TOPIK I Core Vocabulary · Family & Greetings ①

Family & greetings — 가족, 부모님, 어머니, 안녕하세요, 감사합니다

Korean can show respect with special words and endings. -님 is a polite ending. You add it to some titles, family words, and ways of addressing people. For example, 부모 (parents) becomes 부모님.

01가족gajok

family · the people you are related to, whether or not you live together.

Note Koreans often say 우리 가족. It literally means our family, but the speaker usually means my family. You also see this in 우리 집 (my home) and 우리나라 (my country).

Examples 가족이 많다 (to have a big family) · 가족과 함께 살다 (to live with family)

우리 가족은 네 명이에요. There are four people in my family.  |  네 명 = four people  |  이에요 = polite form of 이다 (to be)

02부모님bumonim

respectful term

parents · 부모 with the polite ending -님.

Note Use 부모님 to speak about parents politely. You can also use it for your own parents.

Examples 부모님과 함께 살다 (to live with one's parents) · 부모님을 만나다 (to meet one's parents)

저는 부모님과 함께 살아요. I live with my parents.  |  함께 = together  |  살아요 = polite form of 살다 (to live)

03어머니eomeoni

mother · the standard polite word for your mother; more formal than 엄마.

Note 어머니 is more polite and more formal than 엄마, which means mom. Many people say 엄마 when they talk to their mother.

Examples 어머니가 요리하다 (mother cooks) · 어머니를 돕다 (to help one's mother)

어머니가 김치를 만들어요. My mother makes kimchi.  |  김치 = kimchi  |  만들어요 = polite form of 만들다 (to make)

04안녕하세요annyeonghaseyo

hello · you can use it at any time of day.

Other forms 안녕하십니까 (very formal) · 안녕 (casual; use it only when 반말 is okay, for example with a close friend or a child)

안녕하세요? 만나서 반가워요. Hello. Nice to meet you.  |  안녕하세요 often ends with a question mark. It first asked if the other person was well.  |  만나서 반가워요 is used when you meet someone for the first time

05감사합니다gamsahamnida🔊 [감사함니다]

thank you · the standard polite form.

Pronunciation [감사함니다]. When ㅂ comes before ㄴ, you say it as ㅁ. The same rule works for other words that end in -ㅂ니다.

Other forms 감사해요 (friendlier and less formal) · 고맙습니다 (same meaning, native Korean root)

도와주셔서 감사합니다. Thank you for helping me.  |  The pattern -아/어 주셔서 감사합니다 means thank you for doing ~

Quick check3 questions

Fill in each blank in Korean. Every answer appears above.

1. 우리 __________은 네 명이에요. (There are four people in my ______.)
2. 저는 __________과 함께 살아요. (I live with my ______.)
3. 도와주셔서 __________. (______ for helping me.)

Show answers

1. 가족   2. 부모님   3. 감사합니다

Study tip English uses greetings like good morning and good evening. 안녕하세요 is different. You can use it at any time of day. It is a good first greeting to learn.