Declan’s Korean Dictionary — Quick Reference for Everyday KoreanDeclan’s Korean Dictionary — Quick Reference for Everyday Korean is designed as a compact, practical guide for learners who want immediate, usable Korean without sifting through long academic explanations. It focuses on the words, phrases, and pronunciation patterns you’ll use most often: greetings, travel essentials, food and ordering, shopping, directions, daily small talk, and survival grammar. The goal is fast access and clear examples so you can speak and understand basic Korean confidently in real-life situations.
Who this quick reference is for
- Beginners who want to start speaking from day one.
- Travelers needing survival phrases for Korea.
- Casual learners who want a compact, portable resource.
- Students wanting a supplementary pocket guide alongside formal lessons.
How to use this dictionary
- Skim topical sections before a trip or class.
- Memorize 10–20 phrases per topic, then practice aloud.
- Use the romanization to get started but shift to Hangul as soon as possible — Hangul is consistent and easier to read than romanization in the long run.
- Listen and repeat: pronunciation matters in Korean (tone and syllable timing can change meaning).
- Use the example dialogues at the end of each section to practice combining words naturally.
Quick reference layout (what’s inside)
- Core greetings and polite expressions
- Numbers, time, and dates
- Directions and transportation phrases
- Food, restaurants, and ordering
- Shopping and bargaining
- Health, emergencies, and pharmacies
- Basic small talk and social phrases
- Grammar survival kit: particles, verb endings, and polite forms
- Mini dialogues for common scenarios
- Pronunciation tips and a Hangul cheat-sheet
Core greetings & polite expressions
- Hello: annyeonghaseyo (안녕하세요) — polite
- Hi (casual): annyeong (안녕)
- Goodbye (when you’re leaving): annyeonghi gaseyo (안녕히 가세요)
- Goodbye (when someone else leaves): annyeonghi gyeseyo (안녕히 계세요)
- Thank you: gamsahamnida (감사합니다) — polite
- You’re welcome: cheonmaneyo (천만에요) / aniyo (아니요 for “no problem”)
- Sorry / Excuse me: joesonghamnida (죄송합니다) / silyehamnida (실례합니다) — for apologies or getting attention
- Yes / No: ne (네) / ani요 (아니요)
- Please: juseyo (주세요) — used when asking for things
Numbers, time & dates (practical forms)
Korean uses two number systems: native Korean (for counting items, ages) and Sino-Korean (for dates, money, phone numbers, minutes, etc.). Memorize the essentials:
- Sino-Korean 1–10: il (일), i (이), sam (삼), sa (사), o (오), yuk (육), chil (칠), pal (팔), gu (구), sip (십)
- Native Korean 1–10: hana (하나), dul (둘), set (셋), net (넷), daseot (다섯), yeoseot (여섯), ilgop (일곱), yeodeol (여덟), ahop (아홉), yeol (열)
Useful phrases:
- What time is it?: myeot siyaeyo? (몇 시예요?)
- At 3 o’clock: se si-e (세 시에)
- Today / Tomorrow / Yesterday: oneul (오늘) / naeil (내일) / eoje (어제)
Directions & transportation
- Where is ___?: ___ eodi isseoyo? (___ 어디 있어요?)
- Left / Right / Straight: wenjjok (왼쪽) / oreunjjok (오른쪽) / jikjjeop (직접)/jikgeuro (직진)
- Bus / Subway / Taxi: bus (버스) / jihacheol (지하철) / taeksi (택시)
- I want to go to ___: ___ ro gallaeyo (___ 로 갈래요) / ___ e garyeo haeyo (___에 가려고 해요)
- How much is the fare?: yeagyeom eolmayeyo? (요금 얼마예요?)
- Please stop here: yeogi sewo juseyo (여기 세워 주세요)
Food & restaurants
- Menu, please: menyu juseyo (메뉴 주세요)
- I’ll have ___: ___ juseyo (___ 주세요)
- Do you have ___?: ___ isseoyo? (___ 있어요?)
- Vegetarian / I don’t eat pork/shellfish: chaesikjuui (채식주의) / na-neun dwaeji-gogi meogeul su eopseoyo (나는 돼지고기 먹을 수 없어요) / mollusks shellfish: haesangseongmul eops-eoyo (해산물 없어요)
- Check/bill, please: gye-san juseyo (계산 주세요) or gye-san hae juseyo (계산해 주세요)
- Spicy / Not spicy: mae-un (매운) / an-maeun (안 매운)
Example ordering:
- “One kimchi stew and two bowls of rice, please.”
- kimchi jjigae hana, bap du sir juseyo — 김치찌개 하나, 밥 두 시 주세요.
Shopping & bargaining
- How much is this?: igeo eolmayeyo? (이거 얼마예요?)
- Can you lower the price?: ggajyeojul su isseoyo? (깎아 줄 수 있어요?)
- Do you accept cards?: kadeu doedwaeyo? (카드 돼요?)
- I’ll take it: igeo kaleulgeyo (이거 살게요) / igeo julraeyo (이거 줄래요)
Health, emergencies & pharmacies
- I need a doctor: uisa ga pilyohaeyo (의사 가 필요해요)
- Call an ambulance: 119 jeonhwa hae juseyo (119 전화해 주세요)
- Pharmacy: yakguk (약국)
- I’m allergic to ___: ___ e allereugi isseoyo (___에 알레르기 있어요)
- Where is the hospital?: byeongwon eodi isseoyo? (병원 어디 있어요?)
Basic small talk & social phrases
- What’s your name?: ireumi mwoyeyo? (이름이 뭐예요?)
- My name is Declan: je ireum-eun Declan ipnida (제 이름은 Declan 입니다)
- Nice to meet you: mannaseo bangapseumnida (만나서 반갑습니다)
- Where are you from?: eodie seo wasseoyo? (어디서 왔어요?)
- I’m from ___: eseo wasseoyo (에서 왔어요)
- Do you speak English?: yeongeo hal su isseoyo? (영어 할 수 있어요?)
- A little: jogeum (조금)
Grammar survival kit (very short)
- Politeness levels: use -yo endings for polite speech: verb stem + -ayo/-eyo (e.g., ha-yo: 해요). Formal: -mnida (합니다).
- Subject particle: -eun/-neun (은/는) marks topic.
- Object particle: -eul/-reul (을/를) marks object.
- Location/time particle: -e (에) and direction particle -ro/uro (로/으로).
- To make requests: verb stem + juseyo (주세요).
- To make a polite past: verb stem + -ss-eoyo (았어요/었어요).
Pronunciation tips & Hangul cheat-sheet
- Hangul is phonetic — learn the 24 letters (14 consonants, 10 vowels) and syllable blocks; it’s faster than memorizing romanization.
- Watch for batchim (final consonant) rules — they change pronunciation.
- ㄷ sounds like “d/t” depending on position; ㅂ sounds like “b/p”; ㅅ is “s” but before ㅣ becomes “sh.”
- Vowel combinations change sound: ㅗ + ㅏ = ㅘ (wa).
- Example: 한글 = Hangul (not Han-geul).
Mini dialogues (situational practice)
-
At a café:
- A: menyu juseyo. (메뉴 주세요.)
- B: jom masisseun keopi isseoyo. (좀 맛있는 커피 있어요.)
- A: americano hana juseyo. (아메리카노 하나 주세요.)
-
Asking directions:
- A: excuse me, station eodi isseoyo? (실례합니다, 역 어디 있어요?)
- B: jikjjeop gyeseyo. dwaeji neomu deta? (직진 가세요. 오른쪽에 있어요.)
- A: gamsahamnida. (감사합니다.)
Final tips for fast progress
- Practice daily with 10–15 minutes focused drills: greetings, numbers, ordering.
- Use native audio (podcasts, short videos) to tune your ear.
- Carry a small printout or phone note with top 30 phrases for emergencies.
- Learn Hangul within the first week — it unlocks pronunciation and reading fast.
Declan’s Korean Dictionary — Quick Reference for Everyday Korean is meant to be a practical bridge between zero and usable Korean: short entries, clear examples, and immediate application.
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