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TOPIK 165 topics
≈ CEFR A1- · Polite Informal Present 해요체 (-아/어요)
- · Formal Polite Present 합쇼체 (-(스)ㅂ니다 / -(스)ㅂ니까)
- · Past Tense (-았/었어요 / -았/었습니다)
- · Future / Probability (-(으)ㄹ 거예요 / -(으)ㄹ 겁니다)
TOPIK 260 topics
≈ CEFR A2- · Past Tense with Irregular Stems (ㅂ, ㄷ, ㅅ, 르, 으, ㄹ-drop)
- · -는 중이다 — In the Middle of Doing
- · Future / Speaker Intention -(으)ㄹ게요
- · -(으)ㄹ까요? — Shall We? / I Wonder
TOPIK 360 topics
≈ CEFR B1- · Passive suffixes -이-/-히-/-리-/-기- (보이다, 닫히다, 들리다, 안기다)
- · Passive -아/어지다 (productive passive with action verbs)
- · Passive 되다 (with Sino-Korean noun stems)
- · Causative suffixes -이-/-히-/-리-/-기-/-우-/-추- (먹이다, 입히다, 살리다)
TOPIK 460 topics
≈ CEFR B2- · -(으)ㅁ (formal nominalization; contrast with -기)
- · -는 것이다 / -(으)ㄴ 것이다 (emphatic assertion / reformulation)
- · Full quotative paradigm — tense shifts, embedding, layered indirect speech
- · -(으)려고 하다 vs -(으)ㄹ까 하다 (different shades of intention)
TOPIK 530 topics
≈ CEFR C1- · -(으)ㄹ 테니(까) (probably / surely / I'll so you ~)
- · -(으)ㄹ 리(가) 없다 / 있다 (there is no way / could be)
- · -(으)ㄴ가 보다 / -나 보다 (advanced inference / hedged conclusion)
- · -(으)ㄹ지(도) 모르다 (possibly / it might be that — supposition spectrum)
TOPIK 625 topics
≈ CEFR C1- · Classical Korean Forms — Recognition (-노라, -니라, -도다, -로다)
- · Literary -여 / -여라 / -여서 (Irregular 하- in Elevated Style)
- · Mixed Evidentials in Long Discourse (-라고 한다더니, -라고들 한다)
- · -노라(고) — Saying To / On the Pretext of (Literary)
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TOPIK 1≈ A1
Open level →- Polite Informal Present 해요체 (-아/어요)
- Formal Polite Present 합쇼체 (-(스)ㅂ니다 / -(스)ㅂ니까)
- Past Tense (-았/었어요 / -았/었습니다)
- Future / Probability (-(으)ㄹ 거예요 / -(으)ㄹ 겁니다)
- Copula 이다 / 아니다 (-이에요/예요, 아니에요)
- 있다 / 없다 — Existence and Possession
- Short-Form Negation: 안 + verb
- Long-Form Negation: -지 않다
- Inability Negation: 못 + verb / -지 못하다
- Negative Imperative -지 마세요 / -지 말다
- Basic Irregular Stems (ㅂ, ㄷ — 춥다/덥다, 듣다)
- Want to Do (-고 싶다 / -고 싶어하다)
- Try Doing (-아/어 보다)
- Present Progressive (-고 있다)
- Resultative State (-아/어 있다)
- Polite Request: -아/어 주세요
- 잘하다 / 못하다 — Be Good / Bad At
- Descriptive Verbs as Sentence Endings
- Modifying a Noun: -(으)ㄴ for adj, -는 for action verbs (present)
- Intensifiers (너무, 아주, 잘, 많이, 조금, 별로)
- Color Descriptive Verbs (빨갛다, 노랗다, 파랗다, 까맣다, 하얗다)
- ㅎ-Irregular Descriptive Verbs (이렇다, 그렇다, 빨갛다 → 빨개요) — Basic
- Topic Particle 은/는
- Subject Particle 이/가
- 은/는 vs 이/가 — Basic Contrast
- Object Particle 을/를
- Genitive 의 — Possessive Marker
- 에 — Static Location, Destination (with motion verbs), and Time Point
- 에서 — Location of Action / Origin
- 에 vs 에서 — Contrast (existence vs action)
- 도 — Also / Too
- 만 — Only
- 와/과, 하고, (이)랑 — With / And (three register variants)
- 부터 / 까지 — From / Until (places, times)
- Basic Personal Pronouns (저/나, 너/당신, 그/그녀, 우리/저희)
- 이것 / 그것 / 저것 / 어느 것 — Thing Demonstratives
- 여기 / 거기 / 저기 / 어디 — Place Demonstratives
- 이 / 그 / 저 + Noun (Demonstrative Determiners)
- 무엇 / 누구 / 어디 / 언제 — Basic Question Words
- 어떻게 / 왜 / 얼마 / 몇 — Manner, Cause, Quantity Question Words
- Basic SOV Word Order
- Subject / Topic Omission in Context
- Yes/No Questions in 해요체 (rising intonation)
- Position of Question Words (in-situ)
- Coordination -고 — And / And Then (sequence)
- Coordination -지만 — But
- -아서 / -어서 — Because / And Then (sequential cause) — Basic
- Hangul: Consonants and Vowels (자음과 모음)
- Hangul Syllable Block Structure (CV / CVC / CVCC)
- Batchim — Final Consonants and Their Seven Pronunciations
- Double Consonants (ㄲ/ㄸ/ㅃ/ㅆ/ㅉ) and Diphthongs
- Korean Spacing Rules (Basic 띄어쓰기)
- Punctuation (Korean conventions: . , ? ! 「」『』)
- 존댓말 vs 반말 — Concept and When to Use
- 해요체 vs 합쇼체 — When to Use Which
- Formulaic Greetings (안녕하세요, 감사합니다, 죄송합니다, 잘 먹겠습니다, 잘 부탁드립니다)
- Native Korean Numbers 1–99 (하나, 둘, 셋…)
- Sino-Korean Numbers 1–99 (일, 이, 삼…)
- Sino-Korean Large Numbers (백, 천, 만, 억)
- Native vs Sino: Which to Use
- Ordinal Numbers (첫째 / 둘째 native; 첫 번째 / 두 번째 with 번째)
- Counters for People (명, 사람, 분 honorific)
- Basic Object Counters (개, 장, 권, 병, 잔, 마리)
- Telling Time (시 native + 분 sino)
- Dates (월, 일) and Days of Week (월요일~일요일)
TOPIK 2≈ A2
Open level →- Past Tense with Irregular Stems (ㅂ, ㄷ, ㅅ, 르, 으, ㄹ-drop)
- -는 중이다 — In the Middle of Doing
- Future / Speaker Intention -(으)ㄹ게요
- -(으)ㄹ까요? — Shall We? / I Wonder
- Suggestion -(으)ㅂ시다 (Let's — formal)
- Casual Proposal/Intent -(으)ㄹ래(요), -자
- Imperative -(으)세요 (polite) / -아/어 (informal) / -아/어라 (해라체)
- 으-Drop Rule (바쁘다 → 바빠요, 예쁘다 → 예뻐요)
- ㄹ-Drop Rule (살다 → 삽니다, 알다 → 아세요)
- 르-Irregular (모르다 → 몰라요, 다르다 → 달라요)
- Ability/Possibility -(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다
- Know How to / Don't Know How to -(으)ㄹ 줄 알다/모르다
- Obligation -아/어야 되다 / -아/어야 하다
- Permission -아/어도 되다
- Prohibition -(으)면 안 되다
- No Need to: -지 않아도 되다 / 안 -아/어도 되다
- Purpose -(으)러 가다/오다 (motion + purpose)
- Become / Get -아/어지다 (with descriptive verbs: 좋아지다, 예뻐지다)
- Past Modifier -(으)ㄴ for action verbs (먹은 사과 = the apple I ate)
- Future / Prospective Modifier -(으)ㄹ (먹을 사과 = apple I will eat)
- Comparison: A는 B보다 더/덜 — More / Less Than
- Superlative: 가장 / 제일
- 이렇다 / 그렇다 / 저렇다 / 어떻다 — Like This / How
- ㅎ-Irregular Verbs (Advanced — past, modifier, connective forms)
- 에게 / 한테 / 께 — To (a person; written/spoken/honorific)
- 에게서 / 한테서 — From (a person)
- (으)로 — By Means of / Toward / In (the role of)
- 에서 ~ 까지 — From ~ To (place pairs, time pairs)
- 에 대해(서) / 에 대한 — About / Concerning
- 처럼 / 같이 — Like / Same as
- 은/는 — Contrastive Topic Use & Topic Shift in Discourse
- 요 — Post-Noun Politeness Particle (저요, 학교에요?)
- Third Person 그 / 그녀 / 그분 / 그들 (mostly written register)
- Indefinite Pronouns (누군가, 무언가/뭔가, 어디(엔)가, 아무도)
- Basic Relative Clauses (Pre-nominal Modification)
- Embedded Questions with -는지 / -(으)ㄴ지
- Nominalisation with -는 것 / -(으)ㄴ 것
- Nominalisation with -기 (-기 좋다, -기 쉽다)
- Conditional -(으)면 — If / When
- Sentence-Initial 그래서 / 그러니까 / 그러면 — So / Therefore / Then
- 그런데 / 근데 — However / By the Way
- 그리고 ('and/furthermore', sentence-initial)
- -는데 / -(으)ㄴ데 (setting/background, mild contrast, in-clause)
- Indirect speech: -ㄴ/는다고, -(이)라고, -자고, -(으)라고, -냐고
- -기 전에 / -(으)ㄴ 후에 / -(으)ㄴ 다음에 (before / after)
- -는 동안(에) ('while/during', simultaneous, two subjects allowed)
- -(으)면서 ('while' — same subject, two simultaneous actions)
- -거나 ('or' between verbs/clauses; 이나 between nouns)
- -지(요)? / -죠? (seeking agreement / confirmation)
- -네(요) (mild realization / mild surprise / observation)
- -군요 / -는군요 / -구나 (reflective realization, 'I see / oh!')
- Honorific verb pairs (드시다, 주무시다, 계시다, 돌아가시다, 말씀하시다)
- 께서 / 께서는 (honorific subject particle)
- -(으)시- (subject-honorific suffix on regular verbs)
- -(으)ㄹ게요 (first-person promise / commitment)
- -았/었으면 좋겠다 ('I wish / I hope', counterfactual or hopeful)
- -(으)ㄴ 적이 있다/없다 ('have / haven't ever done')
- Counter expansion (병/잔/장/마리/대/켤레/그릇/조각)
- Frequency adverbs (자주/가끔/항상/보통/별로/전혀)
- Time vocabulary expansion (요일, 매~, 작년/올해/내년, 평일/주말, 새벽/아침/낮/저녁/밤)
TOPIK 3≈ B1
Open level →- Passive suffixes -이-/-히-/-리-/-기- (보이다, 닫히다, 들리다, 안기다)
- Passive -아/어지다 (productive passive with action verbs)
- Passive 되다 (with Sino-Korean noun stems)
- Causative suffixes -이-/-히-/-리-/-기-/-우-/-추- (먹이다, 입히다, 살리다)
- Causative -게 하다 (productive 'make / let someone do')
- -아/어 놓다 / -아/어 두다 (action done & state maintained)
- -아/어 버리다 (completion / regret / relief)
- -(으)려고 하다 (intend to / be about to)
- -는/(으)ㄴ/(으)ㄹ 것 같다 (seems like / probably — three tense slots)
- -게 되다 (end up / come to / turn out)
- -아/어 보이다 (looks / appears + ADJ)
- Contracted reported speech -대요 / -래요 / -냬요 / -재요
- -기로 하다 (decide to / agree to / promise to)
- -곤 하다 (recurring past habit / used to do)
- -(으)려다(가) (was about to / tried to but stopped)
- -자마자 (as soon as)
- -다(가) (doing X and then switched / interrupted)
- -는 척하다 / -(으)ㄴ 척하다 / -(으)ㄹ 척하다 (pretend to / act like)
- Giving verbs: 주다 / 드리다 (humble) / 주시다 (honorific) + -아/어 주다 benefactive
- 조차 / 마저 / 까지 (even / up to / to the point of)
- (이)라도 (at least / even / something like)
- (이)라면 (if it is / if it were / when it comes to)
- 끼리 (amongst, group-internal: 우리끼리, 친구끼리)
- 마다 (every / each)
- 밖에 + negative (nothing but / only — needs negative predicate)
- (이)라고 (quote marker — calling X / naming X)
- Indirect quotation — all sentence types, tense shifts, embedded layers
- -는지 / -(으)ㄴ지 / -(으)ㄹ지 알다/모르다 (know/wonder whether)
- -(으)ㄴ 지 + duration (time SINCE an event)
- -(으)니까 (because — subjective reason; allows commands/suggestions)
- -는데도 / -(으)ㄴ데도 (even though / despite — situational concession)
- -아/어도 (even if / even though — hypothetical or actual concession)
- -(으)ㄹ수록 (the more ~, the more ~)
- 게다가 / 더구나 / 또한 (in addition / furthermore / on top of that)
- -도록 (in order to / so that / to the extent)
- -(으)ㄹ 텐데 (probably will / should but / expected to but)
- Seven speech levels overview (하소서 / 합쇼 / 해요 / 하오 / 하게 / 해라 / 해)
- Choosing between 하오체 / 하게체 (recognition + limited use)
- Workplace register basics (선배/후배, titles, 보고 expressions)
- Softening strategies (-(으)ㄹ 것 같다, -아/어 보이다, -잖아요, hedging adverbs)
- Age-based address disambiguation (오빠/형/누나/언니/선배 advanced)
- In-group / out-group kinship — 우리 vs 저희 (우리 회사 vs 저희 회사)
- Email / letter openings & closings (basic templates)
- -기 위해(서) / -기 위한 (in order to / for the purpose of)
- -게 (manner adverb / so that — adjective → adverb / verb → result)
- -는지도 모르다 / -(으)ㄹ지도 모르다 (might / possibly)
- -나 보다 / -(으)ㄴ가 보다 (it seems / apparently — based on evidence)
- -(으)ㄹ 수밖에 없다 (have no choice but to / inevitably)
- -에 의하면 / -에 따르면 (according to — citing a source)
- 결국 / 그렇긴 한데 / 어쨌든 (in the end / that said / anyway — discourse markers)
- -든(지) -든(지) / -거나 -거나 (either... or, whichever)
- 바로 / 역시 / 어쨌든 / 사실 (discourse markers: focus / agreement / dismissal / actually)
- Intermediate Sino-Korean word formation (-자, -소, -실, -장, -자 suffixes)
- Idioms with body parts (눈이 높다, 손이 크다, 발이 넓다, 입이 무겁다)
- Basic proverbs (속담) — 10 high-frequency examples
- Basic mimetics (의성어 sound symbolism, 의태어 manner symbolism)
- Advanced Konglish (사이다, 서비스, 매니큐어, 셀카 — pseudo-English)
- Choosing synonyms by register (밥 vs 식사 vs 진지)
- 사이시옷 — the s-insertion in compound nouns (나무+잎 → 나뭇잎)
- Common spelling confusions (되/돼, 안/않, 한대/했대, 왠지/웬일)
TOPIK 4≈ B2
Open level →- -(으)ㅁ (formal nominalization; contrast with -기)
- -는 것이다 / -(으)ㄴ 것이다 (emphatic assertion / reformulation)
- Full quotative paradigm — tense shifts, embedding, layered indirect speech
- -(으)려고 하다 vs -(으)ㄹ까 하다 (different shades of intention)
- -(으)려던 참이다 / -(으)ㄹ 참이다 (just about to / on the verge of)
- -아/어 가다 / -아/어 오다 (continuative direction in time — progression)
- -지(를) 못하다 / -지(를) 않다 (object marking in long negation)
- -(으)ㄹ 줄 몰랐다 (didn't expect / thought otherwise)
- Three purpose constructions compared: -기 위해 vs -(으)러 vs -(으)려고
- -(으)ㄹ 만하다 (worth doing / bearable / decent)
- -(으)ㄹ 정도이다 / -(으)ㄹ 만큼 (to the extent that)
- -다(가) 보면 / -다(가) 보니까 (in the process of ~ing)
- Decision verbs compared (-기로 하다 / -(으)려고 하다 / -(으)ㄹ까 하다 / -(으)ㄹ래)
- -아/어야 하는데 / -아/어야 할 텐데 (should but / hope will)
- -(으)ㄹ 텐데 advanced (background concern, hospitality, complex hedging)
- -(으)ㄹ 걸 (그랬다) (should have / I wish I had)
- 하마터면 ~ -(으)ㄹ 뻔하다 (almost did / nearly happened)
- -아/어다(가) (bring / take and then do)
- -아/어 봤자 (no use even if you do)
- -(으)ㄹ 뿐(이다) (only / merely / the case is just)
- Three-tense modifier review for action vs descriptive verbs (full paradigm)
- -던 (past imperfective modifier — recall, retrospective)
- -았/었던 (past perfect modifier — long ago or completed)
- -(으)ㄴ 채(로) (in the state of / leaving as is)
- Advanced comparison (못지않다, 다름없다, 비교적, 한층 더)
- -(으)ㅁ vs -기 — choosing between nominalizers
- -는 것 / -다는 것 advanced (defining, reported, embedded)
- -는걸(요) / -(으)ㄴ걸(요) (mild justification / soft defense sentence-final)
- -다는 + Noun (reported / defining modifier)
- -더라도 (even if — strong / hypothetical concession)
- -(으)ㄴ들 (even if — literary / rhetorical concession)
- -았/었더라면 (if only I had — past counterfactual)
- -잖아(요) (as you know / don't you remember — pragmatic appeal)
- -다는 점에서 / -다는 점이 (in that / the point that)
- -(으)라 (direct imperative — literary / written / instructional)
- -는데 / -(으)ㄴ데 advanced (discourse setup / floor-yielding / sentence-final hedge)
- -느라(고) (because of doing / while doing — often negative result)
- -아서/어서 vs -(으)니까 — subtle differences in cause (advanced)
- -지 않으면 안 되다 (must — double negative; obligation)
- -(으)ㄹ 뿐(만) 아니라 (not only ~ but also)
- 그러므로 / 따라서 (therefore — formal written)
- -(으)며 (and / while — formal listing & simultaneous)
- -(으)ㄹ지언정 (even at the cost of / rather than)
- -다가는 (if I keep doing — warning of bad outcome)
- -다든가 / -느니 (selection among alternatives — formal)
- -아/어 가지고 (colloquial 'so / and' — spoken Korean linking)
- 그뿐(만) 아니라 / 더욱이 / 한편 (advanced discourse connectors)
- Advanced workplace email (보고드립니다, 검토 부탁드립니다, 회신 주시기 바랍니다)
- Business idioms & set phrases (수고하셨습니다, 자리를 비우다, 시간을 내다)
- Indirect speech strategies for politeness (-(으)ㄹ 수 있을까요, -아/어도 될까요)
- Dialect awareness — Gyeongsang / Jeolla / Jeju (recognition)
- Intermediate proverbs (속담 응용 — 10 high-frequency T4 proverbs)
- Emotion / state idioms (속이 타다, 가슴이 아프다, 기가 막히다)
- Sino-Korean productive suffixes (-적, -성, -화, -감, -자, -계)
- Negative prefixes (불-, 무-, 비-, 미-)
- Liaison (연음) and consonant assimilation (자음 동화)
- Double batchim (겹받침) pronunciation rules
- Loanword orthography rules (외래어 표기법)
- Advanced spacing 띄어쓰기 (auxiliaries, bound nouns, compound nouns)
- Quotation marks 「」『』 and Korean punctuation conventions
TOPIK 5≈ C1
Open level →- -(으)ㄹ 테니(까) (probably / surely / I'll so you ~)
- -(으)ㄹ 리(가) 없다 / 있다 (there is no way / could be)
- -(으)ㄴ가 보다 / -나 보다 (advanced inference / hedged conclusion)
- -(으)ㄹ지(도) 모르다 (possibly / it might be that — supposition spectrum)
- -(으)ㄹ 수밖에 없다 (necessity spectrum — advanced)
- -아/어 마지않다 (cannot help but feel — literary / editorial)
- -아/어 마땅하다 / -(으)ㅁ이 마땅하다 (deserves to be / right to — formal)
- -지 않을 수 없다 / 안 -(으)ㄹ 수가 없다 (cannot help / must — double-negative emphasis)
- -다(가) 못해 / -다 못해 (to the point that / so much so that)
- Advanced relative modifiers / cleft-like structures (것은 ~인 것이다)
- Topic fronting & left dislocation
- Emphatic particles in discourse (이야말로, (이)야, -아야/어야)
- -ㄴ다고 해도 / -다손 치더라도 (even supposing — advanced concession)
- -는 듯하다 / -는 듯이 (as if / it seems — advanced)
- -았/었더라면 -(으)ㄹ 텐데 (counterfactual pairing)
- -(으)나 (but / while — formal contrast / concession)
- Academic writing conventions (-(으)ㅁ-이 보인다, -(으)ㄹ 수 있다, -(으)로 사료된다)
- Journalistic register & press conventions (밝혔다, 전했다, 분석된다)
- Formal business letters (layout, opening, closing — 삼가 알려드립니다)
- Irony, sarcasm, understatement (반어법 / 완곡어법)
- Legal & administrative Korean (당해, 본인, 제 -조, 의거하여)
- Use of passive in formal writing (-된다, -지게 되다)
- -다 style (한다체 / 해라체) — academic / diary / newspaper
- Advanced idioms (관용 표현 응용)
- Advanced proverbs (속담 응용 — 10 high-frequency T5 proverbs)
- Four-character idioms (사자성어 기본: 일석이조, 유비무환, 동고동락)
- Advanced Sino-Korean Compounds
- Advanced Synonyms & Register Selection
- Neologisms & Internet Slang (Recognition)
- Regional Dialects (Advanced Recognition)
TOPIK 6≈ C1
Open level →- Classical Korean Forms — Recognition (-노라, -니라, -도다, -로다)
- Literary -여 / -여라 / -여서 (Irregular 하- in Elevated Style)
- Mixed Evidentials in Long Discourse (-라고 한다더니, -라고들 한다)
- -노라(고) — Saying To / On the Pretext of (Literary)
- Collective / Impersonal Passive (Formal — -(으)로 알려져 있다, -(으)로 여겨진다)
- -(으)리라 / -(으)리니 — Literary Future Assertion / Resolve
- Stylistic Inversion & Focus (Literary / Poetic)
- Long Multi-Clause Subordination (Chained -며, -자, -아/어 + Connective Stacking)
- Topic-Chain Maintenance Across Long Discourse
- Classical Emphatic Constructions ((이)야말로, -(이)라야, 가히, 결코)
- Implication Through Hedging / Open-Ended Endings (-(으)ㄴ/는 데가 있다)
- Discourse-Level Irony, Sarcasm & Innuendo
- Strategic Register Switching Within a Single Text
- Classical / Hanmun-Influence Recognition (한문 어조사 等, 之, 也, 矣 in Modern Texts)
- Classical Humble Markers -옵-, -삽-, -자옵- (Recognition in Old Letters, Prayers, Formal Speeches)
- Literary Korean Style (소설 / 시 Conventions, 시점, 문체 통일)
- Speech Act Chaining (Advanced Politeness Strategies in Negotiation)
- Formal Ceremonial Speeches (축사, 송사, 추모사, 기념사)
- Advanced Negotiation Korean (조심스럽게 말씀드리자면, 한 가지 우려되는 점은)
- Register Selection in Translation Contexts
- Advanced Four-Character Idioms (사자성어 응용: 새옹지마, 견물생심, 청출어람)
- Classical Proverbs & Maxims (속담·금언)
- Near-Homophones & Sino-Korean Confusables (보장 vs 보상 vs 보증; 결재 vs 결제)
- Mastery-Level Synonym Selection (영향 vs 여파 vs 파장)
- Emerging Korean Neologisms (Active Production)
What the korean guide covers
Verb usage (62) · Connectors (45) · Verb conjugation (40) · Honorifics register (30) · Particles (28) · Syntax (28) · Vocabulary usage (25) · Writing system (13) · Adjectives (11) · Counters numbers (10) · Pronouns demonstratives (8)
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