Archive #25

Annyeong Daily #25: answers explained

October 29, 2026 · Today covered saying good night, fan photo cards, a hearty rice soup and the subject marker. You also learned how to read two consonants at the bottom of one syllable.

Want to try it first? The answers are below.Play #25

1Drama talk

Lights out. Your sister says '잘 자.' What did she say?

잘 자 (jal ja)

Good night
I'm sleepy
Did you sleep well?
Good morning

Answer: Good night

잘 자 (jal ja) means "Good night." Literally, it is "Sleep well." 잘 (jal) means well, and 자다 (jada) means to sleep. It is casual, for friends, family and younger people. Polite: 잘 자요 (jal jayo). For parents and grandparents, use the respectful form 안녕히 주무세요 (annyeonghi jumuseyo). 주무시다 (jumusida) is the respectful verb for sleeping. Example: 오늘 수고했어. 잘 자! (oneul sugohaesseo. jal ja!) — "You worked hard today. Good night!" In the morning, ask 잘 잤어? (jal jasseo?), "Did you sleep well?"

Casual (반말) · warm · Say it to: Siblings, partner, friends, kids

2K-pop

A fan trades a '포카' with another fan. What did they trade?

포카 (poka)

A concert ticket
A phone case
A poster
A photo card

Answer: A photo card

포카 (poka) is short for 포토카드 (potokadeu), a photo card. A photo card is a small card with a photo of one member. Many albums have one random card inside. Fans collect them, keep them in clear plastic cases and trade them with other fans. Koreans often shorten long loan words this way. They take the first syllable of each part: 포토 + 카드 becomes 포카. Example: 포카 교환하실 분? (poka gyohwanhasil bun?) — "Anyone want to trade photo cards?" Another short word like this is 디카 (dika), from 디지털 카메라, "digital camera."

Say it to: Friends and fellow fans — it's a short form

3Food

What is 국밥?

국밥 [국빱] (gukbap)

Rice served in hot soup
Rice in seaweed
Fried rice
Rice porridge with sugar

Answer: Rice served in hot soup

국밥 (gukbap) means rice served in hot soup. 국 (guk) is soup, and 밥 (bap) is cooked rice. The soup is often made from pork, beef bones or bean sprouts. It is cheap, filling and fast. Many workers eat it for lunch or after a long day. The city of Busan is famous for pork 국밥, called 돼지국밥 (dwaejigukbap). Example: 따뜻한 국밥 한 그릇 먹고 싶어요 (ttatteutan gukbap han geureut meokgo sipeoyo) — "I want a warm bowl of gukbap." Rice porridge is a different dish: 죽 (juk).

Say it to: Anyone — it's a plain noun; your verb sets the politeness

4Grammar

Fill in the blank: 'Do you have time?'

시간___ 있어요? (sigan___ isseoyo?)

Answer: 이 — 시간이 있어요?

시간이 있어요? (sigani isseoyo?) means "Do you have time?" In Korean, 있다 (itda) means "there is" or "to have." The thing that exists is the subject, so it takes a subject marker. A subject marker is a small ending that shows "this word is the subject." Use 이 (i) after a consonant and 가 (ga) after a vowel. 시간 ends in ㄴ, so it is 시간이. Example: 돈이 없어요 (doni eopseoyo) — "I don't have money." 을 (eul) and 를 (reul) mark objects (the thing an action is done to). They are a common mistake here, because English "have" takes an object.

5Hangul

How is this actually pronounced?

읽어요 [일거요]

ilgeoyo
irgeoyo
ikeoyo
ilkeoyo

Answer: ilgeoyo

읽어요 (ilgeoyo) means "I read" or "I am reading." It comes from 읽다 (ikda), "to read." The bottom of 읽 has two consonants: ㄹ and ㄱ. When a vowel comes next, the ㄹ stays, and the ㄱ moves to the next syllable. So 읽어요 sounds like 일거요. Example: 책을 읽어요 (chaegeul ilgeoyo) — "I read a book." Be careful: with no vowel after it, you hear only the ㄱ sound. That is why 읽다 sounds like 익따, written ikda. "ikeoyo" is wrong because it loses the ㄹ.