Korean Stationery Vocabulary: 30 Words with Romanization and Audio

Korean Stationery Vocabulary at a Glance

The list has 30 words in five groups of six. It moves from what you write with to what you write on, what you cut and stick with, what you draw with, and what you carry it all in. It belongs to School. About half the words are loanwords, so many will feel familiar.

If you want only the one word, pencil in Korean gives its meaning, pronunciation and a use. This page puts all the school supplies in one list.

Which Stationery Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 연필 (pencil), 볼펜 (ballpoint pen), 노트 (notebook), 지우개 (eraser, on the classroom page) and 가위 (scissors) first. They let you ask to borrow something, and the easiest request is the noun plus 주세요: 볼펜 주세요 means a pen, please.

• Words to say. 연필, 볼펜, 노트, 가위, 풀.
• Words to recognise. 형광펜, 샤프, 스테이플러, 바인더. They appear in shops and on lists.
• Counters to learn with them. 자루 for pencils and pens, 권 for notebooks and 장 for sheets.

The scene below numbers ten supplies, with numbers that match the word list.

Word · 10

1. 1

   연필

   Play

   yeonpil

   pencil

2. 2

   볼펜

   Play

   bolpen

   ballpoint pen

3. 3

   노트

   Play

   noteu

   notebook

4. 4

   종이

   Play

   jongi

   paper

5. 5

   가위

   Play

   gawi

   scissors

6. 6

   풀

   Play

   pul

   glue

7. 7

   자

   Play

   ja

   ruler

8. 8

   물감

   Play

   mulgam

   paint

9. 9

   필통

   Play

   piltong

   pencil case

10. 10

    책가방

    Play

    chaekgabang

    school bag

Writing Tools

Writing tools are where Korean stationery borrows most heavily from English. 볼펜 comes from ballpoint pen, 샤프 from the first part of sharp pencil, and 사인펜 from sign pen. Only 연필 (pencil) is fully Sino-Korean, and 형광펜 joins Sino-Korean 형광 to the loanword 펜. The result is a short list that mixes both sources, and the loanwords are clipped in ways that English speakers do not expect.

The counter for pencils and pens is 자루, as in 연필 한 자루 (one pencil). It is used for long, thin things, and the number before it is native Korean: 한, 두, 세. The verb 깎다 (to peel or sharpen) has the tense ㄲ built into its stem and makes 깎아요. See counters for things for the other counters on this page.

How Do You Say Paper and Notebooks in Korean?

Paper words split into two families. Sheets and pads are counted with 장 and named with 지 (paper) or loanwords, while bound notebooks are counted with 권 and named 노트. Coloured paper for folding has its own name, 색종이, and it is the paper children use in school.

Sheets are counted with 장: 종이 세 장 (three sheets of paper). Bound books are counted with 권: 노트 두 권 (two notebooks). The verbs in this group are all everyday ones: 붙이다 (to stick on) makes 붙여요, 접다 (to fold) makes 접어요, and 그리다 (to draw) makes 그려요. They pair with the noun that comes before them, so learn each noun with its verb.

Desk Tools

The desk tools are the small things that cut, stick, measure and hold. Several are plain native words with one syllable, 풀 and 자, which makes them easy to say and easy to confuse with other words. Context does the work: 풀 on a desk is glue, and the same sound outdoors is grass.

The verbs show how Korean treats each tool. You 자르다 (cut) with 가위, which gives 잘라요 by the 르 pattern. You 바르다 (spread) 풀, which gives 발라요. And you 재다 (measure) with 자, which gives 재요. A good test of the desk list is to say what you do with each tool: the verb is the second half of every sentence.

How Do You Say Art Supplies in Korean?

Art supplies appear in school from the first grade, and their names mix native words like 물감 and 붓, the Sino-Korean 도화지, and loanwords such as 크레파스 and 팔레트. Two of them show tense and linking sounds that are worth hearing: 색연필 and the particle after 붓.

The word 색 (colour) shows up twice: in 색연필 and, as you saw above, in 색종이. Whenever you see 색 in a compound, think colour. The verb 섞다 (to mix) makes 섞어요, and 짜다 (to squeeze) makes 짜요. In the brush sentence, the final ㅅ of 붓 moves to the particle, so 붓으로 sounds like 부스로.

Bags and Cases

The last group is for carrying and storing. A pencil case, a school bag, a book stand, a folder and a binder each have a name, and so does the shop where you buy them. Korean cities have many small 문구점 near schools, and the word is the best answer to the question of where to find any item on this page.

점 (shop) appears in 문구점 and also in 면세점 (duty-free shop) and 서점 (bookstore). For the broader school vocabulary, including the desk and the room, see Korean Classroom Vocabulary.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Stationery words show tensing and linking in compounds. After a final ㄱ, a following ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ or ㅈ is always said tense, as in 책가방 [책까방] and 색종이 [색쫑이], and a final consonant moves forward when a vowel follows. These are patterns in the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) standard pronunciation rules. Revised Romanization writes the plain letters.

Audio and Slow Playback

Each word and example has its own clip, and five more replay the hard ones slowly. Play 색연필 first: its added ㄴ is the least familiar sound on the page.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Stationery Words?

Five mistakes appear often with school supplies.

1. Counting everything with 개. 개 is common in casual speech, but pencils take 자루, notebooks 권 and sheets 장, and these are what shops, teachers and forms use: 연필 한 자루, 노트 두 권, 종이 세 장.
2. Taking 노트북 for a notebook. 노트북 is a laptop computer. A paper notebook is 노트 or 공책.
3. Adding 펜슬 to 샤프. The short form 샤프 is the usual word. The long form 샤프펜슬 exists, but speakers shorten it.
4. Reading 풀 only as grass. On a desk, 풀 is glue, and the verb that follows is 바르다, spread.
5. Writing 색연필 as it sounds. It sounds like [생년필], but you write 색연필. Keep the spelling and learn the sound as a pair.

The shop word 문구점 is the best fix for any gap on this page: say what you need and ask the shop.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the deck in recognition mode until the 30 words are familiar. Second, switch to listening mode and play each clip before the card turns. Third, take the five-question quiz. Progress stays in your browser, and 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 practice, write the five groups on a sheet of paper and list the items on your own desk under each.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Korean Classroom Vocabulary for the room and the people, or with Korean Exams and Grades Vocabulary for tests. To move up a level, return to School.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Pencil in Korean?

Pencil is 연필 (yeonpil). A mechanical pencil is 샤프, a ballpoint pen is 볼펜 and a coloured pencil is 색연필. Pencils are counted with 자루, as in 연필 한 자루. The single-word page on pencil in Korean gives more detail.

How Do You Pronounce 볼펜 (bolpen)?

Say bol-pen in two beats. The first syllable ends in an l sound with the tongue touching the ridge behind the upper teeth. The second starts with an aspirated p, a puff of air, and ends in n. It means ballpoint pen. Press the audio button to hear it.

How Many Stationery Words Should I Learn First?

Five: 연필, 볼펜, 노트, 가위 and 풀. At five new words a day the full 30 take six days plus review. Learn the counters 자루, 권 and 장 at the same time.

What Counter Do I Use for Pencils, Notebooks and Paper?

Use 자루 for pencils and pens, 권 for notebooks and books, and 장 for sheets of paper. Put a native Korean number before the counter: 한 자루, 두 권, 세 장. See counters for things.

Where Can I Practise Stationery Words with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks. The deck for this page holds all 30 words with Hangul, romanization and audio. Run it in recognition mode first, then switch to listening mode. Your progress stays in your browser.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Stationery 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, copy the tables on this page by hand or use the deck.

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