Word Formation with Hanja¶

Basic Principles¶

Korean Sino-Korean words are formed by combining hanja characters, each contributing meaning.

Pattern: Character + Character = Word¶

學 (study) + 校 (school) = 학교 (school) 生 (birth) + 日 (day) = 생일 (birthday)

Common Formation Patterns¶

1. Same Character Repeated¶

人 + 人 = 인간 (人間) - human being 國 + 國 = 국가 (國家) - nation 時 + 時 = 시시 (時時) - constantly

2. Opposite Concepts¶

東 (east) + 西 (west) = 동서 (東西) - things, stuff 上 (up) + 下 (down) = 상하 (上下) - up and down, hierarchy 男 (man) + 女 (woman) = 남녀 (男女) - men and women 出 (exit) + 入 (enter) = 출입 (出入) - going in and out

父 (father) + 母 (mother) = 부모 (父母) - parents 兄 (older brother) + 弟 (younger brother) = 형제 (兄弟) - brothers 姉 (older sister) + 妹 (younger sister) = 자매 (姉妹) - sisters

4. Modifier + Main¶

大 (big) + 學 (learning) = 대학 (大學) - university 小 (small) + 學 (learning) = 소학 (小學) - elementary learning 中 (middle) + 學 (learning) = 중학 (中學) - middle learning 高 (high) + 等 (class) = 고등 (高等) - high class

5. Action + Object¶

讀 (read) + 書 (book) = 독서 (讀書) - reading 食 (eat) + 事 (matter) = 식사 (食事) - meal 作 (make) + 品 (item) = 작품 (作品) - work of art

Building Vocabulary¶

Using 學 (study/learning)¶

학교 (學校) - school
학생 (學生) - student
대학 (大學) - university
과학 (科學) - science
철학 (哲學) - philosophy
문학 (文學) - literature
수학 (數學) - mathematics
화학 (化學) - chemistry

One character → 8+ words!

Using 國 (country)¶

한국 (韓國) - Korea
중국 (中國) - China
미국 (美國) - America
외국 (外國) - foreign country
국가 (國家) - nation
국민 (國民) - citizen
국제 (國際) - international
국내 (國內) - domestic

Using 生 (birth/life)¶

생일 (生日) - birthday
학생 (學生) - student
선생 (先生) - teacher
인생 (人生) - life
생활 (生活) - living, lifestyle
생각 (生-, native root) - thought
생명 (生命) - life
탄생 (誕生) - birth

Understanding New Words¶

Once you know components, you can deduce meaning:

未知的 word: 도서관 (圖書館) - 圖 (picture/plan) + 書 (book) + 館 (building) - = Building for books = Library!

未知的 word: 전화기 (電話機) - 電 (electricity) + 話 (speech) + 機 (machine) - = Machine for electric speech = Telephone!

Three-Character Words¶

天氣圖 → 일기예보 (天氣豫報) - 天 (heaven) + 氣 (air) + 豫 (beforehand) + 報 (report) - = Weather forecast

自動車 → 자동차 - 自 (self) + 動 (move) + 車 (vehicle) - = Self-moving vehicle = Car

Systematic Learning¶

By Category¶

Education: - 교육 (敎育) - education - 교실 (敎室) - classroom - 교사 (敎師) - teacher - 교과서 (敎科書) - textbook

Transportation: - 교통 (交通) - traffic/transportation - 차량 (車輛) - vehicle - 지하철 (地下鐵) - subway - 비행기 (飛行機) - airplane

Hanja Helps Distinguish Homophones¶

사기: - 士氣 - morale - 詐欺 - fraud - 沙器 - earthenware - 事記 - historical record

Without hanja: Confusing! With hanja: Crystal clear!

Modern Usage¶

New words still formed with hanja: - 스마트폰 (smartphone) - 휴대폰 (携帶phone) - 컴퓨터 (computer) - 전자계산기 (電子計算機) - Hybrid: 인터넷 (internet) + 서점 (書店) = 인터넷 서점

Practice¶

Decode These Words¶

남북 (南北)
출발 (出發)
한국어 (韓國語)
외국인 (外國人)
동서남북 (東西南北)

Answers: 1. South + North = North-South 2. Exit + Depart = Departure 3. Korea + Country + Language = Korean language 4. Outside + Country + Person = Foreigner 5. East + West + South + North = All directions

Study Strategy¶

Learn common characters first (100-300)
Group words by shared character
Notice patterns in formation
Deduce new word meanings
Verify with dictionary

Hanja knowledge = vocabulary multiplication!