Upper Intermediate Korean Basics & Grammar Vocabulary (TOPIK 5)
A complete list of 271 upper intermediate-level Korean basics & grammar vocabulary words (TOPIK 5). Every word includes romanization and its English meaning, curated by a certified Korean language teacher. Filter to search, or switch levels below.
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| -가 | -ga | -ist, -ist (person suffix) |
| -가 | -ga | -ization, -ism (suffix) |
| 가급적 | gageupjeok | as much as possible, if possible |
| 가지런히 | gajireonhi | neatly, in order, evenly |
| 간간이 | gangani | occasionally, now and then |
| 간절히 | ganjeolhi | earnestly, desperately, fervently |
| 강력히 | gangnyeokhi | strongly, forcefully |
| 갖은 | gajeun | all kinds of, every sort of |
| 개국 | gaeguk | (counter for) countries |
| 건 | geon | thing, matter, affair |
| 겨를 | gyeoreul | time, leisure, spare moment |
| 격 | gyeok | rank, status, grade |
| 겸 | gyeom | and, as well as, doing double duty as |
| -경 | -gyeong | -kyung, around (time suffix) |
| -계 | -gye | (suffix) world, community, field |
| 고 | go | high, former (modifier) |
| 고- | go- | (prefix) high-, former- |
| 고작 | gojak | at most, only, merely |
| -과 | -gwa | (suffix) department, lesson |
| -관 | -gwan | (suffix) building, hall, institution |
| -국 | -guk | (suffix) country, nation |
| -국 | -guk | (suffix) bureau, agency |
| 군 | gun | Mr./Sir (suffix), he (pronoun) |
| 그때그때 | geuttaegeuttae | each time, depending on the moment |
| 그래야 | geuraeya | (contraction) if that is so, only then |
| 그리 | geuri | so, that much, in that way |
| 그리하여 | geurihayeo | therefore, and so, thus |
| 극- | geuk- | (prefix) extreme, ultra- |
| 금세 | geumse | right away, very soon, in no time |
| -기 | -gi | (suffix) ordinal, -th (occurrence) |
| 기호 | giho | symbol, sign, mark |
| 까딱 | kkattak | slightly, by a hair (nearly, narrowly) |
| 깡충깡충 | kkangchungkkangchung | hopping, bouncing (adverb) |
| -께 | -kke | (suffix honorific) to (a person) |
| 꼬박 | kkobak | steadily, without fail, all of |
| 꼬박꼬박 | kkobakkkobak | steadily, consistently, without missing |
| 꼭꼭 | kkokkkok | tightly, firmly pressed |
| -꼴 | -kkol | (suffix) -looking, -shaped, as per |
| 꼼짝없이 | kkomjjageopsi | without any escape, helplessly |
| 꾸벅꾸벅 | kkubeokkkubeok | nodding repeatedly (drowsily) |
| -꾼 | -kkun | (suffix) one who does, -er, -ist |
| -끼리 | -kkiri | (suffix) among ourselves, between us |
| 나날이 | nanari | day by day, daily |
| 나열 | nayeol | enumeration, listing |
| -난 | -nan | (suffix) shortage, difficulty |
| 날로 | nallo | increasingly, more and more, day by day |
| 남몰래 | nammollae | secretly, without others knowing |
| 남짓 | namjit | approximately, a little over |
| 낱말 | nanmal | word, vocabulary item |
| 넉 | neok | four (native Korean determiner) |
| -네 | -ne | suffix indicating surprise or exclamation |
| -녀 | -nyeo | suffix meaning woman or female person |
| 다- | da- | prefix meaning all or whole |
| 다름없이 | dareumeopsi | just the same as, no different from |
| -단 | -dan | suffix forming a group or team noun |
| 단 | dan | only, just, but |
| 단락 | dallak | paragraph, section |
| 대략적 | daeryakjeok | approximate, rough |
| 대명사 | daemyeongsa | pronoun |
| 대체 | daeche | substitution, replacement, on earth |
| 더없이 | deoeopsi | extremely, incomparably |
| 덜하다 | deolhada | to be less, to be lesser |
| 동동 | dongdong | stamping feet anxiously, tiptoeing |
| 동사 | dongsa | verb |
| 듬뿍 | deumppuk | plentifully, heapingly |
| 따위 | ttawi | et cetera, and such, the like |
| 딱 | ttak | exactly, precisely, just right |
| 똑 | ttok | exactly, precisely, identically |
| 똑똑 | ttokttok | knock-knock (sound of tapping) |
| 뚜렷이 | tturyeosi | clearly, distinctly |
| 뚝 | ttuk | abruptly, suddenly stopping |
| 뚝뚝 | ttukttuk | drip drip, drop by drop |
| 뜸하다 | tteumhada | to be infrequent, to be sparse |
| -로 | -ro | suffix indicating direction or method |
| -론 | -ron | suffix meaning theory or doctrine |
| -류 | -ryu | suffix meaning type or category |
| 마저 | majeo | even, to the last, also |
| 말끝 | malkkeut | end of a sentence, word ending |
| 매 | mae | every, each |
| 매사 | maesa | every matter, all things |
| 머지않다 | meojianta | to be not far off, to be imminent |
| 멍하니 | meonghani | blankly, vacantly, in a daze |
| 명백히 | myeongbaekhi | obviously, clearly |
| 명사 | myeongsa | noun, famous person |
| 명확히 | myeonghwakhi | clearly, precisely |
| 모국어 | mogugeo | mother tongue, native language |
| 모음 | moeum | vowel, collection |
| 모조리 | mojori | all, entirely, without exception |
| 목적어 | mokjeogeo | object (grammar), direct object |
| 무 | mu | unit of 20 items, score (counter) |
| 무심코 | musimko | unconsciously, inadvertently |
| 문구 | mungu | stationery; phrase, wording |
| 문단 | mundan | paragraph |
| 문어 | muneo | octopus; written language |
| 문항 | munhang | question item, question number |
| 문형 | munhyeong | sentence pattern |
| 반반 | banban | fifty-fifty, half and half |
| 반쪽 | banjjok | half, one half |
| 밤낮없이 | bamnajeopsi | day and night, without rest |
| 번번이 | beonbeoni | every time, repeatedly, time after time |
| -법 | -beop | suffix meaning method or way |
| 변함없다 | byeonhameopda | to be unchanged, to be consistent |
| 변함없이 | byeonhameopsi | unchangingly, consistently |
| 별것 | byeolgeot | something special, notable thing |
| 본 | bon | this, the said (determiner) |
| 본론 | bollon | main point, main body of argument |
| 본문 | bonmun | main text, body text |
| 부- | bu- | prefix meaning deputy or vice |
| -부 | -bu | suffix meaning department or section |
| 부사 | busa | adverb; mayor's wife (historical) |
| 부쩍 | bujjeok | noticeably, markedly, rapidly |
| -분 | -bun | suffix meaning minute or portion |
| 불과하다 | bulgwahada | to be nothing but, to be merely |
| 불행히 | bulhaenghi | unfortunately, unhappily |
| 비뚤어지다 | bittureojida | to become warped, to become crooked, to go wrong |
| 비유적 | biyujeok | figurative, metaphorical |
| 빈칸 | binkan | blank, empty space |
| 뻔하다 | ppeonhada | to be obvious, to be predictable |
| 사실상 | sasilsang | in effect, practically, de facto |
| 사자성어 | sajaseongeo | four-character Korean idiom |
| -산 | -san | suffix meaning produced in or made in |
| 산더미 | sandeomi | huge pile, mountain of (figurative) |
| 살금살금 | salgeumsalgeum | stealthily, tiptoeing |
| 살며시 | salmyeosi | softly, gently, quietly |
| 삼삼오오 | samsamoo | in small groups, here and there |
| -상 | -sang | suffix meaning in terms of, regarding |
| 생- | saeng- | prefix meaning raw or natural |
| 서론 | seoron | introduction, preface, opening remarks |
| 서술 | seosul | narration, description, statement |
| 서술어 | seosureo | predicate (grammar) |
| -석 | -seok | -seat, -seater (suffix) |
| 석 | seok | three (native Korean numeral modifier) |
| 선하다 | seonhada | to be good-natured, to look kind |
| 설득력 | seoldeungnyeok | persuasiveness, power of persuasion |
| 설명문 | seolmyeongmun | expository text, explanatory writing |
| 설사 | seolsa | even if, even though (concessive adverb) |
| 소개서 | sogaeseo | letter of introduction, introductory document |
| 소홀히 | soholhi | neglectfully, carelessly |
| 속속 | soksok | one after another, in succession |
| 속어 | sogeo | slang, colloquial expression |
| 수- | su- | male (prefix for animals) |
| 수사 | susa | investigation, search, numeral |
| 슬슬 | seulseul | gradually, slowly, gently |
| -식 | -sik | -style, -method (suffix) |
| 신속히 | sinsokhi | swiftly, rapidly, promptly |
| 신중히 | sinjunghi | carefully, prudently, with deliberation |
| -실 | -sil | -room, -office (suffix) |
| 실 | sil | thread, yarn (counter/dependent noun) |
| 십중팔구 | sipjungpalgu | eight or nine times out of ten, most likely |
| 쏙 | ssok | exactly, snugly, fitting perfectly |
| 쏜살같이 | ssonsalgachi | like an arrow, very fast |
| 아장아장 | ajangajang | toddling, waddling (of a young child walking) |
| 안성맞춤 | anseongmatchum | perfect fit, tailor-made match |
| -액 | -aek | -amount, -fund (suffix for monetary value) |
| 어간 | eogan | verb stem, word stem |
| 어미 | eomi | verb ending, grammatical ending |
| 어순 | eosun | word order, sentence order |
| 어원 | eowon | etymology, word origin |
| 어찌 | eojji | how, why, in what way |
| -어치 | -eochi | worth of (suffix indicating value/quantity) |
| 어학 | eohak | linguistics, language study |
| 엄격히 | eomgyeokhi | strictly, sternly |
| 엄청 | eomcheong | enormously, tremendously, awfully |
| -업 | -eop | industry, business (suffix) |
| 여러모로 | yeoreomoro | in many ways, in various respects |
| 여전하다 | yeojeonhada | to be unchanged, to remain the same |
| 여태 | yeotae | until now, up to this point, still |
| 연일 | yeonil | every day, day after day |
| 예문 | yemun | example sentence |
| 예시 | yesi | example, illustration |
| 옛말 | yenmal | old saying, archaic word |
| 온전히 | onjeonhi | fully, completely, intact |
| 완곡하다 | wangokhada | to be euphemistic, to be roundabout |
| 외래어 | oeraeeo | loanword, foreign word |
| 우두커니 | udukeoni | blankly, vacantly, absentmindedly |
| 우르르 | ureureu | all at once, in a rush, rumbling |
| 유심히 | yusimhi | attentively, carefully, closely |
| 으레 | eure | as a matter of course, usually |
| 음 | eum | sound, tone, syllable |
| 의성어 | uiseongeo | onomatopoeia |
| 의외로 | uioero | unexpectedly, surprisingly |
| 의태어 | uitaeeo | mimetic word, ideophone |
| 의하다 | uihada | to be due to, to be based on |
| 이것저것 | igeotjeogeot | this and that, various things |
| 이루 | iru | cannot possibly, not at all (used in negation) |
| 이어서 | ieoseo | then, after that, subsequently |
| 이열치열 | iyeolchiyeol | fight fire with fire (idiom) |
| 이중 | ijung | double, dual, twofold |
| 인 | in | person (counter), seal, stamp |
| 일거양득 | ilgeoyangdeuk | killing two birds with one stone |
| 자네 | jane | you (informal, to a younger/lower person) |
| 자모 | jamo | consonants and vowels, alphabet letters |
| 자음 | jaeum | consonant |
| 자자손손 | jajasonson | generation after generation, descendants |
| -작 | -jak | (suffix indicating small work/piece) |
| 작심삼일 | jaksimsamil | three-day resolution (giving up too quickly) |
| 잠자코 | jamjako | silently, quietly, without a word |
| -장 | -jang | (suffix: chapter, volume, book) |
| -장 | -jang | (suffix: market, field, place) |
| -장 | -jang | (suffix: general, director, chief) |
| 잦다 | jatda | to be frequent, repeated |
| 적절히 | jeokjeolhi | appropriately, suitably |
| -전 | -jeon | before, prior to (suffix) |
| 전자 | jeonja | former, the former; electron |
| 정성껏 | jeongseongkkeot | wholeheartedly, with all one's heart |
| -제 | -je | system, order (suffix) |
| -제 | -je | made of, -made (suffix) |
| 조 | jo | group of (counter for groups/sets) |
| 조 | jo | trillion (10^12); tune, melody |
| 조사 | josa | survey, investigation; postposition |
| 존댓말 | jondaenmal | honorific speech, formal polite language |
| 주 | ju | main, primary, chief |
| 주되다 | judoeda | to be main, to be primary |
| 주어 | jueo | subject (grammar) |
| 줄줄이 | juljuri | in a row, one after another |
| 중략 | jungnyak | omission (in text), ellipsis |
| -증 | -jeung | symptom, disease (suffix) |
| -지 | -ji | place where (suffix) |
| -지 | -ji | branch, sub-unit (suffix) |
| 진정 | jinjeong | petition, appeal; genuine, true |
| 차근차근 | chageunchageun | step by step, carefully and methodically |
| 차분히 | chabunhi | calmly, composedly |
| 찰칵 | chalkak | click (camera shutter sound) |
| 참- | cham- | true, genuine, real (prefix) |
| -책 | -chaek | policy, measure (suffix) |
| 척척 | cheokcheok | skillfully, smoothly, efficiently |
| 천차만별 | cheonchamanbyeol | vast differences, great variety |
| -체 | -che | style, form, script type (suffix) |
| 총- | chong- | total-, overall- (prefix) |
| 최- | choe- | most-, super- (prefix) |
| -층 | -cheung | -floor, -story (suffix) |
| 톤 | ton | ton (unit of weight) |
| 통 | tong | (counter for letters/calls) |
| 툭 | tuk | with a thud, abruptly |
| 툭툭 | tuktuk | repeatedly tapping, in short bursts |
| 툭하면 | tukhamyeon | at the slightest thing, on any pretext |
| 특유 | teugyu | unique quality, peculiarity |
| 티 | ti | speck, stain, sign |
| 펑 | peong | bang (sound of explosion) |
| 편안히 | pyeonanhi | comfortably, at ease |
| 평 | pyeong | pyeong (Korean area unit, ~3.3m²) |
| 폭 | pok | width, breadth |
| 표기 | pyogi | notation, writing system |
| 표기법 | pyogibeop | notation method, orthography |
| 푹푹 | pukpuk | (sinking) deeply, heavily (sweat pouring) |
| 핑 | ping | spinning, with a spin (dizziness) |
| -하 | -ha | -style, -like (suffix) |
| 하마터면 | hamateomyeon | almost, nearly (negative outcome) |
| 하여간 | hayeogan | anyway, at any rate |
| 하필 | hapil | of all things, why on earth |
| 한데 | hande | outdoors, open air, common place |
| 한자어 | hanjaeo | Sino-Korean word |
| 한차례 | hancharye | once, one time |
| 행 | haeng | row, line (of text) |
| -형 | -hyeong | -type, -style (suffix) |
| 형용사 | hyeongyongsa | adjective |
| -호 | -ho | -number (suffix for issue/room/bus) |
| 호 | ho | number, issue (counter) |
| 호칭 | hoching | form of address, title |
| 호칭어 | hochingeo | address term, form of address |
| 홀로 | hollo | alone, by oneself |
| -화 | -hwa | -ization, -fication (suffix) |
| 화법 | hwabeop | speech method, manner of speaking |
| 환히 | hwanhi | brightly, clearly |
| -회 | -hoe | -meeting, -session (suffix) |
| 후자 | huja | the latter |
| 훌쩍 | huljjeok | suddenly shooting up, in one leap |
| 훤히 | hwonhi | clearly, brightly, in plain sight |
| 훨훨 | hwolhwol | fluttering freely, flying freely |
| 휙 | hwik | swiftly, with a whoosh |
| 흠뻑 | heumppeok | thoroughly soaked, drenched |
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Written by Alvin Lim Certified Korean Language Teacher (Level 2)