IU · Korean · 33 words

Real

Real is the 2010 mini album that made IU a household name in Korea, released when she was seventeen and singing songs written for her. The words here are the plain, reusable Korean those lyrics run on: verbs like 참다, 견디다 and 놓치다, adverbs like 문득, 살짝 and 조용히, and nouns like 안부, 버릇 and 자존심. If you know 좋은 날 from the radio, this is the set that turns it into vocabulary you can actually say.

Vocabulary

Word	Meaning	Example
참다	to hold back, to endure, to put up with	너무 졸려서 하품을 참기 힘들어요.I'm so sleepy I can hardly hold back a yawn.
버티다	to hold out, to endure, to stick it out	힘들어도 시험 끝날 때까지 버텨요.Even when it's hard, I'm holding out until the exams are over.
안부	news of how someone is, regards, greetings	오랜만에 친구에게 안부를 물었어요.For the first time in ages, I asked my friend how they were doing.
농담	a joke, kidding	제 농담에 친구들이 크게 웃었어요.My friends laughed hard at my joke.
솔직히	honestly, frankly	솔직히 그 영화는 조금 지루했어요.Honestly, that movie was a little boring.
느리다	to be slow	제 노트북이 요즘 너무 느려요.My laptop has been really slow lately.
잊다	to forget	지갑을 챙기는 걸 또 잊었어요.I forgot to grab my wallet again.
서운하다	to feel hurt, to feel let down	연락이 없어서 조금 서운했어요.I felt a little hurt that you didn't get in touch.
버릇	a habit, a mannerism	손톱을 물어뜯는 버릇을 고쳤어요.I broke my habit of biting my nails.
견디다	to endure, to bear, to get through	여름 더위를 겨우 견디고 있어요.I'm barely getting through the summer heat.
문득	suddenly, all at once (of a thought)	문득 옛날 사진이 보고 싶어졌어요.I suddenly felt like looking at old photos.
오늘따라	today of all days, especially today	오늘따라 커피 맛이 참 좋아요.The coffee tastes especially good today.
완벽하다	to be perfect, to be flawless	발표 준비가 아주 완벽했어요.The preparation for the presentation was flawless.
실수	a mistake, a slip	계산할 때 작은 실수를 했어요.I made a small mistake when adding it up.
별로	not great, so-so; not particularly (with a negative)	그 식당 음식은 별로였어요.The food at that restaurant wasn't great.
살짝	slightly, lightly, just a bit	문을 살짝 열고 안을 봤어요.I opened the door a crack and looked inside.
자존심	pride, self-respect	자존심 때문에 사과를 못 했어요.My pride kept me from apologizing.
수고하다	to work hard, to go to trouble	오늘 하루도 정말 수고하셨어요.You worked hard again today.
고민하다	to agonize over, to think hard about	어느 학교에 갈지 고민하고 있어요.I'm agonizing over which school to go to.
후회하다	to regret	그때 한 말을 지금도 후회해요.I still regret what I said back then.
놓치다	to miss, to lose (someone), to let slip	늦잠을 자서 기차를 놓쳤어요.I overslept and missed the train.
궁금하다	to be curious, to wonder	시험 결과가 정말 궁금해요.I'm really curious about the exam results.
떠오르다	to come to mind, to float up	좋은 생각이 갑자기 떠올랐어요.A good idea suddenly came to me.
조용히	quietly, silently	도서관에서는 조용히 걸어요.I walk quietly in the library.
날마다	every day, day after day	날마다 아침에 물을 한 잔 마셔요.I drink a glass of water every morning.
기도하다	to pray	가족의 건강을 위해 기도해요.I pray for my family's health.
사라지다	to disappear, to vanish	안개가 금세 사라졌어요.The fog vanished in no time.
내밀다	to hold out, to stick out, to extend	아이가 손을 내밀며 인사했어요.The child held out a hand and said hello.
아끼다	to cherish, to treasure, to use sparingly	선물 받은 컵을 아주 아껴요.I really treasure the cup I was given.
감사하다	to be grateful, to thank	도와주셔서 정말 감사해요.Thank you so much for helping me.
행복하다	to be happy	가족과 함께 있을 때 행복해요.I'm happy when I'm with my family.
선물	a present, a gift	동생에게 줄 선물을 골랐어요.I picked out a present for my younger sibling.
곁	one's side, nearby	친구 곁에 앉아서 이야기했어요.I sat beside my friend and talked.