Big fan of Korean dramas and movies? Kpop? You’ve likely seen a lot of kissing scenes with all the shows that revolve around romance.
If you are a big fan of these, then you probably already know the words for kiss in Korean. For those of you that don’t, we are gonna teach you the two main words for kiss, and some phrases that are related to these words.
This is a word that you will come across often in real life and in dramas/kpop. Who doesn’t wanna say “cute!” when they see a baby, dog, or other furry little animal. For some reason, cute in Korean sounds cuter (not trying to make a joke) than its English counterpart. Maybe it’s the way Koreans say it as they have a tendency to really like cute things or make things as cute as possible.
Let’s start with the basics:
귀엽다 (gwi-yeop-da)
This is the basic dictionary form of cute. It literally means to be cute and you can often just say this as it is in most situations. However unless you’re pretty sure of how to use it, you will need to conjugate it.
Let’s take a look at the different forms you can use.
Formal Version: 귀엽슴니다 (gwi-yeop-seum-ni-da)
This is the formal version of saying cute. It’s not very likely that you will use cute in a formal situation though. For instance I highly doubt you would call your boss or teacher cute to their face. It really sounds kind of awkward even if you’re not using it towards someone older or higher in position than you.
Standard Version: 귀여워요 (gwi-yeo-weo-yo)
This is the standard version that you will want to use around people who you are not close to or people older than you. Notice the 요 ending.
Casual Version: 귀여워 (gwi-yeo-weo)
This is the one that you will probably hear most often and it is used around your close friends, family, and people younger than you.
Remember when in doubt, just use the standard version to be safe.
At the bottom of our infographic, you will see another word – 귀요미 (gwi-yo-mi)
This is a Korean slang word used to describe someone who is cute or acts cute. You could use this to describe a baby, child, pet, significant other etc. It’s a very versatile slang word.
Some people also use this to describe someone who uses a lot of aegyo (cute actions or noises). Hyo likes to use this for me when she jokes around.
Corny Joke for cute in Korean:
What do you call a cute person with no ears? 귀 없다!
귀 = ears
없다 = verb that means to be without
귀 없다 = to be without ears
Wanna become a pro at learning Korean? Check out these books we recommend:
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Ready to take your Korean studies to The next level?
Whether you’re a beginner, or intermediate and higher looking to up your game, we’ve compiled the perfect list of textbooks for learning the Korean language.
Our list consists of books that are very simple, yet thorough in how they teach you Korean. Sometimes it’s hard finding that perfect textbook that doesn’t bore you to death or seem so hard that you just want to give up.
Although I still have some work to do to become fluent (help me out Hyo!), I’ve used several of the books below to help get me from no nothing beginner to where I’m able to hold most conversations now. Some of the others are books that many of my friends have used. I’ve asked their opinions and compiled some of them into reviews.
This is one of the most common phrases you will use and come across, especially if you are dating a Korean significant other. If you watch a lot of Korean dramas or listen to a lot of Korean songs, you will hear this A LOT.
My wife and I still use this a lot ;p
Since missing someone implies closeness, the most common form you will be using is 보고 싶어 which is the casual/informal form. This form drops the “요”. The phrase is a combination of the verb 보다 (to see) and the grammatical form to want (~고 싶다). We will be starting a grammar series soon so we will go more in depth about this form at some point in the future.
Chances are if you come to Korea for work or travel (and are 18+ ㅋㅋ), you will be invited to go out and drink with your coworkers or friends. When you go out with your coworkers, it is called a “회식” and you eat, talk, and drink with each other.
Now if you don’t drink, don’t be afraid to refrain from drinking and just tell them the reason why. Aside from the older generation, most people will have no problem.
