Beginner Korean Vocabulary List (TOPIK 1)
All 1,058 Korean vocabulary words at the beginner (TOPIK 1) level, grouped into 7 topic categories — numbers, food, family, travel and more. First words — Hangeul, greetings and survival basics. Every word has romanization and an English meaning, curated by a certified Korean language teacher. Pick a topic to see the full list.
Play TOPIK 1 gamesBy topic
🔡 Basics & Grammar 227 words → 👥 People & Relationships 103 words → 🏠 Daily Life 201 words → 🧭 Time, Place & Movement 173 words → ⚽ Activities & Leisure 122 words → 🌿 Nature 35 words → 💡 Society & Ideas 197 words →
Sample words
- 가다 gada to go
- 만나다 mannada to meet
- 못하다 motada to be bad at, can't do well (one word)
- 쉬다 swida to rest
- 오다 oda to come
- 감사합니다 gamsahamnida thank you (formal)
- 네 ne yes
- 만나서 반갑습니다 mannaseo bangapseumnida nice to meet you
- 아니요 aniyo no
- 안녕하세요 annyeonghaseyo hello (polite)
- 고기 gogi meat
- 마시다 masida to drink
- 맛있다 masitda to be delicious
- 맵다 maepda to be spicy
- 먹다 meokda to eat
- 구 gu nine (9)
- 넷 net four
- 다섯 daseot five
- 둘 dul two
- 백 baek hundred (100)
- 공부하다 gongbuhada to study
- 반 ban half; half past (the hour)
- 방학 banghak school vacation
- 배우다 baeuda to learn
- 선생님 seonsaengnim teacher
- 눈 nun snow
- 날씨 nalssi weather
- 덥다 deopda to be hot (weather)
- 따뜻하다 ttatteutada to be warm
- 바람 baram wind
- 가지 gaji kind, type (counting kinds)
- 갈비탕 galbitang galbitang, beef rib soup
- 갈아타다 garatada to transfer (bus, subway)
- 감사 gamsa thanks, gratitude
- 것 geot thing; fact or action (after a modifier)
FAQ
- How many Korean words do you need for TOPIK 1?
- The beginner level (TOPIK 1) covers about 1,058 core Korean words. This page lists every one, with romanization and an English meaning — free, by a certified Korean teacher (한국어교원 2급).
- Is this TOPIK 1 Korean vocabulary list free?
- Yes — free with no sign-up. Browse online, search, or study each topic, then open the matching lessons to see the words in real sentences.
- What is the best way to study a TOPIK 1 word list?
- Start with the topics you use most — numbers, greetings, food and family — and learn a small batch each day. Reviewing words by category makes them stick far better than memorising one long flat list.
A
Written by Alvin Lim Certified Korean Language Teacher (Level 2)