vancewong

멋대로 (meot-dae-ro) – as one pleases This is quite different from 편하게/편안하게 in that this word has more of a negative connotation. Of course, you can use 멋대로 to describe something neutral or positive too, but it is used more…

전적으로 (jeon-jeo-geu-ro) – completely/entirely/absolutely This word is very similar to 완전하게 (adverb form of 완전) but quite different from 그야말로 in that the latter is more of exaggerating the matter at hand. You can use 전적으로 to express “I can’t agree with…

스스로 (seu-seu-ro) – oneself, by oneself This word is interesting because it depends very much on the subject. In other words, 스스로 will refer to the subject of the sentence – if “I” is the subject, 스스로 will be “myself”…

부대끼다 (bu-dae-ggi-da) – to be affected with/by something or someone You can use this word for illnesses like coughs and flus, and also for people like teachers and creditors. Another way to translate 부대끼다 is “to be harrassed with/by”, which makes…

확률 (hwak-nyool) – probability/chance/likelihood This word is pretty similar to 가능성, which essentially has the same meaning. Examples: 나 모든 할일은 성공 확률 별로 없는 경우에도 노력해서 사장님은 날 좋아해. I would put in my very best for everything I…

줄어들다 (joo-reo-deul-da) – decrease/diminish/lessen/shrink While there are many slightly different meanings for this word, the essence of the word’s meaning is “to become lesser”. With that in mind, 줄어들다 can be used for anything that can be measured quantitatively. Examples:…

해결책 (hae-gyeol-chaek) – solution/answer (to a problem) This word actually literally means “solving (해결하다) plan/scheme (책)”. Examples: 우리 가족은 아무 문제가 날 때마다 꼭 모으고 같이 가장 좋은 해결책을 찾을 거야. Every time a problem arises, our family would surely…

거듭되다 (geo-deub-dwi-da) – repeat This word is usually used in the adverb form (거듭되는) and is quite similar to 반복, which also means repeat. Examples: 난 숙제 실수가 거듭되지 않으려고 하고 싶어서 많이 연습했어. I wanted to not repeat my…

값진 교훈 (gab-jin gyo-hoon) – valuable (moral) lesson This “lesson” isn’t the kind of lesson you attend in schools but more of a moral lesson. But technically, you can take away a “valuable moral lesson” from a lecture (like a…

격려 (gyeok-nyeo) – encouragement For the verb form, just add 하다. It is interesting to note that 격려의 말 becomes something like a cheer because it literally means “words of encouragement”. Examples: 김 선생님은 자주 격려의 말을 해서 학생들이 언제든지도…