Welcome back. This is the 18th post in the series of 1000 Korean words for everyday use by analyzing the word frequency of more than 1,000 episodes of Korean dramas.
Today, let’s explore the meaning and context of 5 key Korean words “마음, 만나다, 같이, 소리, 찾다” with sample sentences.
Click the play button below to listen to all the words and sample sentences in this post.
Basic Korean words : 마음, 만나다, 같이, 소리, 찾다
86. 마음 [ma-eum] – heart, mind
– 마음 [ma-eum] refers to the terms “heart” and “mind”, which are often used to express emotions, feelings, thoughts or intentions.
– 맘 [mam] is an informal and shortened version of 마음 used in everyday conversation.
Example sentences:
마음이 편안해지네요. My heart feels at ease.
제 맘에 들었죠. 거기엔 정말 아름다운 무언가 있다고 생각했어요. I loved it. I thought there was something really beautiful about it.
87. 만나다 [man-na-da] – to meet
– 만나다 [man-na-da] means “to meet” or “to encounter”.
– 만남 [man-nam] is derived from the verb “만나다” by adding the suffix “ㅁ” (-m) to the verb stem. This construction, where the verb stem is combined with “ㅁ” to form a noun, is a common grammatical pattern in Korean. “만남” refers specifically to the concept of a “meeting” or “encounter” and it’s formed by taking the verb stem “만나” and adding the suffix “ㅁ”.
Example sentences:
내일 친구를 만나러 갈 거예요. I’m going to meet my friend tomorrow.
그들의 만남은 인상 깊었어요. Their meeting made a strong impression.
88. 같이 [ga-chi] – together, with
– 같이 [ga-chi] means “together” or “with” indicating joint participation or companionship.
Example sentences:
고마워, 나랑 같이 해줘서. Thank you for being with me.
89. 소리 [so-ri] – sound, noise
– 소리 [so-ri] means “sound” or “noise”.
– 소리치다 [so-ri-chi-da] means “to shout” or “to yell”.
– 목소리 [mok-so-ri] refers specifically to a “voice”.
– 헛소리 [heot-so-ri] means “nonsense” or “nonsense talk”.
– 잔소리 [jan-so-ri] refers to “nagging” or “scolding”.
Example sentences:
바람 소리가 시원하네요. The sound of the wind is refreshing.
그가 소리쳤어요. He shouted.
그녀의 목소리가 매우 아름다워. Her voice is very beautiful.
헛소리하지 마세요. Don’t talk nonsense.
엄마는 항상 잔소리만 해요. Mom always nags.
90. 찾다 [chat-tta] – to find, to look for
– 찾다 [chat-tta] is used when you’re looking for something or someone and implies the action of searching for or finding what you’re looking for.
Example sentences:
열쇠를 찾아야 해요. I need to find the key.
Grammar & Study Resources
In Korean grammar, a verb stem followed by “ㅁ/음” (ending in “-m”) or “기” (ending in “-gi”) forms a noun.
ㅁ is added to stems ending in a vowel and 음 is added to stems ending in a consonant.
When “기” is used in this construction, it’s sometimes paired with “로” (ending in “-ro”) to complete the noun.
For example:
Start with the verb stem.
Add “기” to the verb stem to make a noun.
Add “로” to the “기” to emphasize the purpose, intention or action associated with the verb.
This structure allows you to express intentions or reasons behind actions. For example, with the verb “찾다” (to find or search for), “찾기로” can be formed to mean “with the purpose of finding” or “with the intention of searching”. As another example, you can use the verb “먹다” to form the noun “먹음” to talk about eating as an action, and “먹기로” to talk about eating with a specific intention.