How has your week been? Have you been sitting at a stoplight because of your hectic schedule lately? If you can find a moment to turn to nature, you will notice colorful flowers that are responding to the transition of the seasons, from spring to summer.

Although there are no more cherry blossoms to enjoy now, numerous May 꽃 (flowers) have started to show off their vibrant colors and shapes as we approach the summer months. Whenever I walk outside nowadays, I enjoy sweet smelling clusters of acacia blossoms along with azaleas, roses, and peonies. There may be many things to keep you busy and distract you from enjoying the beauties outside, but I hope you will be able to find a moment to immerse yourself in the nature around you and appreciate these beautiful 꽃 outside. Are you ready to soak up the beauty of the following 꽃 and learn their names in Korean?

When someone asks you this question “꽃을  좋아하세요? (Do you like flowers?),” You can simply answer the question with either “네 (Yes)” or “아니요 (No). And then, when you are asked this question “무슨  꽃을  좋아하세요? (What is your favorite flower?),” your answer can be “저는  a name of  flower  좋아해요. (I like a name of flower.).”

Photo by KLM

1. Polite form: [kkot-eul jo-ah-ha-se-yo] 꽃을 좋아하세요?  :  Do you like flowers?
2. [kkot] 꽃  :  flower
3. [jo-ah-ha-da]  좋아하다  :  a basic verb from of “like”
4. [ne] 네  :  yes
5. [ah-nee-yo] 아니요  :  no
6. [moo-seon kkot-eul jo-ah-ha-se-yo] 무슨  꽃을  좋아하세요?  :  What is your favorite flower?
7. [moo-seon] 무슨  :  what / which
8. [jeo-neon hae-ba-ra-ki jo-ah-ha-se-yo]  저는  해바라기  좋아해요 :  I like sunflowers.

Once you learn the above vocabulary and expressions, here are more names of flowers in Korean for you to incorporate into your sentences.

9. [jin-dal-rae]  진달래  : azalea
10. [jang-mi]  장미  :  rose
11. [soo-gook]  수국  :  hydrangea
12. [tyul-lip]  튤립  :  tulip
13. [soo-seon-hwa]  수선화  :  daffodil
14. [hae-ba-ra-ki]  해바라기  :  sunflower
15. [min-deul-le]  민들레  :  dandelion

Photo by KLM

Many seasonal flowers around us are blooming, and flowers are often used for many special occasions. Therefore, talking about flowers or simply asking someone about his/her favorite flowers might become a good small talk starter for you.

                                              저는          해바라기          좋아해요.   (I like sunflowers.)

[jeo-neon    hae-ba-ra-ki    jo-ah-ha-se-yo]

                              무슨            꽃을        좋아하세요?   (What is your favorite flower?) like?)

[moo-seon    kkot-eul     jo-ah-ha-se-yo]

감사합니다. (Thank you!)