April 26, 2025
Lately in my Korean learning, I’ve been getting value out of generative AI to help learn grammar and read passages. I’m not convinced that my method of use is optimal, as I feel there’s a tradeoff to friction here. That is, if it is super easy to look things up when I forget them, I’m less likely to sit with it for a while and really try to force recall to occur, versus if I had to, say, flip through a paper dictionary. Regardless, in studying Korean connectives, ChatGPT gave me this nice table, so I figured I’d have it give me the raw markdown and post it here.
🇰🇷 Korean Transition Words Study Guide
1. Sequence (Order of Events)
| Korean |
Meaning |
Example Sentence |
| 그러고 나서 |
after that |
책을 읽었어요. 그러고 나서 영화를 봤어요. (“I read a book, and after that, I watched a movie.”) |
| 그리고 |
and then |
밥을 먹었어요. 그리고 커피를 마셨어요. (“I ate, and then drank coffee.”) |
| 그러던 중에 |
during that time |
공부하고 있었어요. 그러던 중에 전화가 왔어요. (“I was studying when I got a call.”) |
| 그러다가 |
while doing that (then something happened) |
걷고 있었어요. 그러다가 넘어졌어요. (“I was walking, and then I tripped.”) |
| 그러자 |
as soon as that happened |
문을 열었어요. 그러자 고양이가 뛰어나왔어요. (“He opened the door, and immediately a cat jumped out.”) |
| 한편 |
meanwhile, on the other hand |
나는 집에서 공부했어요. 한편 동생은 친구들과 놀았어요. (“I studied at home. Meanwhile, my younger sibling played with friends.”) |
| 먼저 |
first |
먼저 아침을 먹었어요. (“First, I ate breakfast.”) |
2. Cause and Effect
| Korean |
Meaning |
Example Sentence |
| 그래서 |
so, therefore |
비가 왔어요. 그래서 우산을 썼어요. (“It rained, so I used an umbrella.”) |
| 그러니까 |
so, that’s why |
지금 바빠요. 그러니까 나중에 전화해 주세요. (“I’m busy now, so please call me later.”) |
| 그러므로 |
therefore (formal) |
공부를 열심히 했어요. 그러므로 좋은 성적을 받았어요. (“I studied hard. Therefore, I got good grades.”) |
| 따라서 |
accordingly, thus |
이 문제는 어려워요. 따라서 신중하게 접근해야 해요. (“This problem is difficult. Thus, we must approach it carefully.”) |
| 덕분에 |
thanks to |
네 덕분에 잘 해결했어요. (“Thanks to you, I solved it well.”) |
3. Contrast (Opposition)
| Korean |
Meaning |
Example Sentence |
| 그런데 |
but, however; by the way |
날씨가 좋았어요. 그런데 추웠어요. (“The weather was nice, but it was cold.”) |
| 그렇지만 |
but, however (more formal) |
열심히 했어요. 그렇지만 실패했어요. (“I tried hard. However, I failed.”) |
| 그러나 |
but (even more formal) |
그는 열심히 공부했어요. 그러나 시험에 떨어졌어요. (“He studied hard. However, he failed the exam.”) |
| 반면에 |
on the other hand |
나는 축구를 좋아해요. 반면에 형은 농구를 좋아해요. (“I like soccer. On the other hand, my older brother likes basketball.”) |
| 오히려 |
rather, instead |
도와주려 했는데 오히려 방해만 됐어요. (“I tried to help, but ended up just getting in the way.”) |
| 반대로 |
conversely, on the contrary |
모두가 동의했어요. 반대로 그는 반대했어요. (“Everyone agreed. Conversely, he opposed.”) |
4. Addition
| Korean |
Meaning |
Example Sentence |
| 게다가 |
moreover, besides |
피곤했어요. 게다가 머리도 아팠어요. (“I was tired. Moreover, I had a headache.”) |
| 또한 |
also, in addition (formal) |
그는 친절해요. 또한 똑똑해요. (“He is kind. Also, he is smart.”) |
| 뿐만 아니라 |
not only… but also |
그는 가수일 뿐만 아니라 배우이기도 해요. (“He is not only a singer but also an actor.”) |
| 더구나 |
moreover, what’s more (stronger) |
그는 피곤했어요. 더구나 아프기까지 했어요. (“He was tired. What’s more, he was even sick.”) |
| 심지어 |
even, to the point that |
그는 심지어 친구 생일도 잊었어요. (“He even forgot his friend’s birthday.”) |
5. Examples and Emphasis
| Korean |
Meaning |
Example Sentence |
| 예를 들어 |
for example |
많은 나라가 참가했어요. 예를 들어 한국과 일본이 참가했어요. (“Many countries participated, for example Korea and Japan.”) |
| 즉 |
that is to say, namely |
그는 즉 나의 선생님이었어요. (“He was, that is to say, my teacher.”) |
| 다시 말해서 |
in other words |
시험은 어렵다. 다시 말해서 많은 준비가 필요하다. (“The exam is hard. In other words, a lot of preparation is needed.”) |
Happy studying!