KLAT key terms

The polite speech style used toward elders, superiors, or strangers in Korean, formed mainly with the honorific suffix -시- and formal or polite endings such as -습니다 and -요. Choosing it correctly is tested in listening and speaking tasks.

The casual, non-honorific speech style used with close friends, younger people, or children. It uses plain endings such as -아/어 and -지 without the honorific suffix, and switching into it inappropriately is a common speaking error.

Honorific expressions that raise the status of the person being talked about, chiefly the subject honorific -시- and special vocabulary like 드시다, 계시다, and 연세. Questions test whether the honorific is applied to the right person.

Subject honorification, where the honored person is the subject of the sentence. It is marked by -시- on the verb and by honorific substitutes for ordinary words, as in 아버지께서 진지를 드신다.

Object honorification, where the honored person is the object or recipient of an action. It uses the particle 께/께서 and verbs such as 드리다, 모시다, and 뵙다, as in 선생님께 여쭤봤어요.

Special honorific and humble vocabulary that replaces ordinary verbs and nouns, such as 드시다 for 먹다, 계시다 for 있다, and 댁 for 집. Recognizing these pairs is essential for both grammar items and listening comprehension.

A grammatical particle attached after a noun or noun phrase to mark its role, such as 이/가 for subject, 을/를 for object, 에/에서 for place, and 은/는 for topic. Particle choice is a frequent test point.

The contrast between the topic marker 은/는 and the subject marker 이/가. 은/는 signals known or contrasted information while 이/가 introduces new or focused information, and questions often ask which fits the context.

A verb ending that joins one clause to another, such as -고, -아서/어서, -지만, -는데, and -면. Each carries a specific meaning like sequence, cause, contrast, background, or condition, and choosing the wrong one changes the logic.

A sentence-final ending that determines the speech style and function of an utterance, such as -습니다, -어요, -다, -냐, and -자. It controls politeness level and sentence type, both heavily tested in grammar and speaking.

An ending that turns a clause into a different grammatical category, such as -기 and -음 for nouns, -는/-은 for adnominal modifiers, and -게 for adverbs. These endings let one sentence embed another.

The adnominal form of a verb or adjective that modifies a following noun, using -는, -(으)ㄴ, or -(으)ㄹ depending on tense and aspect, as in 어제 본 영화 or 내일 갈 곳. Tense selection here is a regular test item.

Grammatical tense, covering past, present, and future in Korean. Past is marked by -았/었-, present is unmarked or -는-, and future or supposition by -겠- or -(으)ㄹ 것이다, often combined with aspect.

Grammatical aspect, especially the distinction between an ongoing action with -고 있다 and a completed state with -아/어 있다, as in 앉고 있다 versus 앉아 있다. Aspect errors are common in writing and speaking evaluation.

The passive voice, formed with suffixes such as -이-, -히-, -리-, -기- or with -아/어지다, as in 문이 열렸다 or 길이 넓어졌다. Test items check whether a passive or active form fits the meaning.

The causative, expressing that someone makes or lets another do something, formed with suffixes like -이-, -히-, -리-, -기-, -우- or with -게 하다, as in 아이를 웃겼다. Distinguishing causative from passive pairs is a standard grammar point.

Voice in grammar, covering active, passive, and causative constructions. Identifying the voice of a sentence helps resolve who performs the action and who receives it, which affects both comprehension and accurate production.

Sentence types by function: declarative, interrogative, imperative, and propositive. Each has its own ending set, such as -습니다 versus -ㅂ니까 versus -(으)십시오 versus -(으)ㅂ시다, and mixing them up is a frequent error.

Reported speech, where another person's words are restated with a quoting ending such as -다고 하다, -냐고 하다, -자고 하다, or -라고 하다. The original sentence type and tense must be adjusted correctly.

A traditional Korean proverb expressing folk wisdom, such as 발 없는 말이 천 리 간다. Reading and listening sections sometimes test the figurative meaning of a proverb rather than its literal wording.

An idiomatic expression whose meaning cannot be derived from its parts, such as 발이 넓다 for having wide connections or 눈이 높다 for having high standards. Recognizing these is key to advanced reading and listening.

The surrounding linguistic context that determines the meaning of a word or the correct grammatical choice. Many items cannot be answered from the blank sentence alone, so candidates must read the sentences before and after.

Inferring information that is not stated directly, such as a speaker's intention, the reason for an action, or what will happen next. Inference questions appear in both listening and reading and require combining several clues.

The main idea or central message of a passage. Questions often ask for it in one sentence, and the answer must cover the whole text rather than a single supporting detail.

The topic a passage or conversation is about, usually expressed as a short noun phrase rather than a full sentence. Topic questions are common in both reading and listening sections and require summarizing the content.

The purpose of a piece of writing or a spoken utterance, such as applying, complaining, advertising, or informing. Purpose questions ask why the text was produced and are usually answered with a short phrase.

The immediate topic of a short conversation, often what the speakers are currently discussing. It differs from the purpose in that it names the subject matter rather than the reason for speaking.

Specific details such as times, prices, names, and places stated in a text or dialogue. Detail questions require locating exact information, and numbers are often deliberately similar to create distractors.

The skill of catching numbers in speech, including prices, dates, phone numbers, and quantities. Korean numbers shift between native and Sino-Korean systems, and connected sound changes can blur boundaries between digits.

Liaison, the sound rule where a final consonant moves to the start of the following syllable when that syllable begins with a vowel, as in 밥을 pronounced 바블. Failing to apply it makes listening harder and speech sound unnatural.

Pronunciation rules that change sounds in connected speech, including liaison, nasalization, and tensification, as in 국물 pronounced 궁물. These rules explain why written and spoken forms differ and are tested in listening.

The rising and falling pitch pattern of an utterance. In Korean it signals sentence type and attitude, so a statement can become a question or sound irritated depending on intonation, which listening items exploit.

The manner of speaking conveyed by endings and tone, revealing the speaker's attitude or relationship to the listener, such as annoyance, politeness, or casualness. Identifying it is a common listening task.

Outlining before writing, arranging main points and supporting details in a logical order. The writing section rewards clear structure, so a short plan with an introduction, body, and conclusion improves coherence scores.

The organization of a paragraph around one topic sentence with supporting sentences and a closing or linking sentence. Coherent paragraphing is a stated criterion in writing evaluation and affects readability.

Discourse markers that organize speech and writing, such as 첫째, 그러나, 따라서, and 결국. Using them appropriately signals logical relations between ideas and is credited in both writing and speaking assessment.

The range and variety of vocabulary used in a piece of writing or speech. Raters reward precise and varied word choice, while repeated use of the same basic verbs like 하다 and 좋다 lowers the impression of proficiency.

Words with similar meanings, such as 보다 and 관찰하다 or 좋다 and 훌륭하다. Choosing among them by nuance and register is tested in vocabulary items and improves writing and speaking quality.

Words with opposite meanings, such as 높다 and 낮다 or 늘다 and 줄다. Vocabulary items often require selecting the antonym that fits the sentence, and knowing pairs helps infer unfamiliar words.

Prefixes and suffixes that change meaning or part of speech, such as 불- in 불가능 or -스럽- in 자연스럽다. Recognizing common affixes lets candidates guess the meaning of unseen words in reading passages.

Vocabulary of Chinese origin, which makes up a large share of formal Korean nouns such as 경제, 문화, and 준비. Knowing common Sino-Korean morphemes helps decode academic and news-style reading passages.

Native Korean words not derived from Chinese, such as 하늘, 어머니, and 밥. They often carry everyday or affective meaning and contrast with Sino-Korean synonyms that sound more formal or technical.