술 (sul) — alcohol
김치 (gim-chi) — kimchi
채소 (chae-so) / 야채 (ya-chae) — vegetables
고기 (go-gee) — meat
생선 (saeng-sun) — fish
과일 (gwa-eel) — fruits
반찬 (ban-chan) — side dish
사탕 (sa-tang) — candy, sweets
디저트 (dee-juh-teu) — dessert
아침밥 (ah-chiim-bahp) — breakfast
점심 (jum-shiim) — lunch
저녁 (juh-nyuk) — dinner
간식 (gan-shiik) — snack
Body
It isn’t just a matter of pointing out your head, shoulders, knees and toes. If you’re in Korea, knowing how to say the body parts is vital for many situations, primarily those that are medical in nature. You wouldn’t want the doctor looking into your ears when you have a broken arm!
머리 (muh-rii) — head
얼굴 (eol-gool) — face
눈 (nun) — eye
코 (ko) — nose
입 (iip) — mouth
귀 (gwi) — ear
어깨 (uh-kkae) — shoulder
가슴 (ga-seum) — chest
뒤 (dwii) — back
위 (wii) — stomach
팔 (pahl) — arm
다리 (da-rii) — leg
발 (bahl) — foot
손 (sohn) — hand
Emotions
In Korean and any other language, it’s crucial to know how to communicate your thoughts and feelings. So you should definitely learn the words for some of those everyday sentiments you have.
생각 (saeng-gak) — thought
감정 (gam-jeong) — emotion
사랑 (sa-rang) — love
싫음 (shi-reum) — dislike, disgust
배고픔 (bae-go-peum) — hunger
기쁨 (gi-bbeum) — joy
흥분 (heung-bun) — agitation
재미 (jae-mi) — fun
놀라움 (nol-ra-woom) — surprise
슬픔 (seul-ppeum) — sadness
걱정 (geok-jeong) — worry
실망 (shil-mang) — disappointment
두려움 (du-ryuh-oom) — fear
This is a good first taste of the Korean language, and there’s so much more to look forward to.
Sure, it’s a pretty big list that’ll keep you busy, but you’ll get all these words down in time. Soon enough, you’ll be moving on to learn hundreds more and move into the thousands!
To get you motivated, here’s one more word that’s used wish people good luck: 화이팅 (hwa-ii-ting), which means “fight on!”