Written by Dr.

In Ku Kim-Marshall

STEP BY STEP

Korean

through
15 Action Verbs

Table of Contents
Acknowledgement ........................................................................................................... 3
About this book

...............................................................................................................

How to use this book

....................................................................................................

6
8

Unit 1
The Korean Alphabet, hangeul ()
1. Korean Sounds and Hangeul Letters .................................................... 10
2. How to Read Korean Words .................................................................. 12
3. How to Construct Korean Words.......................................................... 21
4. How to Write Korean Words.................................................................. 23

Unit 2
Korean Sentences with 15 Action Verbs
Introduction

................................................................................................

Chapter 1. [gada] to go

.........................................................

34
38

Chapter 2. [gongbuhada] to study .................. 42

Chapter 3. [masida] to drink

......................................

46

Chapter 4. [mannada] to meet

.................................

50

Chapter 5. [malhada] to speak

.................................

54

...............................................................

58

Review Exercises 01~05

Chapter 6. [meokda] to eat

.................................................

62

Chapter 7. [boda] to see ....................................................... 66

Chapter 8. [sada] to buy

.......................................................

Chapter 9. [oda] to come

.....................................................

70
74

Chapter 10. [insahada] to greet ....................... 78

Review Exercises 06~10

STEP BY STEP KOREAN (1) through 15 Action Verbs

...............................................................

82

Chapter 11. [ireonada] to get up

Chapter 12. [ikdda] to read

....................

86

.................................................

90

Chapter 13. [itdda] to have .................................................. 94

Chapter 14. [jeonhwahada] to call

.................

98

Chapter 15. [joahada] to like ........................... 102

Review Exercises 11~15
Answer Key

.............................................................

106

.............................................................................................

110

Unit 3
Korean Culture

Introduction ............................................................................................. 117

1. [sejongdaewang] :
King Sejong the Great and hangeul, the Korean alphabet ..... 119
2. [taegeuggi] : The Korean National Flag

.............

120

3. [dangun] : The Founder of Gojoseon,

the Oldest Kingdom of Korea(2333 B.C. ~ 108 B.C.) 121
4. [chuseok] : Harvest Moon Festival

...............................

122

5. [dol][hwan-gap] : Korean Family Celebrations ..... 123

6. [Yut] [nori] : Traditional Korean Game

......................

125

7. [bulgogi] [kimchi] : Korean Food

......................

126

..........................................................

130

Appendix
A. Pronunciation Rules Continued

B. Basic Korean Grammar : Review ....................................................... 131

Vocabulary List

.............................................................................................

141

About this book

Starting to learn a new language can be an intimidating experience for students, especially
if they are using a selfstudy method. This book is a fun and easy way to help students
learn to read and speak simple Korean.
Sample sentences built with 15 commonly used verbs will introduce simple vocabulary
and basic points of Korean grammar. This way, students can make progress right from the
start. They can then build on the knowledge gained here by continuing with the rest of this
three-book series.
The characteristic elements of this textbook are:
beginning level study with the most common verbs and nouns
introduction of basic Korean grammar rules for verb usage
repetition of sentences on each page, allowing the student to learn vocabulary and
grammar at the same time
introduction of the basic sentence structure in the present tense
grammar notes on each page
vocabulary lists at the end of each page making it easy for the student to learn
important words
verbs followed by exercises to reinforce the knowledge of the verb s use
pictures that enable the student to relate what they re learning to a visual image

STEP BY STEP KOREAN (1) through 15 Action Verbs

conversational sentences which help the student learn simple conversational language
discussion of Korean culture and customs
The author hopes that the learner can develop knowledge and interest in Korean and that
he/she will continue to deepen his/her understanding of the Korean language and culture.

How to use this book

Read each sentence and its meaning.

Look at each picture and associate the meaning.
Complete the various exercises and word searches including the cross word puzzles in
this book.
Study the grammar notes which can help the learner understand the important grammar
points.

STEP BY STEP KOREAN (1) through 15 Action Verbs

Unit
1
The Korean Alphabet,
hangeul

Unit 1 : The Korean Alphabet, hangeul ()

When first introduced by King Sejong in 1446, hangeul had 28 letters of which
only 24 are in use today. The 10 basic vowels and 14 single consonants of
hangeul expand to 21 vowels and 19 consonants for a total of 40 letters in
combination. The following are the sound values and names of each letter.

1. Korean Sound and Hangeul Letters

a. Consonants : 19 letters
Single Consonant : 14 letters
Hangeul Letter

Sound Value

[g/k]
[n]
[d/t]
[r/l]
[m]
[b/p]
[s/sh]
[*/ng]
[j]
[ch]
[k]
[t]
[p]
[h]

Name of letter

Example

goat
nose
dog
red
moon
big
soft
*
George
cheese
kite
table
paper
hat

[giyeok]
[nieun]
[digeut]
[rieul]
[mieum]
[bieup]
[siot]
[ieung]
[jieut]
[chieut]
[kieut]
[tieut]
[pieup]
[hieut]

silent, when a word starts with this letter

; ng, at the end of a word.

10

STEP BY STEP KOREAN (1) through 15 Action Verbs

Double Consonant : 5 letters

Hangeul letter

Sound value

[kk]
[tt]
[pp]
[ss]
[jj]

Name of letter

[ssanggiyeok]
[ssangdigeut]
[ssangbieup]
[ssangsiot]
[ssangjieut]

b. Vowels : 21 letters
Single Vowel : 10 letters
Hangeul Letter

Sound Value Name of letter

[a]
[ya]
[eo]
[yeo]
[o]
[yo]
[u]
[yu]
[eu]
[i]

[a]
[ya]
[eo]
[yeo]
[o]
[yo]
[u]
[yu]
[eu]
[i]

Example

father
yacht
about
young
home
yoyo
mood
you
put
bee

Vowels by themselves must always be preceeded byo(silent), because Korean

words always begin with a consonant.

Ex.

[agi] baby
[eomeoni] mother

[uyu] milk
[ori] duck

11

Double Vowel : 11 letters

Hangeul letter

Sound value

[ae]
[yae]
[e]
[ye]
[wa]
[wae]
[we]
[weo]
[we]
[wi]
[eui]

Name of letter Example

[ae]
[yae]
[e]
[ye]
[wa]
[wae]
[we]
[weo]
[we]
[wi]
[eui]

cat
yam
bet, pen
yes
wine
quack
when
wonder
when
we

2. How to Read Korean Words

In Korean, each letter has a unique sound associated only with that letter. The
following are examples of how to read the consonants (c) and vowels (v) that form
each word.

[ga]

[g]

[a]

+
[g]
[a]
+

[k]

[go]

[gak]

[g]

[o]

[g]
+
[o]
+
[t]

[got]

At the end of a word, is pronounced as [k], is pronounced as [t], when the word is
not followed by another word.

12

STEP BY STEP KOREAN (1) through 15 Action Verbs

+
[g]
[a]
+

[p] []

[gap]

[g]
+
[o]
+

[l] []

[gol]

When the double consonants and are used as final consonants and are followed
by , , , or , they are pronounced as single finals [p], and the is not
pronounced.

Reading Practice : Read each word aloud.

a. Consonants : 19 letters
[g]
[n]
[d]
[r]*

[gogi]

meat

[gicha]

train

[gudu]

shoes

[gochu]

redpepper

[nabi]

butterfly

[nuna]

elder sister

[noru]

deer

[namu]

tree

[dari]

leg, bridge [doraji]

[dotori] acorn

[radio]

radio

[reosia]

Russia

ruby

[toyoil]

Saturday

[rubi]

[dubu]

bellflower
tofu

* If a word starts with,you pronounce it [r], but if a word ends with,you pronounce
it [l].

[m]
[b]
[s]
[]*

[meori]
[moja]
[bada]
[bori]
[saja]
[sujeo]

head
hat
sea
barley
lion
spoon and
chopsticks
[abeoji] father
duck

[ori]

[mogi]
[mu]
[baji]
[binu]
[sonamu]
[seuseung]

mosquito
radish
trousers
soap
pine tree
teacher

[eomeoni] mother

[uyu]
milk

* Initialois silent.

13

 [jayu]

freedom

[jadu]

plum

[jusa]

injection

[jigu]

globe

[cha]

car, tea

[cho]

candle

[cheung]

floor

[chima]

skirt

[ko]

nose

[sokuri]

basket

[ki]

height

[koggiri]

elephant

[tajagi] typewriter

[tusu]

pitcher

[toggi]

rabbit

[tajo]

ostrich

[pado]

wave

[podo]

grape

[pibu]

skin

[pari]

fly

[hama]

hippo

[heori]

waist

[hyuji]

tissue

[hodo]

walnut

[ggachi]

magpie

[ggureomi] bundle

[ggoma]

kid

[ggum]

dream

[ddada]

to pick

[ddi]

belt

[ddeuda]

to rise

[ddodasi]

again

[bb]

[bbang]

bread

[bbareuda] to be fast

[babbeuda] to be busy

[gibbeuda] to be happy

[ss]

[ssauda] to fight

[ssoda]

to shoot

[sseuda]

to write

[ssal]

rice

[jj]

[jjada]

to be salty

[jjok]

piece, direction

[jjida]

to steam

[jjigae]

stew

[j]
[ch]
[k]
[t]
[p]
[h]
[gg]
[dd]

b. Vowels : 21 letters
[a]
[ya]
[eo]
[yeo]

14

[ga-su]

singer

[na-bi]

butterfly

[da-ri]

leg, bridge

[a-gi]

baby

[ya-gu]

baseball

[ya-ja-su] palm tree

[ya-man]

savage

[dae-ya]

washbowl

[geo-ri]

street

[meo-ri]

head

[beo-seu]

bus

[heo-ri]

waist

[yeo-ja]

woman

[byeo]

rice plant

[yeo-u]

fox

[yeo-reum]

summer

STEP BY STEP KOREAN (1) through 15 Action Verbs

 [so]

cow

[o-i]

cucumber

[ho-su]

lake

[mo-ja]

hat

[pyo]

ticket

[hyo]

filial piety

[gyo-su]

professor

[yo-ri]

cooking

[gu-du]

shoes

[du-bu]

tofu

[bu-mo]

parents

[ju-so]

address

[nyu-seu]

news

[yu-ri]

glass

[yu-ja]

citron

[hyu-ji]

tissue

[geu-ne]

swing

[seu-ki]

ski

[keu-da]

to be big

[heu-reu-da] to flow

[i-sa]

moving

[bi-nu]

soap

[gi-cha]

train

[ji-gu]

globe

[bae-chu]

cabbage

[bae]

ship / pear

[sae-u]

shrimp

[hae]

sun

[e]
(+l)

[se-mo]

triangle

[ga-ge]

shop

[ye]
(+l)

[ye]

yes

[si-gye]

watch

[se-gye]

world

[cha-rye]

order

[wa]
(+)

[gwa-ja]

cookies

[hwa-ga]

painter

[wa-yo]

come

[wang]

king

[wae]
(+)

[dwae-ji]

pig

[wae] why, old name of Japan

[wae-yo]

why

[kwae-cha] complete recovery

[we]
(+l)

[we-gyo]

diplomacy

[we-ga] mother
s family

[hwe-sa]

company

[we-guk] foreign country

[weo]
(+)

[chu-weo-yo] cold

[deo-weo-yo] hot

[mae-weo-yo] spicy

[weon-sung-i] monkey

[wi]

up / stomach

[dwi]

behind, rear

[gwi]

ear

[jwi]

rat

[eui-sa]

doctor

[eui-ja]

chair

[ye-eui]

politeness

[eui-hwae]

congress

[o]
[yo]
[u]
[yu]
[eu]
[i]
[ae]
(+l)

[wi]
(+l)
[eui]
(+l)

[na-geu-ne] vagabond, traveler [je-ju-do] Jeju Island

15

Reading Practice: continued

c. Third position consonants : 8 pronunciation groups
In Korean, the 2nd and 3rd consonants in a word are referred to as
. must always be 1 or 2 consonants and all fall into eight
pronunciation groups:
1

, and are pronounced as [k], when the word

is not followed by another vowel.
Ex.

k]
[sok
inside
k] kitchen
[bu-eok

k] Korea
[han-guk
k]
[bak
outside

is pronounced as [n
n]. This letter sound does not
change, whatever the position.
Ex.

nun
n]
[n
eye, snow
n-gae] fog
[an

n-ji] letter
[pyeon
n] towel
[su-geon

, , , , and are pronounced as [tt], when

the word is not followed by another vowel.
Ex.

[gott]
[bitt]
[natt]
[bitt]
[mitt]
[itt-dda]

soon
comb
daytime
light
bottom
to have

[sutt-ga-rak]
[ott]
[it-dda]
[ggott]
[ggeutt]

spoon
clothing
to forget
flower
end

17

is pronounced as [ll], when the word ends with.

Ex.

[dall]
moon
[eol-gull] face

[ga-eull] autumn
[ddall-gi] strawberry

And if a word ends withand is followed by another

,you pronounce both [l].
Ex.

[dall-lla-yo] (it) is different

[moll-lla-yo] (I) do not know

is pronounced as [m
m]. This letter sound does not
change, whatever the position.
Ex.

m] spring
[bom
m] night, chestnut
[bam

m-sim
m] lunch
[jeom
m] heart
[ma-eum

and are pronounced as a short [p

p]at the end of
a final syllable
Ex.

p]
[ap
front
p] class
[su-eop

p]
[yeop
side
p] occupation
[ji-geop

is pronounced as [-ng], when a word ends with

.
Ex.

ng] river
[gan
ng] ball
[gon

ng]
[ban
room
ng-guk] England
[yeon

becomes silent [], when it is at the end of a

syllable and is followed by a vowel.
Ex.

18

(silent)

STEP BY STEP KOREAN (1) through 15 Action Verbs

[jo
o-a] that

s fine
[jo
o-eu-myeon] If (you) like

But when is at the end of a syllable that is followed

by the consonants , , or , the pronunciation of the
consonants changes to the aspirated consonants [, ,
] respectively.
Ex.

k]
[k

ko] put and

[no-k
ko](it
[jo-k
s) fine and

[tt]

[no-tta] to put
[jo-tta] to be good

ch]
[c

chi]
[jo-c
chi]
[no-c

Pronunciation Note : Liaison ()

When the consonant is at the end of a syllable and is followed by a vowel, it is
pronounced at the beginning of the next syllable.
Ex.

[so-g
ge]
[han-gu-g
ge]

inside

[bu-eo-k
ke] in the kitchen
[ba-g
gge]

[bi-c
chi]
[mi-tte]
under, on the bottom

[na-jje]
si]

during the day

[o-s
[su-eo-b
bi] class
[ji-geo-b
bi]

[a-p
peu-ro] to the front
[yeo-p
pe]

in Korea
outside
the light is
the clothes are
the job is
to the side

Reading Practice:
? [an-nyeong-ha-se-yo] (!) Hello, Hi
Used as a greeting in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the
evening.

. [an-nyeong-hi ga-se-yo] Good-bye

Saying good-bye in a situation when one stays at a place and the
other departs.

. [an-nyeong-hi gye-se-yo] Good-bye

This phrase is used by the person who departs from the place.

19

3. How to Construct Korean Words

There are six ways to construct Korean words using Hangeul. These 6 ways can
be sub-divided into two parts, each consisting of 3 types of word constructions, as
described below in part A and B.
Construction of a Korean word must always begin with a single or
double consonant.

Part A (1-3)
When the first vowel in a word is, , , , or l,
the word is constructed by having the letters arranged
horizontally. (c-consonant: v -vowel)
1. Horizontal combination of a consonant with one of these 5 vowels
Ex.

c+v

2. Horizontal combination of 2 consonants and a vowel.

The 1st consonant stands side by side with a vowel. The 2nd
consonant is written below the combined c+v. The 2nd consonant is
[bat-chim]). can be 1 or
referred to as the third position (
2 consonants but must always be a consonant.
Ex.

c+v
c

()

3. Horizontal combination of 3 consonants and a vowel.

(c+v+2 consonants)
Ex.

c+v
c c

()

21

Part B (4-6)
When the final vowel in the word is,, , , or
,the word is constructed by having the letters
arranged vertically.
4. Vertical combination of a consonant with one of these 5 vowels
(, , , or ).
Ex.

c
+
v

5. Vertical combination of 2 consonants and a vowel.

Ex.

c
+
v
+
c

()

6. Vertical combination of 3 consonants and a vowel.

(c+v+2 consonants).
Ex.

22

c
+
v
+
c c

()

STEP BY STEP KOREAN (1) through 15 Action Verbs

4. How to Write Korean Words

The easiest way to learn to write hangeul is to follow the prescribed stroke order
below using squared paper.

a. Consonants : 19 letters
The fourteen consonants are shown below in Korean alphabetical order with
the direction and sequence of the strokes. The romanized letters are their
sound value.

gg

d/t
23

 dd
r/l

b/p
bb

24

STEP BY STEP KOREAN (1) through 15 Action Verbs

ss

jj

ch

25

26

STEP BY STEP KOREAN (1) through 15 Action Verbs

b. Vowels : 21 letters
There are a total of twenty-one different vowel-syllables. In the table below, the
vowels are listed in Korean alphabetical order

ae
ya
yae
eo
27

yeo
ye

wa
wae
28

STEP BY STEP KOREAN (1) through 15 Action Verbs

 oe
yo

weo
we

29

ui

yu
eu
eui
l

30

STEP BY STEP KOREAN (1) through 15 Action Verbs

Exercises
1. Write the fourteen consonants in the

- - - - - - - - - - - - 2. Fill in the boxes alphabetically.

- -- --- 3. Write the ten vowels in the

--- -- -

4. Please fill in the gaps in alphabetical order.

--

--

5. Write the words in alphabetical order.

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

31

Unit 2 : Introduction
In Korean, verbs are conjugated in 4 different forms depending on whom is being
addressed. These forms are:
Polite formal,
Polite informal,
Plain and
Intimate Speech style
(See detail in Appendix, page 135)
You will learn in Unit 2

1.

How to conjugate verbs in the present tense using the polite

informal form (Vst+-//): (Vst : abbreviation of
Verb Stem)
The infinitive form of every Korean verb consists of the
stem and the - ending.

Ex.

(to go)

(to study)

stem

ending

stem

ending

When conjugating the verb, - is dropped and the polite informal

form is added to the stem. All verbs fall into one of three groups,
which determines the conjugation:

34

STEP BY STEP KOREAN (1) through 15 Action Verbs

a.

When the Vst ends with the vowel or , then the ending
changes this way Vst+-
Ex.

(to go)

+-

stem

(to come)

+-

stem

b.

When the Vst ends with any vowel except or , then the
ending changes this way Vst+-

(to eat)

+-

stem

(to wear)

+-

stem

c.

When the Vst ends withverb ending, such as ,

, then the ending changes this way +- which is
contracted as Vst+-

(to study)

+-

stem

(to work)

+-

stem

35

Note: When conjugating some verbs, certain vowel combinations occur, which
are then contracted. The following are examples of contraction rules:
Ex.

contraction

2.

Verb

Example:
polite informal conjugation
(Vst+-//)

= [a]

(to go)

= [wa]

(to come)

= [weo]

(to give)

= [eo]

(to stand)

= [yeo]

(to drink)

= [ae]

(to work)

How to construct a Korean Sentence : The Korean sentence

is structured in Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order. The verb
is always at the end of the sentence. Unlike in English, the
Korean subject is followed by a subject particle (-/) and
the object is followed by an object particle(-/).
Ex.

subject

object

. (The baby drinks milk.)

subject particle

object particle

Note: The verb in the Korean language never changes regardless of whether
the subject is singular or plural, personal pronoun third person (he, she,
it), or a proper noun (Georgetown University). Also, Korean never uses
capital letters or cursive.

36

STEP BY STEP KOREAN (1) through 15 Action Verbs

For the rest of this course, verbs (in the vocabulary list) will be written
with the stem in a larger font than the ending:
Ex.

verb stem +

ending

verb stem +

ending

verb stem +

ending

37

Chapter. 01 (to go)

.
I go to school.

Vocabulary

()
()
()

38

to go
(+)present tense
(to) where
I (topic marker)
(to) school / school

STEP BY STEP KOREAN (1) through 15 Action Verbs

.
.
?
.

.
Grammar Notes
/

Topic marker. When attached to a noun, it shows the subject

of the sentence, orcontrast, (See p.132)
Subject of the sentence
. When the noun ends in a consonant,
Ex. . (Sujin)
As for Sujin, she is going to school.
. When the noun ends in a vowel,
Ex. . (university)
As for me, I am going to the university.

where

in,
at,orto.Used after place or time nouns to show
location or direction.
Ex. . I go to school.
. (New York) I go to New York.

39

Exercises 01
1. Fill in the blanks withor
.
(

) .

(
(

) . (Albert)
) . (Sujin / home)

(to go)

) . (mother / store)

) . (we)

2. Fill in the blanks with.

(

) .

(
(

) . (New York)
) . (Seoul)

) . (Korea)

3. Translate into Korean.

I go to school.

Albert goes to New York.

We go to Florida.

Sujin goes to Seoul.

40

STEP BY STEP KOREAN (1) through 15 Action Verbs

Ex.

Ch. 01

4. Read the sentence. Which word is the verb? Mark your

answer in each line.

.
.

(to go)

5. Read each sentence. Choose the sentence that is written

correctly. Mark your answer.
.
.
.
.
6. Answer the following questions, using the answers given
in parentheses.
? ()
? (home)
? (New York / friend)
? (Korea)
? (store)

41

Chapter. 02 (to study)

.
I study Korean.

Vocabulary

()
()

42

to study
(+)present
tense
I (topic marker)
Korean language (object particle)

STEP BY STEP KOREAN (1) through 15 Action Verbs

.
.
.

.
.
Grammar Notes
/

Object particle. It comes after a noun and shows theobject

of the verb.
i. When a noun ends in a consonant,
Ex. . (friend)
ii. When a noun ends in a vowel,
Ex. . (English)
My friend studies English.

Personal Pronoun

These forms are used when the speaker talks to a

subordinate or an equal.
singular

I
you
he
she
it

plural

we
you
they

()*
()

Plural marker
Ex. (student)

(students) / (child)

(children)

43

Exercises 02

Ch. 02

1. Fill in the blanks withor.

(

) .

) . (English)

) . (German)

(to study)

(
(

) . (Sumi / Spanish)
) . (Chinese)

2. Translate into Korean.

My friend studies Korean. (my)
Sujin studies English. (Sujin)
We study Spanish. (we)
My friend studies Chinese. (Chinese)
I study Japanese. (Japanese)
We study German. (we)

3. Read the sentences and choose the one that is written

correctly. Mark your answer.
.


.
.

44

STEP BY STEP KOREAN (1) through 15 Action Verbs

Ch. 02

4. Form a correct sentence from each group of words given

below.
, ,

(to study)

, ,

, ,

, ,

5. The following sentences are scrambled. Please write

them correctly.

(Sumi)

45

Chapter. 03

(to drink)

.
My younger sibling drinks water.

Vocabulary

()
()

46

to drink
(+)present tense
my (shortened form of my)
younger sibling (subject particle)
water (object particle)
exercise
after
now

STEP BY STEP KOREAN (1) through 15 Action Verbs