HSC Korean Beginners (NSW) key terms

The people you are related to, such as parents, siblings and grandparents. Korean has separate everyday words for older brother, older sister and younger sibling depending on the speaker's gender.

A polite word for mother and father together. The honorific 님 is added when speaking about someone else's parents or your own in a respectful way, not when addressing them directly.

A collective word covering brothers and sisters. In speech Koreans usually name the relationship precisely, for example 형 or 오빠 for an older brother and 누나 or 언니 for an older sister.

A younger sibling of either gender. It can also be used affectionately for a younger friend or colleague, so context tells you whether it means a family member or not.

A friend or peer of roughly the same age. Age matters in Korean social life, so people often ask 나이가 어떻게 되세요 to decide whether to use casual or polite speech.

Someone in a higher year at school, university or workplace than you. The matching word 후배 means a junior. These terms carry expectations of advice and help from the senior.

A house or home. It appears in many everyday expressions such as 집에서 공부해요 (I study at home) and 우리 집 (my house, literally our house), which Koreans commonly use for their own home.

The neighbourhood or local area around where you live. It is used when talking about nearby shops, parks and neighbours, as in 우리 동네에 편의점이 있어요 (there is a convenience store in my neighbourhood).

A small convenience store, usually open very late or all night, selling snacks, drinks and household basics. It is a common setting in listening tasks about daily errands and prices.

A shop or store of any kind. It is a general word, so it appears with specifics such as 빵집 (bakery) or 가게에 가다 (to go to the shop) in shopping dialogues.

A market, especially a traditional one with many small stalls selling food, clothes and household goods. It often appears in texts about weekend outings and bargaining over prices.

A school. It combines with many words, for example 학교에 가다 (to go to school), 학교에서 (at school) and 방학 (school holidays). Listen for the particle to know the direction of movement.

A class or lesson period. It is used in timetables and in questions such as 수업이 몇 시에 시작해요? (what time does class start?). The related word 수업 시간 means class time.

Homework set by a teacher. It commonly appears with 하다 (to do) as 숙제를 하다, and with 내다 (to hand in) as 숙제를 내다, so the verb changes the meaning.

An exam or test. Useful patterns are 시험을 보다 (to sit an exam) and 시험을 잘 보다 (to do well on an exam). Note that 보다, not 하다, is the usual verb.

A long school holiday between terms, such as summer or winter break. It is different from 휴일, which is a single day off, and 휴가, which is leave from work.

A hobby or pastime. The standard question 취미가 뭐예요? (what is your hobby?) is very common in introductory listening and reading passages about free time.

Exercise or sport. It is used both for doing exercise (운동을 하다) and for a sport (무슨 운동을 좋아해요?). Common answers include 축구, 수영 and 농구.

Music. It appears in phrases such as 음악을 듣다 (to listen to music) and 음악을 좋아하다 (to like music), and often in descriptions of weekend or after-school activities.

A song, or the act of singing. The verb is 부르다, so 노래를 부르다 means to sing a song, while 노래를 듣다 means to listen to songs.

Travel or a trip. It is used with 가다 (to go) as 여행을 가다 and with 하다 as 여행을 하다. Listening texts often mention where someone travelled and how they got there.

The weekend, meaning Saturday and Sunday. It is a frequent time marker in passages about plans, for example 주말에 뭐 해요? (what do you do at the weekend?).

An appointment or a promise to meet someone. 약속이 있다 means to have plans, and 약속을 지키다 means to keep an appointment, so the verb shows whether it is a plan or a promise.

Time, or a period of time such as an hour. It is used in telling the time (몇 시), in duration (두 시간) and in questions about when something happens.

A birthday. Koreans often eat 미역국 (seaweed soup) on their birthday. The pattern 생일 축하해요 means happy birthday, and 생일 파티 means a birthday party.

A present or gift. It appears with 주다 (to give) as 선물을 주다 and with 받다 (to receive) as 선물을 받다, which is a useful pair for listening questions about who gave what.

A festival or celebration, either a local community event or a traditional one. Texts may describe what happens, where it is held and what food or performances visitors can enjoy.

A major traditional holiday. In Korea the two biggest are 설날, the lunar new year, and 추석, the autumn harvest festival, when families gather and eat special foods.

The lunar new year, one of Korea's most important holidays. Families visit elders, perform a deep bow called 세배, eat 떡국 soup and give children money, so it is rich material for reading passages.

The autumn harvest festival, held on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. Families gather, visit ancestral graves and eat songpyeon rice cakes, so it often appears in texts about holidays and food.

Fermented spicy vegetables, usually cabbage, served with almost every Korean meal. It is a staple food word that appears in restaurant dialogues, shopping lists and cultural descriptions.

Food in general. It is used in preferences such as 한국 음식을 좋아해요 (I like Korean food) and in questions about what someone wants to eat, so it pairs with many food nouns.

A restaurant. It appears in ordering dialogues with phrases such as 몇 명이세요? (how many people?) and here (여기요) to call a server, both common in listening tasks.

An order, as in ordering food or goods. The verb is 하다, so 주문하시겠어요? means are you ready to order? This is a standard polite pattern in restaurant and shop conversations.

A price or cost. It is used in questions such as 이거 얼마예요? (how much is this?) and in answers with won amounts, and it appears in market and shop dialogues.

A polite way to say thank you, suitable for most situations. The less formal form is 고마워요, and the set reply is 천만에요 or 아니에요, meaning you are welcome or not at all.

The standard greeting meaning hello. It literally asks whether the other person is at peace, and it is used at any time of day. The same phrase, said with a falling tone, also serves as goodbye.

A formal apology meaning I am sorry. The more casual form is 미안해요. Choosing between them depends on who you are speaking to, which is often tested in social situations.