Korean Dating Vocabulary: 35 Words with Romanization and Audio

What you'll learn

• Match all 35 dating words to their English meanings.
• Say five of them aloud with the help of the Revised Romanization and the audio.
• Write two original sentences that use words such as 소개팅 (blind date) and 썸 (talking stage).
• Choose a pet name that fits the couple, and avoid the ones that are too intimate.

Prerequisites: you can read Hangul and know the polite ending -아요/-어요. Estimated time: about 90 minutes, plus short reviews on the following days.

Korean Dating Vocabulary at a Glance

The list has 35 words in five groups of seven. It follows a relationship in time: you meet someone, you become a couple, you go on dates and mark anniversaries, you may break up, and you use pet names along the way. It belongs to Relationships and Titles.

This page is a themed word list. For whole sentences such as saying I love you, the love and romance phrases page gives the ready-made lines. Here the goal is the vocabulary that those phrases are built from.

Which Dating Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 데이트 (date), 커플 (couple), 남자 친구 (boyfriend), 여자 친구 (girlfriend) and 사랑 words such as 첫사랑 (first love) first. With these you can follow most K-drama scenes and talk about your own relationship. A short sentence such as 주말에 데이트해요 (I have a date on the weekend) needs only the noun and the verb ending. Then follow this order:

1. Step 1: 데이트, 커플, 남자 친구 and 여자 친구.
2. Step 2: how a relationship starts: 소개팅, 썸, 고백 and 사귀다.
3. Step 3: anniversaries and gifts: 기념일, 백일, 선물 and 꽃다발.
4. Step 4: breakups and pet names, which depend on the relationship and are used carefully.

The scene below numbers ten of the objects and ideas from a cafe date, so you can tie each word to something you can point at.

Word · 10

1. 1

   소개팅

   Play

   sogaeting

   blind date

2. 2

   썸

   Play

   sseom

   talking stage

3. 3

   커플

   Play

   keopeul

   couple

4. 4

   애인

   Play

   aein

   sweetheart; partner

5. 5

   데이트

   Play

   deiteu

   date

6. 6

   기념일

   Play

   ginyeomil

   anniversary

7. 7

   커플링

   Play

   keopeulling

   couple ring

8. 8

   선물

   Play

   seonmul

   gift

9. 9

   꽃다발

   Play

   kkotdabal

   bouquet

10. 10

    이별

    Play

    ibyeol

    parting; breakup

Tap a number to hear the word. You will notice that many of these words are loanwords or short blends, and that Koreans use them every day, not only in dramas.

Meeting and Talking (소개팅, 썸)

Korean has special words for the steps before a relationship starts. 소개팅 is a blind date arranged by a friend, 썸 is the stage in between friendship and dating, and 고백 is the moment someone says how they feel. These words have no one-word English equivalent, so learn them as whole ideas.

썸 and 소개팅 are the culture words that learners ask about most. 썸 is not yet a relationship, and people say 썸을 타다 (to ride a 썸) for being in that stage. 소개팅 is one-to-one and arranged by a mutual friend, while 미팅 is a group event. 사귀다 is the verb for the relationship itself: in speech it is often shortened, so 사귀어요 may sound like [사겨요]. Note that 사귀다 also means making friends, as in 친구를 사귀다, so the object tells you which meaning is meant.

How Do You Say Being a Couple (커플, 애인) in Korean?

Once a relationship starts, the word for the pair is 커플, and the word for each person depends on the situation. 남자 친구 and 여자 친구 are the everyday words, 애인 and 연인 are more formal or literary, and 솔로 is the word for someone who is single.

남자 친구 usually means boyfriend, not a male friend. For a male friend who is not a partner, Koreans say 남사친 (남자 사람 친구), and for a female friend 여사친. The pair 남친 and 여친 are the short forms used in texts and social media. Choose 연인 when you want a neutral, written tone, and 남자 친구 or 여자 친구 in conversation. 솔로 is not an insult: people say it about themselves, often with humour, and a related word 솔로 탈출 means to leave the single life.

Dates and Anniversaries

Korean couples keep track of days. Many celebrate 백일 (the 100th day), then later milestones, and finally 주년 (anniversaries by year). The group also holds the gift words: 커플링, 선물 and 꽃다발.

Counting days is a Korean habit that surprises many learners. A couple may celebrate 백일, then 200일, 300일, and then 1주년, using 일 (day) after a Sino-Korean number. How strongly a couple follows this varies a lot, so treat it as a custom, not a rule. The word 주년 follows a Sino-Korean number (일, 이, 삼), so one year is 일 주년 and the digit form 1주년 is usually written. The verb 사귀다 appears again here in the construction 사귄 지, meaning since we started dating, with 지 marking the time that has passed.

How Do You Say Breakups in Korean?

Breakup words are used in songs, dramas and daily talk. 이별 is the noun for parting, 헤어지다 is the everyday verb, and 차이다 is the passive verb for being dumped. Be careful with 바람, which means cheating when it is used with the verb 피우다.

헤어지다 is the safest word, because it works in many situations: friends who say goodbye at the end of an evening also use it, and you understand the meaning from the object and context. 차이다 and 바람을 피우다 are more emotional and are used with friends, not in formal talk. The word 바람 is a good example of why vocabulary should be learned in phrases: alone it means wind, but with 피우다 it means cheating. The sentence 전 애인한테서 uses 한테서 to show where something comes from, which is the usual particle for a source that is a person.

Pet Names (자기, 여보)

Pet names show how close two people are. 자기야 is the common word between young couples, 여보 belongs to married couples, and 당신 is used between spouses. 오빠 is a girlfriend's name for an older boyfriend and is used in many dramas. Choose the name that fits the relationship.

Pet names run from light to intimate. 자기야 is light and playful, 여보 is warm and married, and 내 사랑 is dramatic. 당신 needs more care: between spouses it is fine, but a learner who uses it to mean you with a stranger will sound hostile. 오빠 needs a note too, because it shows both closeness and age: a woman calls an older boyfriend 오빠, the same word she uses for an older brother, while a man calls an older male friend 형. See Oppa, Hyung, Unnie and Noona for the full set of terms.

How Do You Pronounce Korean Dating Words?

Dating words are mostly easy, but several change their sound. The National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) sets these changes in its standard pronunciation rules. Revised Romanization follows the spoken sound for linking, but it does not show tensing caused by a neighbouring sound.

Audio and Slow Playback

Each word and sentence has its own clip. The five clips below play the harder words slowly. Play a clip, say the word, then play it again and compare the ends of the syllables.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Dating Words?

Five patterns catch learners when they talk about relationships.

1. Taking 남자 친구 for a male friend. It means boyfriend. A male friend who is not a partner is a 남자 사람 친구, shortened to 남사친.
2. Confusing the two uses of 자기. 자기소개 (self-introduction) uses 자기 for oneself, while 자기야 is a pet name for a partner. The ending 야 and the situation tell them apart.
3. Using 당신 to mean you. With a stranger, it sounds rude. Use the person's name plus 씨 or a title instead.
4. Mixing up the two patterns of 사귀다. With 와/과 it names the person you are dating: 민수 씨와 사귀어요. With 을/를 it means to make or get someone: 친구를 사귀어요 (I make friends), 여자 친구를 사귀었어요 (I got a girlfriend).
5. Reading 첫사랑 as written. The sound is [첟싸랑]. The ㅅ at the end of 첫 is said as ㄷ, and the next ㅅ is tense.

If you keep the pet names to the right relationship and say the tense sounds, most of the trouble goes away. The practice section turns the list into drills.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the deck in recognition mode until the 35 words feel familiar. Second, switch to listening mode and tap the clip before the card turns. Third, take the five-question quiz below. The deck stores your progress in your browser. The vocabulary flashcard decks page lists the other 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. For additional practice, write the five groups on cards and sort them by hand.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Sunbae and Hoobae in Korean for school and work seniority, or with Korean Friendship Vocabulary for the friends in your life. The love and romance phrases give you whole lines to say.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Blind Date in Korean?

A blind date is 소개팅 (sogaeting). A friend arranges it, usually for two people, and the meeting often happens in a cafe or restaurant. The group version with several people on each side is called 미팅. The word is informal and common among young people and in dramas.

How Do You Say Talking Stage in Korean?

The talking stage is 썸 (sseom), and the full phrase is 썸을 타다. It describes two people who are more than friends but are not yet a couple. The word comes from the English word something. It is informal slang and is not used in formal writing.

What Is the Difference between 애인, 연인 and 남자 친구?

남자 친구 and 여자 친구 are everyday words for a boyfriend or girlfriend. 애인 means partner or sweetheart and sounds slightly formal. 연인 is a neutral, somewhat literary word for a romantic partner, often found in songs and news. In conversation, most young speakers choose 남자 친구 or 여자 친구.

What Does 자기야 Mean in Korean?

자기야 is a pet name like babe or honey, used between close couples. The base word 자기 also means oneself, as in 자기소개, so the meaning depends on how it is said. It is light and playful. Between married couples, 여보 is the more common name.

Where Can I Practise Dating Words with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks. The deck for this page holds all 35 words with Hangul, romanization and audio, in recognition and listening modes. Your progress stays in your browser. Give the pet names extra time in listening mode, because you will hear them more than you read them.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Dating Words?

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, the tables on this page can be copied by hand, and the deck carries the same 35 words.

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