Level 1 · Survival Korean
Talk about the weather and Korea's beautiful four seasons — from cherry blossoms to snowfall.
12 words · tap 🔊 to hear native-speaker pronunciation
Korea has four distinct seasons, and Koreans LOVE talking about the weather. It's one of the most common conversation starters — just like in English!
In this unit, you'll learn weather words, season names, and the important polite present tense ending -아/어요. You'll also encounter the ㅂ irregular — some adjectives like 덥다 (hot) and 춥다 (cold) change their ㅂ to 우 when conjugated.
After this unit, you'll be able to chat about the weather like a local!
weather
오늘 날씨가 좋아요.The weather is nice today.
💡 Memory tip: 날 (day) is the root — the "state of the day" is the weather. The same 날 shows up in 날짜 (date).
Pronunciation: ㄹ + ㅆ: the ㄹ is clearly pronounced before the tense ㅆ
hot (weather)
오늘 너무 더워요!It's so hot today!
💡 Memory tip: Opposite of 춥다 (cold). Both are ㅂ-irregular and rhyme in conjugation: 더워요 / 추워요.
Pronunciation: ㅂ irregular verb! 덥다 → 더워요 (NOT 덥어요). The ㅂ changes to 우 before vowel endings.
cold (weather)
겨울에 많이 추워요.It's very cold in winter.
💡 Memory tip: Opposite of 덥다 (hot). 춥다 is for cold weather; for a cold object/drink you'd use 차갑다 instead.
Pronunciation: ㅂ irregular verb! 춥다 → 추워요 (NOT 춥어요). Same pattern as 덥다.
rain
비가 와요.It's raining.
💡 Memory tip: A one-syllable core word. It builds compounds: 비 + 우산 logic, and 장마 (rainy season). Rain "comes": 비가 와요.
Pronunciation: Rain "comes" in Korean: 비가 오다 (rain comes), not "rain falls"
snow
눈이 와요!It's snowing!
💡 Memory tip: 눈 is a homonym: "snow" and "eye." Like rain, snow "comes": 눈이 와요.
Pronunciation: 눈 also means "eye" — context tells you which! Snow "comes" too: 눈이 오다
wind
바람이 많이 불어요.It's very windy.
💡 Memory tip: Wind "blows" — the set verb is 불다: 바람이 불어요. (Note: 바람 also idiomatically means a "wish.")
Pronunciation: Wind "blows" in Korean: 바람이 불다
spring
봄에 벚꽃이 예뻐요.Cherry blossoms are pretty in spring.
💡 Memory tip: First of the four seasons: 봄 → 여름 → 가을 → 겨울. Think "보다(to see)" — spring is when you go out to see the blossoms.
summer
여름에 바다에 가요.I go to the beach in summer.
💡 Memory tip: The hot season after 봄. Summer in Korea brings 장마 (monsoon) and trips to the 바다 (sea).
autumn / fall
가을에 단풍이 아름다워요.The fall foliage is beautiful in autumn.
💡 Memory tip: The season of 단풍 (red leaves) and 추석 (harvest festival). Comes between 여름 and 겨울.
winter
겨울에 눈이 많이 와요.It snows a lot in winter.
💡 Memory tip: Last of the four seasons — the cold one with 눈 (snow). It's when 춥다 (cold) is your go-to word.
umbrella
우산 가져가세요.Take an umbrella with you.
💡 Memory tip: Sounds a bit like "oo-sun" — use it when there's no sun!
good / nice
날씨가 좋아요!The weather is nice!
💡 Memory tip: The all-purpose "good." Careful: 좋다 = "to be good," but 좋아하다 = "to like" — same root, different use.
Pronunciation: ㅎ받침: 좋다 is pronounced [조타]. The ㅎ combines with ㄷ to make ㅌ.
Korea has four beautifully distinct seasons, each with special traditions:
■ 봄 (Spring, March-May): Cherry blossoms (벚꽃) bloom across Korea. Famous spots include 여의도 (Yeouido) in Seoul and 진해 (Jinhae). Koreans love 꽃놀이 (flower viewing) picnics.
■ 여름 (Summer, June-August): Hot and humid with a monsoon season called 장마 (usually late June to mid-July). Koreans escape to beaches (해수욕장) and mountains. Popular summer foods include 냉면 (cold noodles) and 삼계탕 (chicken ginseng soup).
■ 가을 (Autumn, September-November): The most beloved season! 단풍 (fall foliage) turns mountains red and gold. 추석 (Korean Thanksgiving, similar to Chuseok) falls in autumn — families gather, eat 송편 (rice cakes), and visit ancestral graves.
■ 겨울 (Winter, December-February): Cold and dry with beautiful snowfall. Koreans enjoy 스키 (skiing), 온천 (hot springs), and warm street food like 붕어빵 (fish-shaped pastry) and 호떡 (sweet pancake).
Weather small talk: "날씨가 좋죠?" (The weather is nice, right?) is perfect for starting any conversation!
Practice these 12 words with quizzes & spaced repetition
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