Learn 500 Essential Korean Nouns by Theme – Part6. Animals & Nature (동물과 생물)

Part6. 동물과 생물 (Animals & Nature) 

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. 동물 – dongmul – animal
2. 생물 – saengmul – living thing
3. 사람 – saram – human
4. 고양이 – goyangi – cat
5. 강아지 – gangaji – puppy
6. 개 – gae – dog
7. 토끼 – tokki – rabbit
8. 말 – mal – horse
9. 소 – so – cow
10. 돼지 – dwaeji – pig
11. 양 – yang – sheep
12. 염소 – yeomso – goat
13. 닭 – dak – chicken
14. 수탉 – sutak – rooster
15. 병아리 – byeongari – chick
16. 오리 – ori – duck
17. 거위 – geowi – goose
18. 사자 – saja – lion
19. 호랑이 – horangi – tiger
20. 곰 – gom – bear
21. 여우 – yeou – fox
22. 늑대 – neukdae – wolf
23. 코끼리 – kokkiri – elephant
24. 기린 – girin – giraffe
25. 원숭이 – wonsungi – monkey
26. 하마 – hama – hippo
27. 얼룩말 – eollukmal – zebra
28. 캥거루 – kaenggeoru – kangaroo
29. 돌고래 – dolgorae – dolphin
30. 상어 – sangeo – shark
31. 물고기 – mulgogi – fish
32. 개미 – gaemi – ant
33. 벌 – beol – bee
34. 나비 – nabi – butterfly
35. 잠자리 – jamjari – dragonfly
36. 모기 – mogi – mosquito
37. 파리 – pari – fly
38. 거미 – geomi – spider
39. 새 – sae – bird
40. 독수리 – doksuri – eagle
41. 까치 – kkachi – magpie
42. 참새 – chamsae – sparrow
43. 까마귀 – kkamagwi – crow
44. 개구리 – gaeguri – frog
45. 뱀 – baem – snake
46. 거북이 – geobugi – turtle
47. 곤충 – gonchung – insect
48. 조개 – jogae – clam / shellfish
49. 해파리 – haepari – jellyfish
50. 게 – ge – crab