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Korean · TOPIK Band 1 · Chapter 32

우리 집은 어때요? What is your home like?

Uri jibeun eottaeyo?

Introducing and describing your home and rooms. Vocabulary: 방, 부엌, 거실, 침대, 창문, 문, 넓다, 좁다, 깨끗하다, 조용하다, 없다. Key grammar: to place an adjective before a noun (to modify it), add "-(으)ㄴ" to the stem — 크다 → 큰 방 (big room), 작다 → 작은 집 (small house), 넓다 → 넓은 거실 (spacious living room), 깨끗하다 → 깨끗한 부엌 (clean kitchen). This differs from ch26's predicate form "방이 커요" (the room is big): "큰 방" (a big room). Use 있다/없다 for existence: "큰 창문이 있어요" (there is a big window), "방에 침대가 없어요" (there is no bed in the room). English speakers, like "big room", put the dictionary or "-어요" form directly before the noun: "넓다 방" ✗ → "넓은 방" ✓. Hangul corner: -(으)ㄴ liaison — 작은 [자근], 넓은 [널븐], 없어요 [업써요]. Culture 4: the Korean home (apartments, ondol floor heating, taking off shoes).

Dialogue

넓다 방 / 넓은 방

Jieun 마이클 씨, 새 집은 어때요? Michael, what is your new home like?
Michael 넓다 방이 있어요. 그리고 창문도 커요. It has a spacious room. And the window is big too. (slip: to modify a noun use "-(으)ㄴ", not the dictionary form — "넓은 방")
Jieun 명사 앞에서는 "넓은 방"이에요. "넓다"는 문장 끝에 써요. Before a noun it is "넓은 방". "넓다" goes at the end of the sentence.
Michael 아, 넓은 방이 있어요. 그리고 깨끗한 부엌도 있어요. Ah, there is a spacious room. And there is a clean kitchen too.
Jieun 완벽해요! 큰, 작은, 넓은, 깨끗한 — 다 명사 앞에 와요. Perfect! 큰, 작은, 넓은, 깨끗한 — they all come before the noun.
Michael 이제 확실히 알겠어요! Now I really get it!

Dialogue

지은 씨의 집 — Jieun's home

Michael 지은 씨 집에는 방이 몇 개 있어요? How many rooms are there in your home, Jieun?
Jieun 방이 두 개 있어요. 그리고 넓은 거실도 있어요. There are two rooms. And there is a spacious living room too.
Michael 부엌은 어때요? What is the kitchen like?
Jieun 조금 좁아요. 하지만 깨끗하고 조용해요. It is a bit cramped. But it is clean and quiet.
Michael 좋네요! 조용한 집이 최고예요. Nice! A quiet home is the best.
Jieun 다음에 우리 집에 놀러 오세요! Come visit my place next time!

Vocabulary

汉字	Pinyin	POS	Meaning
방	bang	n.	room
부엌	bueok	n.	kitchen
거실	geosil	n.	living room
침대	chimdae	n.	bed
창문	changmun	n.	window
문	mun	n.	door
넓다	neopda	adj.	to be spacious, wide (→ 넓어요)
좁다	jopda	adj.	to be narrow, cramped (→ 좁아요)
깨끗하다	kkaekkeuthada	adj.	to be clean (→ 깨끗해요)
조용하다	joyonghada	adj.	to be quiet (→ 조용해요)
없다	eopda	v.	to not exist, there isn't (→ 없어요)

Grammar

명사 꾸미기: 형용사 + "-(으)ㄴ" Modifying a noun: adjective + "-(으)ㄴ"

ch26에서는 형용사를 문장 끝에 서술어로 썼어요: "방이 넓어요"(그 방은 넓다). 형용사를 명사 앞에 놓아서 꾸미려면 어간에 "-(으)ㄴ"을 붙여요. 받침이 없으면 "-ㄴ", 있으면 "-은": 크다 → 큰, 작다 → 작은, 넓다 → 넓은, 좁다 → 좁은. "-하다" 형용사는 "-한"이 돼요: 깨끗하다 → 깨끗한, 조용하다 → 조용한. 그래서 "큰 방", "작은 집", "넓은 거실", "깨끗한 부엌"처럼 써요. 존재는 있다/없다로 말해요: "큰 창문이 있어요", "방에 침대가 없어요". 영어권 학습자는 영어 "big room"처럼 사전형(크다)이나 "-어요" 형(넓어요)을 그대로 명사 앞에 놓아요: "넓다 방" ✗ → "넓은 방" ✓. 명사를 꾸밀 때는 반드시 "-(으)ㄴ" 형을 쓰세요.

In ch26 you used adjectives as predicates at the end of the sentence: "방이 넓어요" (that room is spacious). To put an adjective before a noun to modify it, add "-(으)ㄴ" to the stem. No final consonant → "-ㄴ", a final consonant → "-은": 크다 → 큰, 작다 → 작은, 넓다 → 넓은, 좁다 → 좁은. "-하다" adjectives become "-한": 깨끗하다 → 깨끗한, 조용하다 → 조용한. So you write "큰 방" (big room), "작은 집" (small house), "넓은 거실" (spacious living room), "깨끗한 부엌" (clean kitchen). State existence with 있다/없다: "큰 창문이 있어요" (there is a big window), "방에 침대가 없어요" (there is no bed in the room). English speakers, like "big room", put the dictionary form (크다) or the "-어요" form (넓어요) directly before the noun: "넓다 방" ✗ → "넓은 방" ✓. To modify a noun, always use the "-(으)ㄴ" form.

우리 집에 큰 방이 있어요. Uri jibe keun bangi isseoyo. There is a big room in my home.
넓은 거실을 좋아해요. Neolbeun geosireul joahaeyo. I like a spacious living room.
부엌은 작아요. 그리고 깨끗한 창문이 있어요. Bueokeun jagayo. Geurigo kkaekkeuthan changmuni isseoyo. The kitchen is small. And there is a clean window.
제 방에 침대가 없어요. Je bange chimdaega eopseoyo. There is no bed in my room.

Culture

한국의 집 The Korean home

The question "what is your home like?" holds a lot of Korean life. Most people live in apartments, in winter they sit on a warm floor, and they take off their shoes at the entrance. These three things — apartments, ondol, taking off shoes — show you what a Korean home is like.

The apartment republic

Korean cities have a huge number of high-rise apartments. Most families live in an apartment rather than a detached house with a garden. Several blocks with the same name form a "danji" (complex), and inside there are playgrounds, shops and parking. When looking for a home, you choose between "jeonse" (living with no monthly rent by leaving a large deposit) and "wolse" (paying month by month). Apartments are popular because they are convenient and safe, and which neighbourhood you live in can be a big topic.

Ondol: the warm floor

A big feature of the Korean home is "ondol", floor heating. Long ago the heat of a furnace warmed the floor of the room; today warm water runs under the floor and heats the whole room. That is why Koreans prefer the floor to chairs. People sit on the floor to eat, and at night they may spread a thin mat and blanket and sleep on the warm floor. Even walking into a cold room in winter, the floor is warm, so you press your hands and feet to it to thaw out. Ondol is the wisdom of surviving the Korean winter.

Taking off your shoes

When you enter a Korean home you always take off your shoes. When you open the door there is a "hyeon-gwan" (entryway) a little lower than the floor; here you remove your shoes and step up onto the wooden floor. Walking into a room with your shoes on is very rude. Because the floor is warm and people sit and lie on it, keeping the floor clean matters. Guests take off their shoes too, and at home you go barefoot or in socks, or wear indoor slippers. When you visit someone's home, be sure to remember this custom.

In short: Korean homes gather in apartments (community), live on a warm floor (ondol), and take off shoes at the door (cleanliness and manners). Next time a Korean friend says "come visit my place", be ready to take off your shoes and sit on the warm floor.

hangul

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