On any given day you will do dozens of tasks – waking up, eating, showering, getting dressed, and about a hundred other things before you go to sleep.
I bet you have wondered about how to say these things in Korean. Well, today we are going to cover the basic vocabulary needed for you to talk about your daily routine in Korean.
Let’s start with the morning routine in Korean:
| Korean | Revised Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| 일어날 시간이에요. | ireonal siganieyo | It’s time to get up. |
| 좋은 아침이에요. | joeun achimieyo | Good morning. |
| 기지개를 켜다 | gijigaereul kyeoda | to stretch one’s body (for example, after waking) |
| 이불을 개다 | ibureul gaeda | to fold the bedding |
| 샤워를 하다 | syaworeul hada | to take a shower |
| 이를 닦다 | ireul dakda | to brush one’s teeth |
| 옷을 입다 | oseul ipda | to get dressed |
| 아침을 먹다 | achimeul meokda | to eat breakfast |
| 일하러 가다 | ilhareo gada | to go to work |
| 늦잠을 잤어요. | neutjameul jasseoyo | I slept late / overslept. |
| 늦어서 미안합니다. | neujeoseo mianhamnida | I’m sorry I’m late. |
Afternoon and evening routines:
| Korean | Revised Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| 점심을 먹다 | jeomsimeul meokda | to eat lunch |
| 일을 하다 | ireul hada | to work |
| 공부를 하다 | gongbureul hada | to study |
| 집에 오다 | jibe oda | to come home |
| 운동을 하다 | undongeul hada | to exercise |
| 저녁을 먹다 | jeonyeogeul meokda | to eat dinner |
| 설거지를 하다 | seolgeojireul hada | to wash the dishes |
| 빨래를 하다 | ppallaereul hada | to do the laundry |
| 책을 읽다 | chaegeul ikda | to read a book |
| 잠자리에 들다 | jamjarie deulda | to go to bed |
| 잠을 자다 | jameul jada | to sleep |
Sentence structure and examples
The expressions ending in 다 are dictionary forms, not commands. The complete examples ending in 요 or 합니다 use polite speech. To tell someone what you plan to do, you can use a verb stem followed by -(으)ㄹ 거예요.
Remove 다 from the dictionary form. Add ㄹ 거예요 after a vowel, or 을 거예요 after a consonant. A stem already ending in ㄹ keeps that ㄹ. Irregular verbs may change their stem, so the pattern cannot be applied mechanically to every verb.
| Dictionary form | Plan or future statement | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 하다 — to do | 빨래를 할 거예요. ppallaereul hal geoyeyo |
I’m going to do the laundry. |
| 먹다 — to eat | 저녁을 먹을 거예요. jeonyeogeul meogeul geoyeyo |
I’m going to eat dinner. |
| 오다 — to come | 집에 올 거예요. jibe ol geoyeyo |
I’m going to come home. |
| 읽다 — to read | 책을 읽을 거예요. chaegeul ilgeul geoyeyo |
I’m going to read a book. |
Here the subject “I” is understood from context. The same ending can also describe a prediction; its meaning depends on the sentence and situation.
Other Korean vocabulary lists you should check out:
Korean Vocabulary: Jobs and Professions
Korean Emotion Vocabulary: How to Express Your Feelings in Korean
All About Baby! Baby-Related Korean Vocabulary
Conclusion
What you learned today should be enough to familiarize you with the vocabulary we use when talking about our daily routine. Try to apply what you learned here to describe your own daily routine and you should see an improvement in your Korean language.
REVIEW AND REPEAT DAILY, AND YOU WILL SEE PROGRESS! 화이팅!!