“How can I say sorry in Korean?” you may be asking.

“Sorry” is one of the first words that language learners come across when starting out. It’s a practical word because you can use it in many situations. There are many different ways to say sorry in English, such as “I am sorry,” “I apologize,” and so on, and the same is true for Korean. Some Korean apologies are formal and some are slang words, and sometimes words are only used in a specific situation.

“Sorry” in learning Korean is just as essential as it is in any other language. In this blog, we’re going to introduce eleven ways to say “I am sorry” in Korean, and when to use an expression appropriately. There are many words for sorry in Korean vocabulary, as well as many common gestures that make up a big part of how to apologize in Korean culture. Start with a bonus, and download your FREE cheat sheet – How to Improve Your Korean Skills! (Logged-In Member Only)

1. 죄송합니다. (joesonghamnida.) – Formal
2. 잘못했습니다. (jalmothaetseumnida.) – Formal
3. 미안해요. (mianhaeyo.) – Formal
4. 죄송해요. (joesonghaeyo.) – Formal.
5. 미안해 (mianhae) – Informal
6. 미안 (mian) – Informal
7. 잠시만요. (jamsimanyo.) – Informal/Formal
8. 실례합니다. (sillyehamnida.) – Formal
9. 진심으로 사과드립니다. (jinsimeuro sagwadeurimnida.) – Formal
10. 용서해주세요. (yongseohaejuseyo.) – Formal
11. 저기요 (jeogiyo) – Informal
12. How KoreanClass101.com Can Help You

1. 죄송합니다. (joesonghamnida.) – Formal

죄송합니다. (joesonghamnida.) is the most commonly used phrase to say sorry, and if you’ve just started learning how to say sorry in Korean, memorize this phrase at all costs. Why? Because you’ll hear this wherever you go, and you’ll be using it a lot while traveling in South Korea.

죄송합니다. (joesonghamnida.) is a more respectful way to apologize than 미안합니다. (mianhamnida.) and 죄송해요. (joesonghaeyo.), which we’ll explain to you in more detail later.

In addition, using the appropriate body gesture is very important when you say this phrase; you need to slightly bow your head when saying sorry. Also, unlike in some of the countries where eye-contact is very important, making direct eye-contact is considered rude in Korea. Therefore, when you want to apologize to someone, try not to make eye-contact; instead, look slightly downward, toward the floor.

Situation 1:

Someone comes along and pushes you while you’re holding a cup of coffee, which results in spilling the coffee on someone else.

• You: 어머, 괜찮으세요? 너무 *죄송합니다. [bow]
  You: eomeo, gwaenchaneuseyo? neomu joesonghamnida.
  You: “Oh no, are you okay? I am so sorry.”

*죄송합니다. (joesonghamnida.) is a good way to apologize to someone. However, when you want to more sincerely apologize to someone, add 너무 (neomu), meaning “very,” before 죄송합니다. (joesonghamnida.).

• Customer: 아, 괜찮습니다.
  Customer: a, gwaenchanseumnida.
  Customer: “Ah, it’s okay.”

In this situation, you spilled the coffee by accident and are sincerely apologizing someone. In this case, you need to bow as you apologize.

Situation 2:

You accidently stepped on someone’s foot when entering the bus.

• You: 죄송합니다. [no need to bow in this situation]
  You: joesonghamnida.
  You: “I am sorry.”
• Other person: 아니요, 괜찮습니다.
  Other person: aniyo, gwaenchanseumnida.
  Other person: “It’s okay, never mind.”

In this situation, you don’t have enough time to bow and apologize to someone. So this simple version of how to say “I’m sorry” in Korean to the person whose foot you stepped on is good enough.

2. 잘못했습니다. (jalmothaetseumnida.) – Formal

잘못했습니다. (jalmothaetseumnida.) is translated as “It is my fault,” in Korean, and it’s a formal way to say sorry. It’s used when you know that something you did was completely wrong, and want to ask for their forgiveness. You can add 죄송합니다. (joesonghamnida.) to sound more apologetic.

The classical example of how to use this phrase is when a child asks for his mother’s forgiveness. When a child apologizes, he/she usually rubs their hands together as they apologize. The informal way to say 잘못했습니다. (jalmothaetseumnida.) is 잘못했어 (jalmothaesseo).

Situation 1:

You wronged your friend before, and need to apologize to them.

• You: 네 말이 맞았어, 다 내 잘못이야. 잘못했어.*
  You: ne mari majasseo, da nae jalmosiya. jalmothaesseo.
  You: “You were right, it’s all my fault. Please forgive me.”
• Your friend: 휴… 됐다.
  Your friend: hyu… dwaetda.
  Your friend: “Sigh..whatever.”

* Be careful with spacing the phrase. Many Korean learners make mistakes here. For example, 잘못했습니다. (jalmothaetseumnida.), meaning “It is my fault, I am sorry,” and 잘 못했습니다. (jal mothaetseumnida) meaning “I did not do well,” have two completely different meanings.

3. 미안해요. (mianhaeyo.) – Formal

Each apology expression has a different level of politeness, and 미안해요. (mianhaeyo.) is the least formal way to say “I am sorry.” It’s not often used, but you will hear this expression a lot in Korean dramas. Just note that 미안해요. (mianhaeyo.) is another option for apologizing.

It sounds a lot more natural to say 죄송합니다. (joesonghamnida.) or 죄송해요. (joesonghaeyo.) instead of 미안해요. (mianhaeyo.) in practice. Also, 미안합니다 (mianhamnida) sounds more polite, but in most situations, you should just stick to 죄송합니다. (joesonghamnida.).

Situation 1:

You’ve received many missed calls from someone who’s a couple of years younger than you, and you want to apologize for not answering their calls.

• You: 전화했었어요?. 못 받아서 미안해요.
  You: jeonhwahaesseosseoyo?. mot badaseo mianhaeyo.
  You: “Did you call? I am sorry for missing your calls.”
• Other person: 괜찮습니다. 전화 주셔서 감사합니다.
  Other person: gwaenchanseumnida. jeonhwa jusyeoseo gamsahamnida.
  Other person: “It’s okay. Thank you for returning the call.”

Situation 2:

A colleague was calling, but you couldn’t pick up the phone because you were driving. You’re returning the call and want to apologize.

• You: 미안해요, 운전하고 있었어요.
  You: mianhaeyo, unjeonhagoisseosseoyo.
  You: “I am sorry, I was driving.”
• Your colleague: 아 그러셨군요. 괜찮습니다.
  Your colleague: a geureosyeotgunyo. gwaenchanseumnida.
  Your colleague: “I see. It’s okay.”

4. 죄송해요. (joesonghaeyo.) – Formal.

죄송해요. (joesonghaeyo.) has the same meaning as 죄송합니다. (joesonghamnida.), but sounds less formal. You can’t say this phrase to your professor or someone who’s much older than you. If you want to be on the safe side, stick to 죄송합니다. (joesonghamnida.).

Situation 1:

You’ve already asked a few questions to your colleague about something, but you still want to ask more questions.

• You: 바쁘신데 계속 방해해서 죄송해요.
  You: bappeusinde gyesok banghaehaeseo joesonghaeyo.
  You: “I am sorry to keep bothering you.”
• Your colleague: 아닙니다. 괜찮습니다.
  Your colleague: animnida. gwaenchanseumnida.
  Your colleague: “No, it’s okay.”

Situation 2:

You interrupted someone and the person seems annoyed by it.

• You: 죄송해요 방해할 생각은 아니였어요.
  You: joesonghaeyo banghae hal saenggageun aniyeosseoyo.
  You: “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
• The other person: 괜찮습니다.
  The other person: gwaenchanseumnida.
  The other person: “It’s okay.”

5. 미안해 (mianhae) – Informal

미안해 (mianhae) is an informal way to say 잘못했습니다. (jalmothaetseumnida.). 미안해 (mianhae) and 미안 (mian) are used interchangeably, but keep in mind that 미안해 (mianhae) sounds more polite and gives the impression that the speaker cares about the listener’s feelings. On the other hand, 미안 (mian) sounds more like how a child would apologize.

Situation 1:

You want to apologize to your friend.

• You: * 정말 미안해, 용서해주라. 응?
  You: jeongmal mianhae, yongseohaejura. eung?
  You: “I’m really sorry, can you forgive me. Ey?”
• Your friend: 알았어. 이번 한번만 용서해줄께.
  Your friend: arasseo. ibeon hanbeonman yongseohaejulkke.
  Your friend: “Alright. I will forgive you this time.”

* 정말 (jeongmal) means “really.” Add this word if you want to sincerely apologize to your friend.

Situation 2:

You’re supposed to meet your friend at three o’clock, but you arrived half an hour late.

• You: 많이 늦었지? 정말 미안해!
  You: mani neujeotji? jeongmal mianhae!
  You: “I’m so sorry for arriving late!”
• Your friend: 괜찮아. 나도 방금 도착했어.
  Your friend: gwaenchana. nado banggeum dochakaesseo.
  Your friend: “It’s fine. I’ve just arrived too.”

6. 미안 (mian) – Informal

미안 (mian) is a casual way to apologize to your friends, and the direct translation is “sorry.” In addition, 미안 (mian) can also mean “no” in some situations. For example, when you’re invited to a party organized by your friend and want to politely decline, you can simply say 미안 (mian).

Situation 1:

You’re thirty minutes late and want to apologize to your friend, and need to know how to say “Sorry I’m late,” in Korean.

• You: 늦어서 미안! (=먄!*)
  You: neujeoseo mian!
  You: “Sorry I’m late!”
• Your friend: 괜찮아.
  Your friend: gwaenchana.
  Your friend: “It’s okay.”

* 먄 (myan) is a shorter word to say sorry, and it’s a Korean slang. This Korean slang is used frequently in written context among young people. A more polite Korean slang to say sorry is 죄송 (joeson), which is another casual way for people of the same age to apologize to each other.

Situation 2:

You’re invited to a party that you don’t want to go to.

• Your friend: 이번주 토요일에 이태원에서 하는 파티 갈래?
  Your friend: ibeonju toyoire itaewoneseo haneun pati gallae?
  Your friend: “Do you want to go to a party in Itaewon this Saturday?”
• You: 음… 미안. 별로 가고 싶지 않네.
  You: eum… mian. byeollo gago sipji anne.
  You: “Hmm… sorry. I don’t feel like going.”
• Your friend: 알았어.
  Your friend: arasseo.
  Your friend: “Alright.”

7. 잠시만요. (jamsimanyo.) – Informal/Formal

The direct translation of 잠시만요. (jamsimanyo.) is “please hold on.” It also translates as “Excuse me,” in Korean depending on the situation, and is roughly how to say “Excuse me, sorry” in Korean. 실례합니다. (sillyehamnida.), which we’ll discuss below, and 잠시만요 (jamsimanyo.) are interchangeable; by just remembering one of these two phrases, you’ll be able to survive in Korea.

To distinguish between these two phrases, 실례합니다. (sillyehamnida.) sounds slightly more formal, and it’s often used by professionals. Therefore, when you say this phrase, people around you will instantly think that you’re a professional white-collar worker.

잠시만요 (jamsimanyo.), on the other hand, is often used by people of different age groups, and it sounds casual and friendly. Also, 잠시만요 (jamsimanyo.) is used a lot more than 실례합니다. (sillyehamnida.).

Situation 1:

You want to pass through the crowd at the bus stop.

• You: 잠시만요.*
  You: jamsimanyo.
  You: “Excuse me.”

* When someone says 잠시만요. (jamsimanyo.), usually you don’t need to respond with anything. If you do want to respond, you can say 네 (ne) or 알겠습니다. (algetseumnida.). An alternative response is to slightly nod to the person without saying a word.

Situation 2:

Your colleague came to ask where some important documents are.

• You: 아, 그 서류요. 어디에 있는지 알아요. 잠시만요.
  You: a, geu seoryuyo. eodie inneunji arayo. jamsimanyo.
  You: “Oh, I know where the documents are. Please hold on.”

8. 실례합니다. (sillyehamnida.) – Formal

The direct translation of 실례합니다. (sillyehamnida.) is “Excuse me” in Korean. It can also be translated as “I am sorry for interrupting.” You can use this phrase in many situations, such as when you want to interrupt someone.

You can also say 실례합니다. (sillyehamnida.) when you want to go through a narrow area, such as a corridor between two bookshelves at a bookstore, and want to ask someone to move a bit for you.

Situation 1:

You’re riding on a rush hour train in Korea. Your stop has been reached and you need to pass through the crowd to get off the train.

• You: 실례합니다. (지나가겠습니다.)*
  You: sillyehamnida. (jinagagetseumnida.)
  You: “Excuse me. (I would like to go through.)”

* It’s not necessary to say 지나가겠습니다. (jinagagetseumnida.); usually 실례합니다. (sillyehamnida.) is adequate enough to discern your message. If you want to be more expressive, just add 지나가겠습니다. (jinagagetseumnida.), and you’re guaranteed to have enough space to go through the crowd.

Situation 2:

You received an urgent phone call from a client and you must pass the message to the manager, who’s chatting with someone.

• You: 실례합니다. 급한 전화가 와서 그러는데요…
  You: sillyehamnida. geupan jeonhwaga waseo geureoneundeyo…
  You: “I am sorry for interrupting. There is an urgent phone call….”

9. 진심으로 사과드립니다. (jinsimeuro sagwadeurimnida.) – Formal

The direct translation of 진심으로 사과드립니다. (jinsimeuro sagwadeurimnida.) is “I would like to sincerely apologize,” which is a business Korean phrase. Therefore, if you’re planning to work in South Korea, this phrase will come in handy. You’ll see this expression a lot in written context, such as in an email, and a person who says this phrase will bow, usually ninety degrees, to show great respect to the person they’re speaking to.

Situation 1:

You work in a customer service department and received a complaint email.

• You: 폐를 끼친 데 대해 진심으로 사과드립니다.
  You: pyereul kkichin de daehae jinsimeuro sagwadeurimnida.
  You: “Please accept our apology for any inconvenience caused.”
• The customer: 죄송하지만 바로 환불 부탁드립니다.
  The customer: joesonghajiman baro hwanbul butakdeurimnida.
  The customer: “I apologize, I would like to return the product.”

Situation 2:

There was a technical issue with the company website, and you want to apologize to its users.

• You: 불편을 끼쳐드려 대단히 죄송합니다.
  You: bulpyeoneul kkichyeodeuryeo daedanhi joesonghamnida.
  You: “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused.”
• The customer: 괜찮습니다. 해당 부분에 대해 보고해 주셔서 감사합니다.
  The customer: gwaenchanseumnida. haedang bubune daehae bogohae jusyeoseo gamsahamnida.
  The customer: “It is okay. Thank you for reporting the issue to us.”

10. 용서해주세요. (yongseohaejuseyo.) – Formal

용서해주세요. (yongseohaejuseyo.) has the same meaning as 잘못했습니다. (jalmothaetseumnida.). To understand the differences between these expressions, 잘못했습니다. (jalmothaetseumnida.) is used to apologize, while indirectly requesting someone’s forgiveness (and acknowledge that you made a mistake). 용서해주세요. (yongseohaejuseyo.), on the other hand, is directly asking for forgiveness.

잘못 (jalmot) means “mistake,” and 했습니다 means “I did ~,” so together it means: “I did make a mistake (morally).” 용서 (yongseo) means “forgiveness,” and 해주세요 means “Please do ~,” so together, it means “Please forgive me.”

To some extent, this is similar to the English “I’m really sorry,” in Korean, but is more sincere.

Situation 1:

You broke a promise you made with your parents and you want to ask for forgiveness.

• You: 제가 잘못했어요. 한번만 용서해주세요.*
  You: jega jalmothaesseoyo. hanbeonman yongseohaejuseyo.
  You: “I made a mistake. Please forgive me.”
• Parents: 알겠다. 이번 한번만 용서해주마.
  Parents: algetda. ibeon hanbeonman yongseohaejuma.
  Parents: “Understood. We will forgive you this time.”

* You can combine the two apology phrases, as follows: 잘못했습니다. 용서해주세요. (jalmothaetseumnida. yongseohaejuseyo.), in order to admit your mistake and ask directly for forgiveness.

Situation 2:

You got caught by the police for speeding.

• You: 잘못했습니다. 용서해주세요.
  You: jalmothaetseumnida. yongseohaejuseyo.
  You: “I made a mistake. Please forgive me.”
• Police officer: 면허증 주십시오.
  Police officer: myeonheojeung jusipsio.
  Police officer: “Please present your driver’s license.”

11. 저기요 (jeogiyo) – Informal

We’ve introduced a number of ways to say “excuse me” in Korean, and you’ve learned that 실례합니다. (sillyehamnida.), 죄송합니다 (joesonghamnida) have the same meaning. Although the translation of 저기요 (jeogiyo) is “excuse me,” you need to be careful to use this phrase in the proper context. 저기요 (jeogiyo) has two meanings:

Firstly, this phrase is used to draw attention from someone, usually in order to directly make a complaint to the person. Therefore, it’s not used to excuse yourself to do something (e.g. passing through the crowd). In general, it also gives a negative feeling to the listener, so unless you want to complain to someone, just stick to the formal phrases.

Secondly, this phrase is used to call someone, especially at a restaurant. Note that you can’t say this phrase at a luxurious restaurant, as 저기요 (jeogiyo) is a very informal way to draw attention to yourself.

When you want to call someone, especially a staff member at a restaurant, the best way to call them is to make eye contact with them and raise your hand. You don’t necessarily need to say 저기요 (jeogiyo) if the staff acknowledges you, but adding 저기요 (jeogiyo) will definitely draw attention from all the staff at a restaurant.

Situation 1:

Someone stepped on your foot without saying sorry.

• You: 저기요, 발을 밟았으면 사과해야 하는 거 아닌가요?
  You: jeogiyo, bareul balbasseumyeon sagwahaeya haneun geo aningayo?
  You: “Excuse me, if you stepped on my foot, aren’t you supposed to apologize to me?”
• Stranger: 아, 몰랐습니다. 죄송합니다.
  Stranger: a, mollatseumnida. joesonghamnida.
  Stranger: “Oh, I did not know. I am sorry.”

Situation 2:

You’re at a Korean restaurant and are about to order Ddeukbokki. You make eye contact with a waiter and say:

• You: 저기요~
  You: jeogiyo~
  You: “Excuse me!”
• A waiter: 네~ 잠시만요.
  A waiter: ne~ jamsimanyo.
  A waiter: “Yes! One sec.”

How KoreanClass101.com Can Help You

In summary, we introduced eleven ways to say “I am sorry” in Korean and provided appropriate scenarios to use each expression. Learning how to say sorry in Korean phrases doesn’t have to be hard. On KoreanClass101, we have a vocabulary list of common ways to say sorry in Korean, which introduces sixteen different ways to apologize, apart from what we introduced in this blog, so feel free to check this page out too.

We also have many other free vocabulary lists, such as “Phrases to Use When You Are Angry” and “Negative Emotions,” both of which will certainly help you understand more about how people express themselves when they’re angry (even after an apology!). Feel free to check out KoreanClass101.com and begin studying Korean for free. Know that with enough practice and dedication, you can become a master of Korean!

Before you go, drop us a comment about what new things you learned today about Korean apologies. Do you feel more confident about apologizing in Korean, or are there some things you’re still struggling with? Let us know in the comments!

Are you an active SNS user? If you are, there’s a high chance that you come across many Korean slang words that you’re not familiar with. We receive questions from our students about grammar structure, Korean culture, pronunciation, and so on. In addition, we noticed that there has been an increase in the number of Korean learners wanting to understand the meaning of slang words.

Have you seen ㅃㅃ or ㅋㅋ? Do you know what they mean? Like “brb” (abbreviation for “be right back”), ㅃㅃ is 빠이빠이 (ppaippai) meaning “goodbye” and ㅋㅋ is 크크 (keukeu) which is an Onomatopoeia for the sound of laughter, which is similar to “lol” (meaning “laugh out loud”). The difference is that 크크 (keukeu) is not as loud as “lol” in English. These words are frequently used, so let’s try to remember these basic Korean slang words.

Before we look into Korean texting slang words and symbols, try this mini test to see if you already know Korean texting slang or not:

Q1. What does “kkk” mean in Korean texting?
A. It’s the sound of laughing in Korean internet slang
B. It’s the sound of a mechanic in Korean internet slang
C. It doesn’t mean anything in Korean internet slang

Answer: A

Q2. What does “091012” mean in Korean texting?
A. It’s someone’s mobile number
B. It means “study hard”
C. It means a special date

Answer: B

Q3. What does “OTL” mean in Korean texting?
A. It’s an abbreviation for a famous department store in Korea
B. It shows someone kneeling down to show misery
C. It shows someone kneeling down to show that the person has just woken up

Answer: B

Q4. Choose the Korean internet slang for B.
수미: 오늘 내 생일이야!
소진: _________!
A. ㅉㅉ!
B. ㅊㅋㅊㅋ!
C. ^-^;;;;;

Answer: B

What score did you get on this mini test? Some questions are harder than others, so don’t worry if you didn’t get a perfect score. You’re here to learn, so let’s look into Korean text slang and expressions!

Table of Contents

1. Korean Text Slang List — Simplified Korean Texting Slang
2. Korean Text Slang List — Combined Words
3. Korean Text Slang List — Swearing Words
4. Korean Text Slang List — Emoticons
5. Korean Text Slang List — Text slang with Numbers
6. How KoreanClass101 Can Help You

1. Korean Text Slang List — Simplified Korean Texting Slang

Let’s take a look at a number of common Korean slang terms that Koreans use frequently.

• ㄱㅅ, short for 감사 (gamsa) meaning “ty,” or “Thank you”
• Example:
• 선물 ㄱㅅ
  (seonmul gamsa)
  “Thank you for your present.”
• ㄴㄴ, short for 노노 meaning “no no”
• Example:
• 노노 사진
• (nono sajin)
  “No no picture,” which is a way of saying that these pictures are ugly.
• ㄷㄷ, short for 덜덜 (deoldeol), a word to describe shivering, especially due to fright
• Example:
• 노래는 좋은데 가사가 ㄷㄷ.
  (noraeneun joeunde gasaga deoldeol.)
  “Melody is great but lyric is scary.”
• ㅁㄹ, short for 몰라 (molla) meaning “idk” or “I don’t know”
• Example:
• 그거 난 ㅁㄹ.
  (geugeo nan molla.)
  “I do not know about that.”
• ㅉㅉ, short for 쯧쯧 (jjeutjjeut) meaning “tsk tsk”
• Example:
• 또 늦은것 봐. ㅉㅉ
  (tto neujeungeot bwa.jjeutjjeut.)
  “He’s late again, tsk tsk.”
• ㄹㄷ, short for 레디 (redi) meaning “Are you ready?”
• Example:
• ㄹㄷ? ㄱㄱ!
  (redi? gg!)
  “Ready? Let’s go!”
• *ㅂㅂ, short for 바이바이 (baibai) meaning “Goodbye”
• Example:
• 내일 봐, ㅂㅂ!
  (naeil bwa, baibai!)
  “See you tomorrow, bye!”
• *ㅃㅃ, short for 빠이빠이 (ppaippai) meaning “Goodbye.” This texting word sounds cuter than ㅂㅂ, and is therefore commonly used by young teenagers or ladies.
• Example:
• 오빠 내일 봐, ㅃㅃ!
  (oppa naeil bwa, ppaippai!)
  “See you tomorrow honey, goodbye!”
• ㄱㄱ, short for 고고 (gogo) meaning “Let’s go!”
• Example:
• ㄹㄷ? ㄱㄱ!
  (rd? gogo!)
  “Ready? Let’s go!”
• ㅇㅇ, short for 응 (eung) meaning “Yes.” If you use only “ㅇ,” it sounds rude, so try to use ㅇㅇ.
• Example:
• ㅇㅇ 알겠어.
  (Eungeung, algesseo.)
  “Okay.”
• ㅊㅋㅊㅋ, short for 축하축하 (chukachuka) meaning “congratulations.” It’s usually used with the “!” sign.
• Example:
• 결혼 진심으로 ㅊㅋㅊㅋ!
  (gyeolhon jinsimeuro chukachuka!)
  “Congratulations on your wedding!”
• ㅇㅋ, short for 오케이 (okei) meaning “okay”
• Example:
• ㅇㅋ, 그렇게 할께.
  (okei, geureoke halkke.)
  “Okay, I will do that.”
• ㅎㅇ, short for 하이 (hai) meaing “hello” or “hi”
• Example:
• ㅎㅇㅎㅇ!
  (haihai!)
  “Hello hello!”
• ㅈㅅ, short for 죄송 (joesong) meaning “sorry”
• Example:
• 내가 실수했네, ㅈㅅ.
  (naega silsuhaenne, joesong.)
  “I made a mistake, I am sorry.”
• ㅁㅊ, short for 미친 (michin), meaning “crazy.” Use this word when someone’s acting or saying something insane or out of control.
• Example:
• ㅁㅊ, 너 돈이 어디있다고 이 비싼 차를 사?
  (michin, neo doni eodiitdago i bissan chareul sa?)
  “How did you even buy this expensive car when you are broke? You are insane.”
• ㅇㄷ , short for 어디야 (eodiya) meaning “Where are you?” or “Where r u?”
• Example:
• ㄷ? 나 거기로 갈까?
  (Eodi? na geogiro galkka?)
  “Where are you? Should I go there?”
• ㅇㄴ, short for 인남 (innam), which is a slang expression for 일어나다 (ireonada) meaning “to wake up”
• Example:
• 피곤, 나 지금 ㅇㄴ.
  (pigon, na jigeum innam.)
  “Tired, I’ve just woken up.”
• ***ㅋㅋㅋ, short for 크크크 (keukeu) which is the sound of laughter
• Example:
• ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 아 웃겨.
  (Keukeukeukeukeukeu a utgyeo.)
  “Hahahahahahahahahah that’s funny.”
• ***ㅎㅎㅎ, short for 흐흐흐 (heuheuheu) which is the same as 크크크 (keukeu), except that 흐흐흐 (heuheuheu) represents a weaker laugh sound.
• Example:
• ㅎㅎㅎ;;
  (heuheuheu)
  To show that you’re feeling uncomfortable and are laughing it off
• ㄱㅇㄱ? , short for 게임고? (geimgo?) which is a slang expression for 게임하러 갈래? (geimhareo gallae?) meaning “Let’s play the game?”
• Example:
• ㅇㄴ? ㄱㅇㄱ?
  (Innam? geimgo?)
  “Are you awake? Let’s go play the game?”
• ㅎㄹ, short for헐 (heol) meaning “What the..” or “Oops”
• Example:
• ㅎㄹ;;;;;
  (Heol)
  “What the…”
• ㄷㅈㄹ , short for 더잘래 (deojallae) meaning “I want to sleep more”
• Example:
• 어제 3시에 잤어. ㄷㅈㄹ.
  (eoje 3sie jasseo.deojallae)
  “I went to sleep at 3am yesterday, I want to sleep more.”

2. Korean Text Slang List — Combined Words

Following are a few of the most frequently used Korean slang terms and words. These happen to be a bit more complex than the ones above, as they’re composed of more than one Korean expression. Let’s take a look.

• 짐 (jim), short for 지금 (jigeum) meaning “now”
• Example:
• 나 진짜 급한데, 짐가면 안돼?
  (na jinjja geupande, jimgamyeon andwae?)
  “I’m really in a hurry, can’t we just go now?”
• 샘 (saem) or 쌤 (ssaem), short for 선생님 (seonsaengnim) meaning “teacher”
• Example:
• 우리 썜 진짜 잘생긴것 같아.
  (uri ssyaem jinjja jalsaenggingeot gata.)
  “I think my teacher is really handsome.”
• 어케 (eoke), short for 어떻게 (eotteoke) meaning “What should I do”
• Example:
• 헐 어케, 이거 엄마가 좋아하는 그릇인데.
  (heol eoke, igeo eommaga joahaneun geureusinde.)
  “Oops, what should I do, this was my mother’s favorite plate.”
• 담 (dam), short for 다음 (daeum) meaning “Next time”
• Example:
• 담에 가지머 (=다음에 가지뭐)
  (dame gajimeo) or (daeume gajimwo)
  “Let’s go next time.”
• 스샷 (seusyat) short for 스냅샷 (seunaepsyat) meaning “Snapshot”
• Example:
• 스샷 한번 찍자.
  (seusyat hanbeon jjikja.)
  “Let’s take a snapshot.”
• 눈팅 (nunting) short for 눈 채팅 (nun chaeting) meaning to read a chat without interacting
• Example:
• 난 인스타그램은 그냥 눈팅만해.
  (nan inseutageuraemeun geunyang nuntingmanhae.)
  “I spend time lurking on Instagram.”
• 강추 (gangchu) short for 강력 추천 (gangnyeok chucheon) meaning “highly recommended”
• Example:
• 이거 짱 맛있어 강추!
  (igeo jjang masisseo gangchu!)
  “This is really delicious, highly recommended!”
• 비번 (bibeon) short for 비밀번호 (bimilbeonho) meaning “passwords”
• Example:
• 엄마, 아파트 비번 뭐야?
  (eomma, apateu bibeon mwoya?)
  “Mum, what’s the code for our apartment door?”
• 컴 (keom) short for 컴퓨터 (keompyuteo) meaning “computer”
• Example:
• 컴터 넘 오래하면 잠이 안와.
  (keomteo neom oraehamyeon jami anwa.)
  “If I use the computer for a long time, I have trouble falling asleep.”
• 멜 (mel) short for 메일 (meil) meaning “email”
• Example:
• 잠만, 나 멜좀 쓰고.
  (jamman, na meljom sseugo.)
  “Wait a moment, let me write an email.”
• 겜 (gem) short for 게임 (geim) meaning “game”
• Example:
• 겜 하러 갈건데, 같이 갈래?
  (gem hareo galgeonde, gachi gallae?)
  “We are going to play a game, do you want to play too?”
• 울 (ul) short for 우리 (uri) meaning “we”
• Example:
• 울 남친 사진 보여주까? (우리 남자친구 사진 보여줄까?)
  (ul namchin sajin boyeojukka?) or (uri namjachingu sajin boyeojulkka?)
  “Do you want me to show you a picture of my boyfriend?”
• 설 (seol) short for 서울 (seoul) meaning “Seoul”
• Example:
• 설에 올라오면 연락줘. (서울에 올라오면 연락줘)
  (seore ollaomyeon yeollakjwo.) or (seoure ollaomyeon yeollakjwo)
  “Give me a call when you are in Seoul.”
• 짱나 (jjangna) short for 짜증나 (jjajeungna) meaning “I am frustrated”
• Example:
• 날씨 엄청 더워서 넘 짱나.
  (nalssi eomcheong deowoseo neom jjangna.)
  “I feel so cranky because of this crazy weather.”
• 근데 (geunde) short for 그런데 (geureonde) meaning “so what”
• Example:
• 근데? 너가 하고 싶은말이 뭔데?
  (geunde? neoga hago sipeunmari mwonde?)
  “So what? What are you trying to say?”
• 땜에 (ttaeme) short for 때문에 (ttyaemune) meaning “because of”
• Example:
• 너 땜에 엄마가 화났잖아!
  (neo ttaeme eommaga hwanatjana!)
  “Mum is angry because of you!”
• 아님 (anim) short for 아니면 (animyeon) meaning “or”
• Example:
• 초콜릿 먹을래? 아님 쿠키 먹을래?
  (chokollit meogeullae? anim kuki meogeullae?)
  “Do you want to eat some chocolates or some cookies?”
• 알써 (alsseo) short for 알겠어 (algesseo) meaning “okay”
• Example:
• 알써, 집에 가는길에 우유 사갈께.
  (alsseo, jibe ganeungire uyu sagalkke.)
  “Okay, I will buy some milk on the way home.”
• 첨 (cheom) short for 처음 (cheoeum) meaning “for the first time”
• Example:
• 너를 첨 만났을때…
  (neoreul cheom mannasseulttae…)
  “The first time I met you was…”
• 낼 (nael) short for 내일 (naeil) meaning “tomorrow”
• Example:
• 낼 보자!
  (nael boja!)
  “See you tomorrow!”
• 젤 (jel) short for 제일 (jeil) meaning “the most; the best”
• Example:
• 내가 젤 잘나가.
  (naega jel jallaga.)
  “I am the best.”
• 조아 (joa) short for 좋아 (joa) meaning “I like”
• Example:
• 조아 눌러주세요.
  (joa nulleojuseyo.)
  “Please press the ‘like’ button.”
• 방가 (bangga) short for 반갑습니다 meaning “nice to meet you”
• Example:
• 만나서 방가.
  (mannaseo bangga.)
  “Nice to meet you.”
• 월욜 (wollyol) short for 월요일 (wollyoil) meaning “Monday”
• 화욜 (hwayol) short for 화요일 (hwayoil) meaning “Tuesday”
• 수욜 (suyol) short for 수요일 (suyoil) meaning “Wednesday”
• 목욜 (mongnyol) short for 목요일 (mongnyoil) meaning “Thursday”
• 금욜 (geumyol) short for 금요일 (geumyoil) meaning “Friday”
• 토욜 (toyol) short for 토요일 (toyoil) meaning “Saturday”
• 일욜 (illyol) short for 일요일 (illyoil) meaning “Sunday”
• Example:
• 그럼 [월욜]에 볼까?
  (geureom [wollyol]e bolkka?)
  “Shall we meet on [Monday]?”

3. Korean Text Slang List — Swearing Words

Korean curse words slang terms—hopefully you never have to use some of these, but they’re still good to know in case your conversations ever get heated or intense.

• ㄷㅊ, short for 닥쳐 (dakchyeo) meaning “shut up”
• Example:
• 야 시끄러워 좀 ㄷㅊ.
  (ya sikkeureowo jom ㄷㅊ.)
  “Hey, you are too noisy, shut up.”
• ㅅㅂ, short for 시발 (sibal) meaning “f***”
• Example:
• ㅅㅂ. 재수없어.
  (Sibaljaesueopseo.)
  “You suck!”
• ㄲㅈ, short for 꺼져 (kkeojyeo) meaning “f*** off”
• Example:
• 좀 ㄲㅈ.
  (Jom kkeojyeo.)
  “F*** off.”
• ㅗㅗ, short for “f***.” This is the shape of a middle finger. Depending on how angry the person is, the number of this sign in a text or chat can vary.
• Example:
• ㅗㅗㅗㅗ!!
  Showing middle fingers.

4. Korean Text Slang List — Emoticons

Sometimes emoticons are just the best (and most entertaining) way to express how you’re feeling during a text or chat. Learning Korean texting emoticons will help you immensely when it comes to communicating a range of emotions to your Korean friends. So, let’s take a quick glance at the world of Korean texting emoticons!

• Crying face: (ㅠ_ㅠ), (ㅜ_ㅜ), (ㅜ.ㅜ), (ㅠㅠ), (ㅜㅜ), (;ㅅ;), (ㅜㅡ)
• Smiley face: (^_^), (^^), (^0^)
• Surprised face: (ㅇㅅㅇ) , (ㅇㅁㅇ), (ㅁㅅㅁ)
• OTL = the shape of someone kneeled down in misery
• ^^, ^^;^-^;;;;; = use this sweating face when you’re embarrassed or feel awkward
• ㅡㅡ has the same meaning as this Korean texting emoticon: 헐.
• ;;;;;; = sweating marks, used when you feel extremely embarrassed
• @.@ = to show that you’re confused
• *^^* = blushing
• +_+ = use when you feel excited or when you have great ideas
• ^_~ = winking
• **ㅜㅜ = crying face
• **ㅠㅠ = crying face (It has the same meaning as the emoticon above, but ㅠㅠ conveys more emotion)
• -_-a = scratching one’s head
• 0ㅠ0 = vomiting

This isn’t it—there are many more! You can even create your own emoticons, so feel free to invent your own.

5. Korean Text Slang List — Text slang with Numbers

One unique characteristic about these texting slang words is that these texting words deliver their meaning by using only numbers or the sound of the spelling. Often, the original meaning of numbers, signs, and spellings differ from that of the texting words used. So let’s take a look at some of these Korean slang words and phrases that contain numbers.

• 하2루 = “hello”
• Original texting word from 하이루 (hairu)
• 2 is 이 (i) or “two” in Korean
• By replacing 이 with 2, it becomes 하2루
• The meaning and the pronunciation are the same.
• Example:
• ㅎ2루, 오늘은 좋은 아침입니다.
  (Hairu, oneureun joeun achimimnida.)
  “Hairu, it’s such a wonderful morning.”
• 감4 = “Thank you”
• Original texting word from 감사 (gamsa)
• 4 is 사 (sa) or “four” in Korean
• By replacing 사 with 4, it becomes 감4 and it has the exact same meaning.
• Example:
• 선물 감4!
  (Seonmul gamsa)
  “Thank you for the gift!”
• 1004 = “angel”
• 1004 is pronounced as 천 (cheon) or “1000” and 사 is (sa) or “four”
• In addition, 천사 (cheonsa) is “angel” in the Korean language
• Example:
• 넌 나의 1004.
  (neon naui cheonsa.)
  “You are my angel.”
• 8282 = “do it quickly”
• “8” is 팔 (pal) and “2” is 이 (i) in Korean; 8282 is 팔이팔이 (paripari) or “8282” which sounds similar to 빨리빨리 (ppallippalli) meaning “quickly”
• 8282 is used when you want to make someone do something quickly
• Example:
• 8282와!
  (Ppallippalliwa!)
  “Hurry up!”
• 바2 = “Goodbye”
• Original texting word came from 바이 (bai) meaning “bye”
• 2 is 이 (i) or “two” in Korean
• 바이 becomes 바2
• The meaning and the pronunciation are the same.
• Example:
• 나 집에 갈래. ㅂ2!
  (na jibe gallae.bai)
  “I am heading home, goodbye!”
• 밥5 = “stupid” or “moron”
• Original texting word came from 바보 (babo) meaning “stupid”
• 5 is 오 (o) in Korean
• 바보 (babo) becomes 밥5
• 밥5 sounds cuter than 바보
• The meaning and the pronunciation are the same.
• Example:
• ㅎㅎㅎ ㅂ5
  (Heuheuheu babo)
  “Hahaha, moron”
• 미5 = “I dislike you” or “I hate you”
• Original texting word came from 미워 (miwo) meaning “I hate you”
• 5 is 오 (o) in Korean
• 미워 (miwo) becomes 미5
• The meaning and the pronunciation are the same.
• Example:
• 너 정말 못됐다. 미5!
  (neo jeongmal motdwaetda. miwo!)
  “You are so mean, I hate you!”
• 10C미 = “diligently” or “hard”
• Original texting word came from 열심히 (yeolsimhi) “diligently”
• 10 is 열 in Korean
• “C” is pronounced as 씨 in Korean
• 10C미 is pronounced as 열+씨+미, which is very close to 열심히 (yeolsimhi) meaning “diligently.”
• The meaning and the pronunciation are the same.
• Example:
• 공부 10C미.
  (Gongbu yeolsimhi.)
  “Study hard.”
• 091012 = “study hard”
• Original texting word came from 공부 열심히 해 (gongbu yeolsimhi hae) meaning “study hard.”
• “0” is 공 (gong) in Korean
• “9” is 구 (gu) in Korean
• “10” is 열 (yeol) in Korean
• “12” is 십이 (sibi) in Korean
• Together, it sounds like 공+구+열+십+이, which is very close to 공부 열심히 해 (gongbu yeolsimhi hae) meaning “study hard.”
• The meaning and the pronunciation are the same.
• Example:
• 091012!
  (Gongbu yeolsimhi!)
  “Study hard!”

You’ll understand these number texting words more once you begin to better understand numbers in Korean. If you’re not familiar with it, you can learn 한국숫자 (hanguksutja) or “Korean numbers” for free.

6. How KoreanClass101 Can Help You

In summary, we had a look at commonly used Internet slang words in Korean. We hope that you find these words useful and use them next time you speak to your Korean friends online.

As much as learning Korean slang words is important, it’s also important to learn other proper forms of speech and action in Korea. KoreanClass101 has the world’s number-one study materials available online for you to study. So why don’t you create a free lifetime account today and immerse yourself in the Korean language? You’ll never regret it!

Do you have more questions about Korean slang? Please leave a question on our forum page. We’re more than happy to help you with improving your Korean. What’s your favorite Korean slang word or expression so far? Leave us a comment!

Today, we’re going to study key phrases for introducing yourself in Korean. This article is aimed toward beginners, but it’ll be a good review for intermediate learners as well.

Table of Contents

1. Identifying Yourself
2. Placing Yourself in Society
3. Sharing Personal Details
4. Culture Insights
5. How KoreanClass101 Can Help You with Korean

1. Identifying Yourself

1- Stating your Name

In a Formal Setting

안녕하세요, 반갑습니다. 저는 000이라고 합니다.
annyeonghaseyo, bangapseumnida. jeoneun 000irago hamnida.
“Hello, nice to meet you. My name is 000.”

This is the most basic self-introduction in Korean and can be used in any situation, such as introducing yourself to your new classmates or colleagues, and to any strangers. It’s important to know how to introduce yourself in Korean formally, so that you can give a good first impression to those you’ll live and work with.

Say “Hello” and “Nice to meet you.” And then replace “000” with your name. If you don’t know how to write your name in Korean, ask our teachers on our Korean Names page! You won’t get very far in Korea without talking about your name in Korean!

Alternatively, you can say:

• 제 이름은 000입니다.
• je ireumeun 000imnida.
• “My name is 000.”
• 저는 000이라고 합니다.
• jeoneun 000irago hamnida.
• “I call myself 000.”

These are the two most commonly used phrases in Korea. There’s not much difference in these two phrases, so feel free to choose the one you like most.

Example:

• 소연: 안녕하세요, 반갑습니다. 저는 박소연이라고 합니다.
• Soyeon: annyeonghaseyo, bangapseumnida. jeoneun baksoyeonirago hamnida.
• Soyeon: “Hello, nice to meet you. I am Park Soyeon.”
• 수지: 안녕하세요, 반갑습니다. 이수지입니다.
• Sooji: annyeonghaseyo, bangapseumnida. Lee Soojiimnida.
• Sooji: “Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Lee Sooji.”

In Korea, you need to say your family name first, followed by your given name. For example, if your family name is Jackson and your first name is Michael, you’ll need to say “Jackson Michael” in Korea, since Koreans address their family name first. Also, if you want to make sure that everyone hears your name clearly, say your family name first, pause, then state your last name.

Example:

• 안녕하십니까, 제 이름은 잭슨 마이클이라고 합니다.
• Annyeonghasimnikka, je ireumeun jaekseun maikeurirago hamnida.
• “Hello, my name is Michael Jackson.”
• 안녕하십니까, 제 이름은 스미스 윌입니다.
• Annyeonghasimnikka, je ireumeun seumiseu wirimnida.
• “Hello, my name is Will Smith.”

In an Informal Setting

안녕, 만나서 반가워. 000이라고 해.
annyeong, mannaseo bangawo. 000irago hae.
“Hello, nice to meet you. I’m 000.”

It’s also good to know how to introduce yourself in Korean casually. This casual self-introduction is used when you introduce yourself to friends, or someone who’s younger than you. You can’t use this phrase in a formal setting.

Alternatively, you could say:

• 내 이름은 00이야.
• nae ireumeun 00iya.
• “My name is 00.”
• 난 00야.
• nan 00ya.
• “I’m 00.”
• 난 00이야.
• nan 00iya.
• “I’m 00.”

When to Use 야 or 이야:

To distinguish when to use 야 (ya) and 이야 (iya) when introducing yourself in Korean is very simple. However, many Korean learners struggle to use the appropriate subject marker. The rule is very simple: When a word ends with a consonant, 이야 (iya) is added and when a word ends with a vowel, 야 (ya) is added.

Here are a couple of examples of what we mean:

• 에밀리 (emilli) or “Emily” ends with a vowel (ㅣ), therefore 야 (ya) is added.
• 난 에밀리야. (nan emilliya.) or “I’m Emily.”
• 셴셴 (syensyen) or “Shenshen” ends with a consonant (ㄴ), therefore 이야 (iya) is added.
• 난 셴셴이야. (nan syensyeniya.) or “I’m Shenshen.”

Example:

• 소연: 안녕, 난 박소연이야. 만나서 반가워.
• Soyeon: annyeong, nan Park Soyeoniya. mannaseo bangawo.
• Soyeon: “Hello, I’m Soyeon Park. Nice to meet you.”
• 수지: 안녕, 반가워. 이수지라고해.
• Sooji: annyeong, bangawo. Lee Soojiragohae.
• Sooji: “Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Sooji Lee.”

More and more Korean learners make their own Korean name. You can make your Korean name based on your birthday on KoreanClass101. Please check it out!

2- Nationality

When learning how to introduce yourself using Korean, it’s important to know how to describe your nationality. To do this, attach the suffix 사람 (saram) meaning “person” to your country in Korean:

저는 00사람입니다. [Formal]
jeoneun 00saramimnida.
“I am 00.”

For example:
저는 한국 사람입니다. [Formal]
jeoneun hanguk saramimnida.
“I am Korean.”

To say that you are Korean, simply attach the suffix 사람 (saram) meaning “person” to 한국 (hanguk) meaning “Korea.” The resulting clause, 한국사람 (Hanguksaram) translates literally to “Korea person.” Alternatively, you can say 한국인 (Hangukin). The word 인 (in) meaning “person” is derived from the Chinese character 人 and has the exact same meaning as 사람 (saram). So, all you need to do is attach the suffix 인 (in) meaning “person” to 한국 (Hanguk) meaning “Korea” which results in 한국인 (“Korean”). If you’re not sure how to say your country in Korean, you might find vocabulary for nationalities useful.

Examples:

• 저는 말레이시아 사람입니다. [Formal]
• jeoneun malleisia saramimnida.
• “I am Malaysian.”
• 나는 말레이시아 사람이야. [Informal]
• naneun malleisia saramiya.
• “I am Malaysian.”
• 저는 일본 사람입니다. [Formal]
• jeoneun ilbon saramimnida.
• “I am Japanese.”
• 나는 일본 사람이야. [Informal]
• naneun ilbon saramiya.
• “I am Japanese.”
• 저는 프랑스 사람입니다. [Formal]
• jeoneun peurangseu saramimnida.
• “I am French.”
• 나는 프랑스 사람이야. [Informal]
• naneun peurangseu saramiya.
• “I am French.”

Alternatively, you could say:

You can also say 한국에서 왔습니다. (hangugeseo watseumnida.) which means “I came from Korea.” All you need to do is add your country, followed by 에서 왔습니다 (eseo watseumnida) meaning “I came from.” For example, to say that “I came from England,” England is 영국 (yeongguk) in Korean, therefore you could say:

저는 영국에서 왔습니다. (jeoneun yeonggugeseo watseumnida) which translates to: “I came from England.”

Examples:

• 저는 미국에서 왔습니다.
• jeoneun migugeseo watseumnida.
• “I came from America.”
• 저는 싱가포르에서 왔습니다.
• jeoneun singgaporeueseo watseumnida.
• “I came from Singapore.”

Here’s a list of vocabulary for countries. Learn how to say your country in Korean and introduce yourself to others!

3- Age

저는 00살입니다.
Jeoneun 00salimnida.
“I am 00 years old.”

저는 (jeoneun) is a formal way to say “I am” in English. 살 (sal) means “age” and 입니다 (imnida) means “to be.” For example, if you’re twenty-one years old, you say:

저는 스물한살입니다. (jeoneun seumulhansarimnida.) in Korean.

Did you know that international age and Korean age are different? To find out your Korean age, use our Korean Age Calculator, and learn how to say how old you are in Korean. Talking about your age in Korean is a fairly important skill to learn!

Another way of stating your age is:

• 저의 나이는 00 입니다. [Formal]
• jeoui naineun 00 imnida.
• “My age is 00.”
• (나는) 00살이야. [Informal]
• (naneun) 00sariya.
• “My age is 00.”

The sentence structure is the same for this phrase. Insert your age in Korean and you’re done! For example, if you’re twenty-one years old, the phrase becomes 저의 나이는 스무살입니다 (je naineun seumusarimnida).

1988년생입니다.
cheonpalbaekpalsip-pallyeonsaengimnida.
“I was born in 1988.”

Here’s another way to state your age in Korean. If you don’t want to say your age out loud, or if you’re not sure about your Korean age, just let the listener figure out your age on their own by using this phrase:

• A: B씨는 몇 살이에요?
• A: Bssineun myeotsariyeyo?
• A: “How old are you, B?”
• B: 저는 한국나이로 스무살입니다.
• B: jeoneun hangungnairo seumusarimnida.
• B: “I’m twenty years old in Korean age.”
• C: D씨는 몇년생이에요?
• C: Dssineun myeonnyeonsaengiyeyo?
• C: “What year were you born, D?”
• D: 1990년생 이에요..
• D: cheongubaekgusimnyeonsaeng ieyo..
• D: “I was born in 1990.”

2. Placing Yourself in Society

1- Information About Your Family

우리 가족은 모두 4명입니다.
uri gajogeun modu nemyeongimnida.
“There are four members in my family.”

Talking about your family in Korean is essential, and this is the simplest way to introduce your family. 명 (myeong) is the counter for people (informal). 분 (bun) is a formal counter for people, but we don’t use this to count family members. Let’s say that you have five family members. The phrase should be:

우리 가족은 모두 5명입니다 (uri gajogeun modu daseonmyeongimnida).

You may also want to extend the sentence by adding the name of a family member. For this, we have a list of family members which will come in handy. Also, note that we have different ways of referring to sisters and brothers based on the gender of the speaker.

Examples:

If you’re female and have a younger brother and an older brother, you should say:

• 우리 가족은 모두 5명입니다.
  저의 아버지, 어머니, 오빠와 남동생, 그리고 저입니다.
• uri gajogeun modu daseonmyeongimnida.
  jeoui abeoji, eomeoni, oppawa namdongsaeng, geurigo jeoimnida.
• “There are five family members.”
  “There are my father, mother, older brother, younger brother, and me.”

If you’re male and have an older brother and an older sister, you should say:

• 우리 가족은 모두 5명입니다.
  저의 아버지, 어머니, 형과 누나, 그리고 저입니다.
• uri gajogeun modu daseonmyeongimnida.
  jeoui abeoji, eomeoni, hyeonggwa nuna, geurigo jeoimnida.
• “There are five family members.”
  “There are my father, mother, older brother, younger sister, and me.”

Alternatively, you can say:

• 저의 가족은 아버지, 어머니 이렇게 3명이 있습니다.
• jeoui gajogeun abeoji, eomeoni ireoke semyeongi itseumnida.
• “In my family there are three: my father and my mother.”
• 우리 가족은 아버지, 어머니, 오빠 그리고 저를 포함해 4명입니다.
• uri gajogeun abeoji, eomeoni, oppa geurigo jeoreul pohamhae nemyeongimnida.
• “In my family there are four people including me: my father, my mother, my older brother, and me.”

3. Sharing Personal Details

1- Describing Hobbies

Talking about your hobbies in Korean is one of the most interesting topics you may cover, so let’s take a look at some examples of how to introduce this in Korean.

~ 이/가 취미에요.
~ i/ga chwimieyo.
“My hobby is ~.”

When to use 이 or 가:

You may be bewildered by these two subject markers: -이 (i) and 가 (ga). Many Korean learners struggle to use the appropriate subject marker. Don’t worry though, it’s very simple: Just remember that when a word ends in a consonant, 이 (i) follows the word. When a word ends in a vowel, 가 (ga) is added to the word. For example, 독서 (dokseo) or “reading a book” ends in a vowel (ㅓ), therefore 가 (ga) needs to be added. So the sentence becomes 독서가 취미에요. (dokseoga chwimieyo.) meaning “My hobby is reading.” Here’s another example: 수영을 하는 것 (suyeongeul haneun geot) or “to swim” ends in a consonant (ㅅ), therefore 이 (i) is added after 수영. The sentence should be 수영을 하는 것이 취미에요. (suyeongeul haneun geosi chwimieyo.) meaning “My hobby is swimming.”

Examples:

• 독서가 취미에요.
• dokseoga chwimieyo.
• “My hobby is reading.”
• 운동이 취미에요.
• undongi chwimieyo.
• “My hobby is working out.”

Alternatively, you can say:

• ~ 을/를 좋아해요
• ~ eul/reul joahaeyo.
• “I like ~”

Examples:

• 책 읽기를 좋아해요.
• chaek ilgireul joahaeyo.
• “I like reading a book.”
• 수영을 좋아해요.
• suyeongeul joahaeyo.
• “I like swimming.”
• 영화보기를 좋아해요.
• yeonghwabogireul joahaeyo.
• “I like watching movies.”

Sometimes just addressing your hobby may not be enough, and you may need a more detailed explanation regarding your hobby. KoreanClass101 has a vocabulary list for hobbies and weekend activities.

2- Pets

(저는) 강아지를 키우고 있어요.
(jeoneun) gangajireul kiugo isseoyo.
“I have a dog.”

Literal translation of 키우고 있어요 (kiugo isseoyo) is “I am raising ~” in English. To say that you have a dog, which is 강아지 (gangajir) or “a puppy” in Korean, add the word in front of eul kiugo isseoyo, as shown above.

If you have more than one pet, you need to know how to say the numbers. Koreans use different counter words for various topics, such as animals, objects, and so on. For animals, we say the number in Korean followed by 마리 (: mari) which is the counter for animals.

For example:

• 한 마리 (han mari) — “one animal”
• 두 마리 (du mari) — “two animals”
• 세 마리 (se mari) — “three animals”
• 네 마리 (ne mari) — “four animals”
• 다섯 마리 (daseon mari) — “five animals”
• 여섯 마리 (yeoseon mari) — “six animals”
• 일곱 마리 (ilgom mari) — “seven animals”
• 여덟 마리 (yeodeol mari) — “eight animals”
• 아홉 마리 (ahom mari) — “nine animals”
• 열 마리 (yeol mari) — “ten animals”

Let’s say you have a dog and two cats, the phrase would be:

강아지 한마리와 고양이 두마리를 키우고 있어요.
gangaji hanmariwa goyangi dumarireul kiugo isseoyo.
“I have a dog and two cats.”

More examples:

• 고양이 두마리를 키우고 있어요.
• goyangi dumarireul kiugo isseoyo.
• “I am raising two cats.”
• 토끼 세마리를 키우고 있어요.
• tokki semarireul kiugo isseoyo.
• “I am raising three rabbits.”
• 햄스터 한마리를 키우고 있어요.
• haemseuteo hanmarireul kiugo isseoyo.
• “I am raising a hamster.”

Alternatively, you could say:

• 집에 강아지 한마리 있어요.
• jibe gangaji hanmari isseoyo.
• “I have a dog at home.”

집에 (jibe) means “at home” and 있어요 (isseoyo) means “there is” in English. The direct translation is “There is a dog at home,” meaning the person has a dog at his or her house as a pet. You can use this phrase to explain that you own a pet.

If you want to know how to say “your pet” in Korean, we have a vocabulary list for animals in Korean, so feel free to check it out. With all of this information, you shouldn’t have any problems talking about your pets in Korean!

3- Your Current Interests

K-pop에 관심이 많아요.
keipabe gwansimi manayo.
“I have a great interest in K-pop.”

When you introduce yourself in Korean, you may want to talk about your interests. 관심 (gwansim) means “interest” and 많아요 (manayo) means “(there is) a lot” in Korean—by combining these two words, the phrase becomes 관심이 많아요 (gwansimi manayo), meaning “I am very interested in…” in English. In addition, you can only use a noun or noun phrase for this phrase.

Examples:

• 시사 프로그램에 관심이 많아요.
• sisa peurogeuraeme gwansimi manayo.
• “I am interested in current affair.”
• 뉴스에 관심이 많아요.
• nyuseue gwansimi manayo.
• “I have a great interest in news.”
• 한국어 공부에 관심이 많아요.
• hangugeo gongbue gwansimi manayo.
• “I have a great interest in studying Korean.”

In addition, you could easily extend the phrase by adding more information.

Examples:

• 방탄소년단에 관심이 있어서, 그룹 멤버들의 사진을 모우는 것을 좋아합니다.
• bangtansonyeondane gwansimi isseoseo, geurup membeodeurui sajineul mouneun geoseul joahamnida.
• “I am interested in BTS, so I like collecting pictures of each member.”
• 동물에 관심이 많아서, 동물의 사진을 찍는 것을 좋아합니다.
• dongmure gwansimi manaseo, dongmurui sajineul jjingneun geoseul joahamnida.
• “Since I have a great interest in animals, I like taking pictures of animals.”
• 뉴스에 관심이 많아서 매일 밤 뉴스를 보고 있습니다.
• nyuseue gwansimi manaseo maeil bam nyuseureul bogo itseumnida.
• “Since I have a great interest in news, I watch the news every night.”

4. Culture Insights

1- Bowing is Important

When learning how to introduce yourself in Korean, expressions are only part of the equation. Keep in mind that bowing is a big part of Korean culture, since Koreans bow in every situation. Hence, it’s considered good manners. When you plan to visit South Korea, the first thing you need to learn is when to bow according to the situation you’re in. In addition, if you want to learn more about Korean etiquette, we have an article that explains Seven do’s and don’ts in Korea which explains in detail things that you need to know before traveling to Korea.

2- Be Careful when You Make Eye Contact

It’s alright to make eye contact when you’re speaking with people around your age. However, it’s NOT okay to make direct eye contact with people of higher status or someone older than you. In many countries, such as America and European countries, making eye contact is a friendly way to connect with people. However, Koreans will interpret it differently, thinking that you’re trying to overpower them.

5. How KoreanClass101 Can Help You with Korean

Let’s review what we discussed. We explained to you about how to introduce yourself in Korean. While the phrases we introduced are for beginners, intermediate learners can also use this article to review what they’ve learned so far. In addition, we have an article on ten lines that you can use when introducing yourself, so feel free to use our free materials.

KoreanClass101 offers a variety of free study materials online. We also have teachers standing by to answer your questions about Korean. So if you have any questions regarding Korean grammar, expressions, or even cultural insights, create your lifetime account today, so that you can get access to our forums or even receive answers from our teachers regarding any questions you may have during your Korean studies.

Good luck with studying Korean! Be sure to practice introducing yourself in Korean using our examples of how to introduce yourself in Korean, so that you can master it in no time!

Each year, Koreans observe their Memorial Day in commemoration of all their fallen soldiers. Memorial Day in Korea is similar to the U.S. Memorial Day, though of course with its own cultural nuances (such as the South Korean Flag meaning in ceremonies).

At KoreanClass101.com, we hope to make learning about Korean culture and holidays both fun and informative, because this may be the most vital step in being able to master the language. That in mind, keep reading for more information on Memorial Day (South Korea).

1. What is Memorial Day to Koreans?

Have you ever heard of Memorial Day in the United States of America? It’s a day to remember those who sacrificed their lives for the country.

In Korea, there is also a day like U.S. Memorial Day, known as Korean Memorial Day (Hyeon Chung Il). In Korea, in order to honor those who lost their lives for the country, the month of June has been known as the Month of Defense of Korea and Patriots and Veterans every year since 1954.

2. When is Memorial Day in Korea?

For this holiday in Korean, June 6 is when South Korea celebrates its Memorial Day.

3. Reading Practice: How is Korean Memorial Day Celebrated?

How do Koreans commemorate this June 6 holiday in Korea? Read the Korean text below to learn about the traditions that accompany Korean Memorial Day, and find the English translation directly below it.

—

이 때가 되면 많은 사람들이 서울에 있는 현충원을 방문합니다. 국립 서울 현충원은 나라를 위해서 목숨을 잃은 분들이 묻힌 곳인데요. 6월 6일이 되면 이곳 현충원에 독립유공자와 국군 유가족, 대통령 그리고 국가 주요 인사들이 모여서 현충일 추념식을 갖습니다.

특히 현충일 추념식 중간에 순국선열을 위해서 묵념을 하는 시간이 있는데요. 이 때에는 현충원 뿐만 아니라 전국 여기저기에서 사이렌이 울리고, 전국에 있는 모든 사람들이 함께 묵념을 합니다. 사람들은 1분간 묵념을 하면서 고인의 명복을 빌게 됩니다. 또한, 서울 광화문로와 같은 전국의 주요도로에 다니는 모든 차량도 이 1분간은 잠깐 정지하게 됩니다.

현충일이 되면 초등학교나 중학교에서도 현충일과 관련된 다양한 행사가 열립니다. 특히 현충일 글짓기 행사와 포스터 그리기 행사가 대표적인데요. 이 행사에 참가한 학생들은 한국전쟁 때 나라를 위해서 싸웠던 국군 장병의 모습을 그리고, 지금도 휴전선 근처에서 나라를 지키고 있는 군인들에게 감사의 마음을 담은 글을 적습니다.

여러분 그거 아세요? 지금도 한국은 휴전 중이기 때문에, 아직도 휴전선 근처에서는 크고 작은 전투들이 종종 일어나고 있습니다. 그래서 최근까지도 적지 않은 국군장병들이 나라를 위해서 싸우다 목숨을 잃는 경우가 종종 생기는데요. 이렇게 목숨을 잃거나 다친 사람들을 한국 사람들은 “국가유공자”라고 부릅니다.

—

On this day, a lot of people visit Seoul National Memorial Cemetery in Seoul. Seoul National Memorial Cemetery is the burial site of those who lost their lives for their country. On June 6th, a ceremony that honors the veterans of Korean Memorial Day is held with the bereaved families of the dead soldiers, the contributors to independence, the President, and the National Key Personnel.

In particular, there is a moment of silence in the middle of the ceremony on Korean Memorial Day, to honor the Patriotic Martyr. During the moment of silence, a siren sounds across the country as well as in the Cemetery, and everyone in the country observes a moment of silence. For one minute of silence, people pray for the repose of the deceased. Also, all vehicles on the main roads of the country, such as Gwanghwamun ro, stop for one minute for the moment of silence.

When Memorial Day is drawing near, a variety of associated events take place in elementary and junior high schools. In particular, there are representative events such as creative writing and poster drawing on Korean Memorial Day. Students who participate in these events draw the soldiers who fought for the country during the Korean War, or write to the soldiers who still defend the country near the Military Demarcation Line, to express their gratitude to them.

Did you know that large and small battles are still often happening around the Military Demarcation Line despite Korea being under a flag of truce? So, until recently, a considerable number of soldiers have lost their lives during the fight for their country. Korean people call those who lose their lives or were injured “men of National Merit” (gukgayugongja).

4. Why June 6th?

Do you know why Memorial Day (Korea) is on June 6th?

In Korea, a year is divided into twenty-four. In those twenty-four divisions, June 6th is the first day of the ninth period. And since old times, various sacrifices have been made on this day. That’s why the South Korean government set June 6th as Korean Memorial Day (Hyun Choong Il) when the government decided the Memorial Day in 1954.

5. Useful Vocabulary for Korean Memorial Day

Here’s some vocabulary you should know for Memorial Day in South Korea!

• 현충일 (hyeonchungil) — “Memorial Day”
• 태극기 (taegukgi) — “Flag of South Korea”
• 묵념 (mungnyeom) — “silent tribute”
• 애국 (aeguk) — “patriotism”
• 국군 (gukgun) — “national army”
• 애국가 (aegukga) — “national anthem”
• 순국 선열 (sunguk seonyeol) — “martyr”
• 목숨 (moksum) — “life”
• 6월 6일 (yuwol yugil) — “June 6th”
• 영웅 (yeongung) — “hero”
• 명복 (myeongbok) — “happiness in the next world”
• 호국 (hoguk) — “defense of one’s country”
• 국립 서울 현충원 (gungnip seoul hyeonchungwon) — “Seoul National Cemetery”
• 조의 (joui) — “mark of respect to the dead”

To hear each vocabulary word pronounced, check out our Korean Memorial Day vocabulary list. Here, each word is listed alongside an audio file of its pronunciation.

Conclusion

What do you think about Memorial Day in Korea? Does your country observe a Memorial Day? Let us know in the comments!

To learn more about the culture of Korea, its history, and of course the Korean language, visit us at KoreanClass101.com! We believe that language-learning should be both fun and informative, something to look forward to and a steady path toward your goals. There’s something here for every learner, from free Korean vocabulary lists, insightful blog posts like this one, and an online community forum to discuss lessons with fellow students. You can also begin using our MyTeacher program by upgrading to Premium Plus!

We hope that you took away something valuable from this article, and that you’ll continue to immerse yourself in everything Korean with us. Your hard work will pay off, and we’ll be here for every step of your Korean-learning journey!

When it comes to learning a language, everyone wants to know what the best way to learn that language quickly is. It’s the same for our Korean learners; they want to know how to study the Korean language effectively. Here, we’re going to give you some tips on how to do this—namely through watching the best Korean variety shows.

Watching Korean TV shows can be a very useful supplement for Korean learners because some of the TV shows are very entertaining, and will give you opportunity to learn phrases that are commonly used in Korea. Moreover, watching TV shows with subtitles in Korean will certainly help you improve your vocabulary and your ability to understand the language. Today, KoreanClass101 will introduce ten famous Korean TV shows to help you learn Korean effectively.

Table of Contents

1. Benefits of Watching Korean TV Shows
2. How to Practice Korean While Watching Korean TV Shows
3. 10 Korean Variety Show Recommendations
4. How to Study the Korean Language with KoreanClass101

1. Benefits of Watching Korean TV Shows

So, what are the benefits of watching Korean TV shows? If you’re a Korean language learner, it may be challenging for you to learn Korean by watching Korean variety shows, therefore it’s strongly recommended to learn from basic Hangul and learn how combinations of different consonants and vowels make the sounds. Start off by studying basic Hangul and slowly move onto learning other basic expressions such as self-introductions. If you’re an intermediate learner, you’ll find that Korean TV shows are a great source to use to practice speaking, reading, and listening. Also:

• It’s entertaining and is one of the best ways to learn Korean.

Each South Korean TV show has its unique style. Therefore, depending on your interests, you can improve your vocabularies and expressions from TV shows. For example, if you want to understand how Koreans tease each other and want to learn more about Korean humor, watching Radio Star may help you meet your goals.

Also, the expressions that you learn in school may not be used in daily life in Korea, so if you want to learn “Real Korean Language” including slang words (e.g.일욜 or “shorten words for Sunday”), then the Korean reality show called 나 혼자 산다 (na honja sanda) or “I Live Alone” may help you understand how Koreans express themselves in daily life.

• You’ll stay in touch with the trends in Korea.

South Korean TV shows always invite various celebrities, from singers, actors/actresses, comedians, and even Hollywood celebrities! For example, when a new film is released, you’ll most likely see celebrities from that film in these popular Korean variety shows. If you watch Korean TV shows, you’ll definitely be in touch with the most current trends.

2. How to Practice Korean While Watching Korean TV Shows

Everyone has their own techniques for studying Korean. Here are some of the most popular methods:

1. Write down words or expressions that you don’t understand.
2. Practice speaking and pronunciation repetitively.
3. Replay the show, but focus on mimicking the words and annotations.

And so on. There are more techniques that you can help you learn Korean effectively and efficiently. If you have your own Language Learning Strategies, they’ll certainly help you study smarter and faster than others.

Let’s take a look at our list of famous South Korean TV shows. We’ve prepared a brief explanation of each TV show; if you’re interested to know even more details, click on the title of the show, and it will direct you to the Wikipedia page.

3. 10 Korean Variety Show Recommendations

So what are the most famous variety shows in Korea? We looked at Korean variety show ratings and now we’re going to introduce ten famous Korean TV series to help you learn Korean!

1- 라디오 스타 (radio seuta) — “Radio Star”

Korean TV show information:
Period: 5/30/2007 ~ present (as of 2019)
Channel: MBC

Why should you watch this Korean series?
Radio Star is a South Korean talk show hosted by Kim Gook-Jin, Yoon Jong-Shin, Kim Gura, and Cha Tae-hyun. The first episode aired on the 30th of May, 2007. Radio Star invites four to six guests every week for the talk show, and most of the time the hosts ask difficult questions that cause panic in the guests. Guests are aware of this, so they usually answer the questions in a humorous way, which is the whole point of this talk show.

Due to the nature of the talk show, top celebrities aren’t fond of being featured here. However, some less-famous celebrities became extremely popular after showing up on this Korean TV show because of their sense of humor, as well as their interesting and personal stories.

Korean TV show website: https://www.imbc.com/broad/tv/ent/goldfish/
YouTube video: Do you want to watch just a little bit of the show? You can watch some videos here.

Korean phrases and quotes:

• 알아서 좋은 인연이 들어와요. (araseo joeun inyeoni deureowayo.)
• “A good relationship will naturally come to you.”
• 내가 번 돈 내가 안 쓰면 누가 꼭 쓴다. (naega beon don naega an sseumyeon nuga kkok sseunda.)
• “If I don’t spend my own money, someone else will spend it all.”
• 큰 일보다는 사소한 일에 신경을 많이 써라. (keunil bodaneun sasohan ire singyeongeul mani sseora.)
• “Pay attention to small things not only to big things.”

Must-know Korean vocabularies:

• 좋은 인연 (joeun inyeon) : “a good relationship”
• 들어오다 (deureooda): “to come in”
• 안 쓰다 (an sseuda) : opposite meaning of 쓰다 (sseuda) meaning “to use”
• 번 돈 (beon don): “money earned by hard working”
• …보다는 (…bodaneun): “…rather than”
• 사소한 일 (sasohan il): “a mere trifle”
• 신경 쓰다 (singyeong sseuda): “to show concern”
• 많이 (mani): “much; lots; plenty”

2- 나 혼자 산다 (na honja sanda) — “I Live Alone”

Korean TV show information:
Period: 3/22/2013 ~ present (as of 2019)
Channel: MBC

Why should you watch this Korean series?
It’s a South Korean television entertainment program aired every Friday from 11:10 pm to 12:50 am. I Live Alone broadcasts famous celebrities’ everyday lives, such as what they do and eat at home and their daily schedule including who they meet and so on. You’ll be surprised to see how transparent they are, and eventually you’ll come to realize that even the lives of famous celebrities are somewhat similar to our own. What makes this TV show popular in South Korea is that we can really relate to some of the personal troubles that these famous celebrities go through (e.g. dealing with debts, the death of a beloved pet, etc.).

Korean TV show website: https://www.imbc.com/broad/tv/ent/singlelife/index.html
YouTube video: Do you want to watch just a little bit of the show? You can watch some videos here.

Korean phrases and quotes:

• 클락션은 싸움만 만들 뿐. (keullaksyeoneun ssaumman mandeul ppun.)
• “You will most likely end up in a fight when you honk too much.”
• 욕심이 많아지면 행복하자는 소원을 빈다. (yoksimi manajimyeon haengbokajaneun sowoneul binda.)
• “When you become greedy, you end up making a wish to be happy.”
• 초심을 잃지 말자. (chosimeul ilchi malja.)
• “Let’s not forget our humble beginnings.”

Must-know Korean vocabularies:

• 클락션 (keullaksyeon): “Honk; Klaxon”
• 싸움 (ssaum): “fight”
• 만들다 (mandeulda): “to make”
• 욕심 (yoksim): “greed”
• 많아지면 (manajimyeon): “to pile up”
• 소원을 빌다 (sowoneul bilda): “make a wish”
• 초심 (chosim): “one’s first intention”
• 잃다 (ilta): “to lose”

3- 런닝맨 (reonningmaen) — “Running Man”

Korean TV show information:
Period: 7/11/2010 ~ present (as of 2019)
Channel: SBS

Why should you watch this Korean series?
Running Man is an SBS Korean variety show, and is one of the longest-running Korean game shows in South Korea. The rule of the game is that Running Man contestants wear a nametag on their back while playing the game. Their main goal is to take off all the contestants’ nametags until one person is left. It may sound easy, but it’s not, because contestants also need to perform various tasks in order to win the game and sometimes you have no choice but to betray your own team. This survival game is very addictive and entertaining! Also, it’s a Korean variety show that invites and features a lot of idols from all over the world.

Korean TV show website: https://programs.sbs.co.kr/enter/runningman/
YouTube video: Do you want to watch just a little bit of the show? You can watch some videos here.

Korean phrases and quotes:

• 포기하는 거야, 지금? 뭐가 그렇게 무섭다고 도전을 안해 (pogihaneun geoya, jigeum? mwoga geureoke museopdago dojeoneul anhae)
• “Are you giving up, now? Why are you not even challenging yourself.”
• 카메라 앞에서는 무엇을 해도 용서가 되지만 카메라가 꺼졌을 때에도 똑같이 행동하면 안된다 (kamera apeseoneun mueoseul haedo yongseoga doejiman kameraga kkeojyeosseul ttaeedo ttokgachi haengdonghamyeon andoenda)
• “Whatever you do in front of the camera, you will be forgiven, but you should not act the same when the camera is turned off.”

Must-know Korean vocabularies:

• 포기 (pogi): “give up”
• 무섭다 (museopda): “scared”
• 도전 (dojeon): “challenge”
• 용서 (yongseo): “forgiveness”
• 행동 (haengdong): “behavior”

4- 대국민 토크쇼 안녕하세요 (daegungmin tokeusyo annyeonghaseyo) — “Hello Counselor”

Korean TV show information:
Period: 11/20/2010 ~ present (as of 2019)
Channel: KBS2

Why should you watch this Korean series?
대국민 토크쇼 안녕하세요 (“Hello Counselor”) aims to help people take down communication barriers by sharing their personal life stories. The hosts try to evaluate the situation that a person’s going through and give advice. The hosts and guests try to do this is the most humorous way possible. At the end of the show, people on the stage vote on whether the problem which was addressed is severe and needs some “real” help or not. This Korean TV show invites many idols and famous celebrities, too.

Korean TV show website: https://program.kbs.co.kr/2tv/enter/hello/pc/
YouTube video: Do you want to watch just a little bit of the show? You can watch some videos here.

Korean phrases and quotes:

• 여러분의 말 못할 고민을 응원해 드립니다. (yeoreobunui mal mothal gomineul eungwonhae deurimnida.)
• “We will support your worries.”
• 육아는 도와주는 게 아니라 같이 하는 것. (yuganeun dowajuneun ge anira gachi haneun geot.)
• “Parenting is not helping, it is doing together.”

Must-know Korean vocabularies:

• 여러분 (yeoreobun): “everybody”
• 말 못할 (mal mothal): “something that you cannot say to people”
• 고민 (gomin): “worries”
• 응원 (eungwon): “cheering”
• 육아 (yuga): “infant care”
• 도와주다 (dowajuda): “to support”
• 같이 하는 것 (gachi haneun geot): “to do things together”

5- 언프리티 랩스타 (Eonpeuriti Raepseuta) — “Unpretty Rapstar”

Korean TV show information:
Period:1/29/2015 ~ present (as of 2019)
Channel: Mnet

What is it about?: 언프리티 랩스타 (Eonpeuriti Raepseuta) or “Unpretty Rapstar” is a rap competition reality show in South Korea, featuring only female rappers. One thing about this show that’s interesting is that in the first few episodes, show contestants introduce themselves through the same beat. Contestants need to win missions such as stage performance or “do diss” battle, in which contestants battle one-on-one with another rapper. This Korean competition TV show was famous already, but it became even more popular after the appearance of Jessi.

Korean TV show website: https://mnettv.interest.me/unprettyrapstar3/main
YouTube video: Do you want to watch just a little bit of the show? You can watch some videos here.

Korean phrases and quotes:

• 너희가 뭔데 날 판단해? (neohuiga mwonde nal pandanhae?)
• “Who are you to judge me?”
• 각오 단단히 하고 나와라 아님 나 못이길테니까. (gago dandanhi hago nawara anim na mosigiltenikka.)
• “Brace yourselves, everybody or you will not win me.”
• 우린 팀이 아니야 이건 경쟁이야 (urin timi aniya igeon gyeongjaengiya)
• “We are not a team. This is a competition.”

Must-know Korean vocabularies:

• 우린 (urin): “we are”
• 판단하다 (pandanhada): “judge”
• 각오 (gago): “determination”
• 아님 (anim): short for 아니다 (anida) or “not”
• 팀 (tim): “team”
• 이건 (igeon): “this is”
• 경쟁 (gyeongjaeng): “competition”

6- 냉장고를 부탁해 (Naengjanggo-reul Butakhae) — “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator”

Korean TV show information:
Period: 11/17/2014 ~ present (as of 2019)
Channel: JTBC

Why should you watch this Korean series?
Are you into cooking shows? Do you want to enjoy watching top chefs in Korea competing against each other by using limited resources from the fridge of a famous celebrity? 나의 냉장고를 부탁해 (Naengjanggo-reul Butakhae) or “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator” is a Korean cooking show starring various chefs and celebrity guests.

The really fun part of this show is that you’ll get to see a celebrity’s fridge—INSIDE. What better way to get a glimpse of the lifestyle of a celebrity? In this Korean reality show, two hosts open the fridge and investigate inside. The guests will come up with a theme for the cooking competition and the chefs have to cook the desired dishes within a limited amount of time with the ingredients available from the fridge. The host will taste the dishes and will decide who wins that cooking competition.

Korean TV show website: https://tv.jtbc.joins.com/replay/pr10010331/pm10026684
YouTube video: Do you want to watch just a little bit of the show? You can watch some videos here.

Korean phrases and quotes:

• 가끔 음식 먹다 보면 엄마가 생각나나 봐요? (gakkeum eumsik meokda bomyeon eommaga saenggangnana bwayo?)
• “Sometimes when you eat food, does this remind you of your mom?”

Must-know Korean vocabularies:

• 가끔 (gakkeum): “sometimes”
• 엄마 (eomma): “mother”
• 생각나다 (saenggangnada): “to think”

7- 비정상회담 (Bijeongsanghoedam) — “Abnormal Summit”

Korean TV show information:
Period: 7/07/2014 ~ 12/04/2017
Channel: JTBC

Why should you watch this Korean series?
비정상회담 (Bijeongsanghoedam) or “Abnormal Summit” is a South Korean TV show on JTBC which was aired on the 7th of July in 2014. It’s a debate show where people from different countries gather to discuss a topic in Korea. You’ll be surprised to see how fluent their Korean is; this TV show is a great source to learn many expressions in Korean.

Also, since it’s a debate show, it’s fascinating to see contestants with completely different views about a topic and debate passionately. A new guest is invited (usually a famous Korean celebrity or politician) every episode to introduce the debate topic. This TV show ended in 2017, and there is no set date for a new season. You can watch this Korean TV show on Netflix.

Korean TV show website: https://tv.jtbc.joins.com/nonsummit
YouTube video: Do you want to watch just a little bit of the show? You can watch some videos here.

Korean phrases and quotes:

• 자기가 좋아하는 일을 하세요. (jagiga joahaneun ireul haseyo.)
• “Do what you love.”
• 성공이 무엇인지 한 가지로 정의 된 것은 없습니다. (seonggongi mueosinji han gajiro jeongui doen geoseun eopseumnida.)
• “There is no universal definition of ‘success.’”

Must-know Korean vocabularies:

• 좋아하는 일 (joahaneun il): “self-imposed work”
• 성공 (seonggong): “success”
• 무엇 (mueot): “what”
• 정의 (jeongui): “definition”
• 없다 (eopda): “there is no…”

8- 미스터리 음악쇼 복면가왕 (Miseuteori Eumaksyo Bokmyeon-gawang) — “King of Mask Singer”

Korean TV show information:
Time: Sundays @ 4:50 pm
Period: 4/05/2015 ~ present (as of 2019)
Channel: MBC

What is this Korean reality show about?
미스터리 음악쇼 복면가왕 (Miseuteori Eumaksyo Bokmyeon-gawang) or “King of Mask Singer” is a
Korean singing show. Contestants wear a mask in order to hide their identity from the audience and the judges of the show. Since the singers cannot be identified, you’re better able to really enjoy the pure talent of the contestants.

Each round, two contestants compete against each other in three elimination rounds. Losing contestants will reveal their identity by taking off their masks while singing their last song, and this is one of the most exciting parts of the show! If you’re into K-pop singers and would like to listen to some extreme talent, this show is for you! Also, they use many adjectives to describe their feelings and to give feedback about the singing, so you’ll learn many vocabularies while you enjoy listening to some of the most beautiful voices in Korean culture.

Korean TV show website: https://www.imbc.com/broad/tv/ent/sundaynight/

YouTube video: Do you want to watch just a little bit of the show? Here’s the video of BTS Jungkook in the show.

Korean phrases and quotes:

• 엄청 떨려요. (eomcheong tteollyeoyo.)
• “I am tremble.” (Or “I’m really nervous.”)
• 반전을 거듭하는 무대 (banjeoneul geodeupaneun mudae)
• “repeated twists in the stage”

Vocabularies:

• 엄청 (eomcheong): “very”
• 떨리다 (tteollida): “tremble”
• 반전 (banjeon): “twist”
• 거듭하다 (geodeupada): “repeat”
• 무대 (mudae): “stage”

9- 프로듀스 48 (peurodyuseu 48) — “Produce 48”

Korean TV show information:
Period: 6/15/2018 ~ 8/31/2018
Channel: Mnet

What is this Korean competition TV show about?
If you’re interested in competition TV shows that introduce you to the journey of how a Korean idol is made, this TV show is for you. This show is a Korean music show and is an ongoing competition where contestants ultimately aim to be in a girl group in the end.

Contestants need to be able to dance and sing very well, and also need to receive many votes from the audience in order to continue in this competition. The newest season has 96 contestants from South Korea and Japan, and the contestants from Japan are from a famous J-Pop idol group called AKB48.

Korean TV show website: https://produce48.mnet.com/pc/main
YouTube video: Do you want to watch just a little bit of the show? You can watch the videos here:

Korean phrases and quotes:

• 그때의 나는 작은 왕관의 무게도 너무 버거워서 도망치고 싶었다.
• “At that time, I wanted to flee because the weight of the small crown was too heavy.”
• 하기 싫으면 안 할 거예요? 수업받기 싫으면 나가요.
• “Are you not going to do it if you don’t want to? If you do not want to take classes, get out.”

Vocabularies:

• 그때 (geuttae): “that time”
• 왕관 (wanggwan): “crown”
• 버겁다 (beogeopda): “be beyond one’s capacity”
• 도망가다 (domanggada): “run away”
• 수업 (sueop): “course”

10- 세상에 나쁜 개는 없다. (Sesange nappeun gaeneun eopda.) — “There are No Bad Dogs in this World.”

Korean TV show information:
Period: 4/09/2015 ~ present (as of 2019)
Channel: EBS

What is this Korean TV series about?
You’ve probably seen many dog training-related TV shows in your own country; there are many dog training TV shows such as It’s Me or the Dog by a trainer named Victoria Stilwell or Dog Whisperer with Ceasar Milliam. If you’re a big fan of these TV shows, this one’s for you.

This Korean TV show is the latest Korean shoㅈ. 세상에는 나쁜 개는 없다 (sesangeneun nappeun gaeneun eopda) is a dog training Korean reality TV series run by a Korean dog trainer, 강형욱 (ganghyeonguk). Every episode he introduces cases and how to solve the problems presented. You can learn training tips as well as Korean!

Korean TV show website: https://home.ebs.co.kr/baddog/main
YouTube video: Do you want to learn how to train your dog while learning Korean? You can watch a video of this Korean TV reality show from here.

Korean phrases and quotes:

• 최선을 다해 반려견을 사랑해주세요. (Choeseoneul dahae ballyeogyeoneul saranghaejuseyo.)
• “Please do your best to love the dog.”
• 강아지가 제일 좋아하는 사람은 백수다. (Gangajiga jeil joahaneun sarameun baeksuda.)
• “Dogs love unemployed owner the most (since they stay at home all the time).”

Vocabularies:

• 최선 (choeseon): “the best way”
• 반려견 (ballyeogyeon): “a pet”
• 사랑하다 (saranghada): “to love something or someone”
• 강아지 (gangaji): “a dog”
• 백수 (baeksu): “unemployed”

4. How to Study the Korean Language with KoreanClass101

Apart from watching TV shows in Korean, there are many other ways that you can improve your Korean. Here, you can learn the top ways to practice your Korean reading skills. We understand that learning a new language isn’t easy and it can be frustrating when you have a difficult time memorizing words. People have different techniques for memorizing vocabulary words and KoreanClass101 has prepared a number of techniques for remembering words. You can access all of these materials mentioned above for free.

KoreanClass101 offers the world’s largest study materials available online for you to study whenever you want, at your own pace. Learn Korean lessons with KoreanClass101 today.

What’s your favorite South Korean TV show? Leave a comment below and share why you like the TV show.