Day 10. Prefixes & Suffixes

Quick Review: Day 9

Day 9 was about compound words — two free-standing words joined together.

봄(spring) + 바람(wind) = 봄바람 — both words exist on their own.

Today's words work differently. We're adding pieces that can't stand alone.

What Is a Derived Word?

Korean builds new words in two main ways.

Compounding — two free words join:

봄 + 바람 = 봄바람   (both exist alone)
꽃 + 집   = 꽃집     (both exist alone)

Derivation — a bound element attaches to a root:

초- + 여름 = 초여름   (초- can't stand alone)
놀- + -이  = 놀이     (-이 can't stand alone)

These bound elements are prefixes and suffixes.

Prefix  — attaches to the FRONT, mostly adds meaning
          초- + 여름 = 초여름   (summer stays summer, timing is added)

Suffix  — attaches to the BACK, mostly changes the word's nature
          놀- + -이 = 놀이     (verb "to play" → noun "play")

English does the same:

Prefix:  un- + happy  = unhappy    adds meaning (not happy)
Suffix:  kind + -ness = kindness   changes category (adjective → noun)

1. Prefixes

초- (early, the very start of)

초 comes from 初 — the Chinese character for beginning.

초- + 여름 = 초여름   early summer
초- + 봄   = 초봄     early spring
초- + 겨울 = 초겨울   early winter
초- + 가을 = 초가을   early autumn
초- + 저녁 = 초저녁   early evening

In English, you need two words: "early summer." In Korean, 초- turns it into one.

한- (peak, the height of)

한- means full, at its peak — the opposite end of the scale from 초-.

한- + 여름 = 한여름   midsummer, the height of summer
한- + 겨울 = 한겨울   midwinter, the height of winter
한- + 밤   = 한밤     the middle of the night
한- + 낮   = 한낮     high noon, the middle of the day
한- + 동안 = 한동안   for quite a while

한밤중: 한밤 + 중(中, middle) = 한밤중. The dead of night. A staple of K-drama voiceovers and song lyrics.

늦- (late, toward the end of)

늦- comes from the adjective 늦다 (to be late). It functions like a prefix meaning the tail end of ~.

늦- + 여름 = 늦여름   late summer
늦- + 봄   = 늦봄     late spring
늦- + 가을 = 늦가을   late autumn
늦- + 겨울 = 늦겨울   late winter
늦- + 저녁 = 늦저녁   late evening
늦- + 잠   = 늦잠     sleeping in (lit. "late sleep")

늦잠 is one of the most commonly used words in Korean daily life — and one of the most commonly enjoyed.

새- / 햇- (new, fresh)

Both mean new or fresh, but attach to different things.

새- (new, brand new):

새- + 해   = 새해    new year
새- + 집   = 새집    new house
새- + 신   = 새신    brand new shoes
새- + 옷   = 새옷    new clothes

햇- (fresh, this season's):

햇- + 쌀   = 햇쌀    freshly harvested rice
햇- + 과일 = 햇과일  fresh seasonal fruit
햇- + 감자 = 햇감자  new potatoes
햇- + 빛   = 햇빛    sunlight  ← 햇 = 해(sun) + ㅅ

새해 복 많이 받으세요: The 새- you see every January 1st. "May you receive lots of blessings in the new year."

새- vs 햇-:

새집    = newly built house         (something made)
햇쌀    = rice from this harvest    (something grown this season)

맨- (bare, with nothing)

맨- means bare — uncovered, empty-handed, in its natural state.

맨- + 발   = 맨발    bare feet
맨- + 손   = 맨손    bare hands, empty-handed
맨- + 얼굴 = 맨얼굴  bare face, no makeup
맨- + 몸   = 맨몸    bare body
맨- + 땅   = 맨땅    bare ground

"맨손으로 해냈다" — they pulled it off with nothing, empty-handed. 맨- often carries a sense of against the odds, with no help.

날- (raw, unprocessed)

날- means raw — uncooked, unprocessed, in its natural state.

날- + 것   = 날것    raw/unprocessed (general)
날- + 생선 = 날생선  raw fish
날- + 고기 = 날고기  raw meat
날- + 계란 = 날계란  raw egg

날씨: Some trace this back to 날- + 씨(氣), something like "the raw state of the sky." Today it simply means weather — no sense of "raw" remains. Words drift away from their origins.

✏️ Activity 1 — Match the Prefix

Add the right prefix (초-/한-/늦-/새-/맨-/날-) to make a word that matches each English description.

English description                Korean word
1. the height of winter            _______
2. early autumn                    _______
3. bare feet                       _______
4. sleeping in (late sleep)        _______
5. raw meat                        _______
6. a brand new year                _______
7. the dead of night               _______
8. a face with no makeup           _______

✏️ Activity 2 — The Time Axis

Fill in 초-, 한-, or 늦- to complete each timeline.

Spring:
[ _____봄 ] → [ ??? ] → [ _____봄 ]
  (early)                  (late)

Summer:
[ _____여름 ] → [ _____여름 ] → [ _____여름 ]
  (early)         (peak heat)     (tail end)

One day:
[ _____저녁 ] → night → [ _____밤 ] → dawn
  (early evening)          (dead of night)

한봄 and 한가을 are rarely used — perhaps because Korean spring and autumn are over before you know it. 한- works most naturally with summer and winter.

2. Suffixes

A suffix attaches to the back of a word and mostly changes its nature — usually turning a verb or adjective into a noun.

First, one concept to introduce.

Korean verbs and adjectives can be split into a stem and an ending.

먹다  = 먹- + -다
놀다  = 놀- + -다
높다  = 높- + -다
        ↑stem  ↑ending

The stem carries the meaning. It doesn't change. The ending handles conjugation. It shifts to add tense, politeness, connection, and more.

먹- + -다   = 먹다    (dictionary form)
먹- + -어   = 먹어    (casual present)
먹- + -었다 = 먹었다  (past)

A suffix attaches to this stem and mostly changes the word's nature. Unlike an ending, attaching a suffix creates a brand new word.

Stems and endings are fully covered in Series 3. For today, "a suffix attaches to the stem" is all you need.

-이 (quality, measurement, or the thing being acted on → noun)

놀다  (놀- + -다, to play)    → 놀- + -이 = 놀이    play, a game      (verb → noun)
먹다  (먹- + -다, to eat)     → 먹- + -이 = 먹이    animal feed, prey (verb → noun)
길다  (길- + -다, to be long) → 길- + -이 = 길이    length            (adjective → noun)
높다  (높- + -다, to be high) → 높- + -이 = 높이    height            (adjective → noun)
넓다  (넓- + -다, to be wide) → 넓- + -이 = 넓이    area, width       (adjective → noun)
깊다  (깊- + -다, to be deep) → 깊- + -이 = 깊이    depth             (adjective → noun)

먹이 vs 음식: 음식 is food for people. 먹이 is food for animals — or a predator's prey. Same root (먹다, to eat), but the suffix shifts what it refers to.

-개 (a tool or device for doing ~ → noun)

지우다 (지우- + -다, to erase)  → 지우- + -개 = 지우개  eraser          (verb → tool noun)
덮다  (덮- + -다, to cover)     → 덮-  + -개  = 덮개    lid, cover       (verb → tool noun)
따다  (따- + -다, to open/pry)  → 따-  + -개  = 따개    bottle opener    (verb → tool noun)
집다  (집- + -다, to pick up)   → 집-  + -개  = 집게    tongs, tweezers  (verb → tool noun)

지우개: 지우다(to erase) + -개 = "the thing for erasing." One suffix explains the whole word. It's one of the first words Korean children learn.

-음 (the action or state itself → noun)

웃다  (웃- + -다, to laugh) → 웃- + -음 = 웃음  laughter        (verb → action noun)
울다  (울- + -다, to cry)   → 울- + -음 = 울음  crying          (verb → action noun)
죽다  (죽- + -다, to die)   → 죽- + -음 = 죽음  death           (verb → action noun)
믿다  (믿- + -다, to trust) → 믿- + -음 = 믿음  belief, trust   (verb → state noun)
살다  (살- + -다, to live)  → 살- + -음 = 삶    life            (verb → action noun, ㄹ shifts)

웃음소리: Day 9's X+소리 pattern + today's -음 suffix working together. 웃다 → 웃음 (noun) → 웃음소리 (compound). The patterns connect.

-이 / -개 / -음 at a glance:

-이  → a quality, measurement, or the thing being acted on
-개  → a tool used to perform the action
-음  → the action or state itself

✏️ Activity 3 — Find the Stem, Add the Suffix

Find the stem of each verb or adjective, then attach the given suffix to make a new word.

Verb/adjective        Stem    + Suffix  = New word   Meaning
1. 높다 (to be high)  _____   + -이    = _______   _______
2. 덮다 (to cover)    _____   + -개    = _______   _______
3. 울다 (to cry)      _____   + -음    = _______   _______
4. 넓다 (to be wide)  _____   + -이    = _______   _______
5. 따다 (to open)     _____   + -개    = _______   _______
6. 믿다 (to trust)    _____   + -음    = _______   _______

Pattern Summary

Prefix/Suffix	Function	Examples
초-	early, the very start of	초여름, 초봄, 초저녁
한-	peak, the height of	한여름, 한겨울, 한밤, 한낮
늦-	late, toward the end of	늦여름, 늦가을, 늦잠
새-	new, brand new	새해, 새집, 새옷
햇-	fresh, this season's	햇쌀, 햇과일, 햇감자
맨-	bare, with nothing	맨발, 맨손, 맨얼굴
날-	raw, unprocessed	날것, 날고기, 날계란
-이	quality/measurement/target → noun	놀이, 길이, 높이, 먹이
-개	tool for the action → noun	지우개, 덮개, 집게
-음	the action/state itself → noun	웃음, 울음, 믿음, 죽음

✏️ Activity 4 — Guess Words You've Never Seen

Use today's prefixes and suffixes to work out the meaning of each word.

1. 초저녁   (초- / 저녁 = evening)          → _______________________
2. 한낮     (한- / 낮 = daytime)            → _______________________
3. 날생선   (날- / 생선 = fish)             → _______________________
4. 맨몸     (맨- / 몸 = body)               → _______________________
5. 깊이     (깊다 = to be deep / -이)       → _______________________
6. 집게     (집다 = to pick up / -개)       → _______________________
7. 삶       (살다 = to live / -음, ㄹ shifts)→ _______________________
8. 햇감자   (햇- / 감자 = potato)           → _______________________

Mini Quiz

Q1. What's the difference between a prefix and a suffix?

A) Prefixes go at the back; suffixes go at the front
B) Prefixes attach to the front and mostly add meaning;
   suffixes attach to the back and mostly change the word's nature
C) Both always change the part of speech
D) Prefixes only attach to Sino-Korean words; suffixes only to native Korean
Answer: ____

Q2. What's the difference between 초여름 and 한여름?

A) 초여름 = rainy summer / 한여름 = dry summer
B) 초여름 = early summer / 한여름 = peak midsummer
C) 초여름 = late summer / 한여름 = early summer
D) They mean the same thing
Answer: ____

Q3. What does the suffix -개 do in 지우개?

A) Turns the verb into an adjective
B) Creates a noun meaning "the tool for doing this action"
C) Adds the meaning of "big"
D) Nothing — it's just part of the word
Answer: ____

Q4. Which word uses the suffix -음?

A) 높이   B) 지우개   C) 믿음   D) 놀이
Answer: ____

(Answers: Q1-B, Q2-B, Q3-B, Q4-C)

Answer Key

Activity 1

1. 한겨울   midwinter
2. 초가을   early autumn
3. 맨발     bare feet
4. 늦잠     sleeping in
5. 날고기   raw meat
6. 새해     new year
7. 한밤     the dead of night
8. 맨얼굴   face with no makeup

Activity 2

Spring:  초봄 → (한봄 is rarely used) → 늦봄
Summer:  초여름 → 한여름 → 늦여름
One day: 초저녁 → night → 한밤 → dawn

Activity 3

1. 높다  높- + -이 = 높이    height
2. 덮다  덮- + -개 = 덮개    lid, cover
3. 울다  울- + -음 = 울음    crying
4. 넓다  넓- + -이 = 넓이    area, width
5. 따다  따- + -개 = 따개    bottle opener
6. 믿다  믿- + -음 = 믿음    belief, trust

Activity 4

1. 초저녁  → early evening
2. 한낮    → high noon, the middle of the day
3. 날생선  → raw fish
4. 맨몸    → bare body
5. 깊이    → depth
6. 집게    → tongs, tweezers
7. 삶      → life
8. 햇감자  → fresh new potatoes (this season's harvest)

Day 10 Checklist

"Next up: Day 11 — -하다 and -되다. Two suffixes that turn nouns into verbs, and verbs into their passive form. 공부하다, 사랑하다, 해결되다 — you've already heard them everywhere."

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Prefixes & Suffixes — One Addition, Many New Words