Archive #16

Annyeong Daily #16: answers explained

October 20, 2026 · Today mixed a worried word, a family word and two table phrases. You also learned how to join two nouns with "and" and how to spell a simple word in Roman letters.

Want to try it first? The answers are below.Play #16

1Drama talk

Someone hears a strange noise downstairs and whispers '설마…'. What are they thinking?

설마 (seolma)

I'm hungry
No way… it can't be
Finally!
Let's sleep

Answer: No way… it can't be

설마 (seolma) means "No way" or "Surely not." You say it when you fear something bad might be true, but you hope it is not. Koreans often finish the thought with 아니겠지 (anigetji), "it won't be that, right?" So the word shows worry and hope at the same time. You will hear it a lot in drama scenes just before a surprise. Example: 설마 비가 오겠어? (seolma biga ogesseo?) — "Surely it won't rain?" Do not mix it up with "Finally!" In Korean, that is 드디어 (deudieo).

Casual (반말) · Say it to: Yourself, close friends and family

2K-pop

Traditionally, who calls someone '언니'?

언니 (eonni)

A man, to an older woman
A child, to their mother
Anyone, to a younger woman
A woman, to her older sister or an older woman she is close to

Answer: A woman, to her older sister or an older woman she is close to

언니 (eonni) is what a woman calls her older sister. She also uses it for an older woman she is close to, like a friend from school. In Korea, people often use family words instead of names. This shows respect for age and also a warm feeling. A man uses a different word, 누나 (nuna), for the same person. The younger person says it to the older person, never the other way. Example: 언니, 같이 가요! (eonni, gachi gayo!) — "Eonni, let's go together!" Remember: the word depends on the speaker's gender too, not only on the listener.

warm · Say it to: Women, to an older sister or a close older woman

3Food

The server puts your food down and says something. What is it most likely to be?

잘 먹었습니다
배불러요
잘 먹겠습니다
맛있게 드세요

Answer: 맛있게 드세요

맛있게 드세요 (masitge deuseyo) literally means "Eat it deliciously." Naturally, it is "Enjoy your meal." Staff and cooks say it when they bring the food. 드세요 (deuseyo) is a polite request form of 드시다 (deusida), a respectful verb for eating. The guest does not need a long answer. A simple 감사합니다 (gamsahamnida, "Thank you") is enough. The tempting option 잘 먹겠습니다 (jal meokgetseumnida) is the guest's line. You say it before you start eating, to the person who cooked or who pays.

Polite (해요체) · warm · Say it to: Customers, guests, anyone you serve food to

Also read: Korean table manners — spoons, chopsticks and who eats first

4Grammar

Fill in the blank: 'I bought bread and milk.'

빵___ 우유를 샀어요. (ppang___ uyureul sasseoyo.)

Answer: 과 — 빵과 우유를 샀어요.

과 (gwa) means "and" when you join two nouns. This word has two shapes. Use 과 after a final consonant, and 와 (wa) after a vowel. 빵 (ppang, bread) ends in the consonant ㅇ, so it takes 과. 우유 (uyu, milk) ends in a vowel, so you say 우유와 빵. The change makes the words easier to say smoothly. Example: 책과 펜이 있어요 (chaekgwa peni isseoyo) — "I have a book and a pen." In everyday speech, people also use 하고 (hago) after any noun: 빵하고 우유. 를 (reul) marks an object (the thing an action is done to), so it cannot mean "and."

5Hangul

Using the official Revised Romanization, how is this written?

우유

uyou
wuyu
ooyoo
uyu

Answer: uyu

우유 (uyu) means "milk." In Revised Romanization, the official system in Korea, each vowel has a fixed spelling. ㅜ is always u, and ㅠ is always yu. The circle ㅇ at the start of a syllable has no sound, so you write nothing for it. So 우 is u and 유 is yu. Spellings like "oo" or "you" come from English habits, not from the official rules. Example: 우유 주세요 (uyu juseyo) — "Milk, please." A common mistake is "wuyu," but there is no w sound here.