Korean Words 101 to 200: Ranked List with Romanization and Audio

Korean Words 101 to 200 at a Glance

This page holds 100 words in five groups of 20. The numbers 101 to 200 show a suggested study order. The order is an editorial judgement of what a beginner needs next, and it is not a count from a text corpus. The first 100 words are on the top 100 Korean words page, and this list does not repeat any of them or any word from the later units. That is why 책 (book) and 돈 (money), which many learners expect here, are not on the list: they are already words 73 and 74.

The origin column shows how each word was built. Of the 100 words, 50 are Sino-Korean (built from Chinese-derived syllables), 30 are native Korean, 14 are loanwords (mostly from English) and 6 mix two sources. In the top 100 only 28 words were Sino-Korean and 71 were native. From word 101 onwards, nouns for objects and places overtake the pronouns, and Sino-Korean words take a much larger share, because most building, shop and time words come from Chinese roots. That also helps you: once you know that 관 ends many buildings (미술관, 박물관, 영화관), you can guess more words.

This page lists nouns and adverbs. Verbs and adjectives are on the 100 Korean verbs page, and you need to read Hangul to use the tables, so start with reading Hangul if the letters still feel new. The next question is which words to learn first.

Which Words Ranked 101 to 200 Should You Learn First?

If you study ten words, start with these. Each one opens a topic you will meet in the first week of travel or study.

Everyday Objects: Words 101 to 120

These are the things on your desk, on your table and in your bag. 10 are Sino-Korean words made of two syllables, such as 시계, 의자 and 연필. 5 are loanwords: 가방, 컴퓨터, 텔레비전, 컵 and 소파. The pronunciation of 책상 is [책쌍], and Revised Romanization writes it chaeksang, not chaekssang. The native words in the group are 젓가락 (chopsticks), 거울, 가위 and 접시.

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Example Sentences

Listen to these four sentences at normal speed, then say them yourself. The subject particle 이/가, the object particle 을/를 and the location particle 에 appear in them, and the verb is in the polite -요 style.

How Do You Say People and Places in Korean?

The first six words are people, and the next fourteen are places that appear on a map of any Korean town. Many place names end in 관 (a hall), 점 (a shop) or 국 (an office): 박물관, 미술관, 영화관, 백화점, 서점, 편의점, 우체국. Learn the ending and you can guess the kind of place. 노래방 (karaoke room) ends in 방, which means room.

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Food and Shopping: Words 141 to 160

Food words are a mix of native words (김치, 고기, 비빔밥), Sino-Korean words (우유, 맥주) and loanwords (커피, 빵), while the shopping words 카드, 쇼핑 and 메뉴 are loanwords. Several will be on every menu you read: 김밥, 라면, 비빔밥, 불고기 and 주스. Two words help at the end of a meal: 계산서 (the bill) and 포장 (takeout).

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How Do You Say Time and Weather in Korean?

The names of the seven days all end in 요일 (day of the week). Learn 월요일 (Monday) first, and then add the other six: 화요일, 수요일, 목요일, 금요일, 토요일, 일요일. The rest of the group is time of day (오전, 오후, 점심), the calendar (주말, 평일, 올해, 작년, 내년, 생일, 휴일) and three weather words that matter in Korea: 장마 (the rainy season), 미세먼지 (fine dust) and 온도 (temperature). The seasons and everyday weather words such as 날씨 and 비 are in Korean words 301 to 400.

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Useful Adverbs: Words 181 to 200

An adverb goes before the verb or adjective it describes. These 20 add manner (이렇게, 그렇게, 직접, 일부러, 천천히), degree (훨씬, 약간, 점점, 완전히, 충분히), time (방금, 미리, 드디어, 겨우), attitude (반드시, 오히려, 특히, 절대) and two question words, 어떻게 (how) and 왜 (why), which complete the question words of the top 100. Frequency and degree adverbs such as 항상 and 정말 are in the next units.

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Place an adverb before the word it modifies, as in 직접 만들어요. 절대 needs a negative: 절대 늦지 않아요. The two question words come right before the verb, and in a question that uses them the voice does not end in a sharp rise, because the question word already carries the meaning.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Press the play button on any entry to hear the word, and repeat it before you read the romanization. Revised Romanization is a learning aid. It follows the sound of a word and writes a tense consonant only when the spelling has one, so 책상 stays chaeksang although it is said [책쌍]. The table shows the changes that learners miss most in this list.

These rules come from the standard pronunciation rules (표준 발음법) of the 국립국어원, the National Institute of Korean Language. For more on sound changes, see reading Hangul.

Audio and Slow Playback

Each headword and each example sentence has its own clip. Nothing plays until you press a button. Use the headword clip first, then the sentence clip, and try to match the rhythm of the sentence.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Words Ranked 101 to 200?

• Treating 사과 as only "apple". 사과 also means "apology", and the two words sound the same. The verb tells you which: 사과를 먹어요 means I eat an apple, and 사과해요 means I apologise.
• Confusing 어떻게 and 왜. 어떻게 means how (in what way) and 왜 means why (for what reason). Both come right before the verb: 어떻게 가요? (How do I get there?) and 왜 울어요? (Why are you crying?).
• Spelling 이렇게 and 그렇게 as they sound. They are said [이러케] and [그러케], but the spelling keeps ㅎ: 이렇게, 그렇게. Revised Romanization writes ireoke and geureoke.
• Dropping the comparison with 훨씬. 훨씬 means "much more" and goes with an adjective that compares: 이 가방이 훨씬 비싸요 (This bag is much more expensive).
• Putting 오전 or 오후 after the hour. Korean puts it first: 오후 세 시, not 세 시 오후.
• Using 입다 for a watch. 시계 takes its own verb: 시계를 차요. The verb for each item is explained in Korean verb phrases.

The next section gives you tools to fix these.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Start with a deck of 20 cards, then move to the full list. The cards are the 20 words that cover the most situations, one or two from each group. The table and the deck contain the same cards.

Review the deck ten cards at a time. Find themed decks in the vocabulary flashcard decks. For writing practice, the vocabulary worksheets page lists printable sheets, and the worksheet for this unit reuses the same scene as a blank labelling task.

Now test yourself with eight questions.

Where to Go Next

This list sits inside Top 500 Korean Words. The previous unit is the top 100 Korean words. When these 100 words feel easy, move on to Korean words 201 to 300, then Korean words 301 to 400. To use the nouns in sentences, pair this list with the verbs in 100 Korean verbs.

What this page does not cover. It does not list verbs or adjectives, the counters for objects, or the honorific forms of these words. It does not give a frequency count from a corpus.

About this page. Last updated 2026-10-09. The Korean text and example sentences were drafted with AI assistance and cross-checked with the site's rule-based conjugation engine; a Korean reviewer checks every lesson before it is marked as reviewed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Korean Words 101 to 200?

They are the second set of 100 core words in the Top 500 Korean Words series. After the first 100 (pronouns, family, time and numbers, places and basic adverbs), this set adds everyday objects, people and places, food and shopping, time and weather, and useful adverbs.

Why Are 책 and 돈 Not in This List?

책 (book) and 돈 (money) are already words 73 and 74 in the top 100 Korean words, and this list does not repeat a word from the top 100 or from words 201 to 500. A new object word to learn first is 가방 (bag).

How Do You Say Bag in Korean?

Say 가방 (gabang). It is a loanword and takes the usual particles: 가방이 무거워요 means the bag is heavy. For a school bag, say 책가방. To carry it, you "hold" or "carry" it: 가방을 들어요 (I carry the bag).

How Many of These Words Are Sino-Korean?

50 of the 100 words are Sino-Korean, 30 are native Korean, 14 are loanwords and 6 mix two sources. In the top 100 the Sino-Korean share was 28. The share rises because building, shop and time words come from Chinese roots.

Is the Order of the Words a Frequency Ranking?

No. The numbers show a suggested study order, which is an editorial judgement of what a beginner needs next. It is not a count from a corpus, so do not read 150 as less common than 140.

How Long Does It Take to Learn 100 Korean Words?

At 10 new words a day, the list takes about 10 days plus review. At 5 a day it takes about 20 days. Recognising a word is easier than producing it, so say each word and its example sentence aloud before you mark it as known.

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