In this lesson, the central theme is “to do/have” and “to not do/have.” Here, you will find characters related to this.
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無 = 무 = To not have
(Korean name: 없을 무)
A common character that you will find placed to virtually anything to indicate that there is “nothing” of something. For example, you might read a package that would say “無설탕.” Note that this is identical in meaning to “설탕이 없다.”
Common words using this character:
無조건 = unconditionally (without condition)
無료 = free (without money)
無의식 = unconscious (without conscious)
無작정 = blindly (without a plan)
無제한 = unlimited (without restriction)
無관心 = indifference (without relation)
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不 = 부 = to not be
(Korean name: 아니 부)
Quite similar to 無, but not exactly the same. 不 is essentially the opposite of “이다 = to be” (아니다 = to not be) whereas 無 is essentially the opposite of “있다 = to have” (없다 = to not have). Although a distinction between 無 and 不 can be made, it generally is irrelevant to the casual learner of 漢字, and is more important if one starts to study Chinese.
Common words using this character:
不족 = shortage
不당 = unfair
不正 = corruption
不동산 = real-estate agent
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用 = 용 = To use
(Korean name: 쓸 용)
Aside from typical verbs/nouns that have a meaning related to “to use,” this character is often found after nouns to reflect the group of people who would typically use an object. Learning this character is very beneficial to your Korean studies because most people don’t actually memorize the words “가정용” or “학생용”. However, by knowing the meaning/usage of “용,” you can apply it to many situations.
Common words using this character:
用品 = goods, articles
家정用 = something for family use
家정用品 = household articles
학생用 = something for student use
군用 = something for military use
用어 = terminology
사用하다 = to use
승用차 = car
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半 = 반 = Half
(Korean name: 반 반)
Used to represent the word “half.” Very easy to recognize because the character itself is divided into two equal halves.
Common words using this character:
절半 = half
半도 = peninsula (half an island)
후半 = the second half
下半기 = the second half of a year
上半기 = the first half of a year
半年 = half of a year
半月 = a half-moon
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白 = 백 = White
(Korean name: 흰 백)
Common words using this character:
白人 = a person with white skin (white person)
흑白 = black and white
白조 = swan
단白질 = protein
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