# 100 TOPIK I Words by Category: Food, School, Family & More

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## TOPIK I Vocabulary: 100 Must-Know Words for Levels 1-2

If you're preparing for TOPIK I, vocabulary is your biggest lever. The listening and reading sections both rely heavily on recognizing common words quickly — there's no time to sit and puzzle things out when the audio is rolling.

This list covers 100 words that show up repeatedly in TOPIK I. They're organized by category so you can study them in clusters, which is how your brain actually retains things. Each word includes the Korean, pronunciation, meaning, and a quick example so you can see it in context.

Fair warning: memorizing a list isn't enough. You need to hear these words, read them in sentences, and use them. But this gives you a solid foundation to build on.

### Everyday Essentials

These are the words you can't avoid. They appear in almost every TOPIK I test.

| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 사람 | sa-ram | person |
| 것 | geot | thing |
| 집 | jip | house, home |
| 일 | il | work, matter |
| 말 | mal | words, speech |
| 물 | mul | water |
| 돈 | don | money |
| 시간 | si-gan | time |
| 이름 | i-reum | name |
| 전화 | jeon-hwa | phone, phone call |

**Real moment:** On the listening section, you'll often hear 전화 in dialogues like "전화 좀 해 주세요" (jeon-hwa jom hae ju-se-yo) — "Please give me a call." If you blank on this word, you lose the whole question.

### People & Relationships

TOPIK I loves testing whether you can follow conversations between friends, family, and coworkers.

| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 친구 | chin-gu | friend |
| 가족 | ga-jok | family |
| 부모님 | bu-mo-nim | parents (honorific) |
| 아이 | a-i | child |
| 학생 | hak-saeng | student |
| 선생님 | seon-saeng-nim | teacher |
| 의사 | ui-sa | doctor |
| 남자 | nam-ja | man |
| 여자 | yeo-ja | woman |
| 동생 | dong-saeng | younger sibling |

The honorific forms like 부모님 and 선생님 (with -님, -nim) come up constantly. TOPIK tests often include dialogues where politeness level matters for understanding the relationship between speakers.

### Places

Knowing where things happen helps you follow reading passages and listening scenarios.

| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 학교 | hak-gyo | school |
| 병원 | byeong-won | hospital |
| 은행 | eun-haeng | bank |
| 식당 | sik-dang | restaurant |
| 가게 | ga-ge | store, shop |
| 공원 | gong-won | park |
| 역 | yeok | station |
| 공항 | gong-hang | airport |
| 도서관 | do-seo-gwan | library |
| 회사 | hoe-sa | company, office |

**Real moment:** A classic TOPIK I reading question gives you a short notice — maybe about library hours or a store sale — and asks where you'd see it. Recognizing 도서관 or 가게 immediately is the difference between a quick answer and a guess.

### Time & Days

Time expressions are everywhere in TOPIK I, especially in scheduling-related questions.

| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 오늘 | o-neul | today |
| 내일 | nae-il | tomorrow |
| 어제 | eo-je | yesterday |
| 지금 | ji-geum | now |
| 아침 | a-chim | morning, breakfast |
| 저녁 | jeo-nyeok | evening, dinner |
| 주말 | ju-mal | weekend |
| 매일 | mae-il | every day |
| 월요일 | wo-ryo-il | Monday |
| 토요일 | to-yo-il | Saturday |

You don't need all seven days memorized right away, but 월요일 (Monday) and 토요일 (Saturday) appear frequently because test dialogues often involve making weekend plans or talking about weekly schedules.

### Numbers & Counting

Korean has two number systems — native Korean and Sino-Korean. TOPIK I tests both.

| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 하나 | ha-na | one (native) |
| 둘 | dul | two (native) |
| 셋 | set | three (native) |
| 열 | yeol | ten (native) |
| 일 | il | one (Sino) |
| 이 | i | two (Sino) |
| 삼 | sam | three (Sino) |
| 백 | baek | hundred |
| 천 | cheon | thousand |
| 만 | man | ten thousand |

**Tip:** Native Korean numbers are used with counters (개, 명, 시) and Sino-Korean numbers with dates, money, and phone numbers. Hearing "세 시" (se si, 3 o'clock) vs. "삼월" (sam-wol, March) — that's native vs. Sino-Korean in action.

### Food & Drink

Food-related vocabulary shows up in restaurant dialogues, menus, and reading passages about Korean food culture.

| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 밥 | bap | rice, meal |
| 고기 | go-gi | meat |
| 과일 | gwa-il | fruit |
| 커피 | keo-pi | coffee |
| 차 | cha | tea |
| 빵 | ppang | bread |
| 우유 | u-yu | milk |
| 음식 | eum-sik | food |
| 반찬 | ban-chan | side dishes |
| 김치 | gim-chi | kimchi |

In Korean, 밥 doesn't just mean rice — it often means "a meal" in general. "밥 먹었어요?" (bap meog-eoss-eo-yo?) literally translates to "Have you eaten rice?" but it's really asking "Have you eaten?" It's one of those cultural crossovers that TOPIK loves to test.

### Actions (Verbs)

These verbs form the backbone of TOPIK I sentences. You'll see them in every section.

| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 가다 | ga-da | to go |
| 오다 | o-da | to come |
| 먹다 | meok-da | to eat |
| 마시다 | ma-si-da | to drink |
| 보다 | bo-da | to see, watch |
| 하다 | ha-da | to do |
| 읽다 | ik-da | to read |
| 쓰다 | sseu-da | to write, to use |
| 사다 | sa-da | to buy |
| 만나다 | man-na-da | to meet |
| 배우다 | bae-u-da | to learn |
| 가르치다 | ga-reu-chi-da | to teach |
| 알다 | al-da | to know |
| 모르다 | mo-reu-da | to not know |
| 좋아하다 | jo-a-ha-da | to like |

**Real moment:** TOPIK I often tests whether you understand the difference between similar verbs in context. "쓰다" can mean "to write" or "to use" depending on the sentence — "편지를 쓰다" (to write a letter) vs. "돈을 쓰다" (to spend money). Context is king.

### Descriptions (Adjectives)

Adjectives help you understand descriptions of people, places, weather, and situations.

| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 크다 | keu-da | to be big |
| 작다 | jak-da | to be small |
| 많다 | man-ta | to be many/much |
| 적다 | jeok-da | to be few/little |
| 좋다 | jo-ta | to be good |
| 나쁘다 | na-ppeu-da | to be bad |
| 비싸다 | bi-ssa-da | to be expensive |
| 싸다 | ssa-da | to be cheap |
| 덥다 | deop-da | to be hot (weather) |
| 춥다 | chup-da | to be cold (weather) |

Weather descriptions come up in listening sections surprisingly often. A dialogue might start with someone saying "오늘 정말 덥죠?" (o-neul jeong-mal deop-jyo? — "It's really hot today, right?") and the question asks about the weather or the season.

### Feelings & States

Understanding how people feel helps you follow emotional tone in dialogues.

| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 기쁘다 | gi-ppeu-da | to be happy, glad |
| 슬프다 | seul-peu-da | to be sad |
| 피곤하다 | pi-gon-ha-da | to be tired |
| 바쁘다 | ba-ppeu-da | to be busy |
| 아프다 | a-peu-da | to be sick, hurt |
| 배고프다 | bae-go-peu-da | to be hungry |
| 심심하다 | sim-sim-ha-da | to be bored |
| 걱정하다 | geok-jeong-ha-da | to worry |
| 좋아하다 | jo-a-ha-da | to like |
| 싫어하다 | si-reo-ha-da | to dislike |

**Real moment:** "바쁘다" is one of the most useful words in Korean life. When someone asks why you can't meet up, "요즘 너무 바빠요" (yo-jeum neo-mu ba-ppa-yo — "I'm too busy these days") is the universal Korean excuse. TOPIK uses it constantly in scheduling dialogues.

### Location & Direction

These words help you understand where things are and how to get places.

| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 앞 | ap | front |
| 뒤 | dwi | back, behind |
| 옆 | yeop | next to, beside |
| 위 | wi | above, on top |
| 아래 | a-rae | below, under |
| 안 | an | inside |
| 밖 | bak | outside |
| 오른쪽 | o-reun-jjok | right side |
| 왼쪽 | oen-jjok | left side |
| 근처 | geun-cheo | nearby |

TOPIK I reading sections sometimes include maps or floor plans where you need to identify locations based on descriptions like "은행 옆에 있어요" (eun-haeng yeop-e iss-eo-yo — "It's next to the bank").

### Useful Connectors & Particles

These small words glue sentences together. Missing them means missing meaning.

| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 그리고 | geu-ri-go | and, and then |
| 그런데 | geu-reon-de | but, however |
| 그래서 | geu-rae-seo | so, therefore |
| 하지만 | ha-ji-man | but, however |
| 그럼 | geu-reom | then, in that case |

These connectors show up in both listening and reading. When you hear "그런데" in the middle of a dialogue, the speaker is about to introduce a contrasting point or a problem. Recognizing these signals helps you predict what's coming next.

### How to Study This List Effectively

Don't try to memorize all 100 words in one sitting. Here's what actually works:

**Week 1-2:** Focus on Everyday Essentials, People, and Places. These give you the most coverage for the least effort.

**Week 3-4:** Add Time, Numbers, and Food. Practice with real TOPIK listening audio — pause after each question and identify words you recognize.

**Week 5-6:** Verbs, Adjectives, and Feelings. Start reading past TOPIK I passages and highlight every word from this list.

**Week 7-8:** Location words and Connectors. By now, you should be recognizing most of these in context. Focus on the ones you keep forgetting.

**Make it stick:**

- Write each word three times by hand (한국어 writing reinforces memory)

- Say the word out loud as you write it

- Create simple sentences: "저는 학교에 가요" (jeo-neun hak-gyo-e ga-yo — "I go to school")

- Test yourself by covering the meaning column and reading only the Korean

### Beyond the List

These 100 words won't cover everything on TOPIK I, but they'll give you a foundation that makes learning additional vocabulary much easier. When you already know 사람, 집, 먹다, and 좋다, new words like 사람들 (people), 집안 (inside the house), 먹을 것 (something to eat), and 좋아지다 (to get better) start making sense on their own.

That's the real power of a strong vocabulary base — it multiplies.

Download this list, print it out, stick it on your wall. Come back to it every few days until these words feel as natural as their English equivalents. That's when you're ready.

For the site tree, see the [root Markdown](https://easykoreanchat.com/.md).