koreaboo | learning korean

└ 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐬

• Korean nouns can contain a single morpheme (or a meaningful unit).
(e.g., 나무 [namu] "tree", 물 [mul] "water")

• Korean nouns can contain multiple morphemes (combination of more than two single morphemes).
(e.g., 화 [hwa] "fire" + 산 [san] "mountain"
         = 화산 [hwasan] "volcano"

         눈 [nun] "eye" + 물 [mul] "water"
          = 눈물 [nunmul] "tear")

Nouns composed of more than two morphemes are normally formed through either derivational or a compounding process. This formation takes an affix (prefix/suffix) which appears in a noun and/or a predicate (vern and/or adjective).

➤ Derivational prefixes:
(e.g., 신- [shin-] "new")
• 신 [shin] "new" + 인 [in] "person"
= 신인 [shinin] "new comer"
• 신 [shin] "new" + 학기 [hakgi] "semester"
  = 신학기 [shinhakgi] "new semester"

(e.g., 첫- [cheot-] "first")
• 첫 [cheot] "first" + 사랑 [sarang] "love"
= 첫사랑 [cheotsarang] "first love"
• 첫 [cheot] "first" + 눈 [nun] "snow"
= 첫눈 [cheotnun] "first snow"

✐ note: 눈 [nun] = eye or snow.
     : "how would we know that we mean 'snow' instead of 'eye' in a sentence?"
     - It depends in the sentence, actually. Just like in English, Korean has a same word but with several definitions. When we watch korean dramas or variety shows  they often pull off puns or word play for fun. (When you finally learn a lot in korean, you'll either laugh or be disappointed with their jokes, i swear.)

➤ Derivational suffixes:
(e.g., -학 [hak] "study")
• 수 [su] "numbers" + 학 [hak] "study"
  = 수학 [suhak] "Mathematics"
• 화 [hwa] "chemical" + 학 [hak] "study"
  = 회학 [hwahak] "Chemistry"

▪︎Derived from verbs / verb nominalization
(e.g., -기 [gi] "act")
• 듣다 [deutda - infinitive form] "to listen"
  듣 [ deut - verb stem] "to listen" + 기 [gi] "act"
   = 듣기 [deutgi] "listening" (as a noun)
ex. : 듣기 싫어. [casual] / [deutgi sirheo]
        I don't want to listen. "to listen" here was used as a noun.

• 걷다 [geotda - infinitive form] "to walk"
   걷 [geot - verb stem] "to walk"+ 기 [gi] "act" =  걷기 [geotgi] "walking/to walk" (as a noun)
ex. : 걷기는 힘들어요. [polite] / [geotgineun himdeureoyo]
        Walking is tiresome. / To walk is tiring. (the underlined words were used as nouns)

➤  Compound words
- composed of two or more independent morphemes to make a new word.

examples:

• 남자 [namja] "boy" + 친구 [chin-gu] "friend
= 남자친구 [namjachin-gu] boyfriend

• 여자 [yeoja] "girl" + 친구 [chin-gu] "friend
= 여자친구 [yeojachin-gu] girlfriend

   ! if you want to sound like a native speaker, say 남친/여친 [namchin/yeochin] "bf (boyfriend) / gf (girlfriend)."

   ! also if you want to introduce someone as your boy <space> friend or your girl <space> friend, say 남사친 [namsachin] "boy <space> friend." or 여사친 [yeosachin] "girl <space> friend." more like a label for "friendzone" ; someone whom you consider as your very very bestfriend but not to the point that you want to be in a relationship with him/her.

• 눈 [nun] "eye" + 물 [mul] "water"
= 눈물 [nunmul] "tears"

• 뜨거 [tteugeo] "hot" + 물 [mul] "water"
= 뜨거물 [tteugeomul] "hot water"

• 귀 [gwi] "ear" + 걸 [geol] "to hang" + 이 [i] "act"
= 귀걸이 [gwigeoli] "earrings"

• 느린 [neulin] "slow" + 춤 [chum] "dance"
= 느린춤 [neulinchum] "slow dance"

• 늦 [neut] "late" + 잠 [jam] "sleep"
= 늦잠 [neutjam] oversleeping

• 오늘 [oneul] "today" + 밤 [bam] "night"
= 오늘밤 [oneulbam] "tonight"

• 벚 [beot] "cherry" + 꽃 [kkot] "flower"
= 벚꽃 [beotkkot] "cherry blossom"

• 사랑 [sarang] "love" + 쪽지 [jjokji] "note"
= 사랑쪽지 [sarangjjokji] "love letter"

• 칫 [chit] "tooth" + 솔 [sol] "brush"
= 칫솔 [chitsol] "toothbrush"

• 머리 [meori] "head" + 띠 [tti] "belt"
= 머리띠 [meoritti] "headband"

• 벽 [byeok] "wall" + 돌 [dol] "stone"
= 벽돌 [byeokdol] "brick"

• 코 [ko] "nose" + 피 [pi] blood
= 코피 [kopi] "nosebleed"

• 책 [chaek] "book" + 방 [bang] "room"
= 책방 [chaekbang] "bookstore"

• 빵 [ppang] "bread" + 집 [jib] "house"
= 빵집 [ppangjib] "bakery"

➣ PRENOUNS
- special nouns that appear BEFORE other nouns to modify or describe

examples:
• 무슨 영화 [museun yeonghwa]
⤷ "what kind of movie"

• 이 베개 [i  baege]
⤷ "this pillow"

• 그 친구 [geu chingu]
⤷ that friend

• 오느 방 [oneu bang]
⤷ which room

we'll further discuss 이 [i] "this" , 저 [jeo] "those", and 그[geu] "the / that" on the next lesson.

➣ MAKING PLURALITY
- Korean has the suffix -들 [deul] that can be attached after a countable noun for indicating its plurality. Korean nouns are not specific about the number since it does not have grammatical category for numbers, however, the usage of -들 [deul] is not mandatory for marking plurality. Its purpose is for highligthing the plurality of the noun.

examples:

• 학생 [haksaeng] ⇾  학생들 [haksaengdeul]
        "student"      ⇾          "students"

• 가방 [kabang]    ⇾  가방들 [kabangdeul]
        "bag"            ⇾        "bags"

-🐻