Learn 500 Essential Korean Nouns by Theme - Part1. People & Jobs (사람과 직업)

 Part1. 사람과 직업 (People & Jobs)

Master 500 Basic Korean Nouns with English and Romanization

This resource introduces 500 essential Korean nouns, thoughtfully grouped into 10 everyday themes such as people, food, places, nature, and time. Each noun is shown in its original Korean form (Hangul), along with accurate Romanized spelling and its English meaning. For example: 학교 (hakgyo) means “school,” and 물 (mul) means “water.”

Learning vocabulary by theme is one of the most effective ways to build your Korean language skills. Instead of memorizing random words, you’ll learn related nouns together — like 밥 (bap – rice), 국 (guk – soup), and 과일 (gwail – fruit) under the “Food” category. This helps reinforce memory and makes vocabulary more useful in real-life conversations.

The Romanization system used follows the official Revised Romanization of Korean, making it easy to pronounce even if you’re still learning Hangul. It’s also helpful for typing or searching Korean words online.

Whether you’re studying on your own or with a teacher, this list is great for flashcards, writing, reading, or daily speaking practice. It’s designed for beginners and lower-intermediate learners who want to improve their everyday vocabulary and feel more confident using Korean in context.

1. 사람 – [sa-ram] – person
2. 남자 – [nam-ja] – man
3. 여자 – [yeo-ja] – woman
4. 아이 – [a-i] – child
5. 아기 – [a-gi] – baby
6. 어른 – [eo-reun] – adult
7. 친구 – [chin-gu] – friend
8. 가족 – [ga-jok] – family
9. 부모 – [bu-mo] – parents
10. 엄마 – [eom-ma] – mom
11. 아빠 – [a-ppa] – dad
12. 형 – [hyeong] – older brother (for male)
13. 누나 – [nu-na] – older sister (for male)
14. 오빠 – [o-ppa] – older brother (for female)
15. 언니 – [eon-ni] – older sister (for female)
16. 동생 – [dong-saeng] – younger sibling
17. 형제 – [hyeong-je] – brothers / siblings
18. 자매 – [ja-mae] – sisters
19. 부부 – [bu-bu] – married couple
20. 남편 – [nam-pyeon] – husband
21. 아내 – [a-nae] – wife
22. 조부모 – [jo-bu-mo] – grandparents
23. 할아버지 – [ha-ra-beo-ji] – grandfather
24. 할머니 – [hal-meo-ni] – grandmother
25. 손자 – [son-ja] – grandson
26. 손녀 – [son-nyeo] – granddaughter
27. 이웃 – [i-ut] – neighbor
28. 선생님 – [seon-saeng-nim] – teacher
29. 학생 – [hak-saeng] – student
30. 의사 – [ui-sa] – doctor
31. 간호사 – [gan-ho-sa] – nurse
32. 경찰 – [gyeong-chal] – police officer
33. 소방관 – [so-bang-gwan] – firefighter
34. 군인 – [gun-in] – soldier
35. 운전기사 – [gi-sa] – driver
36. 요리사 – [yo-ri-sa] – cook / chef
37. 점원 – [jeom-won] – clerk
38. 판매원 – [pan-mae-won] – salesperson
39. 회사원 – [hoe-sa-won] – office worker
40. 사업가 – [sae-op-ga] – businessperson
41. 농부 – [nong-bu] – farmer
42. 어부 – [eo-bu] – fisherman
43. 예술가 – [ye-sul-ga] – artist
44. 음악가 – [eum-ak-ga] – musician
45. 배우 – [ba-eu] – actor
46. 가수 – [ga-su] – singer
47. 작가 – [jak-ga] – writer
48. 기자 – [gi-ja] – journalist
49. 통역사 – [tong-yeok-sa] – interpreter
50. 번역가 – [beon-yeok-ga] – translator