QCAA Korean (SEE) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Tense vs aspirated consonants

Tense (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ) are produced with a tight glottis and no aspiration. Aspirated (ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅊ) release a strong puff of air. Plain (ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅈ) sit between them with weak aspiration.

Final consonant neutralisation

Seven representative final sounds exist. ㄱ, ㄲ, ㅋ reduce to [ㄱ]; ㄷ, ㅌ, ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅎ reduce to [ㄷ]; ㅂ, ㅍ reduce to [ㅂ]. The released sound, not the spelling, is what listeners hear.

Nasalisation of finals

When a final ㄱ, ㄷ, or ㅂ meets an initial ㄴ or ㅁ, it becomes the matching nasal: 국물 is heard as [궁물] and 닫는 as [단는]. Listening items rely on this shift.

Liquidisation rule

A final ㄴ followed by initial ㄹ, or a final ㄹ followed by initial ㄴ, both surface as [ㄹㄹ]. Thus 연락 is heard as [열락] and 신라 as [실라].

Native vs Sino-Korean numbers

Native numbers (하나, 둘, 셋) combine with counters and age. Sino-Korean numbers (일, 이, 삼) combine with money, dates, minutes, and phone numbers. The counter in the prompt decides which series applies.

Speech level signals

합니다 and 하십시오 styles mark formal or transactional settings. 해요 marks polite everyday talk. 해 marks intimacy or speaking downward. The chosen level reveals the relationship between speakers.

Discourse markers for answers

그런데 signals a topic shift or contrast, 그래서 a consequence, 사실은 a correction of expectation, and 결국 a final outcome. These markers usually introduce the point an item tests.

Sequencing expressions

먼저 means first, 그다음에 after that, 마지막으로 finally, -기 전에 before, and -(으)ㄴ 후에 after. Ordering questions are resolved by these words rather than by sentence position.

Topic marker 은/는

은 after a consonant and 는 after a vowel mark the topic: known information, a contrast, or the frame of the sentence. It often replaces 이/가 or 을/를 in that slot.

Subject marker 이/가

이 after a consonant and 가 after a vowel mark the subject, typically new or focused information. In reading items it frequently flags the exact element a wh-question asks about.

Particle 에 vs 에서

에 marks destination, time, or a static location of existence with 있다/없다. 에서 marks the place where an action unfolds, or a source of origin. Compare 학교에 가다 with 학교에서 공부하다.

Connective ending -지만

Attached to a verb or adjective stem, -지만 concedes the first clause and asserts the second: 비싸지만 좋아요 means it is expensive but good. It marks contrast, not cause.

Connective ending -아서/어서

This ending expresses cause or temporal sequence. It cannot be followed by an imperative or a proposal ending, so commands and suggestions require -니까 or -기 때문에 instead.

Formal written ending -다

In formal written Korean, declaratives end in -(ㄴ/는)다 rather than -아/어요. A shift into -다 inside a passage often marks reported content or a move to formal narration.

Passive suffix -이/히/리/기

These suffixes make a verb passive, so the subject receives the action: 보이다 is to be seen, 닫히다 to be closed, 열리다 to be opened, 끊기다 to be cut off.

Honorific infix -시-

The infix -시- is inserted before the ending to elevate the subject: 가시다, 읽으시다. Some verbs are suppletive honorifics instead, such as 드시다 for eat and 계시다 for be or stay.

Hanja-derived academic nouns

Nouns such as 경제 (economy), 환경 (environment), 문화 (culture), and 기술 (technology) come from Chinese characters. Their meaning in a passage is fixed by the surrounding particles and predicate.

Register consistency

A piece of writing must hold one speech level throughout. Formal polite uses 합니다/ㅂ니다, informal polite uses 해요, formal written uses 한다, and informal plain uses 해. Mixing them without a quotation is an error.

Reported speech patterns

Statements take -다고 하다, questions -냐고 묻다, commands -(으)라고 하다, and proposals -자고 하다. The quoted verb form changes with the sentence type being reported.

Cause connector -기 때문에

This connector states a reason and works in both speech and writing. Unlike -아서/어서, it may precede an imperative or proposal ending, so it fits instructions that explain why.

Formal cause -(으)므로

Used mainly in written and formal registers, -(으)므로 expresses cause or reason. It is common in announcements, reports, and notices where -아서/어서 would feel too conversational.

Concession -에도 불구하고

This formal written expression means despite or in spite of. It introduces a fact that contradicts the expectation set up by the main clause, similar to -는데도 in speech.

Korean spacing rules

Particles attach to the preceding word, as in 학교에서 and 책을. Auxiliary constructions are generally spaced, as in 먹고 있다 and 할 수 있다. Dependent nouns are also separated.

Formal email structure

A formal Korean email opens with 안녕하십니까, states who is writing and why, gives the body with a clear request, and closes with 감사합니다 or a request for a reply, then name and date.

Honorific agreement check

When the subject is honored, the verb takes -시- and any verb for that subject should be the humble form: 할아버지께서 진지를 드세요. Mixing plain and humble verbs for the same subject is an error.

Address terms -씨 and -님

-씨 follows a personal name, as in 김민수 씨. -님 follows titles and roles, as in 선생님 and 고객님. Titles never combine with -씨, and a superior is not addressed by bare name.

Speaking register default

Formal polite 합니다 style suits presentations, interviews, and first meetings. Informal polite 해요 suits acquaintances. Plain 해 is limited to close friends and subordinates.

Turn-taking fillers

Useful spoken fillers include 저기요 for excuse me, 그런데 for by the way, 잠깐만요 for just a moment, and 다시 말씀해 주시겠어요? for could you say that again.

Polite request patterns

-(으)ㄹ 수 있을까요? asks whether something is possible, -아/어 주시겠어요? asks a favor, -(으)시겠어요? offers a choice, and -는 게 좋겠어요 recommends a course of action.

Liaison in pronunciation

When a word ending in a final consonant is followed by a vowel-initial particle or ending, the consonant moves to the next syllable. 한국어 is therefore pronounced [한구거].

Korean intonation patterns

Neutral statements fall at the end, yes/no questions rise, and wh-questions usually fall. A rising wh-question signals that the speaker is checking or expressing surprise.

Fluency assessment markers

Assessors reward smooth use of connectives such as -고, -서, and -는데, few long mid-sentence pauses, and honorific endings completed without hesitation or self-correction.