TL;DR
- Korean contractions are shortened forms of common words that native speakers use constantly in casual speech 🗣️
- They're formed by dropping sounds or merging syllables (like "거야 → 거" or "나는 → 난") to make speaking faster and more natural ⚡
- Learning these will instantly make you sound more native-like and help you understand real conversations! 🎯
What Are Korean Contractions? 🤔
Just like English speakers say "don't" instead of "do not" or "gonna" instead of "going to," Korean speakers love to shorten their words too! 💨
These contractions make speech flow more naturally and sound way less stiff 🎵
The Most Common Contractions 📝
Here are the contractions you'll hear ALL the time:
게 ← 거야/거예요
Shortened from "것이야/것이에요" (it is) 💜
→ 재미있게! (It's fun!)
→ 좋게. (It's good.)
걸 ← 거를/것을
Shortened from "것을" (object form of "thing") 📦
→ 나도 그걸 봤어. (I saw that too.)
→ 이걸 먹을까? (Should I eat this?)
건 ← 거는/것은
Shortened from "것은" (topic/contrast marker) ✨
→ 중요한 건 사랑이야. (What's important is love.)
→ 내가 좋아하는 건 커피야. (What I like is coffee.)
난 ← 나는
"I" with the topic marker 🙋
→ 난 괜찮아. (I'm okay.)
→ 난 학생이야. (I'm a student.)
넌 ← 너는
"You" with the topic marker 👉
→ 넌 어때? (How about you?)
→ 넌 정말 착해. (You're really kind.)
우린 ← 우리는
"We" with the topic marker 👥
→ 우린 친구야. (We're friends.)
→ 우린 내일 만나. (We're meeting tomorrow.)
전 ← 저는
"I" (polite) with the topic marker 🎩
→ 전 괜찮아요. (I'm fine.)
→ 전 학생이에요. (I'm a student.)
날 ← 나를
"Me" (object form) 💫
→ 날 도와줘. (Help me.)
→ 날 믿어? (Do you trust me?)
널 ← 너를
"You" (object form) 💝
→ 널 사랑해. (I love you.)
→ 널 기다렸어. (I waited for you.)
뭐 ← 무엇
"What" in casual speech 🤷
→ 뭐 해? (What are you doing?)
→ 뭐가 좋아? (What do you like?)
뭘 ← 무엇을
"What" (object form) 🎯
→ 뭘 먹을까? (What should we eat?)
→ 뭘 찾아? (What are you looking for?)
니 ← 네 (너의)
"Your" in casual speech 🫵
→ 니 이름이 뭐야? (What's your name?)
→ 니 책 맞아? (Is this your book?)
When to Use These 🕐
These contractions are super common in casual, spoken Korean 🗨️
You'll hear them constantly in:
- Daily conversations with friends 👯
- K-dramas and variety shows 📺
- Text messages and social media 📱
- Any informal situation 🎉
They sound awkward in formal writing or speeches though! 👔
Why Learn These? 🌟
Native speakers use contractions without even thinking about it! 🧠
If you only learn the full forms, you'll sound robotic and overly formal 🤖
Plus, understanding these will INSTANTLY boost your listening comprehension! 👂✨
Exceptions & Notes ⚠️
게 can be confusing!
The contraction "게" (from 거야) looks identical to the adverb ending -게 (meaning "in a ~ way") 😵
→ 빨리 가게. (Go quickly.) ← This is the adverb -게
→ 재미있게! (It's fun!) ← This is the contraction of 거야
Context is your friend here! 🤝
Some contractions are dialect-specific
"니" (너의) is especially common in Busan/Gyeongsang dialect 🏖️
In Seoul, you might hear "네" more often (even though it's technically "your" in formal speech) 🏙️
Double contractions exist!
Sometimes Koreans contract already-contracted words! 🤯
→ 뭐야 → 뭐 → 머 (super casual "what")
→ 그렇지 → 그치 (right?/isn't it?)
These are advanced, so don't worry about them yet! 😊
Quick Tips 💡
Start using these in your speaking practice TODAY! 🎤
Even if it feels weird at first, forcing yourself to use contractions will make you sound SO much more natural 🌈
Listen for them in Korean content 🎧
Once you know these exist, you'll start hearing them EVERYWHERE! 👀
Don't overthink it 🧘
Native speakers don't consciously think "Oh, I should contract this now" — they just do it naturally! With practice, you will too! 💪✨
Try the following exercise.
Fill in the blanks using the appropriate abbreviated form (게, 걸, 건, 난, 넌, 우린, etc.). 🔤
- 이 영화 재미있을 ___ 같아요.
Answer
것
- ___ 어제 한국어를 공부했어요.
Answer
나는
- ___ 정말 친절한 사람이야.
Answer
너는
- 내일 비가 올 ___ 아니에요?
Answer
것
- ___ 같이 저녁을 먹을까요?
Answer
우리는
- 그 사람이 올 ___ 확실해요.
Answer
것이
- ___ 커피보다 차를 더 좋아해.
Answer
나는
- 이___ 네 가방이야?
Answer
것이
- ___ 주말에 뭐 할 거야?
Answer
너는
- ___ 다음 주에 여행을 갈 거예요.
Answer
우리는
Vocabulary
영화 - movie
재미있다 - to be fun/interesting
같다 - to seem
어제 - yesterday
공부하다 - to study
정말 - really
친절하다 - to be kind
사람 - person
내일 - tomorrow
비 - rain
오다 - to come
같이 - together
저녁 - dinner
먹다 - to eat
확실하다 - to be certain
커피 - coffee
차 - tea
좋아하다 - to like
가방 - bag
주말 - weekend
여행 - trip/travel
Common mistakes
- ⚠️ Don't forget that 것 can be abbreviated to 게, 걸, or 건 depending on the following particle (이, 을, 은).
- 🚫 Remember that 나는 becomes 난 and 너는 becomes 넌 - don't mix up the subjects!
- 💡 우리는 shortens to 우린, not 울 or 우리 - keep the full stem before adding -ㄴ.
- ✏️ These abbreviations are used in casual speech and writing - avoid them in formal situations.