Learn 500 Essential Korean Verbs by Theme – Part9. States & Changes (상태와 변화)

 Part9. 상태와 변화 (States & Changes)

Master 500 Basic Korean Verbs with English and Romanization

This resource offers 500 of the most essential Korean verbs, grouped into 10 useful themes like daily actions, food & cooking, household chores, study & work, emotions, and more. Each verb is listed in its dictionary form, along with a Romanized pronunciation and its English translation. For example: 가다 (gada) means “to go,” and 먹다 (meokda) means “to eat.”

The verbs are organized thematically to help you learn vocabulary more naturally. Rather than memorizing random words, you’ll see related verbs together — like 요리하다 (yorihada – to cook) and 굽다 (gupda – to grill) in the “Food” section. This helps you connect words to real-life situations and improves long-term memory.

Every verb includes accurate Romanization based on South Korea’s official system. This is especially helpful if you’re still learning Hangul or want to improve pronunciation.

Whether you’re self-studying or taking a class, this list is perfect for beginners and lower-intermediate learners. You can use it for flashcards, writing practice, or conversation drills.

With these 500 verbs, you’ll be able to describe actions, express emotions, and talk about everyday life in Korean more confidently and clearly.

1. 되다 – [doe-da] – to become
2. 변하다 – [byeon-ha-da] – to change
3. 바뀌다 – [ba-kkwi-da] – to be changed
4. 바꾸다 – [ba-kku-da] – to change
5. 발전하다 – [bal-jeon-ha-da] – to develop
6. 악화되다 – [ak-hwa-doe-da] – to worsen
7. 증가하다 – [jeung-ga-ha-da] – to increase
8. 감소하다 – [gam-so-ha-da] – to decrease
9. 멈추다 – [meom-chu-da] – to stop
10. 시작되다 – [si-jak-doe-da] – to begin (passive)
11. 끝나다 – [kkeut-na-da] – to end
12. 중단하다 – [jung-dan-ha-da] – to suspend
13. 계속하다 – [gye-sok-ha-da] – to continue
14. 유지하다 – [yu-ji-ha-da] – to maintain
15. 회복하다 – [hoe-bok-ha-da] – to recover
16. 고치다 – [go-chi-da] – to fix
17. 망가지다 – [mang-ga-ji-da] – to break down
18. 망치다 – [mang-chi-da] – to ruin
19. 깨어지다 – [kkae-eo-ji-da] – to shatter
20. 깨지다 – [kkae-ji-da] – to be broken
21. 줄다 – [jul-da] – to decrease
22. 늘다 – [neul-da] – to grow
23. 젖다 – [jeot-da] – to be wet
24. 마르다 – [ma-reu-da] – to be dry
25. 더럽히다 – [deo-reop-hi-da] – to make dirty
26. 청결하다 – [cheong-gyeol-ha-da] – to be clean
27. 뜨겁다 – [tteu-geop-da] – to be hot
28. 차갑다 – [cha-gap-da] – to be cold
29. 식다 – [sik-da] – to cool down
30. 얼다 – [eol-da] – to freeze
31. 녹다 – [nog-da] – to melt
32. 깨우다 – [kka-eu-da] – to wake someone up
33. 잠들다 – [jam-deul-da] – to fall asleep
34. 졸다 – [jol-da] – to doze off
35. 변화하다 – [byeon-hwa-ha-da] – to change
36. 진화하다 – [jin-hwa-ha-da] – to evolve
37. 성장하다 – [seong-jang-ha-da] – to grow up
38. 성숙하다 – [seong-suk-ha-da] – to mature
39. 낡다 – [nalk-da] – to be old (worn)
40. 새롭다 – [sae-rop-da] – to be new
41. 사라지다 – [sa-ra-ji-da] – to disappear
42. 나타나다 – [na-ta-na-da] – to appear
43. 밝아지다 – [bal-ga-ji-da] – to brighten
44. 어두워지다 – [eo-duw-wo-ji-da] – to darken
45. 생기다 – [saeng-gi-da] – to occur / arise
46. 없어지다 – [eop-seo-ji-da] – to vanish
47. 줄어들다 – [ju-reo-deul-da] – to reduce
48. 풍부하다 – [pung-bu-ha-da] – to be abundant
49. 부족하다 – [bu-jok-ha-da] – to be lacking
50. 정지하다 – [jeong-ji-ha-da] – to come to a halt