✅Beginner 4: Reading Simple Words – Let’s Start Building Vocabulary!
π Beginner 4: Reading Simple Words – Let’s Start Building Vocabulary!
Welcome to Day 4 of your Korean learning journey! π You’ve learned all 14 basic consonants and 21 vowels in Hangul. Now it’s time to put those letters together and read real Korean words like a native!
In today’s lesson, we’ll help you read, pronounce, and understand basic Korean vocabulary using combinations of the letters you already know.
π What You’ll Learn Today
- ✔️ How syllables are combined to form Korean words
- ✔️ 10 must-know Korean words for beginners
- ✔️ Romanization + Meaning + Pronunciation help
- ✔️ Real-life usage examples
- ✔️ Quiz to test your reading skills!
π€ How Korean Words Are Formed
Korean words are made by combining consonants and vowels into syllable blocks. Each block = 1 syllable, usually in this form:
- CV = consonant + vowel → λ (na)
- CVC = consonant + vowel + final consonant → λ°₯ (bap)
- CCVC or longer → νκ΅ (hak-gyo), μΌκ΅΄ (eol-gul)
The key is to read the syllables slowly and recognize the patterns. Let's practice together!
π Essential Korean Words – Let’s Read
| Korean | Romanization | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| λ°₯ | bap | rice, meal |
| λ¬Ό | mul | water |
| μ¬λ | sa-ram | person |
| μ± | chaek | book |
| μ§ | jip | house |
| μ΄λ¦ | i-reum | name |
| νκ΅ | hak-gyo | school |
| μ μλ | seon-saeng-nim | teacher |
| μμ | eu-mak | music |
| λ μ¨ | nal-ssi | weather |
π Word Breakdown – Let’s Understand Each
1. λ°₯ (bap) – Rice, Meal
→ γ + γ + γ Used for both "rice" and "meal". ✅ μλ¬Έ: λ°₯ λ¨Ήμμ΄μ? (bap meo-geo-sseo-yo?) – Did you eat?
2. λ¬Ό (mul) – Water
→ γ + γ + γΉ Basic but essential word. ✅ μλ¬Έ: λ¬Ό μ£ΌμΈμ. (mul ju-se-yo) – Please give me water.
3. μ¬λ (sa-ram) – Person
→ γ + γ + γΉ + γ + γ Means “person” or “people.” ✅ μλ¬Έ: μ’μ μ¬λμ΄μμ. (jo-eun sa-ram-i-e-yo) – They are a good person.
4. μ΄λ¦ (i-reum) – Name
→ γ + γ £ + γΉ + γ ‘ + γ Used in greetings and introductions. ✅ μλ¬Έ: μ΄λ¦μ΄ λμμ? (i-reum-i mwo-ye-yo?) – What’s your name?
π¬ Real-Life Dialogue Practice
π§ μμ§: μλ
νμΈμ! μ΄λ¦μ΄ λμμ?
π¦ λ―Όμ: μ μ΄λ¦μ λ―Όμμμ.
π§ μμ§: λ°κ°μ΅λλ€!
π Notice how each word is made from the consonant + vowel combinations you learned!
π§ͺ Mini Quiz – Can You Read These?
- What does “μ±
” mean?
a) rice
b) book
c) person
Click to Show Answer
✅ b) book
- How do you read “μ΄λ¦” in Romanization?
a) i-reum
b) i-ram
c) e-reum
Click to Show Answer
✅ a) i-reum
- Which of these means “music”?
a) λ¬Ό
b) μ΄λ¦
c) μμ
Click to Show Answer
✅ c) μμ
✅ Conclusion
π You did a fantastic job today! Now you can not only recognize Korean consonants and vowels — you can combine them to read and understand real Korean words!
- ✔️ Practice reading aloud the 10 words from today
- ✔️ Try writing the syllables by hand
- ✔️ Use them in short phrases or conversations
With continued reading practice, your Korean vocabulary and pronunciation will improve quickly!
π Coming Up Next
Tomorrow: Day 5: How to Tell the Time in Korean – Hours, Minutes, and Phrases
You’ll learn how to say “What time is it?” and how to read a clock in Korean!
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