20 Romantic Phrases In Korean
Indulge in romance with these romantic phrases
Romance is the essence of life. Being romantic yet single gives me a lot of time to watch dramas and fulfil my fantasy. We all enjoy a great love story presented to us in K-dramas or any other dramas. We enjoy rooting for our beloved second lead couple more than the main lead couple. There is something that holds our attention to their relationship that progresses as the story moves ahead. We immerse ourselves into the blooming romance amongst the characters. A good storyline with a great or even a simple plot and relatable characters can make us fall for them. You may pick up some commonly used terms from K-dramas to use with your beloved or just practice them as an addition to your Korean vocabulary. After all, it is important to learn the new vocabulary of a language.
If you and your partner both are into K-dramas and like to enact the scenes it could be fun to be familiar with some of these romantic terms. If you are single just learn these and use them for yourself after all we believe in self-love and expressing it can be amusing.
Let’s acquire some of the commonly heard phrases:
1.I love you (사랑해요): ‘Saranghaeyo’ means I love you most of us know this expression and we use it in our comments on social media to our favourite idols, amongst friends and other celebrities too. The reply for it can be ‘나도 사랑해’ nado saranghae which basically means ‘I love you too’. ‘사랑해요’ saranghaeyo is used for polite expression whereas ‘사랑해’ saranghae is more of an informal expression. ‘사랑합니다’ saranghamnida is the most formal way for expressing your love. Since we know that Koreans use honorifics and communication with people differ based on age, social hierarchy, designation, and more. The different ways of communication can also be seen amongst the couple. If the guy is older, he is referred to as Oppa and when the girl is older, she is referred to as Noona. If they are around the same age the couple might refer to each other with their first name. Yes, dating rules are hard to understand sometimes.
2. I miss you (보고 싶어): We can hear this phrase commonly in dramas especially when the couple is away from each other and it is also used in song a lot so I think that most of us are fairly familiar with it. So next time you miss your partner just text them ‘bogo sipeo’. Again keep in mind that it is a casual way of saying I miss you only use it when you are close with the person to whom you sent it.
3. I want to be with you (나는 당신과 함께 있고 싶어): Naneun dangsingwa hamkke issgo sip eo, it is such a lovely phrase as it helps us state that feeling of being with our partner easier and also how much we would like to be with our partner for longer or even forever.
4. You are my everything(당신은 나의 전부입니다): Dangsin-eun naui jeonbu-ibnida, I really like this because of Gummy she has a song with the same title in the show called Descendants of the sons. I am addicted to this term and of course the song too.
5. Will you be my boyfriend/girlfriend(내 남자친구/여자친구가 되어줄래?): Nae namjachingu/yeojachinguga doeeojullae? If you are interested in someone and you have the courage to ask someone out then this phrase will come in handy. But make sure that you know them a bit and they are a little comfortable with you being too direct can jeopardize your relationship.
6. I think of you more than a friend (나는 너를 친구 이상으로 생각해): Naneun neoreul chingu isangeuro saenggakhae means “I think of you more than a friend”. When the bond gets stronger and you want to express your feelings go with this term and let them know that it is more than friendship.
7. I want to see you (만나고 싶어): Mannago sipeo can be helpful when you want to meet your partner and see them in person. Mannago simply means to meet.
8. I want to spend more time with you (랑 더 오래 같이 있고 싶어): Neorang deo orae gachi itgo sipeo means I would like to spend more time with you. When you are on a date and don’t want your partner to leave use it and let them know that you want to spend more time with them.
9. I’ve got a crush on you (나는 너에게 반했어): Naneun neoege banhaeseo is basically used to express the initial feelings of a crush on the person. If you’ve got a crush on someone go for it and say it.
10. I like you (좋아합니다): Joa hap ni da is a formal expression. I like you can also be said as ‘난 너를 좋아해’ nan neoleul joa hae. ‘좋아해’ joahae means like it is simple, easy and also gets the message across. If you are feeling extra lovey-dovey you can say I like you a lot ‘많이 좋아해’ mani joahae.
11. Can you be mine? (내 것이되어 줄 수 있나요?): Nae geos-idoeeo Jul su issnayo? When things are a little serious and there is some sort of confirmation and you want to be exclusive say it with this term.
12. It was love at first sight (첫 눈에 반한 것이었다): Cheos nun e banhan geos ieossda it can be used if you had had a meet-cute and it was love at first sight. I fell in love at first sight ‘첫눈에 반했어요’ cheosnun e banhaess eoyo if you were the one who fell for your partner first then use this one.
13. Shall we get dinner sometime? (우리 언젠가 저녁 먹을까?): uri eonjenga jeonyeog meog-eulkka? Here I am not referring to the famous ramyeon line but a genuine invitation to dinner. ‘언제 우리 같이 저녁 먹을까요?’ eonje uri gachi jeonyeok meogeulkkayo? means When will we have dinner together? if you are a busy couple with few hours to spend out it can be useful.
14. Are you single? (미혼이에요?): Mihon ieyo if you are curious about the persons' relationship status you can ask it directly using this phrase or you say single ie yaeyo? The reply can be ‘저는 싱글이에요’ chonun singuel ie yaeyo meaning I am single. ‘여자/남자친구가 있어요?’ yeoja/namja chingu ga isseoyo meaning do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? you can use it to ask the relationship status of the person you are interested in.
15. I keep thinking about you (나는 너를 계속 생각해): Naneun neoleul gyesog saeng gaghae can be used when you cannot stop thinking about your partner or use it express your feelings to your partner.
16. You are the love of my life (너는 내 삶의 사랑이야): Neoneun nae saram ui sarang iya can be used when the relationship makes a serious turn or you are proposing to your partner.
17. You make me happy (넌 날 행복하게 해): Neon nal haengboghage hae is helpful to cherish those delightful moments with your partner. Expressing with simple terms is easy and beautiful to let your partner know about your feelings towards them.
18. I want to spend the rest of my life with you (내 남은 인생을 너와 보내고 싶어): Nae nam eun insaeng eul neowa bonaego sipeo it is perfect for the marriage proposal or just stating the fact that you love your partner so much that you want to spend the rest of your life with them.
19. You are my first love (당신은 제 첫사랑이에요): dangsin eun je cheos sarang ieyo if you have that special someone who is apparently your first love go with this phrase to let them know that they are your first love.
20. I think I am in love with you (나는 당신과 사랑에 빠진 것 같아요): Naneun dangsingwa sarang e ppajin geos gat ayo expressing love can be difficult it may lead to a problematic mental and emotional state but you can solve that state by expressing your feelings with this statement.
Bonus words to use with your partner ‘Jagi’ means ‘Darling’, ‘Jagiya’ means ‘Sweetheart’ or ‘Baby’ as ‘jagiya’ means baby literally in Korean, ‘Yeobo’ means ‘Honey’ generally used by a married couple.
Phrases to use when you want to express yourself:
You are pretty, you look handsome, you are awesome, you are charming use this chart to learn some of these phrases.
Words and phrases for the sad or mad days with your partner: Leave me alone ‘날 내버려 둬’ nal naebeolyeo dwo, I don't want to see you ‘나는 당신을보고 싶지 않아’ naneun dangsin eulbogo sipji anh a, leave right now ‘지금 당장 떠나’ jigeum dangjang tteona, let's break up ‘헤어지자’ heeojija.
This was fun to write since romance is everywhere even when most of us are single learning these phrases might help us get romance ready in Korean. Hope you learned something and enjoyed reading it. Keep learning and make it enjoyable.
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