Written and Spoken
Korean Grammar 4
Course 4 · Chapter 1 · Written and Spoken Korean
✍️ Written and Spoken Korean — 문어와 구어
Korean Grammar 3 finished the core grammar. Korean Grammar 4 is about using Korean as it really appears: in writing, in the news, in titles and address, in idiom and in everyday slang. The first step is the biggest: written Korean sounds different from spoken Korean. A learner who writes an essay in 해요체 sounds as odd as an English writer who puts "gonna" and "y'know" into a report. This chapter shows the plain written style (-ㄴ/는다), compares it with the spoken levels you already know, and teaches you to read the endings of any text.
One sentence in four styles
| Meaning | 해요체 (spoken polite) | 합쇼체 (formal polite) | 해체 (casual) | Plain written (해라체) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I go to school. | 학교에 가요. | 학교에 갑니다. | 학교에 가. | 학교에 간다. |
| I ate. | 먹었어요. | 먹었습니다. | 먹었어. | 먹었다. |
| It is good. | 좋아요. | 좋습니다. | 좋아. | 좋다. |
| He is a student. | 학생이에요. | 학생입니다. | 학생이야. | 학생이다. |
| I will go. | 갈 거예요. | 갈 겁니다. | 갈 거야. | 갈 것이다. |
| I do not go. | 안 가요. | 가지 않습니다. | 안 가. | 가지 않는다. |
Forming the plain written style
Present tense
| Word type | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| verb, vowel stem | stem + -ㄴ다 | 가다 → 간다, 하다 → 한다, 마시다 → 마신다 |
| verb, consonant stem | stem + -는다 | 먹다 → 먹는다, 읽다 → 읽는다 |
| verb, ㄹ stem | drop ㄹ + -ㄴ다 | 살다 → 산다, 만들다 → 만든다 |
| adjective | stem + -다 (the dictionary form) | 좋다, 크다, 예쁘다 |
| 있다, 없다 (and 맛있다, 멋있다) | stay -다 | 있다, 없다, 맛있다 |
| 이다 / 아니다 | noun + (이)다 | 학생이다, 학생이 아니다 |
Past, future and negative
| Form | Plain written | Example |
|---|---|---|
| past | -았/었다 | 어제 영화를 보았다. (or 봤다) |
| future, conjecture | -(으)ㄹ 것이다 | 내일은 비가 올 것이다. |
| negative | -지 않는다 / -지 않다 / 안 / 못 | 그는 오지 않았다. |
| honorific | -(으)시- stays | 선생님께서 말씀하셨다. |
| suggestion | -자 | 함께 가자. |
| command (signs, rules) | -(으)라 / -지 마라 | 조용히 하라. |
Questions in written Korean
Direct questions are rare in plain writing, but when a writer asks one (often rhetorically, or in a title), the endings are different from speech:
| Type | Plain written | Example |
|---|---|---|
| verb | -는가? | 왜 사람들은 떠나는가? Why do people leave? |
| adjective | -(으)ㄴ가? | 과연 이것이 옳은가? Is this really right? |
| wondering, "could it be…?" | -(으)ㄹ까? | 정말 가능할까? Is it really possible? |
Words that change in writing
Besides the endings, writers choose different words. Spoken short forms and fillers are replaced by fuller ones.
| Spoken | Written | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 이거 / 그거 / 저거 | 이것 / 그것 / 저것 | this / that |
| 뭐 | 무엇 | what |
| 얘기 | 이야기 | story, talk |
| 근데 | 그런데 | by the way, but |
| 진짜 / 되게 / 엄청 | 정말 / 매우 / 아주 | really, very |
| 나 / 저는 | 나는, 필자는 (essay) | I |
Writers also keep the particles that speech drops (밥 먹었어? is fine in speech, but writing says 밥을 먹었다), and they avoid sentence-final fillers and exclamations.
Where each style appears
| Situation | Usual style |
|---|---|
| diary, essay, article, textbook, thesis | plain written (-ㄴ/는다) |
| formal letter, speech text, notice, official email, presentation | formal polite (-ㅂ니다 / -습니다) |
| blog, message to a friendly reader, social media | spoken polite (-아/어요) or casual |
| subtitles, text messages | follow the speech of the speaker |
| news report | plain written, with headline style (Chapter 3) |
Reading the endings of a text
To know quickly what kind of text you have, look at the ends of the sentences:
- -ㄴ다 / -는다 / -다: plain written (article, essay, diary, narration).
- -ㅂ니다 / -습니다: formal polite (notice, speech, official document).
- -아요 / -어요: friendly spoken (blog, chat, informal explanation).
- -아 / -어: casual speech (to a friend, in dialogue).
In a novel, narration is in plain written style while the dialogue inside quotation marks follows the speakers' own levels. That switch is the clearest example of the two sides in one text.
🗣️ In Use — 실제 예문
The same day in three registers.
① A diary entry (plain written)
② A formal email (합쇼체)
③ A blog post (해요체)
📋 Quick Reference — 요약표
| Item | Plain written | Spoken polite |
|---|---|---|
| verb present | -ㄴ다 / -는다 | -아요 / -어요 |
| adjective present | -다 | -아요 / -어요 |
| 이다 | (이)다 | 예요 / 이에요 |
| past | -았/었다 | -았/었어요 |
| future | -(으)ㄹ 것이다 | -(으)ㄹ 거예요 |
| negative | -지 않는다 / -지 않다 | 안 -아요 / -지 않아요 |
| question | -는가? / -(으)ㄴ가? / -(으)ㄹ까? | -아요? / -어요? |
| demonstratives | 이것 / 그것 / 저것 | 이거 / 그거 / 저거 |
✏️ Try It Yourself — 연습
Work out the answer first, then click to check.
1. Put 먹어요, 가요, 좋아요, 학생이에요 into the plain written style.
Show answer
먹는다 · 간다 · 좋다 · 학생이다
2. Put 살아요 (live) and 만들어요 (make) into the plain written style.
Show answer
산다 · 만든다 (ㄹ stems drop the ㄹ before -ㄴ다).
3. Put the past 갔어요 and the future 갈 거예요 into plain written style.
Show answer
갔다 · 갈 것이다
4. Why is 날씨가 좋는다 wrong?
Show answer
좋다 is an adjective, so it keeps the plain -다: 날씨가 좋다.
5. Rewrite for an essay: 저는 이거 되게 좋아요.
Show answer
나는 이것이 매우 좋다. (or 필자는 이것이 매우 마음에 든다)
6. Write the plain written question "Why do people leave?" with a verb.
Show answer
왜 사람들은 떠나는가?
7. Which style is each: 보내 드립니다, 보냈다, 보냈어요?
Show answer
formal polite (합쇼체) · plain written (해라체) · spoken polite (해요체)
8. Is it rude to write a diary in -ㄴ다? Explain.
Show answer
No. The plain style is neutral in writing because the writer is not addressing a listener.
9. A novel has narration and quoted speech. Which parts use plain written style?
Show answer
The narration; the quoted dialogue follows each speaker's own level.