Vocabulary: Similar Words
안녕하세요!! Hey everyone! I have a fun vocab list for y’all today: it’s about Korean words that translate to the same thing in English, but are used differently! A lot of these words can be very confusing for learners (I often forget the differences between these words lol), so I thought it might be helpful to make a (pretty long but prob not exhaustive) list of these words and try to explain the differences!
Also, Talk to Me in Korean has a TON of videos explaining the differences between some of these words on their Q&A playlist, so I strongly recommend you check those out! I’ll also link some specific videos throughout my post since I cite them as a source! They also posted a video about how to distinguish between words that translate to the same thing in your native language a day after I started working on this lesson lol so be sure to check that out too! Let’s begin!!
These two mean the same thing! However, 벌써 is used to mean that something happened sooner than expected. For example: 와, 벌써 가을이네요! = Wow, it’s already fall! (as if the summer passed by really quickly and you’re surprised it’s already fall)
새 is used to describe something that is simply new and is the opposite of old: 제 오래된 컴퓨터가 고장 나서 새 컴퓨터를 샀어요. = My old computer broke, so I bought a new one.
새로운 (from 새롭다) refers to something that is new and fresh, like something never done or heard of before. TTMIK uses the example of the computer – if you were to say 새로운 컴퓨터, that might mean that Apple released a new Macbook or something – they created something new and never seen before.
파란색 can describe anything that’s blue.
푸른색 can mean either blue or green because it’s usually used to describe things in nature: 푸른 하늘 means “blue sky,” while 푸른 숲 means “green forest,” for example.
기분 refers to emotions and moods: 기분이 좋아요. = I’m happy. (literally “I feel good,” but refers specifically to your emotions)
느낌 refers more to the atmosphere, or the kind of impression you get from something. Think vibes: 느낌이 이상해요. = I feel weird / It feels weird. (maybe you’re walking in an old abandoned house and you’re getting weird vibes)
걱정 is closer to the English word for “worry”: 걱정하지 마! = Don’t worry!
고민 is closer to something like “concern” or “woes” or “troubles.” It refers to something a little more general, like something that weighs on your mind that you might want to talk to a friend about, while 걱정 gives a more anxious and immediate feeling: 고민을 털어놓다 = to get something off your chest
These two don’t really mean the exact same thing. 때문에 means “because of…”: (from Naver Dictionary) 너 때문에 내가 일에 집중이 안 돼. = I can’t focus on my work because of you.
덕분에, however, means “thanks to…” and is inherently more positive. I think 때문에 can be used positively too, but it can also be negative. 덕분에, on the other hand, is always positive: 우리 부모님 덕분에 대학교에 다니게 됐어요. = Thanks to my parents, I ended up going to college.
좋아하다 just means “to like.” 맘에 들다 literally means “to come into one’s heart.” This is usually used when you see or experience something for the first time and you like it. For example, if you try on a dress in a store, you can say 맘에 들어요 to mean “I like it.” 좋아하다, on the other hand, can be used for stuff that you just like in general: 케이팝 좋아해요. = I like K-pop.
어렵다 refers to something that is difficult, like a math problem or something: 이 수학 문제가 어려워요. = This math question is difficult.
힘들다 usually refers to a hard situation, like when you’re having a tough time doing something or going through a rough patch in your life. TTMIK’s video uses this sentence: 저 요즘 힘들어요. = I’m having a hard time these days.
힘들다 can also be used for things that are physically strenuous: 제 가방이 무거워서 들기가 힘들어요. = My bag is heavy, so it’s hard to carry.
On it’s own, the phrase 힘들어요 can also mean “I’m tired.”
추천하다 vs. 권하다: To Recommend
추천하다 is used to recommend things like books, songs, and movies. It’s a pretty general word: NCT의 신곡 추천해요. = I recommend NCT’s new song.
권하다 gives the feeling of strongly recommending something, or advising someone to do or not do something: (from Naver Dictionary) 교수는 나에게 유학을 권했다 = The professor advised[encouraged] me to study abroad.
권하다 could also be used when you’re offering something: 맥주를 권했어요. = I offered beer.
-고 싶다 can be attached to verbs to mean “to want to [verb]”: 저 배고파서 먹고 싶어요. = I want to eat because I’m hungry.
갖고 싶다 can be used to mean that you want a noun – it literally means “to want to have”: 새 아이폰을 갖고 싶어요. = I want a new iPhone.
You really don’t hear 원하다 that much in regular spoken Korean. It’s more of a poetic word, hence why you hear it a lot in K-pop and stuff, such as in BTS’s “Blood Sweat and Tears”: 원해 많이 많이 = I want you a lot
밉다 vs. 미워하다 vs. 싫다 vs. 싫어하다: To Hate / To Dislike
밉다 and 미워하다 can only be used when talking about people: 그 사람 미워요. / 그 사람 미워해요. = I hate him.
싫다 and 싫어하다, however, can be used for both objects and people: 그거 싫어요. / 그거 싫어해요. = I don’t like that. / I hate that.
The difference between the verbs ending in -하다 and the ones that don’t is a little more complicated. 밉다 and 싫다 are more passive and describe just you finding something unlikable according to TTMIK. They describe the feeling of not liking something.
미워하다 and 싫어하다, on the other hand, are more active and stronger. They can be used to mean “hating on” someone/something, if that makes sense. Rather than describing the feeling of not liking something, they describe the action of not liking something.
여러분 means “everyone,” but can only be used when you’re addressing the crowd. At the beginning of all my lessons, for instance, I say 안녕 여러분 to mean “hi, everyone” because I’m talking to all of you.
모두, by contrast, can be used otherwise. Rather than using it to address people, you would use it to talk about “everybody” in the third person: 모두가 파티에 갔어요. = Everyone went to the party.
속 means “inside” and is typically used to describe something enclosed in something else: 제 책은 가방 속에 있어요. = My books are inside of my bag. (maybe your books are inside of your zipped-up backpack)
안, on the other hand, doesn’t necessarily refer to things that are enclosed. It can be used to talk about things like rooms: 제 방 안에서 쉬고 있어요. = I’m resting in my room.
This rule doesn’t always apply though. TTMIK mentions the example of 산속에 which means “in the mountains.” This doesn’t mean you’re literally trapped inside of the mountain; it means that you’re living in mountains or something. The rule I mentioned is generally speaking, but keep in mind there are exceptions!
전화하다 simply means “to call,” as in to call someone on the phone.
연락하다 can also mean “to call,” but can also mean “to contact” more generally. If someone says to you “연락해 주세요,” they’re asking you to get in touch them somehow, be it by text, phone, email, etc.
I answered an ask about this a while ago, so I just stole from that lol:
맘 (shortened version of 마음) refers to feelings. Think of it as meaning “mind.” (ex. From Naver Dictionary: 마음이 따뜻하다 = to be warm-hearted; 마음에 들다 = to like (literally “to come into one’s heart))
심장 is used to refer to the organ the heart. (ex. 심장병 = heart disease)
가슴 means “heart,” either metaphorically as in feelings or literally as in the organ depending on the context. But it can also mean “chest” or “breast” as well. (ex. 가슴이 행복에 가득 차 있어요. = My heart is filled with happiness. 가슴이 뛰어요. = My heart is racing. 밋밋한 가슴 (from Naver Dictionary) = flat chest)
춥다 is used only to describe the weather: 오늘은 날씨가 정말 추워요. = The weather is really cold today.
차갑다 is typically used to describe objects that are cold: 차가운 물을 마시고 싶어요. = I want to drink cold water.
지금 just means “now”: 지금은 5시예요. = It’s 5 o’clock right now.
이제 is used to show some sort of contrast between then and now: 어렸을 때 한국에 살았지만 이제는 미국에 살아요. = I lived in Korea when I was young, but now I live in the US.
I hope this list helps you guys out! If you want to practice writing and reading Korean with others, join my Discord chat here and my Tumblr chat here!
Want to expand your Korean vocabulary and get closer to fluency? Get Drops Premium using my affiliate link!
If you would like to donate and support this blog and my studies, check out my Ko-Fi! Thank you for your generosity! See you next time! 다음에 봐요!
