Hanja

Hanja Lesson 1:

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. Before we start learning actual characters, you need to know how the Hanja system works. Only words of Chinese origin have corresponding Hanja characters. At first, there is i s no easy way to know precisely if a word (especially a noun) has a Chinese origin without looking that word up in a dictionary. Eventually, as you learn more Hanja Ha nja characters, you will become more and more familiar with the words that can be represented in Hanja. Most adjectives and verbs that end in –하다 have corresponding Hanja equivalents. Most adjectives and verbs that do not end in –하다 do not have corresponding Hanja equivalents. For example: 

읽다: to read | This is a verb without –하다. It has no Hanja equivalent. There is no way to represent

this word using Hanja. 

독서하다: to read | This is a verb containing –하다. The Hanja equivalent of “ 독서” is 讀書. The

following are the meanings of each character: 讀 = (독) reading, read 書 = (서) writing, reading

(Notice that the –하다 portion cannot be represented using Hanja characters.) 

똑똑하다: to be smart | This is an adjective containing –하다. There is no Hanja equivalent. equivalen t.

Knowing if a word can be represented using Hanja characters or not gets significantly easier as you progress through your studies. The more characters you know k now (and know the meaning of), the better you will get at recognizing when a word can have a Hanja equivalent. Having even a rudimentary understanding of Hanja characters can significantly help one’s Korean

studies – especially in the long run. As you learn more and more Korean vocabulary, the words will become increasingly more difficult and obscure. With some simple Hanja studying, it is possible po ssible to assume the meaning of a word even if you have never studied its meaning. I’d like to give you an unrealistic example of how a learner can deduce the meaning of a Korean

word without ever looking up the definition. I am only using this as an example, and I do not suggest learning these characters yet. Mr. B has been studying Hanja lately. He has recently learned the two Hanja characters: 書 = (서) = writing, reading 店 = (점) = store

While walking around the streets of Seoul, he notices a word that he is not familiar with. Written on a sign is “서점.” As he knows “서” to mean “writing/reading,” and “ 점” to mean “store” from his Hanja

studies, he deduces that the sign translates to “bookstore.” The reason this example is unrealistic is because a Korean learner would most likely know the word “서점” before learning the respective Hanja characters for “ 書” and “店.” Nonetheless, situations

similar to this do occur when a learner has a good base in Hanja. Drawing Hanja characters is a challenge at first. Luckily, most people start with the most basic characters (both in meaning and scripture), so the hill does not start very steep. In addition, the stroke order and pen movements when drawing Hanja characters are very similar to that of Hangeul characters. That being said, I would like to introduce you to the basic scripture rules of Hanja (or Chinese characters, for that matter). These rules will be sufficient for you to be able to write the characters introduced in this Lesson. I have specifically chosen characters for this lesson that are simple, common, and can be used to teach the basic stroke-order rules. The first basic rule that you cannot start a character without is:

I will be referring to these rules by number throughout the lessons. I will introduce new rules as they become necessary. 

1) Draw lines left to right, and top to bottom. Just like the stroke order of “ ㄹ” in Korean, you should never draw a line from right to left or bottom to top. For example, if you look at the stroke order of “ ㄹ” in Korean:

Notice that a stroke is never ne ver drawn right to left, or bottom to top. Without knowing this rule, most people wouldincorrectly connect connect strokes 2 and 3 by drawing a line right-to-left. In addition, corners from left-to-right to top-to bottom (strokes 1 and a nd 2 above) and top-to-bottom to left-to-right (strokes 4 and 5 above) are usually done without removing the pen from the paper. Each Hanja character has an equivalent Korean name. These Korean names are used to indicate which specific character one is referring to in a conversation. The Korean name is usually composed of the Hangeul equivalent of the character being described by a Korean word. They don’t need to be memorized, although most of them are fairly intuitive. i ntuitive. ————————————————————————————————————— -

While walking around the streets of Seoul, he notices a word that he is not familiar with. Written on a sign is “서점.” As he knows “서” to mean “writing/reading,” and “ 점” to mean “store” from his Hanja

studies, he deduces that the sign translates to “bookstore.” The reason this example is unrealistic is because a Korean learner would most likely know the word “서점” before learning the respective Hanja characters for “ 書” and “店.” Nonetheless, situations

similar to this do occur when a learner has a good base in Hanja. Drawing Hanja characters is a challenge at first. Luckily, most people start with the most basic characters (both in meaning and scripture), so the hill does not start very steep. In addition, the stroke order and pen movements when drawing Hanja characters are very similar to that of Hangeul characters. That being said, I would like to introduce you to the basic scripture rules of Hanja (or Chinese characters, for that matter). These rules will be sufficient for you to be able to write the characters introduced in this Lesson. I have specifically chosen characters for this lesson that are simple, common, and can be used to teach the basic stroke-order rules. The first basic rule that you cannot start a character without is:

I will be referring to these rules by number throughout the lessons. I will introduce new rules as they become necessary. 

1) Draw lines left to right, and top to bottom. Just like the stroke order of “ ㄹ” in Korean, you should never draw a line from right to left or bottom to top. For example, if you look at the stroke order of “ ㄹ” in Korean:

Notice that a stroke is never ne ver drawn right to left, or bottom to top. Without knowing this rule, most people wouldincorrectly connect connect strokes 2 and 3 by drawing a line right-to-left. In addition, corners from left-to-right to top-to bottom (strokes 1 and a nd 2 above) and top-to-bottom to left-to-right (strokes 4 and 5 above) are usually done without removing the pen from the paper. Each Hanja character has an equivalent Korean name. These Korean names are used to indicate which specific character one is referring to in a conversation. The Korean name is usually composed of the Hangeul equivalent of the character being described by a Korean word. They don’t need to be memorized, although most of them are fairly intuitive. i ntuitive. ————————————————————————————————————— -

大 = 대 = Big

(Korean name: 큰 대) One of the most common Hanja characters that you will see in Korea. Ko rea. When ordering at restaurants, you will often see this symbol (in addition to the other characters in this lesson) on a menu to distinguish between the different sizes of dishes you can order. Also commonly seen in stores/supermarkets to differentiate between different sizes of items. In order to draw this, we need to learn some more stroke-order rules: 

2) Draw horizontal strokes before vertical strokes if they intersect Therefore, the first stroke of this character should be the horizontal one:

For the remainder of the character, we need to use the following rule: 

3) For mirrored diagonal strokes, draw diagonally right to left before left to right. Therefore, the second stroke of this character should be the stroke going from the top to the bottom left (note that doing these diagonal strokes would be one of the only time that you draw from right to left).

After introducing each character, I will provide pro vide a list of Korean words where that character can be found. When this is done, only the characters that have been introduced up to that point will be represented using Hanja characters. As you can see below, below, the word word “대학교” is written as “ 大학교.” Note that “ 학” and “교” do have

Hanja equivalents – but because they haven’t been introduced yet, they are not shown. If a word has a letter than be represented using a Hanja character, most of the time the other characters can be represented using Hanja characters as well. One of the main exceptions to this is “ 하다” – which is

found in many (many!) Hanja words – but “하다” itself cannot be represented using Hanja. Common Words using this Character 大학교 = university 확大하다 = to expand, zoom 大통령 = president

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小 = 소 = Small

(Korean name: 작을 소) As with “大,” this character is very common in restaurants or stores to indicate the size of an item.

While common in these applications, most words that use this character are difficult. In order to draw this, we need to learn another stroke-order rule: 

4) Draw minor strokes last. Therefore, the first stroke of this character should be the major line in the middle:

Followed by the two ticks on both sides:

Common Words using this Character: 小규모 = small scale 축小하다 = to minimize 小인 = a child (small person)

————————————————————————————————————— 中 = 중 = Middle

(Korean name: 가운데 중) This is one of the easiest characters to recognize because it is a box with a stroke through the middle of it. Along with 大 and 小, you will find 中 in stores to indicate the size of an item. The direct translation of “China” in Chinese is “middle country,” which explains why you will see this

character all over China and Chinese food restaurants. In order to draw this, we need to learn more stroke-order rules: 

5) If drawing a box: draw the left side first, followed by the top and right side (in one stroke) and enclose it with the bottom line last, and

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6) Draw major intersecting lines after drawing the components it will intersect Therefore, the major stroke down the middle should be done last. The first thing we need to do is draw the box, which should be done by following rule #5 above

Following that, the stroke down the middle should be made:

Common Words using this Character: 中국 = China 中학교 = middle school 中앙 = the center/middle 中급 = intermediate/mid-level 中 = grammatical principle introduced in Lesson 33

= Also used as the present progressive: 공사中 = under construction/being constructed Now that you know 小, 中 and 大, I want to share a story with you. One day, I went to the store to buy onions. At the store, there was a big pile of onions, some in smaller bags, some in medium sized bags, and some in very big bags. The prices were listed as: 小 1950 원 中 2500 원 大 4000 원

Although somebody could probably figure this out without the knowledge of these characters, Korea is always ambiguous as a foreigner – and having the confidence of knowing exactly what the prices of these onions were made me happy. At that time, I wondered to myself “What if I didn’t know the meaning of these characters?” ————————————————————————————————————— 山 = 산 = Mountain

(Korean name: 뫼 산) This is also one of the easiest characters for people to learn (and especially to recognize) because the meaning is depicted in the actual character. All the stroke-order rules from above still apply. Note that it technically makes no difference if you start with middle line or the line on the left (which then continues to the bottom line). In cases where it is ambiguous as to which stroke you should start with, it doesn’t really matter where you begin. In fact, the strok e order is slightly different in Japanese,

Chinese and Korean customs. Therefore, depending on who you ask in times like this – you might

get different answers as to the correct stroke-order. However, my Hanja dictionary indicates that the middle line should be drawn first, so that is how I will present it: You will see this character all the time on information signs

directing people to various mountains. Most mountain names in Korean are named “__ __ 산.” For

example: 설악山 = Seol-ak mountain 북한山 = Buk-han mountain 부山 = the city of Busan 울山 = the city of Ulsan

————————————————————————————————————— 門 = 문 = Door

(Korean name: 문을 문) Many of the famous sightseeing attractions in Seoul are old “gates” (doors) around the city. The

names of these attractions/gates in Korea are usually “___ ___ 문.” In order to draw this, we need to learn another stroke-order rule: 

7) When drawing a box with contents inside, draw the outline of the box (left, top and right) first, then finish the contents within the box before enclosing it with the bottom stroke. Therefore, the lines within the two boxes should be written before their respective closing strokes.

Common Words using this Character: 門 = door 창門 = window 동大門 = Dongdaemun (major area in Seoul, refers to the “big east door/gate” 남大門 = Namdaemun (major area in Seoul, refers to the “big south door/gate” 광화門 = Gwang-hwa-mun (another major area/gate in Seoul)

These first five characters will get you started in i n your pursuit of learning Hanja. As the lessons continue, you will start learning more and more difficult characters.

Hanja Lesson 2:

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. In the previous lesson you learned the most important Hanja Characters. Not only onl y were these characters common, but they also gave you a chance to start learning the basic stroke order of Hanja characters. All of the characters introduced in this lesson will follow the same rules as the last lesson, and are all important to know in your study of the Korean language. ————————————————————————————————————— 入 = 입 = Enter/Entrance

(Korean name: 들 입) This is one of the characters that every Korean person is expected to know, k now, as entrances in Korea commonly use the Hanja version of this word instead of the Korean equivalent. equivalent. Common Words using this Character:

入구 = entrance 入장하다 = to enter 수入하다 = to import 入원하다 = to be hospitalized (to enter the hospital) ————————————————————————————————————— 出 = 출 = Exit/To Exit

(Korean name: 날 출) The opposite of 入, this character can be found on exits in Korea. It is common to find fi nd this character used instead of its Korean equivalent. Notice that the major intersecting line is drawn after the top part is finished, but before the bottom part is started. As this line doesn’t intersect the line at the bottom, it is drawn first. However, this is another character where there could be variations to the stroke order depending on the governing body. Common Words using this

Character:

出구 = exit 出산 = childbirth 出발하다 = to depart 出국하다 = to leave a country 외出하다 = to go out/leave

————————————————————————————————————— 口 = 구 = Mouth/Opening

(Korean name: 입 구) Often found coupled with 入 or 出 to denote that there is an opening (an entrance or exit) somewhere. Easy to remember because the character itself is i s simply an open square. Common Words using this Character:

入口 = entrance 出口 = exit 出入口 = entrance/exit

————————————————————————————————————— 上 = 상 = Above/High

(Korean name: 위 상) Most words that this character can be found in are difficult. However, it is i s commonly used by itself to denote that something is “high” or “above something.”Another character where the picture itself

denotes the meaning. Common Words using this Character:

인上하다 = to raise a price 천上 = heaven 지上 = above ground 上체 = upper body 上반기 = the first half

————————————————————————————————————— 下 = 하 = Underneath/Below/Low

(Korean name: 아래 하)

The opposite of 上. Commonly used by itself to denote that something is “low” or “beneath” something. Common Words using this Character:

인下하다 = to lower a price 천下 = the world/earth 지下 = underground 下체 = lower body 下반기 = the second half

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Hanja Lesson 3:

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. In this lesson, you will continue to learn the basic Hanja characters that are known by every Korean person. Today’s lesson will focus on characters related to time and space. ————————————————————————————————————— 日 = 일 = Day

(Korean name: 날 일) This is another case where the Hanja character is often substituted for the Korean Ko rean equivalent. Commonly seen on bills, calendars or other places where you might find the word “day.” The word “Japan” in Japanese means “day origin.” ( 日本). Therefore, you will see this character a lot

in Japan or Japanese restaurants. Also found in all the days of the week. Common Words using this Character:

내日 = tomorrow 매日 = everyday 日상 = daily life 日본 = Japan 日요日 = Sunday

월요日 = Monday

Other days of the week… ————————————————————————————————————— 月 = 월 = Month

(Korean name: 달 월) Another case where the Hanja character is often substituted for the Korean equivalent. Commonly seen on bills, calendars or other places where you might find the word “month.” Also found in the

names of the months of the year.

Common Words using this Character: 月급 = (monthly) paycheck 月세 = (monthly) rent 매月 = every month 세月 = time 月요日 = Monday

1 月 = January 2 月 = February 3 月 = March 4 月 = April Other months of the year… ————————————————————————————————————— 年 = 년 = Year

(Korean name: 해 년) Another case where the Hanja character is often substituted for the Korean equivalent. Commonly seen on bills, calendars or other places where you might find the word “year.”

Common Words

using this Character: 작年 = last year 내年 = next year

매年 = every year 금年 = this year 학年 = a grade in school (1st grade, 2nd grade, etc..)

————————————————————————————————————— 內 = 내 = Inside

(Korean name: 안 내) Used in words that indicate something is inside, or an interior version of something. Common Words using this Character:

실內 = inside a place 국內 = inside a country 內부 = the interior part 內용 = contents 시內 = downtown (“inside” the city)

————————————————————————————————————— 外 = 외 = Outside

(Korean name: 바깥 외) The opposite of “ 內,” this character is used in words that indicate something is outside.

Common Words using this

Character: 外국 = foreign (outside country) 外국인 = foreigner 제外하다 = except 해外 = foreign country 外부 = the exterior part 外出하다 = to leave 과外 = tutoring (schooling outside of school)

Hanja Lesson 4:

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. In this lesson, you will learn common Hanja characters that refer to people. ————————————————————————————————————— 人 = 인 = Person

(Korean name: 사람 인) Often used as the last letter (character) of a word to mean “person.” Due to its simplicity and

common meaning, this character can be recognized by all Korean people. It is commonly taught by trying to imagine the character as a walking person. Common Words using this Character:

外국人 = foreigner 시人 = poet 부人 = one’s wife 개人 = person(al) 人간 = man, human, mankind 小人 = a child (small person) 人사 = a greeting 人기 = popularity

————————————————————————————————————— 子 = 자 = Person

(Korean name: 아들 자) Technically called “son 자,” but this character can be found in words where the meaning is male or

female. The character is also a common radical that can be found in other, more complicated Hanja characters. A radical is a unit that can be found in other Chinese characters. For example, 學 and 字 are different characters, but have 子 contained within them.

Common Words using this Character:

여子 = girl 남子 = man 子식 = children 子녀 = sons and daughters 의子 = chair 모子 = hat 탁子 = table

————————————————————————————————————— 父 = 부 = Father

(Korean name: 아비 부) You probably won’t see this character anywhere in your daily life, but it is one of the simplest and

most recognized Hanja characters in Korea. Common Words using this Character:

父모님 = parents 父친 = father 학父모 = parents of children at school

————————————————————————————————————— 母 = 모 = Mother

(Korean name: 어미 모) You probably won’t see this character anywhere in your daily life, but it is one of the simplest and most recognized Hanja characters in Korea. The stroke order of this one seems to break the rules of stroke-order, as it is not how I would intuitively do it.


父母님 = parents 학父母 = parents of children at school 母국어 = mother tongue 고母 = father’s sister (aunt on father’s side) 이母 = mother’s sister (aunt on mother’s side)

————————————————————————————————————— 男 = 남 = Man, Male

(Korean word: 사내 남) Every Korean is expected to be able to recognize this character. I have seen many public restrooms in Korea with only Hanja characters on the door to represent the appropriate room for each gender (without any pictures, or other words). This is the first time that you will draw a Hanja character that contains two radicals. You should completely finish with one radical before starting to draw the second one. Even though it looks like the line in the middle of the upper box is connected to the long line at the bottom, they are not connected. Common Words

using this Character: 男子 = man 男성 = male 男녀 = men and women 장男 = oldest son

男동생 = younger brother 男편 = husband

————————————————————————————————————— 女 = 여 / 녀 =Woman, Female

(Korean name: 계집 여 / 녀) As with 男, every Korean is expected to be able to recognize this character. Notice that there are two ways to pronounce this character in Korean – and its pronunciation depends on the location of the character within a word. Typically, when a word begins with “ 女” it is pronounced as “여.” When the character is found anywhere but the beginning of the word, it is pronounced as “녀.”


女자 = woman 女성 = female 女신 = goddess 男女 = men and women 女동생 = younger sister 子女 = sons and daughters 소女 = a young girl

Hanja Lesson 5: ,

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. In this lesson, you will learn the Hanja characters for the numbers 1 to 10. You will learn how to read, write and recognize 일, 이, 삼, 사, 오, 육, 칠, 팔, 구 and 십. Numbers in Hanja I have some bad news. In this lesson, one of the Hanja characters you will learn is “ 일.”

You might be thinking to yourself: “Oh! I know the Hanja character for “ 일.” You know one of the characters for “일.” Just because you have learned a Hanja character that corresponds to a Korean syllable, does not mean that is the only character that represents that syllable. In fact, one Korean syllable can be represented by many different Hanja characters – each with a different meaning. For example: 日 is pronounced in Korean as “ 일.” It has the meaning of “day.” 一 is pronounced in Korean as “ 일.” It has the meaning of “one.”

The same can be said for many other Korean syllables. You do not need to know these characters yet, but I want to present them to you to explain my point further: 子 is pronounced in Korean as “ 자.” It means “son.” ( 자식 = children) 者 is pronounced in Korean as “ 자.” It means “person..” ( 환자 = patient) 字 is pronounced in Korean as “ 자.” It means “writing.” ( 한자 = Hanja) 自 is pronounced in Korean as “ 자.” It means “automatic” or “oneself” ( 자유 = freedom)

In addition to the above, there are more Hanja characters that can represent “자.” Each with a different meaning. You can see the same thing with many Korean syllables. For example, 동 can be represented by 洞, 東, 動, 同, etc. All with the same pronunciation in Korean, but each with a different meaning.

When I first learned of this fact, I thought it was terrible because it meant that there were going to be significantly more characters to learn than I originally thought. However, you don’t need to worry

because you will be introduced to each character as they become important. For now, just sit back and enjoy the ride. ————————————————————————————————————— 一 = 일 = One

(Korean name: 한 일) The easiest Hanja character. Takes no effort to learn or reproduce.


一부 = a part of something (one part) 제一 = superlative like “가장”

————————————————————————————————————— 二= 이 = Two

(Korean name: 두 이) Slightly more difficult than 一. But I don’t know if drawing two lines should be thought of as “difficult.” ————————————————————————————————

—————三 = 삼 = Three

(Korean name: 석 삼) Same as above. Draw three lines. Common Words using this Character:

三촌 = uncle (your uncle is three steps away from you) 三각형 = triangle (three sided shape)

————————————————————————————————————— 四 = 사 = Four

(Korean name: 넉 사) Okay, now we are back to something that is a little bit more difficult. I always remembered this character because the box has four sides.


Character: 四계절 = four seasons 정四각형 = square 직四각형 = rectangle 四촌 = cousin (your cousin is four steps away from you)

————————————————————————————————————— 五 = 오 = Five

(Korean name: 다섯 오) Common Words using this Character:

五감 = five senses 五각형 = pentagon

————————————————————————————————————— 六 = 육 / 륙 = Six

(Korean name: 여섯 륙) Don’t confuse this character with 大:


五六 = five or six

————————————————————————————————————— 七 = 칠 = Seven

(Korean name: 일곱 칠)

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—————八 = 팔 = Eight

(Korean name: 여덟 팔) Common Words using this Character:

八각형 = octagon 八방미人 = a Jack of all trades (somebody who is good in all directions)

————————————————————————————————————— 九 = 구 = Nine

(Korean name: 아홉 구) ————————————————————————————————

—————十 = 십 = Ten

(Korean name: 열 십) Common Words using this Character:

수十 = dozens of (tens of)

Hanja Lesson 6:

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. In this lesson, you will learn how to represent the four cardinal directions in Hanja.

————————————————————————————————————— 東 = 동 = East (동대문)

(Korean name: 동녘 동) This character is great because many stroke order rules come into play when drawing it. Notice that the first stroke is the line at the top, moving right to left (Rule 1). Then, you need to draw the box in the middle, but remember that you should start with the left side, and then top and right sides before enclosing it (Rule 5). However, before enclosing it, you must draw the contents inside it (Rule 7). Following that, you should draw the major intersecting line (Rule 6). Finally, you must draw the two diagonal strokes – starting with the stroke moving towards the bottom right (Rule 3). You will see this character and the others below all over Korea, as the names of many places are named using these cardinal directions. When these names are translated to English, they usually just take on the English pronunciation of the respective Korean name. Therefore, a Korean learner of Hanja might not be aware of the actual meaning that a location might possess. For example, the neighborhood “동대문” is translated to “Dongdaemun” in English. While Korean people know the meaning of “Dongdaemun,” English speakers (even those learning Korean) might

not know. However, by knowing the Hanja characters that represent this name, we can understand what the name represents. The Hanja equivalent of “ 동대문”is “東大門.” With the knowledge that you have of these characters now, you should know that “ 동대문” actually means “Big east gate.” Many

other places use these cardinal directions in their name. Common Words

using this Character: 東양 = the “East” (the orient) 中東 = the Middle East

東해 = the East Sea

東아시아 = East Asia 東大門 = “Big East Gate.” Dongdaemun (area and monument in Seoul)

————————————————————————————————————— 西 = 서 = West

(Korean name: 서녘 서) Much like 東, 西 (and the other directions you will learn in this lesson) is used throughout Korea as the names of various locations. Common Words using

this Character: 西大門 = Seodaemun (area and monument in Seoul) 西양 = the “West” (North America/Europe)

東西 = east and west

西해 = the West Sea

————————————————————————————————————— 北 = 북 = North

(Korean name: 북녘 북) As with the other characters, 北 is used throughout Korea on various names of places. Common Words using this

Character: 탈北자 = A North Korean defector 北한山 = A mountain range in the North of South Korea

北한 = North Korea

北극 = the North Pole

————————————————————————————————————— 南 = 남 = South

(Korean name: 남녘 남)

Common Words

using this Character: 南大門 = Namdaemun (area, famous market and monument in Seoul) 강南 = Gangnam area (South of the river) 오빤 강南 스타일! 南北한 = North and South Korea/The Koreas 南극 = Antarctica

Hanja Lesson 7:

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. In the previous Lesson, I mentioned that I always try to introduce groups of characters that share a similar theme in the same lesson. The theme in this lesson has nothing to do with the meaning of the characters. Instead, all the characters in this lesson are easy to draw. Of course, because you are still at Lesson 7, each character is very common in and around Korea. Because of their simplicity, the characters in this lesson are recognized by the majority of Koreans. ————————————————————————————————————— 王 = 왕 = King

(Korean name: 임금 왕) There are a few words that contain this character, but it is usually just used by itself to mean “king.”

There are a few other words that you may find, but there usage is fairly limited (how often would you say “king’s chamber”?). Nonetheless, this is one of the most recognizable characters in Korea, and

is very simple to draw. Common Words using this Character:

王 = king 세종大王 = Sejong the great (“big king”)

女王 = queen (female king) 王비 = queen

————————————————————————————————————— 天 = 천 = Heaven

(Korean name: 하늘 천) Another common character with a simple meaning that is easy to draw. Common Words using this Character:

天국 = heaven (heaven country) 天下 = the world (below heaven) 天사 = an angel 天주교 = the Catholic Church

————————————————————————————————————— 手 = 수 = Hand

(Korean name: 손 수) While this character technically means “hand,” you can find it in a number of words where the connection to a “hand” is not very apparent . For example, 手 is found in the word “ 실수” (a mistake). However, it is hard to connect the word “mistake” to a hand. Nonetheless, there are other words where the connection to “hand” is more obvious. As with the other characters in this lesson, the

simplicity of 手 makes it very recognizable amongst Korean people. Common Words using this Character:

실手 = mistake 手술 = surgery 선手 = player/athlete 세手하다 = to wash one’s hands 박手하다 = to clap one’s hands 악手하다 = to shake hands 手건 = towel 手표 = a check 가手 = singer

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字 = 자 = Letter/Writing

(Korean name: 글자 자) Literally the “자” in “한자.” Used in a variety of common words to have the meaning of “letter” or “writing.”

Also notice that this character contains the radical 子, which is also pronounced as “ 자” (아들 자). Common Words using

this Character: 글字 = letter, character 大문字 = upper-case letter 小문字 = lower-case letter 한字 = Korean Chinese characters

————————————————————————————————————— 員 = 원 = Person

(Korean name: 수효 원) The name of this character is “수효 원,” which translates to “number 원.” It would be much better if this character was called “사람 원” because this character is usually used to indicate that something

is a person. Only in some words will you see this character have the meaning of “number.” You will often find this as the last character in a noun. The characters before “ 員” are usually other Hanja characters that describe the type of person. For example, “ 연구” means research, and can be

represented as 硏究 in Hanja. By placing “員” as the last character, we get “ 硏究員”, which means “researcher.”

Also notice that the picture itself actually looks like a person, which makes this an easy character to remember.

Common Words

using this Character: 직員 = employee/staff member 공무員 = government worker 회員 = member (of a gym, for example) 사員 = employee/staff member 종업員 = employee/worker 人員 = number of people 연구員 = researcher 의員 = member of some important government position (congress or something similar)

Hanja Lesson 8:

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. In this lesson, you will learn five characters that all have meanings related to countries. ————————————————————————————————————— 韓 = 한 = Korea

(Korean name: 나라이름 한) Drawing the character 韓 is somewhat difficult as a beginner because there are a lot of strokes that need to be performed. A lot of times a complex character also has a complex meaning and is not very common in Korea. However, this character literally means “Korea,” so you can find it in many

places. Writing around any government buildings, web-pages or documents is often very formal, therefore the Hanja characters are often written as well.

Common Words using

this Character: 韓국 = Korea 大韓민국 = The Republic of Korea (official name of Korea) 韓복 = traditional Korean clothing 北韓 = North Korea 南北韓 = North and South Korea 韓국人 = a Korean person 韓국어 = Korean language

————————————————————————————————————— 國 = 국 = Country

(Korean name: 나라 국) While this character is slightly difficult to draw at first, it is very recognizable because few characters look similar to it. Definitely one of the characters that every Korean person is expected to be able to recognize. The names of many countries end in “ 國” in Korean. It would also be beneficial to be able

to recognize the simplified version of this character; both because it is very common and because it is easy to recognize (国)

Common Words

using this Character: 韓國 = Korea 中國 = China 天國 = heaven 國제 = international 大韓민國 = The Republic of Korea 母國 = one’s homeland (motherland) 母國어 = one’s mother tongue 전國 = a whole country 韓國人 = Korean person 外國 = a foreign country 外國人 = a foreigner 國內 = inside a country

————————————————————————————————————— 民 = 민 = The people (of a country)

(Korean name: 백성 민) Used along with other characters to represent the masses of a population. Common Words using this

Character: 大韓民國 = The Republic of Korea 國民 = the people of a country 시民 = citizen 주民 = resident 民주주의 = democracy

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美 = 미 = Beautiful/United States

(Korean name: 아름다울 미) This character is actually written on signs all over Korea in its Hanja form – therefore, everybody should be able to recognize it. The most common places you will find it is on signs designating that a store is a beauty-parlor/hair-salon. The “United States” in Korea (and Chinese for that matter) literally translates to “beautiful country.”

As a Canadian, I take offense to that. Common Words

using this Character: 美國 = the United States 美國人 = an American 美술 = Art 美人 = a beautiful person 美女 = a beautiful woman 美용실 = beauty parlor 美男 = a beautiful man (pretty boy)

————————————————————————————————————— 漢 = 한 = Korea/China

(Korean name: 한나라 한) You learned earlier that the character “ 韓” means Korea. It is very easy for learners to be confused between “韓” and “漢”, which are both “ 한.” You will find the character 漢 on various things around or

in Korea in relation to the Han River (the river that goes through Seoul). However, 韓 is typically used to refer to things that literally refer to the country of Korea (for example, the country itself, the language and the people).

Common Words using this Character: 漢문 = writing Korean in Chinese characters 漢子 = Hanja 漢양 = Hanyang (an old name for the city of Seoul) 漢성 = Hanseong (an old name for the city of Seoul) 漢강 = Han River (the river that goes through Seoul) 北漢山 = Bukhansan (mountain range in the north of Seoul)

Hanja Lesson 9:

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. In this lesson, you will learn five words that all relate to water in one way or another. Most very simple, all very common. ————————————————————————————————————— 江 = 강 = River

(Korean name: 강 강) Whenever you see the radical “ 氵” the meaning of the who character usually relates to water in

some way. 江 is very easy to remember because of this water designation, plus the “ 工” part of the character looks like a flowing to me. The “ 工” part of the character actually has a purpose of

indicating pronunciation in Chinese, but for the casual learner of Hanja (at this point), you don’t need to worry about it.

Common Words

using this Character: 江 = river 漢江 = the Han River 江北 = north of the river 江口 = a mouth of a river (estuary) 江南 = popular district in Seoul (Gangnam) “south of the river”

For the first time, all the words above contain only Hanja characters! Woohoo! ————————————————————————————————————— 水 = 수 = Water

(Korean name: 물 수) Whereas 江 specifically refers to a river, 水 refers to water in general. Common Words using this Character:

음료水 = drink/beverage 향水 = perfume 생水 = natural/spring water 호水 = lake 홍水 = flood 水분 = moisture 폐水 = waste water 水해 = water damage 水영 = swimming 上水 = water that one uses through plumbing (it comes up [上] through the pipes)

Notice that it becomes increasingly easier to understand the meaning of a character in a word if you know the meaning of the other characters and the translation in English. For example, “ 廢水” (폐수) means “waste water.” Through this, you can easily deduce that the meaning of the character “ 廢” means “waste.” ————————————————————————————————————— -

川= 천 = Stream

(Korean name: 내 천) Actually, this character is not found in very many common Korean words. Drawing this character however is very easy – and with its relation to “water” words, I decided to introduce it in this l esson. The picture is supposed to represent a flowing stream. Common Words using this Character:

인川 = the city of Incheon 개川 = a small stream 청계川 = the name of a (man-made) stream in the center of Seoul

————————————————————————————————————— 冷 = 냉 / 랭 = Cold

(Korean name: 찰 랭) Not to get on a whole Korean language history lesson here, but traditional Korean words didn’t have “ㄹ” as the first letter in a syllable of a word. Instead, it was pronounced as “ ㄴ.” So, depending on

the position of this character, it could be pronounced as “ 냉” or “랭”. Note that newer words that have made their way into the Korean language borrowed from other languages can have “ ㄹ” as the first

letter of the word (for example, 라면, 라디오, etc…). Used to indicate that something is cold.

Common Words using this Character: 冷면 = Naeng-myeon (cold noodle dish) 冷장고 = refrigerator 冷동실 = freezer 冷방 = air conditioning

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本 = 본 = Origin

(Korean name: 밑 본) Not entirely related to water, but water has to originate from somewhere, right? No? Haha, anyways, a very common character that is also found in the name of “Japan.”


Character: 日本 = Japan (day origin) 日本人 = Japanese person 本래 = originally 원本 = an original document 기本 = basic/fundamental 근本 = root, basis 자本 = capital (in business)

Hanja Lesson 10:

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. In this lesson, you will learn five characters that are related to one’s body or one’s feelings. ————————————————————————————————————— 心 = 심 = Heart/Emotions

(Korean name: 마음 심) Though this character literally means “heart,” it often is used in words to describe the center of something or one’s feelings.


心장 = heart (organ) 中心 = the center 핵心 = the main point/focus 心리 = mentality

호기心 = curiosity 의心 = suspicion

————————————————————————————————————— 身 = 신 = Body

(Korean name: 몸 신) Common Words

using this Character: 자身 = oneself 身분 = position/status 당身 = you 心身 = mind and body

————————————————————————————————————— 體 = 체 = Body

(Korean name: 몸 체) Very complicated writing this character, but it comes up a lot in various words. While the strokes might look complicated, if you learn how to write it stroke-by-stroke, you will see that it actually isn’t that difficult.

Common Words

using this Character: 體육 = physical education 體험 = experience 體력 = strength/stamina/physical ability 전體 = everything/all of 身體 = physical 생명體 = an organism 단體 = group/organization

————————————————————————————————————— 感 = 감 = Feeling/Emotion

(Korean name: 느낄 감)

Common Words

using this Character: 感정 = emotion 感각 = sense/feeling 感동 = impression 자身感 = confidence 感기 = the flu 예感 = to sense something beforehand 불안感 = an uncomfortable feeling

————————————————————————————————————— 家 = 가 = Family/House

(Korean name: 집 가) Usually used on words with some sort of relation to “family” or one’s family “house.” However, it is

also sometimes used as the last character in a word to denote a profession. Common Words

using this Character: 國家 = country 家족 = family

家구 = furniture 小설家 = novelist 화家 = painter 전門家 = specialist 작家 = author 家정 = family

Hanja Lesson 11:

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. In this lesson, you will learn five new 漢字 characters that are all related to names. In addition to three actual surnames, you will learn two other characters that are typically found in words dealing with names. ————————————————————————————————————— 名 = 명 = Name

(Korean name: 이름 명) You come across this character a lot in Korea, and it is sometimes used on government forms to ask for one’s name.

Common words using

this character: 서名 = signature 名함 = business card 名사 = noun 大名사 = proper noun 名단 = list of names 유名하다 = famous

————————————————————————————————————— 品 = 품 = Thing

(Korean name: 물건 품) It’s hard to give definitions for a lot of these words because the character “ 品” just means “thing/product.” Usually, the other character in the word can inform the reader/listener what type of

product is being referred to.

Common words using

this character: 작品 = some sort of work/art piece 제品 = some sort of product/goods 상品 = some sort of product/goods 식品 = some sort of food product 물品 = some sort of product/goods 약品 = some sort of medical product 品목 = item 品질 = quality (of a product) 화장品 = cosmetic product

————————————————————————————————————— 金 =김 / 금 = Common Surname, Gold/Money

(Korean name: 한국식한자성 김, 쇠 금) There are literally millions of people in Korea with the surname “ 김” (Kim). This character is used to

represent this last name, and is very important to be able to know/recognize because most (if not all) people in Korean know how to write their name using 漢字 characters. When use it to represent the last name, this character is pronounced as “ 김.”

However, it can also have the meaning of “gold/money.” When used to represent “gold,” it is pronounced as “금.”

Common words using

this character: 金연아 = Yuna Kim (famous Korean figure skater)

… I could go on and on listing Korean people with the family name “ 金” 요金 = charge/fare 황金 = gold 出金 = a withdrawal 현金 = cash 金속 = metal 金리 = interest rate 장학金 = scholarship

————————————————————————————————————— 李 = 이 / 리 = Common Surname

(Korean name: 오얏나무 리) (recently referred to as 자두나무 이 / 리) The second most common surname in Korea. Equally as important as 金 because, as I said, everybody knows how to write their name using 漢字 – and people often do. While this character has a meaning (and usage) aside from the surname, you will probably only come across those words if you specifically set out to be a 漢字 scholar. Common words using

this character:

李슬기 = (Seulgi Lee) My girlfriend’s name

… Again, I could go on and on listing Korean people with the family name “ 李” ————————————————————————————————————— 正 = 정 = Common Surname, Right/Proper/Correct

(Korean name: 바를 정) The meaning of this word is fairly difficult, and the words that it is found in are also difficult. However, the character itself is easy to draw and I specifically wanted to introduce this character to you before introducing similar looking characters in upcoming lessons (and many other characters contain this radical) – for example: 定. 正 is usually found in difficult 漢字 words where the meaning is related to something being or

changing to/from something right/correct/proper/normal. In addition to difficult words, 正 it is a relatively common character in Korean names. One other interesting note – the strokes of this character are often used by Korean people to count things, much like we do in the West with drawing four vertical strokes and then crossing them all out with a horizontal stroke to count to five ( | | | | ). Common words using this

character: (Don’t be alarmed if you know none of these words. Most of them are fairly difficult) 개正 = revision 正상 = normal 교正 = proofreading 부正 = corruption

Hanja Lesson 12:

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. In this lesson, the centra l theme is “to do/have” and “to not do/have.” Here, you will find characters related to this. ————————————————————————————————————— -

無 = 무 = To not have

(Korean name: 없을 무) A common character that you will find placed to virtually anything to indicate that there is “nothing” of something. For example, you might read a package that would say “ 無설탕.” Note that this is identical in meaning to “ 설탕이 없다.”

Common words

using this character: 無조건 = unconditionally (without condition) 無료 = free (without money) 無의식 = unconscious (without conscious) 無작정 = blindly (without a plan) 無제한 = unlimited (without restriction) 無관心 = indifference (without relation)

————————————————————————————————————— 不 = 부 = to not be

(Korean name: 아니 부) Quite similar to 無, but not exactly the same. 不 is essentially the opposite of “ 이다 = to be” ( 아니다 = to not be) whereas 無 is essentially the opposite of “ 있다 = to have” (없다 = to not have). Although a distinction between 無 and 不 can be made, it generally is irrelevant to the casual learner of 漢字, and is more important if one starts to study Chinese. Common words using this character:

不족 = shortage 不당 = unfair

不正 = corruption 不동산 = real-estate agent

————————————————————————————————————— 用 = 용 = To use

(Korean name: 쓸 용) Aside from typical verbs/nouns that have a meaning related to “to use,” this character is often found after nouns to reflect the group of people who would typically use an object. Learning this character is very beneficial to your Korean studies because most people don’t actually memo rize the words “가정용” or “학생용”. However, by knowing the meaning/usage of “ 용,” you can apply it to many

situations. Common words using this

character: 用品 = goods, articles 家정用 = something for family use 家정用品 = household articles 학생用 = something for student use 군用 = something for military use 用어 = terminology 사用하다 = to use 승用차 = car

————————————————————————————————————— 半 = 반 = Half

(Korean name: 반 반) Used to represent the word “half.” Very easy to recognize because the character itself is divided into

two equal halves.

Common words using this

character: 절半 = half 半도 = peninsula (half an island) 후半 = the second half 下半기 = the second half of a year 上半기 = the first half of a year 半年 = half of a year 半月 = a half-moon

————————————————————————————————————— 白 = 백 = White

(Korean name: 흰 백) Common words using this

character: 白人 = a person with white skin (white person) 흑白 = black and white 白조 = swan 단白질 = protein

Hanja Lesson 13:

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. In this lesson, you will learn five Hanja characters relating to school. ————————————————————————————————————— 學 = 학 = Learn/School

(Korean name: 배울 학)

Although fairly complicated, this is one of the characters all Korean people are expected to know. As such, it is not uncommon to find the 漢字 version of this character used in place of the 한글 version. A lot of the words where this character can be found are very common. Common words using

this character: 學年 = one’s grade (year) in school 學생 = student 入學 = to enter a school (admission) 學父母 = parents of students in school 學교 = school 學자 = scholar 學원 = Hakwon (study academy) 장學金 = scholarship 과學 = science 수學 = mathematics 고등學교 = high school 中學교 = middle school 초등學교 = elementary school 大學생 = university student 방學 = a break from school (vacation)

————————————————————————————————————— 生 = 생 = Life/Born

(Korean name: 날 생)

I included this character in this lesson because of its use in the word 學生. However, this character can be found all over Korea, and is another example of a character that Koreans are expected to know. It is often used to indicate freshness at restaurants, or is used in words to have the meaning of “life” (or something related).


character: 生활 = life/living 學生 = student 大學生 = university student 男동生 = younger brother 女동生 = younger sister 一生 = one’s entire life 男學生 = male student 女學生 = female student 生日 = birthday 발生 = to occur/arise 生물 = biology 生맥주 = draft beer

————————————————————————————————————— 校 = 교 = School

(Korean name: 학교 교) This character is common and I highly suggest you memorize it but not all Korean people would be able to recognize/reproduce this character. It has a similar meaning, and is often found in words with 學. However, this character more relates to the school than the learner.

Common words using

this character: 學校 = school 女學校 = girls school 男學校 = boys school 大學校 = university 中學校 = middle school 校內 = inside a school 下校하다 = to leave school (the opposite is not 上校) 校감선生님 = vice principal 校장선生님 = principal 校육 = education 校복 = school uniform

————————————————————————————————————— 先 = 선 = First

(Korean name: 먼저 선) The main meaning of this character is to indicate that one thing precedes another (as in, to come “first”). It can also be found in the word “ 선생님.” Aside from “ 선생님,” most of the other words that it

can be found in are comprised of difficult 漢字 characters. Common words using

this character: 先生님 = teacher (there is no way to write “ 님” using 漢字) 우先 = first, above all

先배 = one’s senior in school 先착순 = first come first served

————————————————————————————————————— 師 = 사 = Teacher

(Korean name: 스승 사) Most commonly found after another 漢字 character indicating the name of a profession. The professions that “師” usually describe are those that commonly require a lot of studying. Amazingly, the word “교사” is not 校師, but rather “ 敎師” – which contains another (more complicated) “ 교” that

you have yet to learn. Common words using

this character: 大師 = ambassador 강師 = lecturer/instructor 요리師 = chef/cook 의師 = doctor 간호師 = nurse 韓의師 = Korean/Oriental doctor 약師 = pharmacist

Hanja Lesson 14:

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. In this lesson, you will learn five characters relating to the public, cities or working together. ————————————————————————————————————— 公 = 공 = Public/Shared/Equal

(Korean name: 공평할 공)

The Korean name of this character translates to “equal/fair 공”, but you will also find this character in

a variety of words relating to the public. Common words using this character:

公원 = park 주人公 = leading role in a story 公연 = performance 公평 = fair/equal 公주 = princess 公공 = public (the other “공” is 共, which you have not learned yet) 公무員 = somebody who works for the government 公개하다 = to make something public/announce

————————————————————————————————————— 市= 시 = City

(Korean name: 저자 시) The words that this character can be found in relate to the word “city.”

You can also find this character after the names of cities in Korean.


character: 市民 = citizen 市內 = downtown 大도市 = big city 小도市 = small city 서울특별市 = the (special) City of Seoul 의정부市 = the City of Uijeongbu

안山市 = the City of Ansan 市장 = market(place) 도市 = city

————————————————————————————————————— 區 = 구 = District/Division

(Korean name: 지경 구) The word “구” acts as a level of division for parts of a city – sort of like how “borough,” “district” or “county” divide parts of states/cities in the US. Within a city, there will be many 구. Within a 구 there

will be many 동. You will find this character af ter the names of various ‘ 구’ in Korean, or in regular words with the meaning “division.”

I also like this character because the picture depicts the meaning. I picture the outer box as the city, with the small inner boxes as the respective 구 within the city. Common words using

this character: 區분 = division 區별 = distinguish 區역 = area/district 서울특별市江南區 = the City of Seoul, Gangnam district 區간 = section

Here is an example of where your knowledge of Hanja characters can pay off. While looking into a list of words that contain the character 區, I came across the word 구민 (區民). I have never seen this word before (in Korean or in 漢字) and I know exactly what it meant as soon as I saw it. With the meaning of 區 being “district” and 民 being “people/citizens of an area”, it is clear that 區民 represents the people who live in a certain district. ————————————————————————————————————— -

洞 = 동 = Neighborhood

(Korean name: 골 동) Aside from being in words that have some relation to “neighborhood,” you will also find this character

in the names of neighborhoods. The word “동” acts as a level of division for parts of the city, sort of like how “borough” or “county” divide parts of states/cities in the US.

Common words using this character: 서울특별市江南區水西洞 = the City of Seoul, Gangnam district, Suseo neighborhood 洞內 = inside a neighborhood (not to be confused with 동네, which actually means “neighborhood”) 洞口 = the entrance to a neighborhood 명洞 = the name of a popular neighborhood in Seoul

————————————————————————————————————— 合 = 합 = Combine, Unite

(Korean name: 합할 합) This character is mostly found in more difficult words, but the simplicity of its scripture (and simple meaning when used by itself) makes it very recognizable for Korean people. Common words using

this character: 合의 = agreement 종合 = put together 결合 = combine 合리적 = rational

Hanja Lesson 15:

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. In this lesson, you will learn five characters relating places and locations. ————————————————————————————————————— 場 = 장 = Place/Location

(Korean name: 마당 장) You will specifically find this character after nouns indicating the place in which something happens. For example, the word “ 공연” translates to “performance.” While you might never actively study the word “공연장 (公연場)”, with your knowledge of this character, you can assume that this word means “the place that a performance occurs (a theatre, venue, etc…).

Common words using

this character: 市場 = market 공場 = factory 현場 = the site/place that something happens 운동場 = exercise yard 극場 = theatre 직場 = workplace 직場人 = office worker 주차場 = parking lot 매場 = store 농場 = farm

Notice above that you can assume the meaning of the other characters in the word. For example, “직 (職)” is found in words meaning “work”, “ 매 (賣)” is found in words related to selling, “ 농 (農)” is

found in words relating to “farming”. ————————————————————————————————————— -

室 = 실 = Room

(Korean name: 집 실) Much like “場”, 室 is often used after a noun to indicate a room that something takes place.

Common words using

this character: 室內 = inside/inside a room/house 王室 = a king’s room/house 교室 = classroom 美용室 = beauty parlor 교무室 = a teacher’s office 연구室 = research room 병室 = a room in a hospital 화장室 = bathroom, restroom 사무室 = office (for work)

————————————————————————————————————— 食 = 식 = Food

(Korean name: 밥 식) This word has little to do with “locations”, but I didn’t set aside a lesson specifically for “food”, so I am introducing this character here. It can however be found in the word “restaurant” ( 食당), which is why

I chose to introduce it in this lesson.

Common words using

this character: 外食 = eating out 食品 = food products 食中독 = food poisoning 食당 = restaurant 회食 = work dinner 음食 = food 食사 = meal

————————————————————————————————————— 地 = 지 = Land, Earth

(Korean name: 땅 지) Common words using

this character: 地下 = underground 地上 = above ground 地방 = area, region 地역 = area, region 地구 = Earth 토地 = land, ground 농地 = farmland 地리 = geography

————————————————————————————————————— 方 = 방 = Area, Region, Side

(Korean name: 모 방) There really isn’t one way that I can describe how this character is used. A lot of the time (but not all

the time), you will find this character used in words related to a place or direction.

Common words using this character:

地方 = area, region 一方 = one side(d) 四方 = in every direction (four sides) 北方 = northern region 方향 = direction 方면 = direction 方법 = method 方식 = method

Hanja Lesson 16:

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. In this lesson, you will learn five characters related to time. ————————————————————————————————————— 時 = 시 = Time

(Korean name: 때 시) Common words using

this character: 時간 = time 당時 = at that time 동時 = the same time 잠時 = a moment 時기 = time 時계 = clock

一時 = the same time 時절 = the “time” or “days” one used to do something (my school days, university days, etc)

————————————————————————————————————— 期 = 기 = Time, Period

(Korean name: 말날 기) Common words using

this character: 時期 = time 下半期 = the second half of a year 上半期 = the first half of a year 學期 = semester 四分期 = a quarter (of a year in business) 후期 = the latter part of something 초期 = the beginning part of something

————————————————————————————————————— 間 = 간 = Space, Interval, Between

(Korean name: 사이 간) While often used with words of time, this character itself usually means the space between two things. Similar to “ 中”,“間” also acts as a grammatical principle in Korean sentences as well. It is

used to indicate that one does something “amongst” (between) things/people. For example: 교師는 수업재료를 學生들 間에 나누었다 = The teacher distributed the class materials amongst the

students It is also used as a grammatical principle to indicate a possible outcome of multiple situations. For example: 大學校에 가고 싶든 지 가고 싶지 않든 지 間에 고등學生들이 공부해 야 한다 = If you want to go to

University or not, you need to study

Common words

using this character: 時間 = time 期間 = period 中間 = the middle of 人間 = man, human 순間 = moment 공間 = space/room to do something 年間 = in the span of a year 區間 = section

————————————————————————————————————— 同 =동 = Same

(Korean name: 한가지 동) Common words using

this character: 同時 = same time 同期 = same time 同一하다 = to be the same as 男同生 = younger brother 女同生 = younger sister 合同 = joint, congruent 공同體 = community 同의 = agreement

————————————————————————————————————— 百 = 백 = One Hundred/Everything/Total

(Korean name: 일백 백) Very little to do with time, but I couldn’t find any other place to put this simple character.

Common words using

this character: 一百 = one hundred 百화점 = department store 百과사전 = encyclopedia 百日 = one hundred days (the 100th day birthday of a child, or the 100th day of a couple’s

relationship.

Hanja Lesson 17:

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. In this lesson, you will learn five characters that are used in words describing parts or a whole of something. ————————————————————————————————————— 部 = 부 = Division, Part

(Korean name: 나눌 부) 分 = 분 = Division, Part, Minute

(Korean name: 나눌 분) You will find that these two characters have very similar meanings. In fact, they both have the same Korean name. You can find both of these characters in a variety of words (and sometimes used together) related to parts/divisions of something. The main difference between the two is that 分 is also the word for “minute” as in, divisions of an hour.

Common words using these characters:

大部分 = most 部分 = part, section 一部 = one part 內部 = inside part 外部 = outside part 本部 = headquarters (original office) 部品 = components of a product

————————————————————————————————————— 多 = 다 = Many/Most/All

(Korean name: 많을 다) Common words using

this character: 多수 = majority 大多수 = the vast majority 多양 = variety

————————————————————————————————————— 數 = 수 = Number

(Korean name: 셀 수)

In addition to the words that this can be found in, you will also see this character used after many nouns to indicate that one is referring to the “number” of that noun. Common words using

this character: 多數 = majority 大多數 = the vast majority 數學 = mathematics 점數 = score 數十 = tens of 數百 = hundreds of 획數 = the number of strokes in a Chinese character

————————————————————————————————————— 全 = 전 = Whole, All

(Korean name: 온전할 전) Common words using

this character: 全體 = the whole of something 全國 = the whole country 全部 = all parts

全員 = all people 완全 = perfect, complete

Hanja Lesson 18:

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. In this lesson, you will learn five characters relating to the present or new things. ————————————————————————————————————— 新 = 신 = New

(Korean name: 새 신) It is not uncommon to see this character written out in 漢字 on a new product to indicate that it is “new.”

Common words using

this character: 新入生 = freshman (new student) 新人 = rookie 新도市 = new city 新제品 = new product 新문 = newspaper 新부 = bride 혁新 = innovation

————————————————————————————————————— 現 = 현 = Current

(Korean name: 나타날 현) You can not only find this character in a variety of common words, but you can also find it (combined with the following character) plastered across buildings in Seoul. Although the company “ 현대”

(Hyundai) is known as a car company in Canada/the United States, it is actually an international conglomerate with their hands in everything. One thing they are involved in is construction, and you can find their logo “ 現代” all over Korea.

Common words using

this character: 現대 = Hyundai Corporation 現대 = modern times 現재 = current 現金 = cash 現場 = the scene of something

————————————————————————————————————— 代 = 대 = Generation, Representative

(Korean name: 대신 대) You can find the character “ 代” all over Korea on the awnings of businesses. Beside this character, you will often see a phone number written. The character “ 代” is used in these cases to indicate that

one should call that number if he/she would like to contact a representative of that company.


character: 時代 = a time, age, generation 現代 = modern times 代표 = representative 現代人 = modern man 세代 = generation 新세代 = new generation 고代 = ancient times

————————————————————————————————————— 文 = 문 = Culture, Writing

(Korean name: 글월 문) There are many academic subjects that end with the character “ 文”. These subjects generally refer to the written component of the previous character. Common words using this character:

文화 = culture 文學 = literature 漢文 = Chinese characters 人文 = humanities/liberal arts 公文 = an official (public) document 文명 = civilization

————————————————————————————————————— 化 = 화 = Change

(Korean name: 화할 화)


文化 = culture 변化 = change 化장室 = restroom, washroom 化學 = chemistry 化장 = make up 化장品 = make up products 大중文化 = popular culture

Hanja Lesson 19:

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. In this lesson, you will learn five characters related to power, strength and trust. ————————————————————————————————————— 力 = 력 = Power

(Korean name: 힘 력) You will notice that a lot of western people have this character tattooed on their body. Not only is the character simple, but its meaning of “power” is something that people feel is worth putting on their

body. Common words using this character:

人力 = manpower 體力 = one’s physical strength 노力 = effort 기억力 = one’s memory 폭力 = violence 능力 = ability 압力 = pressure

————————————————————————————————————— 强 = 강 = Strength

(Korean name: 힘쓸 강) Common words using

this character: 强化 = strengthen 强者 = strong person 强하다 = strong 强조 = emphasis 强점 = one’s strong points 强大國 = a powerful nation (not common in conversation, but its meaning is easy to understand now

that you know the three component characters within the word) ————————————————————————————————————— 弱 = 약 = Weak

(Korean name: 약할 약) I see this character all the time on the subway in Seoul indicating that the specific car I am in is the one with “weak” air -conditioning.

Common words using

this character:

弱化 = weaken 弱者 = weak person 노弱者 = the old and weak 弱점 = one’s weak points 弱小國 = a small and weak (not powerful) nation

————————————————————————————————————— 火 = 화 = Fire

(Korean name: 불 화) I don’t really use many words containing this character in everyd ay life, but this is specifically one of

the elementary characters that all Korean people can recognize. Common words using this character:

火요日 = Tuesday 火山 = volcano 火力 = firepower 방火하다 = to burn something

————————————————————————————————————— 信 = 신 = Trust/Believe

(Korean name: 믿을 신) Common words using

this character: 信用 = credit 信뢰 = faith, confidence

信앙 = faith/religious belief 배信 = betrayal

Hanja Lesson 20:

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Click here for a PDF copy of all our Hanja lessons. In this lesson you will learn five characters related to the earth. ————————————————————————————————————— 土 = 토 = Earth

(Korean name: 흙 토) Common words using this character:

土地 = land, ground 土요日 = Saturday 國土 = a country’s land, territory

————————————————————————————————————— 世 = 세 = Man/Humankind

(Korean name: 인간 세) Common words using this

character: 世上 = the world 世代 = generation 新世代 = new generation 中世 = the Middle Ages

————————————————————————————————————— 木 = 목 = Tree

(Korean name: 나무 목)

Another elementary character that doesn’t come up much in conversation, but is one of the characters that most Korean people know. Technically can be used to mean “tree”, but the Korean word “나무” is used much more often.


木요일 = Thursday

————————————————————————————————————— 球 = 구 = Ball, Circle

(Korean name: 공 구) Common words using

this character: 地球 = Earth 축球 = soccer 축球場 = soccer field 야球 = baseball 야球場 = baseball field 농球 = basketball 배球 = volleyball

————————————————————————————————————— 立 = 립 = To be Set up/Established

(Korean name: 설 립)

Hanja

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