Vocabulary at TOPIK II Level 4
TOPIK II Level 4 (150–189 points) requires you to handle most social and formal communication in Korean with general ease. At this level, vocabulary knowledge of approximately 4,000 to 6,000 words is expected. The 500 most important words for Level 4 are drawn from the thematic areas that appear most consistently in TOPIK II Level 3–4 reading and listening: social issues, work and employment, health, environment, education, and Korean culture and society.
Work and Employment Vocabulary
취업하다 (get a job), 이직하다 (change jobs), 면접 (interview), 이력서 (résumé), 지원하다 (apply for), 근무 조건 (working conditions), 급여 (salary), 직장 내 (in the workplace), 노동자 (worker), 실업률 (unemployment rate), 고용하다 (employ), 해고하다 (dismiss/fire), 계약직 (contract worker), 정규직 (full-time/permanent employee), 임시직 (temporary worker).
Social Issues Vocabulary
인구 고령화 (ageing population), 저출산 (low birth rate), 경제 성장 (economic growth), 소득 격차 (income gap), 빈곤층 (the poor / low-income group), 사회 복지 (social welfare), 환경 오염 (environmental pollution), 지구 온난화 (global warming), 에너지 절약 (energy saving), 지속 가능한 (sustainable), 다문화 사회 (multicultural society), 이민자 (immigrant), 차별 (discrimination), 인권 (human rights).
Health and Medicine Vocabulary
건강 검진 (health check-up), 질병 예방 (disease prevention), 만성 질환 (chronic disease), 정신 건강 (mental health), 스트레스 (stress), 비만 (obesity), 운동 부족 (lack of exercise), 영양소 (nutrients), 균형 잡힌 식단 (balanced diet), 의료 서비스 (medical services), 보험 (insurance), 치료비 (treatment cost), 수술 (surgery), 입원하다 (be hospitalised), 회복하다 (recover).
How to Learn These Words Efficiently
Add all 500 target vocabulary items to Anki with Korean example sentences (not English translations alone) and audio. Study 15 new words daily and review all due cards. Supplement flashcard study with reading — find each vocabulary item in a Korean news article and read the full paragraph for context. After 6 weeks of consistent daily study, the majority of these 500 words will be recognisable in both reading and listening contexts.
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