Korean Words 401 to 500: Ranked List with Romanization and Audio

Korean Words 401 to 500 at a Glance

Korean words 401 to 500 are the last block of the Top 500 Korean Words list. The earlier blocks give you the objects, people and places of daily life. This block moves to what you read in the news, what you say at work and what you need on a trip, and it adds the abstract nouns that let you give a result, a purpose or a reason.

The list holds nouns, adverbs and connectors. Of the 100 words, 77 are Sino-Korean (built from Chinese-derived syllables), 18 are native Korean and 5 are loanwords from English. That is a higher share of Sino-Korean words than the first block, and it is the pattern you should expect as vocabulary grows: the more formal and abstract the word, the more likely it is Sino-Korean. The origin column in every table marks each word. The first column is a suggested study order for an A2 learner, an editorial judgement and not a frequency count.

These tables assume you can read Hangul. If you cannot yet, start with reading Hangul. The next section says where to begin.

Which Words Ranked 401 to 500 Should You Learn First?

Learn 여행, 예약, 호텔, 여권 and 표 first if you are about to travel, and 직업, 사무실 and 회의 first if you are about to work in Korea. The two lists share one rule: learn the words you will meet this month before the ones you might meet next year. For most learners the connectors in the last group, 하지만, 그러면 and 그래도, are the best first target, because they make short sentences into a conversation.

1. If you travel soon. 여행, 관광, 여권, 비자, 비행기, 예약, 호텔, 체크인 and 열쇠.
2. If you work or study here. 직업, 사무실, 회의, 출근, 퇴근, 월급 and 면접.
3. If you follow the news. 사회, 뉴스, 정부, 경제, 사건 and 사고.
4. If you want longer sentences. 하지만, 그러면, 그래도, 결국, 갑자기, 요즘 and 때.
5. If you prepare for TOPIK I. Study the abstract nouns 결과, 목적, 계획 and 방법, which appear often in reading passages. The official exam information is on topik.go.kr, and the TOPIK guide here explains the format.

At 20 words a day the list takes five days, and at 10 words a day it takes ten. Add a review day after each group.

Society and News

Society and news words are mostly Sino-Korean, which is why headlines look dense. 사회 (society) is the broad word, and the rest narrow it down: 정부 (government), 정치 (politics), 선거 (election), 경제 (economy) and 법 (law). The media words 뉴스, 신문, 방송 and 기자 name the way you hear about all of this.

Two loanwords sit in this group. 뉴스 is the broadcast news you watch, while 신문 is the printed newspaper you read, and 소식 is a piece of news about a person, as in 좋은 소식 (good news). 인터넷 is borrowed from English and is written as it sounds. Notice the pairing 사건 (an incident or a case) and 사고 (an accident): 교통사고 is a traffic accident, and 사건 can also mean a legal case.

The news and media vocabulary page and the politics and government vocabulary page go deeper. The single-word pages for society in Korean and economy in Korean answer the quick lookup. The next group is about work.

Example Sentences

Each example is a short polite sentence. Most follow the pattern noun + 이/가 + 있어요 or noun + 을/를 + verb. Say each sentence aloud, then swap the first noun. Replace 뉴스 in 저녁에 뉴스를 봐요 with 신문 and you get 저녁에 신문을 봐요, which is also natural. The particles 이/가 and 을/를 are explained in the Korean particles guide.

How Do You Say Work and Business in Korean?

Work words describe a job, a place and a rhythm. 직업 is the kind of work you do, 직원 is a person employed by a company, and 사장 is the head of a company. The daily rhythm is 출근 (going to work) and 퇴근 (leaving work). The shop words 가게, 가격, 주문, 영수증 and 할인 are the ones you use as a customer.

Four words are worth a closer look. 사장 means the president of a company, and 사장님 is also the polite way to address the owner of a shop or restaurant, whatever the size. 직업 asks what you do for a living, while 일 (work, job, task) is the general word from the first 100 words. 휴가 is time off from a job, and 방학 is a school vacation. 휴가 is also used for military leave. Finally, 출근 and 퇴근 are nouns, and 출근하다 and 퇴근하다 are the verbs.

The office and business vocabulary page and the office in Korean page extend this group. The next group covers the trip itself.

Travel and Hotels

Travel words follow a trip in order: 여행 (the trip), 여권 and 비자 (the documents), 비행기 or 기차 (the transport), 예약 (the booking), 호텔 and 체크인 (the stay), and 기념품 (what you bring home). Most are Sino-Korean, and 호텔, 비자 and 체크인 are loanwords written in Hangul.

Tickets and vehicles take counters. A ticket is counted with 장 (표 두 장, two tickets), and a plane is counted with 대 (비행기 한 대). Learn the counter with the noun rather than on its own. The jang counter and the dae counter pages explain both.

The word 도착 (arrival) pairs with 출발 (departure) the way 퇴근 pairs with 출근. Use the pair to remember them. Both become verbs with 하다: 도착하다 and 출발하다. The travel and airport vocabulary and hotel vocabulary pages list more words, and the hotel phrases page shows full sentences. The next group is the most abstract.

How Do You Say Abstract Nouns in Korean?

Abstract nouns name ideas: 결과 (result), 목적 (purpose), 계획 (plan), 방법 (method) and 의미 (meaning). Nearly all are Sino-Korean, and each is made of two syllables with their own meaning. Knowing the syllables lets you read new words. For example, 결 (result or knot) appears in 결과 and 결정.

Many abstract nouns attach to 하다 to make verbs: 결정하다 (to decide), 선택하다 (to choose), 성공하다 (to succeed) and 노력하다 (to make an effort). That is why they are worth learning early. Learn the noun, and you have the verb for free.

Notice also the word 경우, which means case or occasion and almost always follows a modifier: 이런 경우 (a case like this), 그럴 경우 (in that case). And 도움 is a native word, so it sits among the Sino-Korean ones. The last group links all these nouns into sentences.

Time Order and Connectors

Time words put events in order, and connectors link sentences. 처음, 다음, 나중 and 마지막 give the order: first, next, later, last. 그러나, 하지만, 그러면 and 그래도 link one sentence to another. Both kinds of word turn short sentences into connected speech.

The connectors are the part of this list with the biggest payoff. 하지만 and 그러나 both mean but. 그러나 is the more formal of the two and fits writing and speeches, while 하지만 is the everyday choice. 그러면 means then, as in then let's meet tomorrow, and 그래도 means even so. Compare these with 그리고, 그런데 and 그래서 from the first 100 words, which mean and, by the way and so.

The word 때 is also one to watch: it means time or when, and it follows a modifier, as in 어릴 때 (when I was young). For the clock time, use 시간. The conjunctions vocabulary page has more connectors.

How Do You Check Your Progress after 500 Words?

This is a 500-word checkpoint you can run in about 20 minutes. Take the five blocks of the list: the first 100 words, words 101 to 200, words 201 to 300, words 301 to 400 and this page. From each block, pick 10 words at random, which gives you 50 words. Cover the English column, say each Korean word aloud and give its meaning. Score one point for each correct meaning.

The bands are a guide that this page sets for self-testing. They are not an official level. A score above 40 does not mean you pass an exam, because TOPIK tests reading and listening in context, and the official criteria are on topik.go.kr.

Beyond the first 500 words, vocabulary usually leans further towards Sino-Korean words and abstract ideas, with fewer concrete objects. That means the syllable-building habit from this block, such as 결 in 결과 and 결정, will pay off more and more.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Most of these words follow the spelling, but several undergo sound changes between consonants. 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 show tensing caused by a neighbouring sound, so it writes 사건 as sageon and 결정 as gyeoljeong even though they are said [사껀] and [결쩡]. It does show the sound changes of 대통령 (daetongnyeong) and 옛날 (yennal).

Audio and Slow Playback

Each word has a normal clip, and 5 key words also have a slow clip at 0.8 times the speed: 사회, 경제, 대통령, 직업 and 옛날. Nothing plays until you press a button.

Listen to 대통령 first. The ending sounds like 녕, not 령, so the word is said close to 대통녕. Then listen to 경제. The first vowel, ㅕ, begins with a y glide, and the final ㅇ in 경 is the nasal sound at the back of the mouth.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Words Ranked 401 to 500?

• Learning 표 and 비행기 without their counters. Tickets are counted with 장 and planes with 대, so say 표 두 장 and 비행기 한 대.
• Using 그러나 in casual speech. It reads as formal or written, so use 하지만 with friends and 그러나 in essays and speeches.
• Treating 사고 as only an accident. The same spelling is also the -고 form of 사다 (to buy), as in 사고 먹어요 (buy and eat), so context decides.
• Reading 경우 and 때 as plain nouns. Both follow a modifier, as in 이런 경우 (a case like this) and 어릴 때 (when young).
• Saying 대통령 as daetong-ryeong. The ㄹ becomes ㄴ after ㅇ, so it is [대통녕].
• Calling every manager 사장. 사장 is the head of a company, and a department head has a different title, which the company ranks page explains.

Of these, the counters are the point that most often changes the meaning of a sentence. The next section turns the list into practice.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Drill these words with the vocabulary flashcard decks. 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. Progress in the decks is saved only in your browser.

Try this five-question check, then run the 500-word checkpoint above.

Where to Go Next

This block closes Top 500 Korean Words. Go back to Korean words 301 to 400 if you need to review, or continue with the Top 1000 Korean Words page, which starts at word 501. For work and travel words in more depth, open the office and business vocabulary or the travel and airport vocabulary.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Society in Korean?

Society is 사회 (sahoe). It is a Sino-Korean noun used for society as a whole, as in 사회는 계속 변해요 (Society keeps changing). It also appears in 사회생활 (social life) and 사회 수업 (social studies). In the second syllable 회, most speakers say the vowel ㅚ like we, so the word sounds close to sa-hwe.

How Do You Pronounce 경제 (gyeongje)?

경제 is said gyeong-je. The first syllable starts with a y glide, and the final ㅇ is the nasal sound at the back of your mouth, like ng in sing. The second syllable 제 has no change. Say the two syllables smoothly together and compare with the audio.

How Many Words Ranked 401 to 500 Should I Learn First?

Learn about 30 first. Choose the 10 words for your most urgent need, such as travel (여행, 여권, 예약) or work (직업, 회의, 출근). Add the 5 linking words 하지만, 그러면, 그래도, 결국 and 갑자기, then 15 of the abstract nouns, starting with 결과, 목적, 목표, 계획 and 방법, which you meet in reading.

Where Can I Practise Words Ranked 401 to 500 with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks, which list every deck with audio. A deck for this block is planned. Progress stays in your browser. Until then, copy the five tables above onto cards: Hangul on one side, English on the other.

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 401 to 500?

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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