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Korean TOPIK II — Core Vocabulary, Part 16 flashcards

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Part 16 of the TOPIK II core words in frequency order: society and the law, daily life and the home, feelings, culture and customs, places, time, and key adverbs and spoken interjections. Each word has an original polite sentence on the front (written style for mostly written words).

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Learn deck · part of TOPIK II (Korean) · written against: About 1,400 frequent TOPIK II words of the TOPIK public vocabulary list (2015), chosen by the National Institute of Korean Language's frequency ranks, with grammar patterns and in-context cloze; spelling and spacing per the Standard Korean Dictionary. Updated 2026-10-10.

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  1. 반발 (banbal) (n.)
    정부의 갑작스러운 세금 인상은 국민들의 거센 반발을 샀다.
    backlash, opposition, resistance

    The government's sudden tax increase provoked fierce opposition from the public.

    Note: Mostly written, in news, so the sentence is in written style. 반발을 사다 is to provoke a backlash; 반발하다, to push back.
    Society & Media
  2. 두뇌 (dunoe) (n.)
    바둑은 아이들의 두뇌 발달에 좋은 놀이예요.
    brain; brains, intellect

    Baduk is a good game for children's brain development.

    Note: More formal than 뇌, and also means a clever mind: 뛰어난 두뇌.
    Education & Study
  3. 뺨 (ppyam) (n.)
    찬 바람을 오래 맞았더니 뺨이 빨갛게 얼었어요.
    cheek

    I was out in the cold wind for a long time, and my cheeks went red and numb.

    Note: 볼 means the same and is more everyday; 뺨을 때리다 is to slap someone's face.
    Health
  4. 억울하다 (eogulhada) (adj.)
    제가 안 했는데 혼나서 너무 억울했어요.
    to feel wronged, unfairly treated

    I got scolded for something I didn't do, so I felt really wronged.

    Note: No single English word: the feeling of being blamed or hurt unjustly.
    Feelings & Relationships
  5. 배다 (baeda) (v.)
    생선 냄새가 손에 배어서 비누로 여러 번 씻었어요.
    to soak in, permeate (a smell, sweat)

    The fish smell soaked into my hands, so I washed them with soap several times.

    Watch out: Not 베다 (to cut: 손을 베다), which sounds almost the same.
    Daily Life & Money
  6. 이윽고 (ieukgo) (adv.)
    기차는 긴 터널을 지나 이윽고 바다가 보이는 마을에 도착했다.
    at length, before long

    The train passed through a long tunnel and at length arrived at a village overlooking the sea.

    Note: Mostly written, in stories, so the sentence is in written style; in speech, 곧 or 얼마 후.
    Adverbs & Function Words
  7. 가장 (gajang) (n.)
    요즘은 아내가 가장인 집도 많아요.
    head of the household, breadwinner

    These days there are many households where the wife is the breadwinner.

    Homograph: 가장 (most: 가장 좋아요) is a different word.
    People & Roles
  8. 한가운데 (hangaunde) (n.)
    거실 한가운데에 큰 탁자를 놓았어요.
    the very middle, dead center

    We put a large table in the exact middle of our living room.

    Note: 한- here means "the very": 한밤중 (the middle of the night).
    Places & Travel
  9. 전날 (jeonnal) (n.)
    이사 전날에 짐을 다 싸 놓았어요.
    the day before (an event)

    I had everything packed the day before the move.

    Watch out: Counted from an event; plain "yesterday" is 어제. The day after is 다음 날.
    Time & Change
  10. 멋지다 (meotjida) (adj.)
    호텔 방 창문으로 보이는 도시의 야경이 멋졌어요.
    wonderful, gorgeous, great (to look at)

    The city's night view from our hotel room window was gorgeous.

    Note: Close to 멋있다; both praise views, clothes and people.
    Actions & Qualities

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More TOPIK II (Korean) decks

Grammar PatternsCore Vocabulary, Part 1Core Vocabulary, Part 2Core Vocabulary, Part 3Core Vocabulary, Part 4Core Vocabulary, Part 5Core Vocabulary, Part 6Core Vocabulary, Part 7Core Vocabulary, Part 8Core Vocabulary, Part 9In Context, Part 1Core Vocabulary, Part 10Core Vocabulary, Part 11Core Vocabulary, Part 12Core Vocabulary, Part 13Core Vocabulary, Part 14Core Vocabulary, Part 15Core Vocabulary, Part 17In Context, Part 2Practice Questions

← All TOPIK II (Korean) decks, with the study guide and topic outline.

About these cards

Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.

Checked against:

  • Word selection follows the TOPIK public vocabulary list (2015, 토픽 어휘 목록 공개 목록) for TOPIK II (중급), ordered by the National Institute of Korean Language's learner word list (2003, KOGL Type 1); both via julienshim/combined_korean_vocabulary_list. Spelling, spacing and meanings checked against the Standard Korean Dictionary (표준국어대사전); romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean (2000). Reference only; all glosses and example sentences are original.

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