Archive #1

Annyeong Daily #1: answers explained

October 5, 2026 · Today's five cover everyday basics: a warm greeting about food, a word for a big surprise, calling a server, the topic particle, and the spelling of the word for love. Several of them show how much daily Korean talk is about care and good manners.

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1Drama talk

What does this usually mean?

밥 먹었어? [밤 머거써?] (bap meogeosseo?)

Let's eat together.
Do you like rice?
How are you? / Are you doing okay?
Are you hungry?

Answer: How are you? / Are you doing okay?

Word by word, 밥 먹었어? (bap meogeosseo?) means "Have you eaten?" But often the speaker does not really need an answer about food. It is a friendly way to say "How are you?" or "I care about you." Many people say it comes from hard times in the past, when food was not easy to find. Today family and close friends still use it a lot. The polite form is 식사하셨어요? (siksahasyeosseoyo?) — "Have you had your meal?" Example: 응, 먹었어. 너는? (eung, meogeosseo. neoneun?) — "Yes, I ate. And you?" It is not an invitation to eat together.

Casual (반말) · warm · Say it to: Friends, younger family, people you're close to

2K-pop

A friend shows you their concert ticket. You say '대박!'. What did you mean?

대박 (daebak)

I am so sorry
See you later
Awesome! / No way!
A big mistake

Answer: Awesome! / No way!

대박 (daebak) means a big success, like winning a jackpot. In daily talk, Koreans say it as a short reaction. It can mean "Awesome!", "Wow!" or "No way!" Your voice tells people which one. A happy voice means great news. A shocked voice can even react to surprising bad news. People of all ages use it, but it is casual. With your boss, a full sentence like 정말 좋네요 (jeongmal jonneyo) — "That's really nice" — is safer. Example: 이 영화 대박이야 (i yeonghwa daebagiya) — "This movie is amazing." It does not mean "a big mistake".

warm · Say it to: Friends and people your age

3Food

You're in a busy restaurant and want the server's attention. What do you say?

배불러요!
저기요!
잘 먹겠습니다!
안녕히 가세요!

Answer: 저기요!

저기요 (jeogiyo) comes from 저기 (jeogi), which means "over there". Adding 요 (yo) makes it polite. So it is like saying "Excuse me, over here!" In Korea, servers often do not come to check on your table again and again. You call them when you need something. Many tables also have a call button. Raising your hand while saying 저기요 is normal, not rude. Example: 저기요, 메뉴판 좀 주세요 (jeogiyo, menyupan jom juseyo) — "Excuse me, a menu, please." The other options do not fit. 잘 먹겠습니다 is said before eating, and 안녕히 가세요 is "goodbye" to someone who is leaving.

Polite (해요체) · Say it to: Servers, shop staff, strangers you need to stop

Also read: 씨 (ssi) vs 님 (nim) — how to call people by name in Korean

4Grammar

Fill in the blank: 'I am a student.'

저___ 학생이에요. (jeo___ haksaengieyo.)

Answer: 는 — 저는 학생이에요.

저는 학생이에요 (jeoneun haksaengieyo) means "I am a student." 저 (jeo) is the polite word for "I". 는 (neun) is the topic particle. A particle is a small word ending that shows the role of a word. The topic particle means "as for": "As for me, I am a student." Korean picks the form by sound. After a vowel, use 는. After a consonant, use 은 (eun). Example: 이름은 민수예요 (ireumeun minsuyeyo) — "My name is Minsu." 를 (reul) marks an object, 의 (ui) shows who owns something, and 에 (e) shows a place or time. None of them fit here.

5Hangul

Using the official Revised Romanization, how is this written?

사랑

salang
sorang
sareng
sarang

Answer: sarang

사랑 (sarang) means "love". It has two syllables: 사 (sa) and 랑 (rang). The letter ㄹ is special. At the start of a syllable, or between vowels, it sounds like a quick, light "r". At the end of a syllable, it sounds more like "l". Revised Romanization, the official system in Korea since 2000, follows this rule. Example: 사랑해요 (saranghaeyo) — "I love you." Compare 말 (mal) — "word" or "horse". There ㄹ comes at the end, so it is written l. "salang" is a common mistake, because ㄹ can sound between r and l to many learners.