100 Essential Hanja for Korean Idioms

Know these characters and you can guess the meaning of most Korean idioms.

千 Characters with 千 can be studied deeply in Cheonjamun

People & Relationships 10 chars

千
人
인
person
千
子
자
son, person
千
女
여
woman
千
父
부
father
千
母
모
mother
千
友
우
friend
千
君
군
ruler, lord
臣
신
subject, minister
千
師
사
teacher
王
왕
king

Nature & Animals 15 chars

千
天
천
heaven, sky
千
地
지
earth, ground
山
산
mountain
千
水
수
water
千
火
화
fire
風
풍
wind
千
雲
운
cloud
千
石
석
stone
木
목
tree, wood
花
화
flower
馬
마
horse
牛
우
cow
千
鳥
조
bird
千
魚
어
fish
千
龍
용
dragon

Numbers & Directions 13 chars

一
일
one
千
二
이
two
千
三
삼
three
千
四
사
four
千
五
오
five
十
십
ten
千
百
백
hundred
千
千
천
thousand
千
萬
만
ten thousand
千
東
동
east
千
西
서
west
南
남
south
北
북
north

Heart & Emotions 10 chars

千
心
심
heart, mind
千
情
정
feeling, emotion
愛
애
love
千
忠
충
loyalty
千
孝
효
filial piety
信
신
trust, faith
千
義
의
righteousness
千
德
덕
virtue
千
志
지
will, ambition
恩
은
grace, kindness

Actions & States 15 chars

千
生
생
life, born
死
사
death
行
행
go, act
千
知
지
know
千
見
견
see
聞
문
hear
千
言
언
speak, word
千
思
사
think
求
구
seek
千
得
득
gain, obtain
失
실
lose
千
起
기
rise
千
盡
진
exhaust, end
千
來
래
come
千
去
거
go away

Qualities & Sizes 17 chars

千
大
대
big
小
소
small
長
장
long, elder
千
高
고
high
千
新
신
new
古
고
old, ancient
千
善
선
good, virtuous
千
惡
악
bad, evil
千
正
정
right, correct
千
明
명
bright, clear
苦
고
bitter, suffering
千
甘
감
sweet
千
福
복
fortune, blessing
千
禍
화
disaster, misfortune
千
無
무
none, without
千
不
불
not
千
萬
만
all, ten thousand

How to Guess Idiom Meanings from Hanja

Example: 苦盡甘來 (Go-jin-gam-rae)

苦(bitter) + 盡(exhaust) + 甘(sweet) + 來(come) = "When bitterness ends, sweetness comes"

Example: 一石二鳥 (Il-seok-i-jo)

一(one) + 石(stone) + 二(two) + 鳥(bird) = "Catching two birds with one stone"

Example: 易地思之 (Yeok-ji-sa-ji)

易(change) + 地(place) + 思(think) + 之(of it) = "Think by switching positions"

Master These Characters with Cheonjamun

Many of the 100 essential characters appear in the Thousand Character Classic. Learn one character a day with origins, philosophy, idioms, and quizzes.

55 of the 100 essential characters can be studied in Cheonjamun.

Lv.1 Beginner (11 chars)
人 師 天 地 水 火 雲 鳥 龍 生 來
Lv.2 Learner (10 chars)
母 忠 孝 言 思 盡 去 甘 無 不
Lv.3 Student (7 chars)
魚 心 情 義 志 見 新
Lv.4 Scholar (4 chars)
二 東 西 明
Lv.5 Bachelor (2 chars)
起 高
Lv.6 Literati (9 chars)
石 三 百 德 善 惡 正 福 禍
Lv.7 Doctor (2 chars)
父 君
Lv.8 Grand Scholar (2 chars)
子 友
Lv.9 Sage (1 chars)
千
Lv.10 Master (7 chars)
女 四 五 萬 知 得 大
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