Korean Words 801 to 900: Ranked List with Romanization and Audio

Key facts

• The order is an editorial study order, not a count from a corpus. The page also shows how the example sentences change in the written plain style.

Korean Words 801 to 900 at a Glance

Korean words 801 to 900 are the fourth unit of the Top 1000 Korean Words list. The earlier units give you the things in a text. This unit gives you the words that connect them: the nouns that organise an argument (근거, 결론, 주장), the adverbs that show when and how much, and the words that show what the writer thinks of an idea (과연, 설마, 도무지).

Of the 100 words, 65 are Sino-Korean (built from syllables of Chinese origin) and 35 are native Korean. The origin column marks each word. Many of the time and degree words are adverbs, and many adverbs are native words. The first column is a suggested study order for a B1 learner. It is an editorial judgement and not a frequency count. Common connectors such as 결국 (in the end), 사실 (fact), 그러나 (but) and 따라서 (therefore) are in the Top 500, so this unit goes beyond them.

The tables assume you can read Hangul. If you cannot yet, start with reading Hangul.

Which Words Ranked 801 to 900 Should You Learn First?

Learn the reasoning words and the time words first, because they change a flat sentence into an argument and a story. A learner who has only the nouns can say that a thing exists, and a learner who adds 하지만, 마침내 and 도무지 can say what happened and what they think about it. Choose by goal:

1. If you want to write short essays. 근거, 결론, 주장, 사례, 방식 and 대부분.
2. If you want to tell stories. 마침내, 어느새, 순식간, 곧바로, 한동안 and 당장.
3. If you want to give opinions. 차라리, 어차피, 굳이, 실은, 아예 and 오히려 (from the Top 500).
4. If you want to ask better questions. 도대체, 설마, 하필 and 과연.
5. If you live in Korea. 주민, 이사, 청소, 빨래, 연락 and 초대.

At 10 words a day the unit takes ten days. Add a review day after each group.

Formal and Written Words

Formal words are the frame of a written argument. 주제 (topic) opens a text, 현상 (phenomenon) and 항목 (item) lay it out, 근거 (grounds) and 사례 (case) support it, 주장 (claim), 입장 (position) and 관점 (viewpoint) take a side, 논의 (discussion) develops it, and 결론 (conclusion) closes it. They are almost all Sino-Korean, and the syllables repeat across words, so each word you learn helps with the next.

근거 and 결론 are a pair: the grounds come first and the conclusion follows. 입장 and 관점 are close: 입장 is the position you take in a situation, and 관점 is the angle from which you see it. 입장 has a second meaning, entry, as in 입장료 (admission fee), so context decides. 방식 and 방법 (method, from the Top 500) are close too. 방법 is a way to do something, as in 해결 방법, and 방식 is a style or pattern, as in 생활 방식 (lifestyle).

Example Sentences

Each example is a short polite sentence. The polite -요 ending suits speech, but formal articles use another ending, and you see that in the plain-style section below. Say each sentence aloud, then swap the noun. In 책의 내용이 재미있어요 you can replace 내용 with 구조 and say 책의 구조가 재미있어요 (the structure of the book is interesting). The particles are explained in the Korean particles guide.

How Do You Say Time Expressions in Korean?

Time expressions place an event on the clock or the calendar. 올해, 작년, 내년, 매일 and 매년 are fixed dates. 평소, 늘 and 매번 say how often. 마침내, 어느새, 순식간 and 곧바로 move a story forward. 당분간, 한동안, 오랫동안 and 여태 describe a span. They are mostly adverbs and take no particle, so you put them before the verb.

Frequency words go in a scale: 늘 (always), 매번 (every time), 평소 (usually), 종종 (now and then). The words 마침내 and 드디어 (finally, from the Top 500) are close. 드디어 shows relief at something long awaited, and 마침내 is a more neutral word that marks the end of a long process, so it often appears in written stories. 매 in 매일, 매년 and 매번 means every, and you can add it to other nouns, as in 매주 (every week) and 매달 (every month).

Reasoning Words

Reasoning words show the speaker's stance. Some show certainty (확실히, and 당연히 and 분명히 from the previous unit), some show contrast or condition (반대로, 만약, 비록, 아무리), and some show doubt, surprise or annoyance (도대체, 설마, 하필, 과연). Others, such as 차라리, 대신, 어차피, 실은, 아예 and 비로소, show a choice, a reveal or an unavoidable result. The table gives the stance of seven words, two of which (당연히 and 분명히) come from the previous unit.

Some reasoning words come in pairs with a verb ending. 비록 pairs with -지만 or -아도/-어도, as in 비록 작지만 깨끗해요. 아무리 pairs with -아도/-어도, as in 아무리 바빠도 연락할게요. 도무지 always needs a negative or a word like 모르겠다: 도무지 이해가 안 돼요. If you learn each word with its ending, you will avoid the commonest mistakes. The Korean grammar connectors lessons cover the endings themselves.

How Do You Say Quantity and Degree in Korean?

Quantity words say how many or how much. 대부분 (most), 절반 (half), 전부 (all), 대다수 (the great majority) and 대개 (usually) describe a share. 최대, 최소 and 평균 describe a range. Degree words such as 퍽, 제법, 한결, 지나치게 and 부쩍 say how strong something is, and 거듭 and 차츰 say how often or how fast it changes. 약 means about, and 정도 can mean degree or about. The common degree words 상당히, 꽤, 몹시 and 대략 are in the previous unit.

Sino-Korean 약 is the common word for about in writing and in the news, and it comes before the number: 약 십 분. 정도 comes after: 십 분 정도. Both give the same meaning, and the combination 약 십 분 정도 is understood but a little heavy. 대부분 usually takes 의 when it comes before a noun: 대부분의 학생 (most students). 여러 also comes before a noun but takes no particle: 여러 사람 (several people).

Everyday Life Details

The last group is the small talk of living somewhere: housework (청소, 빨래, 설거지, 집안일), things in the home (서랍, 이불, 거울, 가구, 세탁기), and social life (주민, 마을, 모임, 초대, 선물, 인사, 연락, 예절). These words are mostly native or short Sino-Korean words, and they appear in the chats you have with neighbours. See also the home vocabulary lists.

The word 집안일 (housework) is a compound: 집안 (inside the home) and 일 (work). It is written without a space and said [지반닐], with an added ㄴ sound before 일. The word 인사 means a greeting and the act of greeting. To greet someone you say 인사하다. To introduce yourself or others you say 소개하다. Do not confuse them.

How Do the Example Sentences Look in the Written Plain Style?

Articles, essays, textbooks and diaries use the plain style (한다체) instead of the polite -요 style. It sounds neutral and does not address the reader. The verb changes as follows. A verb stem that ends in a vowel adds -ㄴ다, and a stem that ends in a consonant adds -는다. An adjective adds -다. After a noun, -이에요 becomes -이다, and -예요 becomes -다 or -이다. The past tense keeps -았/었/했 and adds -다. The table shows six sentences from this page.

Notice that the plain style has no polite ending for the listener. It is the form to learn for reading. When you speak to someone you have just met, keep the polite -요 ending, because the plain style is not polite.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Most words in this unit are said as they are spelled. The table shows eight that learners often get wrong.

The rules come from the Standard Pronunciation rules (표준 발음법) of the 국립국어원. Revised Romanization does not write tensing caused by a neighbouring sound, so it writes 일단 as ildan and 입장 as ipjang even though they are said [일딴] and [입짱]. It does write the changes in 연락 (yeollak), 굳이 (guji), 측면 (cheungmyeon) and 집안일 (jibannil).

Audio and Slow Playback

Each word has a normal clip, and five harder words also have a slow clip at 0.8 times the speed: 일단, 연락, 굳이, 확실히 and 집안일. Nothing plays until you press a button.

Listen to 연락 first. You should hear a clear l sound twice, so the word sounds like yeol-lak. Then listen to 굳이, where the middle sound is j, not d.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Words Ranked 801 to 900?

• Using 도무지 without a negative. Say 도무지 이해가 안 돼요 (I cannot understand it at all). 도무지 이해가 돼요 does not work.
• Using 비록 with a cause ending. Say 비록 작지만 깨끗해요 (although it is small, it is clean). 비록 작아서 깨끗해요 does not work, because -아서 gives a reason and 비록 expects a contrast.
• Putting 약 after the number. Say 약 십 분 or 십 분 정도. 십 분 약 is not Korean.
• Writing 굳이 as 구지. The spelling is 굳이, with a final ㄷ, even though it is said [구지].
• Reading 연락 as yeon-rak. It is said [열락], with two l sounds.

The 도무지 rule is the one that makes the biggest difference to your sentences, because a missing negative breaks the sentence. The next sections turn the list into drills.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the deck in recognition mode until the 100 words feel familiar. Second, switch to listening mode and press the clip before the card turns. Third, take the quiz below. The deck stores your progress only in your browser. The vocabulary flashcard decks page lists the other decks, and the vocabulary worksheets page lists printable sheets. A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page.

The deck holds the same 100 cards as the tables above: Hangul, Revised Romanization and meaning.

Try this eight-question check.

Where to Go Next

Go back to Korean words 701 to 800 if you need to review, or continue with Korean words 901 to 1000, the last unit, which finishes the 1000 and ends with a review quiz. The parent page is Top 1000 Korean Words.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say in the End in Korean?

In the end is 결국 (gyeolguk). It is already in the Top 500, in words 401 to 500, and it states a conclusion after a process. This unit adds related time words: 마침내 (at last), 어느새 (before one knows it) and 곧바로 (straight away). Use 결국 for a final result and 마침내 for the end of a long effort.

How Do You Pronounce 사실 (sasil)?

사실 is said sa-sil. Both syllables are short. The first has a plain s and the vowel a. The second begins with s and the vowel i, and it ends in the l sound made by touching the tongue behind the upper teeth. There is no sound change, so say it evenly and compare it with the audio for 확실히 and 실은, which share the syllable 실.

How Many Words Ranked 801 to 900 Should I Learn First?

Learn about 30 first. Take 10 reasoning words (과연, 설마, 어차피, 차라리, 도무지, 아무리, 비록, 도대체, 실은 and 하필), 10 time words (마침내, 어느새, 곧바로, 당분간, 평소, 늘, 매일, 올해, 작년 and 내년) and 10 formal nouns (근거, 결론, 주장, 사례, 방식, 입장, 관점, 주제, 분야 and 논의). Add the rest over two weeks.

Where Can I Practise Words Ranked 801 to 900 with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks, which list every deck with audio. This page also carries a deck with all 100 words in recognition mode. Your progress stays in your browser, so it is not shared with other devices.

Is the Romanization on This Page Official?

It follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which South Korea officially adopted on 7 July 2000 and whose rules the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) publishes. It is a learning aid that does not show tensing caused by a neighbouring sound, so learn the Hangul and use the audio.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Words Ranked 801 to 900?

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, write the Hangul from memory, cover the English column and check your answers against the tables.

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