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Korean vocabulary

3,852 words from real stories, organized by topic and frequency. Hear the pronunciation, read examples and find pictures for concrete words. Practice any list for free, without an account.

3,852words to discover
7,281meanings in context
173stories to explore

Korean vocabulary lists by topic

Choose a topic to see its words and their meanings. Listen to any word, then practice the whole list.

Family & relationships

FlashcardsMeaning quiz
  • 형hyeongolder brother
  • 친구chin-gufriend
  • 아버지a-beo-jifather
  • 가족ga-jokfamily
  • 딸ttaldaughter
  • 아들a-deulson

The 100 most common Korean words

Ranked by how often each word appears across 173 Korean stories. Start here: these words make up a large share of everything you read.

  1. 1하다ha-dado
  2. 2있다it-dabe located
  3. 3되다doe-dabe allowed
  4. 4없다eop-dabe absent; not exist
  5. 5가다ga-dago
  6. 6말하다mal-ha-dato say
  7. 7이ithis
  8. 8듣다deut-daheard
  9. 9보다bo-dalook at
  10. 10들다deul-dalift / raise
  11. 11알다al-daknow
  12. 12좋다jot-dagood
  13. 13을eulobject marker
  14. 14일하다il-ha-dawork
  15. 15하hasigh
  16. 16같다gat-daseem
  17. 17나다na-damake a sound
  18. 18생각하다saeng-gak-ha-dathink
  19. 19다daall
  20. 20받다bat-dareceive
  21. 21좋아하다jot-a-ha-dalike
  22. 22오다o-dacome
  23. 23하는ha-neunthat must do
  24. 24나naI
  25. 25적다jeok-dawrote
  26. 26게gethat (turns a clause into a subject)
  27. 27살다sal-dalive
  28. 28주다ju-dagive
  29. 29골다gol-dasnoring
  30. 30맞다mat-daagree; say “that’s right”
  31. 31먹다meok-daeat
  32. 32한hanone
  33. 33많다man-dabe many/much
  34. 34있는it-neunmarking an ongoing action or state
  35. 35도doone-space throw in yut
  36. 36시작하다si-jak-ha-dastart
  37. 37고하다go-ha-dahaving said goodbye
  38. 38이상하다i-sang-ha-dastrange
  39. 39찾다chat-dafound it
  40. 40어eooh
  41. 41것geotnominalizer in the “seem/appear” construction
  42. 42내다nae-dapay
  43. 43이들i-deulthese people
  44. 44모르다mo-reu-dadon’t know
  45. 45일ilmatter or event
  46. 46쓰다sseu-dawrite text
  47. 47입다ip-dawearing
  48. 48만들다man-deul-damake
  49. 49짓다jit-dacook
  50. 50지jimarks how long it has been since an action
  51. 51다들da-deulall of you
  52. 52나가다na-ga-daleft
  53. 53과하다gwa-ha-daexcessively
  54. 54해haeyear
  55. 55남다nam-daremain
  56. 56낫다nat-dabe better
  57. 57읽다ik-daread
  58. 58확인하다hwak-in-ha-dacheck
  59. 59아aah
  60. 60지는ji-neunlosing
  61. 61말malwords
  62. 62하지ha-jihave to
  63. 63자다ja-dasleep
  64. 64원하다won-ha-dawant
  65. 65죽다juk-dadie
  66. 66그렇다geu-reot-dathat way
  67. 67보이다bo-i-dabe visible
  68. 68네neyes
  69. 69열다yeol-daopen
  70. 70기givital energy
  71. 71필요하다pil-yo-ha-dabe necessary
  72. 72그geuthat
  73. 73수supossibility or ability
  74. 7411one
  75. 75면myeonnoodles
  76. 76사람sa-ramperson
  77. 77적jeokexperience of doing something
  78. 78할halthat must …
  79. 79두다du-daleaving behind
  80. 80이야기하다i-ya-gi-ha-datalk
  81. 81나오다na-o-dacame out
  82. 82끝나다kkeut-na-daends and then
  83. 83하기ha-gidoing
  84. 84괜찮다gwaen-chan-dabe okay
  85. 85인inbeing / that is
  86. 86사랑하다sa-rang-ha-dalove
  87. 87라raquotation marker
  88. 88그것geu-geotthat
  89. 89넣다neot-daput/insert in (informal polite form)
  90. 90만manafter
  91. 91걸다geol-damake a phone call
  92. 92잡다jap-dahold or grip
  93. 93안annot
  94. 94보내다bo-nae-dasend
  95. 9522two
  96. 96요yopolite sentence-ending particle
  97. 97때ttaewhen
  98. 98놓다not-daput down
  99. 99시작되다si-jak-doe-dabegin
  100. 100주juweek
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3,852 words · Illustrated discoveries

Illustration for 있다

it-da

be located · exist; be available · can · remain

115 stories
Illustration for 한

han

one · about · han · deep-seated sorrow and resentment

99 stories
Illustration for 사람

sa-ram

person · company employee

96 stories
Illustration for 오늘

o-neul

today

91 stories
Illustration for 없다

eop-da

be absent; not exist · cannot · without; not existing · have never done

89 stories
Illustration for 지금

ji-geum

now

78 stories
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From a word to a whole world

You’ve met the words.
Now follow the story.

Every example in this library comes from an Inklingo story. Read at your level, listen to the narration, and tap a word whenever you need its meaning.

  1. Pick a story that interests you.
  2. Tap unfamiliar words as you read.
  3. Save the ones you want to remember.

A little guidance before you start

What are the most common Korean words?

The most common Korean words are short, everyday words such as 하다, 있다, 되다, 없다, 가다, 말하다, 이, 듣다. The list above ranks them by how often they appear in our stories. Learn the first 100 and you will recognize a large share of the words in any text. The 100 most common Korean words

How many Korean words do I need to know?

A few hundred frequent words are enough to follow simple texts and conversations. Around 1,000 to 2,000 cover most everyday reading, and the rest comes naturally as you read. Learn frequent words first, then the topic words for the situations you care about.

What’s the best way to learn Korean vocabulary?

Start with a small set of useful words. Recall their meanings in an exercise, then read their story examples. Save words you want to revisit and return to them over several short sessions.

Can I practice without an account?

Yes. Browse the library and use all five exercises freely. Create a free account when you want to keep a word in your Word Bank and review it later on the web or in the app.

Why does a word have several meanings?

The right translation depends on the sentence. Open any word to compare its meanings, pictures, and original examples instead of memorizing a single translation.

Are these words for beginners?

You can filter by the reading level of the stories where each word appears, starting at A0 or A1. That tells you about the story’s difficulty; it is not a certified level for the word itself.

Learn the meaning, not just the translation.
A word can express different ideas in different stories. This library brings its meanings, images, and examples together. The level filter refers to the source story’s reading level, not a certified level for the word. Translations are available in 26 languages. Free practice progress stays in this browser. Save words to your account to keep them in your Word Bank.

Learn Korean vocabulary in its sentence

Korean particles and endings attach to words, so the form you read can differ from the dictionary form. Compare the cached senses and their examples before choosing a meaning. Source-story levels describe the story, not a certified level for the word.