Korean Emotions Vocabulary — Words for How You Feel
Emotions are everywhere in Korean — in conversation, in song lyrics, and in every K-drama subtitle you've paused to reread. Learning to name feelings is one of the fastest ways to make the language feel personal. This page gathers essential Korean emotion vocabulary, from 기쁨 (joy) and 화 (anger) to 걱정 (worry), 자신감 (confidence) and 감사 (gratitude), each paired with its English meaning, its pronunciation and a button to hear it spoken in a native voice. A note for English speakers: don't be put off by the script. Korean is written in Hangul, a true alphabet of simple shapes you can learn in an afternoon — far friendlier than memorising thousands of characters. Many feeling words pair with the verb 하다 ("to do") to become something you feel or express, so you'll meet them again and again as you build sentences. Korean also leans heavily on politeness levels, so the same emotion can sound gentle or blunt depending on the ending. Tap any 🔊 to hear the word, skim the table, then carry these into Linguver, where the English word drops and you shoot its Korean translation from the drum.
Key words explained
- joy 기쁨 Her face lit up with pure joy when she saw the puppy.
- anger 분노 He took a deep breath to keep his anger in check.
- worry 걱정 A little worry crept in as the deadline drew closer.
- excitement 흥분 There was real excitement in the room before the show.
- confidence 자신감 She answered every question with quiet confidence.
- gratitude 감사 He wrote a short note of gratitude to his teacher.
- relief 안도 A wave of relief washed over me when the test was over.
- curiosity 호기심 The child’s curiosity led her to open every drawer.
All 90 Korean emotions words
| English | Pronunciation | Korean | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| joy | /dʒɔɪ/ | 기쁨 | |
| anger | /ˈæŋɡər/ | 분노 | |
| loneliness | /ˈloʊnlinəs/ | 외로움 | |
| worry | /ˈwɜːri/ | 걱정 | |
| anxiety | /æŋˈzaɪəti/ | 불안 | |
| excitement | /ɪkˈsaɪtmənt/ | 흥분 | |
| confidence | /ˈkɑːnfɪdəns/ | 자신감 | |
| shame | /ʃeɪm/ | 수치심 | |
| pride | /praɪd/ | 자부심 | |
| gratitude | /ˈɡrætɪtuːd/ | 감사 | |
| relief | /rɪˈliːf/ | 안도 | |
| curiosity | /ˌkjʊriˈɑːsɪti/ | 호기심 | |
| mood | /muːd/ | 기분 | |
| trust | /trʌst/ | 신뢰 | |
| patience | /ˈpeɪʃəns/ | 인내 | |
| nervous | /ˈnɜːrvəs/ | 긴장한 | |
| excited | /ɪkˈsaɪtɪd/ | 신난 | |
| bored | /bɔːrd/ | 지루한 | |
| frustrated | /ˈfrʌstreɪtɪd/ | 좌절한 | |
| grateful | /ˈɡreɪtfəl/ | 감사한 | |
| confused | /kənˈfjuːzd/ | 혼란스러운 | |
| disappointed | /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntɪd/ | 실망한 | |
| surprised | /sərˈpraɪzd/ | 놀란 | |
| embarrassed | /ɪmˈbærəst/ | 당황한 | |
| relaxed | /rɪˈlækst/ | 편안한 | |
| brave | /breɪv/ | 용감한 | |
| shy | /ʃaɪ/ | 수줍은 | |
| jealous | /ˈdʒɛləs/ | 질투하는 | |
| hopeful | /ˈhoʊpfəl/ | 희망찬 | |
| proud | /praʊd/ | 자랑스러운 | |
| empathy | /ˈɛmpəθi/ | 공감 | |
| compassion | /kəmˈpæʃən/ | 연민 | |
| jealousy | /ˈdʒɛləsi/ | 질투 | |
| envy | /ˈɛnvi/ | 부러움 | |
| guilt | /ɡɪlt/ | 죄책감 | |
| regret | /rɪˈɡrɛt/ | 후회 | |
| embarrassment | /ɪmˈbærəsmənt/ | 당황 | |
| admiration | /ˌædməˈreɪʃən/ | 감탄 | |
| generosity | /ˌdʒɛnəˈrɑːsɪti/ | 관대함 | |
| kindness | /ˈkaɪndnəs/ | 친절함 | |
| tolerance | /ˈtɑːlərəns/ | 관용 | |
| forgiveness | /fərˈɡɪvnəs/ | 용서 | |
| resentment | /rɪˈzɛntmənt/ | 원한 | |
| frustration | /frʌˈstreɪʃən/ | 좌절감 | |
| irritation | /ˌɪrɪˈteɪʃən/ | 짜증 | |
| affection | /əˈfɛkʃən/ | 애정 | |
| attachment | /əˈtætʃmənt/ | 애착 | |
| loyalty | /ˈlɔɪəlti/ | 충성심 | |
| betrayal | /bɪˈtreɪəl/ | 배신 | |
| longing | /ˈlɔːŋɪŋ/ | 그리움 | |
| nostalgia | /nɑːˈstælʒə/ | 향수 | |
| enthusiasm | /ɪnˈθuːziæzəm/ | 열정 | |
| determination | /dɪˌtɜːrmɪˈneɪʃən/ | 결의 | |
| warmth | /wɔːrmθ/ | 따뜻함 | |
| sympathy | /ˈsɪmpəθi/ | 동정심 | |
| sincerity | /sɪnˈsɛrɪti/ | 진심 | |
| sorrow | /ˈsɑːroʊ/ | 슬픔 | |
| awe | /ɔː/ | 경외감 | |
| passion | /ˈpæʃən/ | 열정 | |
| devotion | /dɪˈvoʊʃən/ | 헌신 | |
| self-esteem | /ˌsɛlfɪˈstiːm/ | 자존감 | |
| motivation | /ˌmoʊtɪˈveɪʃən/ | 동기 | |
| aspiration | /ˌæspɪˈreɪʃən/ | 포부 | |
| courage | /ˈkɜːrɪdʒ/ | 용기 | |
| bravery | /ˈbreɪvəri/ | 용감함 | |
| cowardice | /ˈkaʊərdɪs/ | 비겁함 | |
| humility | /hjuːˈmɪlɪti/ | 겸손 | |
| arrogance | /ˈærəɡəns/ | 오만 | |
| optimism | /ˈɑːptɪmɪzəm/ | 낙관주의 | |
| pessimism | /ˈpɛsɪmɪzəm/ | 비관주의 | |
| distress | /dɪˈstrɛs/ | 고통 | |
| grief | /ɡriːf/ | 슬픔 | |
| acceptance | /əkˈsɛptəns/ | 수용 | |
| denial | /dɪˈnaɪəl/ | 부정 | |
| confusion | /kənˈfjuːʒən/ | 혼란 | |
| clarity | /ˈklærɪti/ | 명확함 | |
| satisfaction | /ˌsætɪsˈfækʃən/ | 만족감 | |
| disappointment | /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntmənt/ | 실망 | |
| anticipation | /ænˌtɪsɪˈpeɪʃən/ | 기대감 | |
| dread | /drɛd/ | 두려움 | |
| panic | /ˈpænɪk/ | 공황 | |
| calmness | /ˈkɑːmnəs/ | 침착함 | |
| contentment | /kənˈtɛntmənt/ | 만족 | |
| restlessness | /ˈrɛstlɪsnəs/ | 불안함 | |
| exhaustion | /ɪɡˈzɔːstʃən/ | 탈진 | |
| resilience | /rɪˈzɪliəns/ | 회복력 | |
| vulnerability | /ˌvʌlnərəˈbɪlɪti/ | 취약함 | |
| empowerment | /ɪmˈpaʊərmənt/ | 역량 강화 | |
| perseverance | /ˌpɜːrsɪˈvɪərəns/ | 인내심 | |
| mindfulness | /ˈmaɪndflnəs/ | 마음챙김 |
Reading a list won't make these stick. Linguver turns vocabulary into a shooting game — the English word falls, you spin the drum and fire its Korean translation. You recall the word under a little pressure, so it stays. A way to learn that doesn't feel like studying.
→ Play in Linguver