TOPIK I Core Vocabulary · Transport & Places ②

Places & distance — 역, 공항, 길, 가깝다, 멀다

These words describe places you travel to and how far they are. 가깝다 and 멀다 are opposites. But their forms change in different ways.

01역yeok

station · where trains and subways stop.

Note 역 joins directly onto place names: 서울역, 강남역, and 부산역.

Examples 역에 가다 (to go to the station) · 역에서 만나다 (to meet at the station)

서울역에서 만날까요? Shall we meet at Seoul Station?  |  -(으)ㄹ까요? suggests doing something together  |  Meeting places take 에서

02공항gonghang

airport · where planes take off and land.

Examples 공항에 가다 (to go to the airport) · 공항에서 기다리다 (to wait at the airport) · 인천공항 (Incheon Airport)

공항까지 얼마나 걸려요? How long does it take to get to the airport?  |  까지 = to, as far as · 얼마나 = how much, how long  |  Use this question to ask how long a trip takes

03길gil

road, way · the street itself, or the route you take.

Note 길 can mean a road or a route. You see it in 길을 건너다 (to cross the road) and in 길을 잃다 (to get lost).

Examples 길을 묻다 (to ask for directions) · 길이 막히다 (the traffic is bad)

길을 잃어서 좀 헤맸어요. I got lost and wandered around a bit.  |  잃다 = to lose · 헤매다 = to wander  |  Heavy traffic is 길이 막히다, literally the road is blocked

04가깝다gakkapdaㅂ irregular

to be close · near in distance, or close as friends.

Forms 가까워요 (the ㅂ turns into 우) · 가깝습니다 · 가까웠어요

Note The place you measure from takes 에서. 집에서 가깝다 means to be close to my house.

Examples 역에서 가깝다 (close to the station) · 가까운 곳 (somewhere nearby)

우리 집은 역에서 가까워요. My house is close to the station.  |  The form is 가까워요, not 가깝어요

05멀다meoldaㄹ drop

to be far · to be a long distance away. The opposite is 가깝다.

Forms 멀어요 · 멉니다 (the ㄹ drops out) · 멀었어요

Note Before a noun it becomes 먼. The ㄹ drops out again: 먼 나라 (a faraway country).

Examples 학교에서 멀다 (far from school) · 먼 나라 (a distant country)

여기서 공항까지는 좀 멀어요. The airport is a little far from here.  |  여기서 = from here  |  가깝다 and 멀다 change their forms in different ways

Quick check3 questions

Fill in each blank in Korean.

1. __________까지 얼마나 걸려요? (How long to the ______?)
2. 우리 집은 역에서 __________. (가깝다)
3. 여기서 공항까지는 좀 __________. (멀다)

Show answers

1. 공항   2. 가까워요   3. 멀어요

가깝다 is ㅂ irregular, 멀다 is ㄹ drop

Study tip Use 에서 for the place you measure from: 역에서 가까워요, 여기에서 멀어요. Use 까지 for the place you go to.