Learn to count large numbers in Korean.

Are you ready to move past the beginner stage and enter more exciting territory in your language studies? 

In this blog post, you’ll find a massive list of over 400 intermediate Korean words for learners who are ready to level up. We’ve also included links to plenty of additional study materials where you can get more intermediate Korean practice, find example sentences, and hear the pronunciation of essential words. 

All set to dip your toes into the waters of intermediate Korean with KoreanClass101.com? Let’s go, then! 

Table of Contents

1. Counting Large Numbers
2. Nouns for the Intermediate Level
3. Verbs for the Intermediate Level
4. Adjectives for the Intermediate Level
5. Adverbs for the Intermediate Level
6. Grammar Rules for the Intermediate Level
7. How can KoreanClass101 help?

1. Counting Large Numbers 

Number	Sino-Korean	Native-Korean	Meaning
2,000	이천 (icheon)		“two thousand”
3,000	삼천 (samcheon)		“three thousand”
4,000	사천 (sacheon)		“four thousand”
5,000	오천 (ocheon)		“five thousand”
6,000	육천 (yukcheon)		“six thousand”
7,000	칠천 (chilcheon)		“seven thousand”
8,000	팔천 (palcheon)		“eight thousand”
9,000	구천 (gucheon)		“nine thousand”
10,000	만 (man)	드먼* (deumeon)	“ten thousand”
20,000	이만 (iman)		“twenty thousand”
30,000	삼만 (samman)		“thirty thousand”
40,000	사만 (saman)		“forty thousand”
50,000	오만 (oman)		“fifty thousand”
60,000	육만 (yukman)		“sixty thousand”
70,000	칠만 (chilman)		“seventy thousand”
80,000	팔만 (palman)		“eighty thousand”
90,000	구만 (guman)		“ninety thousand”
100,000	백만 (baengman)		“one hundred thousand”
1,000,000	천만 (cheonman)		“one million”
100,000,000	억 (eok)	잘* (jal)	“one hundred million”
1,000,000,000,000	조 (jo)	울* (ul)	“one trillion”

*드먼 (deumeon), 잘 (jal), and 울 (ul) are rarely used in spoken/written language. Use the numbers from Sino-Korean instead. 

Bonus Pages:

→ Do you want to learn how to give your phone number to someone? Then we recommend you check out our blog post titled Everything You Need to Know About Korean Numbers. 
→ Are you a visual learner? Then check out How to Count to 300,000 in Korean on our YouTube channel.
→ Want to review the things you learned at the beginner’s level before continuing? KoreanWikiProject has a great resource on how Hangul works.

2. Nouns for the Intermediate Level

Our next set of intermediate Korean vocabulary words consists of some commonly used nouns you can begin practicing right away. Learning these words will allow you to converse with native speakers on a greater variety of topics. 

Korean	Romanization	Meaning
고민	gomin	“woe”
고백	gobaek	“confession”
고집	gojip	“persistence”
고통	gotong	“suffering”
공공장소	gongongjangso	“public place”
공사	gongsa	“construction”
공통	gongtong	“common”
공해	gonghae	“pollution”
과소비	gwasobi	“overspending”
과음	gwaeum	“heavy drinking”
관계자	gwangyeja	“participant”
관광	gwangwang	“sightseeing”
관심	gwansim	“interest”
기념일	ginyeomil	“anniversary”
기대	gidae	“expectation”
기록	gilok	“record”
나들이	nadeuri	“outing”
나머지	nameoji	“the rest”
난방	nanbang	“heating”
남녀노소	namnyeonoso	“men and women of all ages”
남녀평등	namnyeopyeongdeung	“gender equality”
눈치	nunchi	“sense”
노선	noseon	“route”
능동적	neungdongjeok	“active”
능력	neungryeok	“ability”
냉방병	naengbangbyeong	“air-conditioning”
노약자	noyakja	“the old and infirm”
단기간	dangigan	“short period of time”
단체	danche	“organization”
독립	dongnip	“independence”
도전	dojeon	“challenge”
도난	donan	“theft”
답변	dapbyeon	“answer”
당장	dangjang	“right now”
당황	danghwang	“embarrassment”
대도시	daedosi	“major city”
대량	daelyang	“large quantity”
대접	daejeop	“reception”
대중	daejung	“the general public”
대책	daechaek	“countermeasure”
대출	daechul	“loan”
대표	daepyo	“representative”
대형	daehyeong	“large”
더위	deowi	“the heat”
도구	dogu	“tool”
맞벌이	matbeori	“dual-career”
매표소	maepyoso	“box office”
명품	myeongpum	“masterpiece”
모범생	mobeomsaeng	“model student”
모험심	moheomsim	“adventure”
목적지	mokjeokji	“destination”
무관심	mugwansim	“indifference”
무소식	musosik	“no news”
밑줄	mitjul	“underscore”
민족	minjok	“people” (as in an ethnic group)
무시	musi	“disregard”
문제점	munjejeom	“problem”
문화유산	munhwayusan	“cultural heritage”
미혼	mihon	“unmarried (person)”
민요	minyo	“folk song”
민속놀이	minsoknori	“folk game”
발달	baldal	“development”
발명	balmyeong	“invention”
발전	baljeon	“development”
방해	banghae	“disturbance”
방향	banghyang	“direction”
배우자	baeuja	“spouse”
버릇	beoreut	“habit”
범위	beomwi	“range”
범죄	beomjoe	“crime”
법	beop	“the law”
변화	byeonhwa	“alteration”
별명	byeolmyeong	“nickname”
부작용	bujagyong	“side effect”
부잣집	bujatjip	“rich family”
부주의	bujuui	“carelessness”
분리수거	bullisugeo	“separate collection”
분실	bunsil	“loss”
불경기	bulgyeonggi	“depression”
불면증	bulmyeonjeung	“insomnia”
불안감	burangam	“anxiety”
불평	bulpyeong	“misfortune”
비만	biman	“obesity”
생중계	saengjunggye	“live broadcast”
생필품	saengpilpum	“daily necessity”
생활비	saenghwalbi	“living expenses”
세월	sewol	“time”
세대	sedae	“generation”
세금	segeum	“tax”
성형	seonghyeong	“plastic surgery”
성실	seongsil	“faithfulness”
성별	seongbyeol	“gender”
성능	seongneung	“performance”
선착순	seonchaksun	“first-come, first-served basis”
선진국	seonjinguk	“developed country”
양보	yangbo	“yield”
연상	yeonsang	“elder”
억양	eogyang	“intonation”
언론	eonron	“the press”
엊그제	eotgeuje	“a couple days ago”
용돈	yongdon	“pocket money”
용기	yonggi	“courage”
욕심	yoksim	“greed”
요청	yocheong	“request”
요약	yoyak	“summary”
요구	yogu	“demand”
왕복	wangbok	“both ways”
열대야	yeoldaeya	“tropical night”
영향	yeonghyang	“influence”
예외	yeoe	“exception”
오염	oyeom	“pollution”
온돌	ondol	“Korean floor heating”
오해	ohae	“misunderstanding”
자신감	jasingam	“self-confidence”
자극적	jageugjeok	“exciting”
자격	jagyeok	“qualification”
정치인	jeongchiin	“politician”
절반	jeolban	“half”
전통	jeontong	“tradition”
전부	jeonbu	“all”
전문가	jeonmunga	“expert”
전망	jeonmang	“prospect”
저장	jeojang	“save” / “storage”
재해	jaehae	“disaster”
재산	jaesan	“property”
장기적	janggijeok	“long-term”
잔소리	jansoli	“nitpicking”
자존심	jajonsim	“one’s pride”
차례	charye	“order”
채식주의자	chaesikjuuija	“vegetarian”
친환경	chinhwangyeong	“eco-friendly”
출신	chulsin	“someone’s ancestry”
추위	chuwi	“the cold”
추억	chueok	“memory”
추가	chuga	“addition”
최초	choecho	“the first”
최종	choejong	“the final”
최저	choejeo	“minimum”
최신	choesin	“the newest”
최대	choedae	“maximum”
초보자	choboja	“beginner”
참을성	chameulseong	“patience”
책임	chaegim	“responsibility”
철학	cheolhak	“philosophy”
체격	chegyeok	“build” (person’s appearance)
첫인상	cheotinsang	“first impression”
통계	tonggye	“statistics”
통증	tongjeung	“pain”
핑계	pinggye	“excuse”
피해	pihae	“harm”
품절	pumjeol	“sold out”
표정	pyojeong	“someone’s expression”
폭우	pogu	“heavy rain”
폭식	poksik	“binge”
폭설	pokseol	“heavy snow”
평소	pyeongso	“ordinary day”
편식	pyeonsik	“unbalanced diet”
평생	pyeongsaeng	“whole life”
한국학	hangughak	“Korean studies”
한눈	hannun	“a glance”
희생자	huisaengja	“victim”
호칭	hoching	“title”
호기심	hogisim	“curiosity”
혜택	hyetaek	“benefit”
형편	hyeongpyeon	“circumstances”
형태	hyeongtae	“form”
현대인	hyeondaein	“contemporary man”
해결책	haegyeolchaek	“solution”
항공료	hanggongryo	“airfare”
할부	halbu	“monthly installment plan”
한지	hanji	“traditional Korean paper”
한정식	hanjeongsik	“Korean-style meal”
한숨	hansum	“sigh”

Bonus Page:

→ Learn 25 grammar terms in Korean and speed up your Korean learning!

3. Verbs for the Intermediate Level

Verbs are another invaluable part of speech, and we need them to express complete thoughts. Below is a list of intermediate Korean verbs you should start practicing in order to have more engaging conversations with native speakers. 

Korean	Romanization	Meaning
가라앉다	garaanda	“to sink”
가리다	garida	“to hide”
간섭하다	ganseophada	“to interfere”
갇히다	gachida	“to be shut up”
갈아입다	garaipda	“to change (clothes)”
갖추다	gatchuda	“to prepare”
갚다	gapda	“to repay”
개발하다	gaebalhada	“to develop”
거절하다	geojeolhada	“to refuse”
결심하다	gyeolsimhada	“to decide”
나아가다	naagada	“to advance”
나아지다	naajida	“to improve”
나타나다	natanada	“to appear”
날아다니다	naradanida	“to fly about”
날아오르다	naraoreuda	“to fly up”
남기다	namgida	“to leave”
낭비하다	nangbihada	“to waste”
낮추다	natchuda	“to lower”
낳다	nata	“to give birth to”
내려보다	naeryeoboda	“to look down”
담당하다	damdanghada	“to take charge of”
돌아다니다	doradanida	“to get around”
돌려보내다	dollyeobonaeda	“to return”
데치다	dechida	“to blanch”
덮이다	deop-ida	“to be covered with”
던지다	deonjida	“to throw”
대하다	daehada	“to face”
대신하다	daesinhada	“to replace”
당하다	danghada	“to suffer”
당기다	dang-gida	“to pull”
마련하다	maryeonhada	“to prepare”
마무리하다	mamurihada	“to finish”
마음먹다	maeummeokda	“to make up one’s mind”
마주치다	majuchida	“to come across”
막히다	makida	“to be clogged with”
망가뜨리다	manggatteurida	“to be destroyed”
망가지다	manggajida	“to be destroyed”
망설이다	mangseorida	“to hesitate”
망하다	manghada	“to go under”
맞추다	matchuda	“to adjust”
버려지다	beoryeojida	“to be left out”
버티다	beotida	“to endure”
번갈다	beongalda	“to take turns”
벌리다	beollida	“to open”
벗기다	beotgida	“to take off”
벗어나다	beoseonada	“to get out of”
보살피다	bosalpida	“to look after”
부러지다	bureojida	“to be broken”
불어나다	bureonada	“to increase”
붐비다	bumbida	“to be crowded with”
서두르다	seodureuda	“to hurry”
섞다	seoktda	“to mix with”
선택하다	seontaekada	“to choose”
성공하다	seonggonghada	“to succeed”
세다	seda	“to count up”
속이다	sogida	“to deceive”
수리하다	surihada	“to repair”
수선하다	suseonhada	“to repair”
숙이다	sugida	“to bend”
숨기다	sumgida	“to hide”
여쭈다	yeojjuda	“to ask”
연장하다	yeonjanghada	“to extend”
염려하다	yeomryeohada	“to worry about”
예상하다	yesanghada	“to anticipate”
예측하다	yecheukada	“to predict”
옮기다	omgida	“to move”
외우다	oeuda	“to memorize”
외치다	oechida	“to cry out”
응모하다	eungmohada	“to enter for”
의심하다	uisimhada	“to doubt”
제공하다	jegonghada	“to be offered”
제외하다	jeoehada	“to exclude”
제출하다	jechulhada	“to submit”
주고받다	jugobatda	“to exchange”
주어지다	jueojida	“to be given”
줄어들다	jul-eodeulda	“to decrease”
중단하다	jungdanhada	“to stop”
지나가다	jinagada	“to pass by”
지나치다	jinachida	“to pass by”
집다	jipda	“to pick up”
차리다	charida	“to prepare”
차지하다	chajihada	“to take possession of”
참석하다	chamseokada	“to attend”
찾아내다	chajanaeda	“to find out”
채우다	chaeuda	“to fill in”
챙기다	chaenggida	“to pack up”
처리하다	cheorihada	“to handle”
쳐다보다	chyeodaboda	“to look at”
추진하다	chujinhada	“to propel”
치다	chida	“to hit”
토하다	tohada	“to vomit”
포기하다	pogihada	“to give up”
표현하다	pyohyeonhada	“to express”
피하다	pihada	“to avoid”
합치다	hapchida	“to unite”
해결하다	haegyeolhada	“to settle”
해보다	haeboda	“to try”
향하다	hyanghada	“to face”
허락하다	heorakada	“to permit”
헤어지다	heeojida	“to part from”

Bonus Pages:

→ As you may have noticed, some of these verbs have similar spellings and pronunciations even though they mean different things. To learn more about this topic, visit our blog post 14 Confusing Korean Verbs that Sound Similar.

4. Adjectives for the Intermediate Level

As an intermediate Korean learner, you may wish to begin giving more vivid descriptions when speaking or writing. Picking up the most common adjectives is one of the best ways to start doing this! 

Korean	Romanization	Meaning
가늘다	ganeulda	“thin”
가능하다	ganeunghada	“possible”
괴롭다	goeropda	“painful”
굉장하다	goengjanghada	“wonderful”
궁금하다	gunggeumhada	“curious about”
귀중하다	gwijunghada	“precious”
까다롭다	kkadaropda	“particular about”
깐깐하다	kkankkanhada	“strict”
깔끔하다	kkalkkeumhada	“neat”
귀찮다	gwichanta	“troublesome”
낡다	nakta	“old” / “worm”
너그럽다	neogeureopda	“generous”
넉넉하다	neogneokada	“enough”
놀랍다	nollapda	“surprising”
느긋하다	neugeutada	“relaxed”
느끼다	neukkida	“greasy”
느리다	neurida	“slow”
다양하다	dayanghada	“various”
다정하다	dajeonghada	“friendly”
단순하다	dansunhada	“simple”
단단하다	dandanhada	“hard”
담백하다	dambaekada	“light”
대단하다	daedanhada	“great”
독특하다	dogteukada	“unusual”
동일하다	dongilhada	“same as”
동그랗다	donggeurata	“round”
뒤늦다	dwineutda	“belated”
목마르다	mokmareuda	“thirsty”
멋지다	meotjida	“wonderful”
매콤하다	maekomhada	“spicy”
마땅하다	mattanghada	“suitable”
무덥다	mudeopda	“stifling”
밉다	mipda	“detestable”
믿음직스럽다	mideumjikseureopda	“reliable”
명량하다	myeongranghada	“cheerful”
부드럽다	budeureopda	“soft”
버릇없다	beoreuseopda	“ill-mannered”
부족하다	bujokada	“insufficient”
분명하다	bunmyeonghada	“clear”
불쌍하다	bulssanghada	“pitiful”
불평등하다	bulpyeongdeunghada	“unfair”
뻔하다	ppeonhada	“transparent”
불가능하다	bulganeunghada	“impossible”
밤늦다	bamneutda	“late at night”
색다르다	saekdareuda	“different”
상쾌하다	sangkwaehada	“refreshing”
사이좋다	saijota	“compatible”
상관없다	sanggwaneopda	“having nothing to do with”
색다르다	saekdareuda	“different”
새롭다	saerobda	“fresh”
서늘하다	seoneulhada	“chilly”
생생하다	saengsaenghada	“vivid”
서투르다	seotureuda	“unskilled”
선명하다	seonmyeonghada	“clear”
안타깝다	antakkapda	“sad”
아쉽다	aswipda	“sorry”
아깝다	akkapda	“valuable”
얇다	yalda	“thin”
얌전하다	yamjeonhada	“gentle”
엄격하다	eomgyeokada	“strict”
여유롭다	yeoyuropda	“having time”
연하다	yeonhada	“tender”
올바르다	olbaleuda	“correct”
익숙하다	iksukada	“be used to”
자연스럽다	jayeonseureopda	“natural”
중요하다	jungyohada	“important”
적절하다	jeogjeolhada	“proper”
적당하다	jeokdanghada	“proper”
저렴하다	jeoryeomhada	“cheap”
점잖다	jeomjanta	“gentle”
잘나다	jalnada	“better than others”
정확하다	jeonghwakada	“exact”
지겹다	jigyeopda	“boring”
지루하다	jiruhada	“boring”
차분하다	chabunhada	“calm”
커다랗다	keodarata	“big”
캄캄하다	kamkamhada	“very dark”
창피하다	changpihada	“shameful”
특별하다	teukbyeolhada	“special”
탁하다	takada	“murky”
튼튼하다	teunteunhada	“solid”
특이하다	teugihada	“unusual”
평범하다	pyeongbeomhada	“ordinary”
평등하다	pyeongdeunghada	“equal”

Bonus Page:

→ Want to study with our Korean instructor Jae? Check out “Best of Jae for Intermediate Learners,” which consists of 10 lessons (43 minutes)! This series will teach you various Korean words and provide you with key cultural insights.

5. Adverbs for the Intermediate Level

While adjectives describe nouns, adverbs provide additional information about verbs, adjectives, or even other adverbs. Here are just a few of the Korean adverbs you should learn as a student at the intermediate level. 

Korean	Romanization	Meaning
가득	gadeuk	“full”
결코	gyeolko	“never”
간신히	gansinhi	“barely”
겨우	gyeou	“barely”
간절히	ganjeolhi	“earnestly”
가만히	gamanhi	“still”
곧	got	“at once”
게다가	gedaga	“besides”
과연	gwayeon	“indeed”
골고루	golgoru	“evenly”
도무지	domuji	“at all”
대부분	daebubun	“most of”
대게	daege	“generally”
대충	daechung	“roughly”
더구나	deoguna	“besides”
도대체	dodaeche	“at all”
더욱	deouk	“more”
대체로	daechero	“generally”
도저히	dojeohi	“utterly”
도리어	dorieo	“on the contrary”
마음대로	maeumdaero	“as one likes”
마음껏	maeumkkeot	“as much as one likes”
모처럼	mocheoreom	“after a long time”
마침	machim	“just in time”
마찬가지로	machangajiro	“likewise”
만일	manil	“if”
마치	machi	“as if”
멀리	meolli	“far”
몰래	mollae	“secretly”
마침내	machimnae	“finally”

Learn Korean grammar rules for the intermediate level.

6. Grammar Rules for the Intermediate Level

Now that you’ve become acquainted with several intermediate Korean words, how about we briefly go over some grammar rules you should start learning at this stage? 

1. Saying “I hope” or “I wish”

Rule: In order to express the phrase “I hope” or “I wish,” you just need to add ~았/었으면 좋겠다 (~ass/eoss-eumyeon johgessda) to the end of a verb or adjective. 

For example:

• 가다 ▷ 갔으면 좋겠다.
  (gada) ▷ (Gasseumyeon joketda.)
  “To go” ▷ “I wish/hope to go.”

• 안하다 ▷ 안 했으면 좋겠다.
  (anhada) ▷ (An haesseumyeon joketda.)
  “Not to do” ▷ “I wish/hope not to do something.”

• 내일 일이 없었으면 좋겠어요.
  (Naeil iri eopseosseumyeon jokesseoyo.)
  “I wish I didn’t have work tomorrow.”

• 오늘 비가 안 왔으면 좋겠어요.
  (Oneul biga an wasseumyeon jokesseoyo.)
  “I hope it doesn’t rain today.”

2. Saying “looks like” or “seems like”

Rule: You can add ~게 보이다 (~ge boida) to the end of an adjective in order to convey how something looks or seems like to you. 

For example:

• 너 오늘 멋있게 보이네.
  (Neo oneul meositge boine.)
  “You look cool today.”

• 너 오늘 귀엽게 보이네.
  (Neo oneul gwiyeopge boine.)
  “You look cute today.”

• 라면 맛있게 보이네.
  (Ramyeon masitge boine.)
  “The ramen looks delicious.”

3. Saying “I said, ‘Let’s…’ “

Rule: ~자 (~ja)  usually means “Let’s…” as in 먹자 (meokja) – “let’s eat” and 자자 (jaja) – “let’s sleep.” By adding ~고 (~go) to ~자 (~ja), the sentence becomes, “I said, ‘Let’s…’ .”

For example:

• 친구가 점심을 먹자고 했어.
  (Chinguga jeomsimeul meokjago haesseo.)
  “My friend said, ‘Let’s have lunch together.’ ”

• 남자친구가 동물원에 가자고 했어.
  (Namjachinguga dongmulwone gajago haesseo.)
  “My boyfriend said, ‘Let’s go to the zoo.’ ”

• 남편이 산책하자고 했지만 저는 너무 피곤해서 안 갔어요.
  (Nampyeoni sanchaekhajago haetjiman jeoneun neomu pigonhaeseo an gasseoyo.)
  “My husband said, ‘Let’s go for a walk,’ but I was too tired, so I didn’t go.”

4. Saying “I asked…”

Rule: When a sentence ends with a verb, add ~(느)냐고 (~[neu]nyago) to indicate that the quote is a question. 

For example:

• (나는) 여자 친구에게 뭐 먹었느냐고 물어봤어.
  ([Naneun] yeoja chinguege mwo meogeotneunyago mureobwasseo.)
  “I asked my girlfriend what she ate.”

• 아빠는 나에게 어디 가겠느냐고 물어봤어
  (Appaneun naege eodi gagetneunyago mureobwasseo.)
  “My dad asked me where I will go.”

• 친구가 나에게 어디 가느냐고 물어봤어.
  (Chinguga naege eodi ganeunyago mureobwasseo.)
  “My friend asked me where I was going.”

5. Expressing the concept of “making somebody do something”

Rule: Attach ~시키다 (~sikida) to the noun form of ~하다 (~hada) verbs.

For example:

• 만족하다
  (manjokada)
  “to be satisfied”

• 만족시키다
  (manjoksikida)
  “to make someone satisfied” / “to satisfy”

• 공부하다
  (gongbuhada)
  

• 공부시키다
  (gongbusikida)
  “to make (one) study”

• 실망하다
  (silmanghada)
  “to be disappointed”

• 실망시키다
  (silmangsikida)
  “to make (one) disappointed” / “to disappoint”

Bonus Pages:

→ Reading in Korean is one of the best ways to become familiar with the language’s grammar. Check out our lesson series Reading Comprehension for Intermediate Learners to level up your Korean skills. 

→ Want to practice what you’ve learned so far? Check out 150 Words for Intermediate Korean Learners on our YouTube channel!

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7. How can KoreanClass101 help?

In this article, we looked at the most practical intermediate Korean words. It can be overwhelming to memorize all of them, but once you get there, you’ll be able to start advancing toward a more advanced level. 

Have more questions? Feel free to leave us a comment or ask our Korean tutors on KoreanClass101.com.

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Happy Korean learning!