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편 as a Regular Noun
편 as a Grammatical Principle
Vocabulary
Click on the English word to see information and examples of that word in use. Use these sentences to give yourself a feel for how each word can be used, and maybe even to expose yourself to the grammar that you will be learning shortly.
A PDF file neatly presenting these words and extra information can be found here.
Nouns:
복 = blessing
Common Usages:
복덩어리 = for things to turn to gold because of something
복을 받다 = to be blessed
새해 복 많이 받으세요 = Happy New Year
Examples:
그 날은 우리 가족에게 큰 복이 있었던 날이었어요
= That day was a day of great blessing for our family
이 터에 집을 지으면 복이 온다는 소문이 나면서 땅 값이 비싸졌어요
= There is a rumor spreading that if you build a house on this lot, the land will get more expensive
급여 = wage, salary
Examples:
그 직원이 매달 정해진 급여를 받아요
= That worker receives a fixed salary every month
제가 벌고 있는 급여가 높은 편이에요
= The salary I earn is fairly high (on the high side)
천사 = angel
Common Usages:
날개 없는 천사 = an angel without wings (a really nice person)
Examples:
우리 딸은 천사라서 항상 좋은 사람의 편에 설 거야
= Our daughter is an angel, so she will always be on the side of good people
면역 = immunity
Common Usages:
면역력 = immunity (power), how immune one is
면역력을 키우다 = to grow one’s immunity
자가면역 = autoimmunity
Examples:
저는 엄마의 잔소리에 면역이 되었어요 = I was immune to my mom nagging at me
어른들은 면역이 아이들에 비해 강한 편이에요
= The immunity of adults is quite a bit stronger than that of kids
어휘 = vocabulary
Common Usages:
어휘를 외우다 = to memorize vocabulary
어휘력 = one’s level of vocabulary
Examples:
이 책은 어휘를 향상시키는 데 도움이 될 거예요
= This book will help improve your vocabulary
한국어 어휘를 외우는 것은 어려운 편이에요
= Memorizing Korean vocabulary is quite difficult
악몽 = nightmare
Common Usages:
악몽을 꾸다 = to have a nightmare
Examples:
저의 딸이 어젯밤 악몽을 꾸었어요
= Our daughter had a nightmare last night
어제 꾼 악몽이 무서운 편이었어요
= The nightmare I had last night was on the scary side
압력 = pressure
Common Usages:
압력밥솥 = pressure cooker for rice
Examples:
바퀴의 압력이 높은 편이에요
= The pressure in this tire is on the high side
그 일은 선생님에게 많은 압력을 주었어요
= That job put a lot of pressure on the teacher
비옷 = rain clothes
Examples:
여기가 비옷을 파는 가게인가요?
= Is this a store that sells rain clothes?
비가 올 수도 있으니 비옷을 입고 나가요
= Put your raincoat on just in case it rains
십대 = teenage years, teenage
Examples:
십대 남자아이들은 여자아이들 앞에서 멋진 폼을 잡는 것을 좋아해요
= Teenage boys like to make cool poses in-front of girls
십대에는 사춘기를 겪으면서 많은 아이들이 부모님께 말대답을 해요
= Many teenagers talk back to their parents while going through puberty
요즘 십대 학생들이 욕을 남발해요
= These days, teenage students overuse swear words
열흘 = ten days
Examples:
열흘 동안 여행을 가는 것은 직장인한테는 꽤 긴 편이에요
= Traveling for ten days, for an office worker, is quite a long time
그들은 열흘 동안 산속에서 생활했어요
= They lived in the mountains for ten days
공짜 = free
Examples:
이제는 법으로 일회용봉투를 공짜로 주는 게 불법이라 돈을 내고 사야 해요
= Now it is illegal to give one-time use bags away for free, so (if you want one), you need to pay for it
잘 모르는 사람들이 공짜로 주는 음식을 먹는 것을 싫어하는 편이에요
= I don’t really like eating food that was given to me for free by people I don’t know
면접 = interview
Common Usages:
면접관 = interviewer
면접에 붙다 = to pass an interview
일대일로 면접하다 = to talk/interview one on one
면접을 보다 = to have an interview
Examples:
면접관들은 모두 신중하게 후보자들을 평가했어요
= The interviewers carefully evaluated the candidates
오늘 일대일 면접이 오후에 있어서 오전 내내 면접 준비를 해야 해요
= Today I have a one on one interview in the afternoon, so all morning I need to prepare for it
면접을 보러 정장 차림으로 들어오는 사람이 많아요
= There are many people coming in wearing suits to do the interview
면접을 볼 때마다 저의 장점과 단점에 대한 질문을 받아요
= Whenever I do an interview, I always get a question about my strong points and weak points
면접을 자주 하는 사람들에 의하면 면접을 볼 때 첫인상은 제일 중요하다 했어요
= According to people who do (give) interviews, when you get interviews, they say the most important thing is the first impression
면접관 = interviewer
Examples:
내일은 면접관으로써 인터뷰에 참여할 예정이에요
= I’m scheduled to participate tomorrow as an interview
면접관들은 모두 신중하게 후보자들을 평가했어요
= The interviewers carefully evaluated the candidates
직장인 = office worker
Examples:
유명한 학원강사가 되면 일반 직장인보다 돈을 훨씬 더 많이 벌어요
= If you become a famous Hagwon teacher, you can make much more than a regular worker
열흘 동안 여행을 가는 것은 직장인한테는 꽤 긴 편이에요
= Traveling for ten days, for an office worker, is quite a long time
의지력 = willpower
Examples:
네가 의지력이 강해서 네 편을 하고 싶어
= You have a lot of willpower so I want to be on your side
진정한 의지력은 힘들 시간을 마주했을 때 발휘돼요
= True willpower is demonstrated when facing challenges
배낭여행 = backpacking
Examples:
유럽에는 전 세계에서 온 배낭 여행자들이 많아요
= There are a lot of backpackers from around the world in Europe
이 배낭여행용 가방이 비싼 편이었어요
This backpacker backpack was fairly expensive
소개팅 = blind date
Examples:
제가 소개팅을 하기 전에 외모를 가꿔야 돼요
= Before I go on a blind date, I need to fix myself up
어제 소개팅한 사람이 잘생긴 편이었어요
= The person I went on a blind date with yesterday is fairly handsome
다음 주에 소개팅할 남자가 대머리야
= The man you are going on a blind date with tomorrow is bald
추상적 = abstract
Examples:
그 그림이 추상적인 편이에요
= That painting is quite abstract
그 학생은 어떤 문제도 추상적으로 이해할 수 있었어요
= That student could understand any problem abstractly
Verbs:
빌다 = to beg
Examples:
친구가 내 편으로 오라고 빌었어
= My friend begged me to come to his side
부모님 몰래 외박을 하고 집에 돌아와서 손바닥이 닳도록 빌었지만 부모님의 화가 풀리지 않았다
= I slept somewhere else without my parents knowing, and as soon as I came home, I begged them (to the point that my palms were worn down), but it wasn’t enough to calm their rage
떠들다 = to chat
Examples:
학생들이 방에서 떠들고 있어서 선생님은 집중하기 어려웠어요
= The teacher found it hard to concentrate because the students were chatting in the room
오늘 수업시간에 많은 학생들이 떠들어서 벌을 줬어요
= Many students chatted/were making a lot of noise today so I punished them
할퀴다 = to scratch, to claw at
Example:
고양이가 얼굴을 할퀴어서 빨리 병원에 갔어요
= The cat scratched my face so I went to see a doctor quickly
Adjectives:
서늘하다 = to be cool, chilly
Common Usages:
등짝이 서늘하다 = for a chill to go down one’s back
Examples:
봄에는 아침에는 서늘하고 낮에는 따뜻한 편이에요
= In the spring, the mornings are cold but the days are quite warm
바람이 서늘하여 가을이 시작되는 것을 느낄 수 있었어요
= The cool wind made us feel that autumn had begun
속상하다 = to feel upset, sad
Examples:
아빠가 내 편이 아니라고 해서 속상해
= It’s sad/unfortunate that dad says he is not on my side
내 남자친구를 부모님이 못마땅해해서 속상해
= My parents aren’t happy with my boyfriend, so I’m upset
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Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn how to use 편, both as a noun and as a grammatical principle to make your sentences softer and more humble. Let’s get started.
편 as a Regular Noun
편 can be used as a regular noun, which refers to a “side.” In this sense, it is most commonly combined with a word that refers to a direction to point to that side. For example:
뒤편 = the back side
왼편 = the left side
오른편 = the right side
반대편 = the opposite side (or the opposite direction)
건너편 = the opposite/other side (usually of a street or something that you can cross)
These constructions can go into sentences where applicable. For example:
여기가 비옷을 파는 가게인가요?
= Is this a store that sells rain clothes?
면접하는 곳이 건물 뒤편에 있어요
= The place for the interview is behind the building
편 can also be used on its own. When used like this, it refers to being on the “side” of a person in terms of support. For example:
친구가 내 편으로 오라고 빌었어
= My friend begged me to come to his side
아빠가 내 편이 아니라고 해서 속상해
= It’s sad/unfortunate that dad says he is not on my side
네가 의지력이 강해서 네 편을 하고 싶어
= You have a lot of willpower so I want to be on your side
선생님이 내 편이라는 것은 복 받은 거야
= I’m so lucky that the teacher says he is on my side
무슨 일이 생기든지 나는 항상 너의 편이야
= Whatever happens, I am always on your side
우리 딸은 천사라서 항상 좋은 사람의 편에 설 거야
= Our daughter is an angel, so she will always be on the side of good people
편 as a Grammatical Principle
편 can also act as a noun that is being described by an adjective or a verb connected to ~는 것. The adjective/verb + 편 combination has a meaning that is very similar to that of just the adjective/verb on its own. The only difference is that 편 makes the meaning slightly softer. For example, I could say:
그 사람이 돈이 많아요
= That person has a lot of money
If I say this sentence, it might have a negative effect because maybe – for example – people will treat that person differently if they find out he/she has a lot of money.
However, if I say:
그 사람이 돈이 많은 편이에요
The meaning is softer than was expressed without the use of 편. Instead of straight out saying “yes, he/she has a lot of money,” you are more humbly saying “Yeah, that person has a fair amount of money.”
우리 아이는 똑똑해요 = Our son is smart
우리 아이는 똑똑한 편이에요 = Our son is fairly smart
Because of the use of the word 편, a common translation for these types of constructions is “on the … side.” For example:
우리 아이는 똑똑한 편이에요 = Our son is on the smart side
Other examples:
저의 남자친구가 잘생긴 편이에요 = My boyfriend is on the handsome side (fairly handsome)
제가 벌고 있는 급여가 높은 편이에요 = The salary I earn is fairly high (on the high side)
이 배낭여행용 가방이 비싼 편이었어요 = This backpacker backpack was fairly expensive
어제 소개팅한 사람이 잘생긴 편이었어요 = The person I went on a blind date with yesterday is daily handsome
In each of the examples so far, the speaker would be downplaying something that is very good. In effect, this is a way to speak in a humble way in Korean. The opposite can be done with words that have a negative connotation to them. That is, when you use this type of construction with a negative word, you are expressing that – even though something is bad – it’s not that bad. For example:
저는 키가 작은 편이에요 = My height is on the small side (I’m quite short)
바퀴의 압력이 높은 편이에요 = The pressure in this tire is on the high side
저의 남자친구는 못생긴 편이에요 = My boyfriend is on the ugly side
어제 꾼 악몽이 무서운 편이었어요 = The nightmare I had last night was on the scary side
고양이가 할퀸 상처가 꽤 심한 편이에요 = The wound from the cat scratching me is quite serious
The situation doesn’t need to be inherently negative or positive in order to use this ~는/은/ㄴ construction. All it does is it softens the word being used and turns the severity of its meaning down a little bit. For example:
그 그림이 추상적인 편이에요
= That painting is quite abstract
한국말을 할 수 있는 외국인이 드문 편이에요
= Foreigners who speak Korean are on the rare side
제가 내일 해야 할 면접은 중요한 편이에요
= The interview I have to do tomorrow is quite important
한국어 어휘를 외우는 것은 어려운 편이에요
= Memorizing Korean vocabulary is quite difficult
어른들은 면역이 아이들에 비해 강한 편이에요
= The immunity of adults is quite a bit stronger than that of kids
봄에는 아침에는 서늘하고 낮에는 따뜻한 편이에요
= In the spring, the mornings are cold but the days are quite warm
열흘 동안 여행을 가는 것은 직장인한테는 꽤 긴 편이에요
= Traveling for ten days, for an office worker, is quite a long time
십대 남자 아이들에게 수업을 가르치는 것은 힘든 편이에요
= It is quite difficult teaching classes to teenage boys
Just by the nature of the sentences ~는/은/ㄴ 편 is used in, it is quite easy and common to use this grammatical principle with adjectives. However, it can be used with verbs as well. For example:
제가 운동을 자주 하는 편이에요 = I exercise fairly often
When used with verbs, you’ll notice that the sentence often has an adverb in it as well. If you imagine the sentence above without the use of the adverb 자주, you get:
제가 운동을 하는 편이에요 = I exercise… fairly? I fairly exercise…?
You need something else in there in order for it to make sense. It doesn’t necessarily need to be the adverb 자주. For example:
제가 운동을 잘 하는 편이에요 = I exercise fairly well
제가 운동을 열심히 하는 편이에요 = I exercise fairly hard
When used with verbs, a common translation that goes in these sentences is “tend(s) to…” For example:
제가 운동을 잘 하는 편이에요
= I tend to exercise well (the English translation doesn’t really work in this situation)
제가 운동을 열심히 하는 편이에요
= I tend to exercise hard
Below are many more examples:
저는 수영을 잘하는 편이에요
= I swim fairly well
제가 매일 늦게 자는 편이에요
= I tend to go to bed fairly late
제가 달리기를 빨리 하고 있는 편이에요
= I am running fairly quickly
그 여자 아이들이 수업 시간에 많이 떠드는 편이에요
= That girl chats quite a bit during class
잘 모르는 사람들이 공짜로 주는 음식을 먹는 것을 싫어하는 편이에요
= I don’t really like eating food that was given to me for free by people I don’t know
That’s it for this lesson!