Category Vocabulary

하필 (ha-pil) – of all things/people Before anything, 하필 has a sort of hostile connotation to it, which means we would only use this in informal conversations. We could use it when we’re angry but I personally wouldn’t use it…

하긴 (ha-gin) – do/did something/the act of doing OR in fact/indeed/actually Let’s look at the first meaning, which is actually just a short form of 하기는, which means to do or did something, or just referring to the act of…

관두다 (gwan-du-da) – forget it/give up/quit/done (putting up with it) First of all, 관두다 is actually a short form of 그만두다, which essentially means the same thing – to quit, give up or stop. We won’t usually see this in…

그러고 보니 (geu-reo-go-bo-ni) – come to think of it/now that I look at it This phrase is commonly used in daily conversations and I found out about it while reading a Naver Webtoon! We can look at it as some…

소나기가 내리다/오다 (so-na-gi-ga nae-ri-da/o-da) – showers (rain is falling) This phrase is basically a variation of 비가 오다. It can be considered as a more elegant way of describing a rainy weather 소나기가 내리다/오다 is very similar to 비가 오다…

워낙 (wo-nak) – so/very/extremely/inherently I read this many times on Naver blogs so I thought it would be good to write up an entry on 워낙. 워낙 is pretty much quite similar to 아주/너무/매우, used to express extremity or exaggerations. Another…

훨씬 (hwol-ssin) – far (better)/much (better) 훨씬 is only used in comparisons. Therefore, be sure to add in either ~보다 (more/less than) and/or 더 (more) in the sentence when using 훨씬. 훨씬 is not to be confused with other words…

게다가 (ge-da-ga) – besides, furthermore, moreover 게다가 has exactly the same meaning as other transitional/coordinating conjunction words like 그리고, 그외에도, 또한, and a few more. But this word can be considered as a more elegant word to use. Or you…

가슴이 두근거리다 (ga-seu-mi doo-geun-geo-ri-da) – heart/chest is pounding/throbbing/beating very fast Just like in English, this phrase can be used to describe anxiety, fear, infatuation, fatigue (from exercising), etc. In short, it’s a very useful phrase to use, especially in daily…

어깨에 기대다 (eo-ggae-e gi-dae-da) to lie/lean on (someone’s) shoulder Firstly, do not mix up 기대다 (to lean) with 기대하다 (to look forward/expect/anticipate). Another thing is to take note that the particle attached to 어깨 (shoulder) or any other nouns like…