Hobbies

Hello everyone, it’s your Korean teacher Jun and welcome to another tutorial for essential Korean words. Personally, I play games or watch something when I have fun. What do you do for fun usually? I believe everybody has own way to release stress everyday. So, today we are going to learn core Korean words to describe your fun moments.

취미

[chwimi]
Hobby / Something you enjoy

취미 is a Korean word that describes something you enjoy to do. It’s very similar to ‘hobby’ but 취미 can be everything that you can enjoy for fun (often that you don’t take it seriously). It can be studying or sometimes even working.

For example, native Koreans sometimes day ‘이 일은 취미로 하는거지’ which means ‘I’m doing this job as a hobby’. Yes, jobs can be a hobby if you don’t take it so seriously and it’s something you can enjoy. For me, as a native Korean. That phrase sounds like ‘that person is so rich so they don’t need a job but do the work for spending time’.

However, native Koreans barely use this Korean word 취미. They mostly use it for writing a profile and dating.

제 취미는 누워있기에요
My hobby is lying down

그리다

[geurida]
To draw / Paint / Picture

그리다 is a Korean word that describes any creative action for drawing and painting, in Korean language, tools are not important for art. The action is the most important thing. In the Korean language perspective, drawing and painting are both 그리다 on a canvas or paper.

Native Koreans say ‘draw it’ for imagining something like ‘picture’ in English. 그리다 can be ‘picture a moment or a future’, ‘make a plan or a blueprint’.

오늘은 어둠을 그려볼게요
I’ll paint darkness today

듣다

[deutdda]
To hear / Listen

듣다 is an informal Korean word that means ‘to hear’ and ‘to listen’ in Korean. Korean language doesn’t distinguish between ‘hear’ and ‘listen’ in informal situations.

You can find formal Korean words for ‘hear’ and ‘listen’ each. But they are very formal so barely used in casual conversations, so you won’t have many chances to see them in the almost Korean conversations.

이 소리 들려요?
Do you hear this sound?

좋아하다

[joahada]
To like

좋아하다 is an informal Korean word that means ‘to like’ in Korean like ‘I like chicken’. Easy Korean word YAY

1. Q) What’s the difference between 좋다 and 좋아하다?

It’s a good question. Native Koreans use 좋다 as ‘to like’ very often. However, 좋다 actually means ‘to be good’ like ‘this is good’. However, 좋아하다 literally means ‘to like’

저는 몸을 떠는 것을 좋아해요
I like shaking my body

싫어하다

[sireohada]
To dislike

싫어하다 means ‘to dislike’ in Korean. 싫어하다 is a very common Korean word for describing preferences when you don’t like something. Use 싫어해요 to say ‘I don’t like something’ in Korean.

If you say ‘I don’t like it’ in Korean, then it often doesn’t mean ‘I dislike it’. Because… well… ‘dislike’ is the opposite word of ‘like’ but not a ‘negative form’. Native Koreans prefer to be very clear about what they like or dislike.

저는 당신을 싫어해요
I don’t like you

만들다

[mandeulda]
To make

만들다 is an informal Korean word that means ‘to make’.

만들다 seems very similar to ‘make’ in English but also very different at the same time. You can use it to describe an action of creation and a command (e.g. she made me cook) and a consequence status (e.g. you made me happy). It sounds very similar to ‘make’ in English right? In fact, it’s really not.

For a command, 만들다 is no different than forcing someone to do. For a consequence status. Well… It just sounds weird. You can say it but sounds like you are using a translator and it still sounds like forcing. So, if you say ‘그가 날 행복하게 만들었다 (he made me happy)’, it doesn’t sound so nice.

오늘은 아주 쓸모없는 것을 만들어 보겠습니다
Today, we’re going to make something very useless

보다

[boda]
To see / Watch / Look

보다 is an informal Korean word that describes any actions of seeing. It can be ‘to watch’, ‘to look’, ‘to see’ Korean language doesn’t distinguish them.

Also 보다 works as a root for many Korean words like ‘지켜보다 (keep watching)’, ‘흘겨보다 (glance)’ or ‘돌아보다 (look back)’. By compounding words with 보다, you can make a lot of Korean words. I don’t need to explain more why 보다 is so essential and necessary.

When you conjugate a verb with 보다, 보다 means ‘to try’

저 비둘기가 저를 한시간 동안 보고있어요
That pigeon is looking at me for an hour

노래하다

[norehada]
To sing

Do you like singing? Then this Korean word is what you need. 노래하다 is an informal Korean word for singing.

You can split 노래하다 into 2 different Korean words that function alone perfectly. 노래 and 하다. 노래 means ‘song’ and 하다 means ‘do’. You can memorize 3 Korean words at the same time with it. 노래하다 and 노래 and 하다.

노래를 열심히 했더니 목에서 피가 나요
I sang too hard and my throat is bleeding

읽다

[ildda]
To read

읽다 is an informal Korean word for reading.

For this Korean word, you should be careful with the pronunciation more than usual because the batchim ㄺ makes it very confusing. 읽다 has to be pronounced as [ikdda] without ‘ㄹ (l)’. However, almost all native Koreans pronounce it as [ildda] to avoid confusion between ‘읽다 (to read)’ and ‘익다 (to be cooked)’.

저는 일년에 책을 한권 읽어요
I read a book a year

하다

[hada]
To do

하다 is the most basic Korean word. I’m sure that you’ve seen a lot of Korean words have 하다 (e.g. 운동하다, 공부하다). It’s a primary verb conjugation that makes a noun to a verb. 하다 also can be used alone and means ‘to do’. It’s one of the most essential Korean words.

이거 해요
Do this

How To Use The Korean Words Like Natives

취미가 뭐예요?
What’s your hobby?

저는 그림 그리는 걸 좋아해요

I like drawing / painting

저는 노래 듣는 걸 좋아해요
I like listening music

여행 다니는 거 좋아해요?
Do you like traveling?

저는 매운 음식을 싫어해요
I don’t like spicy foods

저는 무언가를 만드는 것을 좋아해요
I like making things

저는 영화 보는 것을 좋아해요
I like watching movies

저는 노래하는 거 안좋아해요
I don’t like singing

저는 매일 책을 읽어요
I read books everyday

하지마세요
Don’t do it