The 100 Most Common Korean Words (Official List)

The Most Common Korean Words Revealed!

Most common Korean words

You will find many lists about the most common Korean words on the internet, all giving various results which could make it difficult for you to learn Korean.

It is difficult to categorise and make an inventory of the most common words of ANY language, but luckily for you, you need look no more.

That’s because…

We found the OFFICIAL list made by the National Institute of Korean Language!

The Institute created a list of the 6,000 most common Korean words and made the list available to download on their website.

*Type 한국어 학습용 어휘 목록(엑셀 파일) in the search bar after clicking the link to download the excel file.

To get you started we made a summary of the first 100 words, so no matter your Korean level, you’ll find it interesting to check out.

Do you need to know all 6,000 to have a full conversation with a native speaker?

No. You’ll need less than that. Start with the first 20, then 50 words, followed by 100. Study step by step. Consistency is key to language learning

Let’s get to it!

Most Common Korean Words | 1-10

Most Common Korean Words | 11-20

Most Common Korean Words | 21-30

Most Common Korean Words | 31-40

Most Common Korean Words | 41-50

Most Common Korean Words | 51-60

Most Common Korean Words | 61-70

Most Common Korean Words | 71-80

Most Common Korean Words | 81-90

Most Common Korean Words | 91-100

BONUS | Korean Words Quiz

Most Common Korean Words | 1-10

RankKorean WordEnglish Translation
1 A thing or an object
2 하다 To do
3 있다 To have
4 되다 To become / To be
5 Number
6 I, me
7 He, That
8 없다 Do not exist, none
9 않다 To not be
10 사람 Person

Most Common Korean Words | 11-20

RankKorean WordEnglish Translation
11 우리 We, our
12 This
13 아니다 To not be
14 보다 To see
15 Etc.
16 At the time / Time
17 Thing
18 같다 To be similar
19 주다 To give
20 대하다 To treat, to face

Most Common Korean Words | 21-30

RankKorean WordEnglish Translation
21 가다 To go
22 Year
23 One, a single
24 Word, speech
25 Work / Day
26 Subject particle
27 때문 Because
28 말하다 To speak
29 위하다 To do for the sake of
30 그러나 But

Most Common Korean Words | 31-40

RankKorean WordEnglish Translation
31 오다 To come
32 알다 To know
33 Mr. / Seed
34 그렇다 To be right / Yes
35 크다 To be big / Large
36 In addition / Again
37 사회 Social / Society
38 많다 Many
39 Not / Within
40 좋다 To be good
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Korean Words List | 41-50

RankKorean WordEnglish Translation
41 More
42 받다 To receive
43 그것 That (thing)
44 House
45 나오다 To come out
46 따르다 To follow
47 그리고 And
48 문제 Problem / Question
49 그런 Then
50 살다 To live

Korean Words List | 51-60

Are you still with us?

You’ve just got over 50% of this list, meaning you must be really interested in learning Korean.

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RankKorean WordEnglish Translation
51 data-th='English Translation'>I / Self / has-text-align-center center data-th='Korean Word'>[speak 못하다 Cannot do
53 생각하다 To think
54 모르다 To not know
55 Inside
56 만들다 To make
57 Place / Point
58 Two / Couple
59 In front of
60 경우 Case / Instance
Learn Korean Online

Korean Words List | 61-70

RankKorean WordEnglish Translation
61 Centre / Middle
62 어떤 Which / What kind of
63 Well
64 그녀 She
65 먹다 To eat
66 오다 To come
67 자신 Oneself / Myself
68 문화 Culture
69 Won (Korean Won – the national currency)
70 생각 Thought

Korean Words List | 71-80

RankKorean WordEnglish Translation
71 어떻다 How
72 Person counter
73 통하다 To pass / To run / Go through
74 그러다 Then / And so
75 소리 Sound
76 다시 Again
77 다른 Different
78 이런 This
79 여자 Woman
80 Dog / Piece
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Korean Words List | 81-90

RankKorean WordEnglish Translation
81 정도 Degree
82 Back / End
83 듣다 To listen / To hear
84 All / Everything
85 A little
86 들다 To hold
87 싶다 To want,hope
88 보이다 To show
89 가지다 To have / To take
90 함께 Together

Most Common Korean Words | 91-100

Here are the last ten words of this official list.

Were you expecting these words to be the most common? Let us know what you think in the comment section!

RankKorean WordEnglish Translation
91 아이 Child
92 지나다 To pass by / To go past
93 많이 A lot
94 시간 Time
95 You
96 인간 Person / Human being
97 사실 Actually / Reality
98 나다 To emanate / To break out
99 이렇다 Like this
100 학교 School

And there you have it, the 100 Most Common Korean Words as kindly prepared by the National Institute of Korean Language.

Once you’ve learnt these you’ll start to notice them everywhere!

Make sure to bookmark this article to start building yourself a solid foundation of Korean Vocabulary.

Want to learn with a native Korean teacher?

Check out Flexi Classes, our online teaching platform where you can study 24/7 by choosing when, what and with whom to study.

WANT TO STUDY IN SOUTH KOREA? 🇰🇷

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You’ll even have the possibility to live with a Korean Homestay Family.

WANT MORE?

We’ve got loads of free resources for you, such as:

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KOREAN WORDS – BONUS QUIZ

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BONUS CONTENT | Interested in other languages too? Why not check out our mega list of 500 Chinese words to learn, the 100 most common Japanese words and the most commonly used words in Vietnamese too.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is THE most common Korean Word?

The most common Korean word is , meaning thing or object.

What are the TOP 10 most common Korean words?

The top 10 most common Korean words are:

1 – 것 A thing or an object

2 – 하다 To do

3 – 있다 To have

4 – 되다 To become / To be

5 – 수 Number

6 – 나 I, me

7 – 그 He, That

8 – 없다 Do not exist, absent

9 – 않다 To not be

10 – 사람 Person

What is the National Institute of Korean Language?

The National Institute of Korean Language was created in 1984 and became a subsidiary of the Ministry of Culture in 1991.

As seen on their official website, the Institute was “established for the purpose of developing the Korean language, improving the language-life of the people and administering research activities”.

Where to download the official list of the 6,000 most common Korean words?

You can download the official list of the 6,000 most common Korean words created by the National Institute of Korean Language on this website.

Search for 한국어 학습용 어휘 목록(엑셀 파일) in the search bar to download the EXCEL file.

How many words do I need to know to pass the TOPIK 1?

You need to know around 1,500 to 2,000 words to complete TOPIK 1.

To be more precise, the TOPIK 1 exam includes two sub-levels :

1급 you’ll need you to know how to express yourself in simple everyday conversations by making simple sentences from 800 basic words.

2급 includes discussion of familiar topics using about 1,500∼2,000 words, making sure you adapt your speech correctly to formal and informal situations.

Do you provide Korean lessons?

Yes we do.

You can learn Korean online on our Flexi Classes platform, where we offer lessons 24/7, thus catering for all time zones.

Choose your study topic and study time, all classes take place on Zoom.

You can also learn Korean with us directly in Seoul, South Korea, where we offer group and individual classes, with the possibility of living with a Homestay family.

Want More From LTL?

FANCY LEARNING KOREAN? Check out our online Korean courses here.

We offer a 7-day free trial to all online students where you can study Korean 24/7.

Want to study Korean in Korea instead? Our Korean courses in Seoul can either be taken in small groups of no more than 5 students or individually for a more tailored experience.

We even offer incredible homestay experiences in Seoul too.

To top it all off, it certainly doesn’t end with Korean. Check out the other languages we teach 👇🏻

2 comments

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  1. Joseph
    Reply

    Great list very helpful but you have 주다 at number 19 and 96

    1. Max Hobbs

      Thanks Joseph, that's a great spot, we edited it 🙂

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