Korean vocabulary lists by topic, from food, travel and work to feelings, health, the daily routine and dates, plus the 100 most common nouns and verbs. Every word appears in Hangul with Revised Romanization, and each page explains what a list leaves out: which particles attach, how verbs take polite endings, counters, and the Sino-Korean words that come in families.
- Korean taught
- Standard Seoul Korean
- List size
- 40 to 100 words, printed in full
- Readings
- Revised Romanization for every word
- Beyond the list
- Particles, polite verb endings, counters, Sino-Korean word families
- In context
- Lines quoted from Contos chapters on every list
- The most common Korean nouns: 100 to learn first100 everyday Korean nouns in Hangul with romanization, how particles like 은/는, 이/가 and 을/를 attach to them, counters, and real story lines.
- The most common Korean verbs: 100 to learn first100 everyday Korean verbs in the dictionary form with romanization, how to make the polite -아요/-어요 form, irregular verbs, 있다 and real story lines.
- Korean daily routine vocabulary: 60 words and phrases60 Korean words for the daily routine with romanization: getting up, commuting, chores, the weather, how often, and the greetings you use every day.
- Days of the week and months in KoreanThe Korean days of the week and months with romanization: why months are just numbers, the 유월 and 시월 exceptions, writing dates and telling the time.
- Korean words for emotions: 60 feelings and personality words60 Korean words for feelings and personality with romanization: 화나다 vs 화내다, 걱정되다 vs 걱정하다, -어하다 for other people's feelings, and story lines.
- Korean food vocabulary: 60 words with romanization60 Korean food and restaurant words in Hangul with romanization, plus 밥 vs 쌀, ordering with 주세요, polite verb forms and real story lines.
- Korean words for the body and health: 50 words with romanization50 Korean words for the body and health in Hangul with romanization: how to say something hurts, 감기에 걸리다, the pharmacy, and real story lines.
- Korean travel vocabulary: 60 words for airports, transport and directions60 Korean travel words in Hangul with romanization: airport and hotel words, taking transport with 타다, directions with 왼쪽 and 오른쪽, and real story lines.
- Useful everyday Korean verbs: 100 more to learn100 useful Korean verbs with romanization: Sino-Korean 하다 verbs, pairs like 먹다 and 먹이다, verbs that come with their own noun, and real story lines.
- Korean work and office vocabulary: 60 words with romanization60 Korean work and office words with romanization: job titles like 대리 and 과장, saying where you work with 에서, document words, and real story lines.
Which Korean vocabulary list should come first?
Begin with the 100 most common nouns, which shows how particles such as 은/는, 이/가 and 을/를 attach, and the 100 most common verbs, which teaches the polite -아요/-어요 form you will use every day.
Then follow your needs. In Korea: food for ordering with 주세요, and travel for transport and directions. At work: work and the office, with job titles. For everyday talk: daily routine, emotions, health and the body and days and months. 100 more useful verbs comes once the basics feel easy.
How can you learn Korean words faster?
Look for the building blocks. Many Korean nouns are made of short parts you will see again and again, and a lot of verbs are a noun plus 하다 (hada, to do). Learn one part and whole families open up.
This A1 line has both. 빵집 (ppangjip) is 빵 (bread) plus 집 (house), a common ending for small shops and restaurants, and 일합니다 is 일 (work) plus 하다:
민재는 빵집에서 일합니다.Minjaeneun ppangjibeseo ilhamnida.
When you save a new word from a story, note its parts. The second time you meet one of them, in a different word, it will already be familiar.
Frequently asked questions
How many Korean words do I need?
Contos moves readers up to A2 at 500 known words, B1 at 1,500 and B2 at 4,000. How many Korean words you need looks at the national learner word list and research on how much of a text you need to know.
What are Sino-Korean words?
Words built from Chinese roots, which make up a large share of Korean vocabulary, especially in formal and abstract language. They come in families: once you know 학 (hak, study) from 학교 (hakgyo, school), you will spot it in 학생 (haksaeng, student).
Why does Korean have two sets of numbers?
Native Korean numbers count things and hours; Sino-Korean numbers handle dates, months, minutes, money and phone numbers. That is why months are simply numbers plus 월. The days and months page explains the exceptions 유월 and 시월.
Should I learn Korean vocabulary with romanization?
Use it only as a stepping stone. Romanization helps with your first look at a word, but Hangul is quick to learn and real text, including Contos stories, uses Hangul alone.