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100 TOPIK I Words by Category: Food, School, Family & More
Level
A2
Type
Vocab
Theme
Daily Life
작성자
Y
작성시각
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 |