Lesson 12 · Self-Introduction — Cami Learns Korean

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Audio is active. Tap 🔊 on any card to hear the word spoken in Korean. Listen before revealing — train your ear first.

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Lesson Objectives

Learn all 15 self-introduction vocabulary words
Understand the core sentence pattern 저는 ___입니다
Build a complete 5-sentence 자기소개 in Korean
Read two dialogues — first meeting and a classroom introduction
Write the 5 highest-frequency introduction words from memory

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Building on Lesson 11

You know how to greet someone — 안녕하세요 and 처음 뵙겠습니다. The natural next step after a greeting is introducing yourself. Today's 15 words complete that opening exchange. By the end you can say your name, age, country, and job in Korean.

Part 1 · The Core Pattern

저는 ___입니다 — the sentence that does everything

Almost every self-introduction in Korean uses this one structure. It's the equivalent of "I am ___". Learn it now and the rest of this lesson slots in naturally.

The Pattern

저는jeo-neunI (topic) — ___+ your information 입니다.im-ni-daam / is (formal)

저는 카미입니다.I am Cami.

저는 학생입니다.I am a student.

저는 미국 사람입니다.I am American.

저 vs 나 — two words for "I"
저 (formal/polite) — use in all formal and semi-formal situations. When in doubt, use 저.
나 (casual) — used with close friends and younger people. Paired with casual endings.

For introductions you will almost always use 저. Casual speech is taught later in the course.

💡 입니다 vs 이에요/예요 Both mean "is/am". 입니다 is the formal version — textbook-polished, professional. 이에요/예요 is the everyday polite version (note 지호예요 in Dialogue 1). You'll learn these grammar patterns fully in Lesson 18. For now: use 입니다 in introductions and you'll always sound composed.

Part 2 · 단어 — The 15 Words

오늘의 단어 — Today's vocabulary

Tap any card to reveal the meaning, pronunciation, and an example sentence using today's core pattern.

👆 Tap card to expand · 🔊 hear it spoken

01저

pronoun

jeo I / me (formal) The polite form of "I". Used in all formal and semi-formal speech. Casual form: 나 (na). 저 becomes 제 when used as "my" (possessive). 저는 한국어를 공부해요. I am studying Korean.

02제

pronoun

je My (formal possessive) The possessive form of 저. Used before a noun: 제 이름 (my name), 제 나이 (my age). In casual speech: 내 (nae) from 나. 제 이름은 카미예요. My name is Cami.

03이름

noun

i-reum Name The most common first question in any introduction: 이름이 뭐예요? (What is your name?). Note the ㄹ-linking rule: 이름이 is pronounced 이르미 when followed by a vowel. 제 이름은 카미입니다. My name is Cami.

04나이

noun

na-i Age Korea used a unique age-counting system (Korean age = international age + 1 or 2) until 2023. Since June 2023, Korea officially uses international age (만나이), but the old system still comes up in everyday speech. 제 나이는 스물다섯이에요. My age is 25.

05나라

noun

na-ra Country / nation Standard intro question: 어느 나라 사람이에요? (Which country are you from?). Paired with 사람 (person): 미국 사람 = American, 영국 사람 = British. Learn the country + 사람 formula — it covers nationality in all introductions. 어느 나라 사람이에요? Which country are you from?

06고향

noun

go-hyang Hometown / place of origin 고향 is where you were born or grew up — more specific than 나라 (country). Very common in Korean introductions: 고향이 어디예요? (Where is your hometown?) 제 고향은 뉴욕이에요. My hometown is New York.

07직업

noun

ji-geop Job / occupation Asking about someone's job is standard in Korean introductions — it's part of understanding who someone is in a social hierarchy. 직업이 뭐예요? or 무슨 일 해요? — What do you do? 직업이 뭐예요? What is your job?

08학생

noun

hak-saeng Student 학 (學) = learning, 생 (生) = person. The character 학 also appears in 학교 (school) and 대학교 (university). Pronunciation note: tensing rule applies — ㄱ + ㅅ → 학쌩 in practice. 저는 학생입니다. I am a student.

09선생님

noun

seon-saeng-nim Teacher (also a respectful title of address) 님 is an honorific suffix that elevates any title. 선생 alone = teacher, but 선생님 is always used in practice. Also used as a direct address: "선생님!" to get a teacher's attention. 저는 선생님입니다. I am a teacher.

10회사원

noun

hoe-sa-won Office worker / company employee 회사 = company, 원 = person/member. Covers anyone in a white-collar company role — one of the most common job descriptions in Korean. Specific roles (엔지니어, 디자이너) are also used alongside it. 저는 회사원입니다. I am an office worker.

11가족

noun

ga-jok Family Often comes up in introductions: 가족이 몇 명이에요? (How many people are in your family?). Korean family vocabulary is extensive — 가족 is the umbrella word. Detailed family terms come in Month 2. 제 가족은 네 명이에요. My family has four people.

12형제

noun

hyeong-je Siblings Literally "older brother + younger brother" but used as the general word for siblings. 형제가 있어요? — Do you have siblings? Common answer: 형제가 없어요 (none) / 형제가 둘이에요 (two siblings). 형제가 있어요? Do you have siblings?

13취미

noun

chwi-mi Hobby / interest 취미가 뭐예요? — What is your hobby? is a standard follow-up question after the basics in any Korean introduction. 취미는 ___예요. Hobbies vocabulary comes in Month 5. 취미가 뭐예요? What is your hobby?

14사람

noun

sa-ram Person / people Essential in nationality sentences: [country] + 사람 = "a person from [country]". 미국 사람 (American), 영국 사람 (British), 호주 사람 (Australian). This formula is used constantly — drill it. 저는 미국 사람입니다. I am American (lit. I am an America-person).

15소개

noun

so-gae Introduction 소개하다 = to introduce. 자기소개 (ja-gi-so-gae) = self-introduction — used in classrooms and meetings. 자기소개를 해 주세요 = "Please introduce yourself." 소개시켜 드릴게요 = "Let me introduce you." 자기소개를 해 주세요. Please introduce yourself.

Words in your active deck

Two vocabulary lessons done. 30 words total. You can now greet someone and introduce yourself — that's already real communication in Korean.

Part 3 · Introduction Template

A complete 자기소개 — sentence by sentence

Here is a full five-sentence self-introduction using today's vocabulary. This is the standard format used in Korean classrooms and professional settings. Read it aloud, then adapt it with your own details.

Korean	Romanization	English
안녕하세요!	an-nyeong-ha-se-yo	Hello!
제 이름은 카미입니다.	je i-reum-eun ka-mi-im-ni-da.	My name is Cami.
저는 미국 사람입니다.	jeo-neun mi-guk sa-ram-im-ni-da.	I am American.
저는 학생입니다.	jeo-neun hak-saeng-im-ni-da.	I am a student.
한국어를 공부해요.	han-gu-geo-reul gong-bu-hae-yo.	I am studying Korean.
잘 부탁드립니다!	jal bu-tak-deu-rim-ni-da!	I look forward to working with you!

💡 이름은 vs 이름이 제 이름은 marks "name" as the topic of the sentence — you're saying what the name is. 은/는 are topic markers, 이/가 are subject markers. The distinction is covered fully in Lesson 18. For now: use 은 after 이름 in self-introductions and you'll always be correct.

💡 잘 부탁드립니다 Literally "I humbly ask for your guidance" — used at the end of every self-introduction and at the start of any new working or learning relationship. Think of it as "I look forward to working with you" or "please take care of me." You will use this phrase in your first real Korean conversation. Learn it now.

Part 4 · 대화 — Dialogues

See the introduction in real exchange

Two dialogues — a first meeting at a language exchange café, and a classroom self-introduction. Read each line aloud.

Dialogue 1 — First meeting at a language exchange café

안녕하세요! 저는 카미입니다. an-nyeong-ha-se-yo! jeo-neun ka-mi-im-ni-da. Hello! I am Cami.

반갑습니다! 저는 지호예요. ban-gap-seum-ni-da! jeo-neun ji-ho-ye-yo. Nice to meet you! I am Jiho.

어느 나라 사람이에요? eo-neu na-ra sa-ram-i-e-yo? Which country are you from?

저는 한국 사람이에요. 카미 씨는요? jeo-neun han-guk sa-ram-i-e-yo. ka-mi ssi-neun-yo? I am Korean. And you, Cami?

저는 미국 사람이에요. jeo-neun mi-guk sa-ram-i-e-yo. I am American.

Dialogue 2 — Classroom self-introduction (자기소개)

자기소개를 해 주세요. ja-gi-so-gae-reul hae ju-se-yo. Please introduce yourself. (Teacher to class)

안녕하세요. 제 이름은 카미입니다. 저는 미국 사람이고 서울에서 한국어를 공부해요. 잘 부탁드립니다! an-nyeong-ha-se-yo. je i-reum-eun ka-mi-im-ni-da. jeo-neun mi-guk sa-ram-i-go seo-ul-e-seo han-gu-geo-reul gong-bu-hae-yo. jal bu-tak-deu-rim-ni-da! Hello. My name is Cami. I am American and I am studying Korean in Seoul. I look forward to working with you!

💡 씨 — polite name suffix In Dialogue 1, B says 카미 씨는요? — 씨 is a polite honorific attached to someone's name (or full name) when speaking to or about them. It's roughly equivalent to Mr./Ms. in English but less formal. Don't use 씨 with yourself — only with the person you're addressing or discussing.

Part 5 · 쓰기 연습 — Writing Practice

Write the 5 core introduction words

These five appear in virtually every Korean self-introduction. Write each one three times — Korean only, no romanization. Faded syllables are guides; try blank squares from memory.

이름i-reum · name

이

름

이

름

이

름

나라na-ra · country

나

라

나

라

나

라

직업ji-geop · job

직

업

직

업

직

업

학생hak-saeng · student

학

생

학

생

학

생

가족ga-jok · family

가

족

가

족

가

족

🌏 Cultural Note

나이 문화 — Age and Identity in Korean Culture

In Korean introductions, being asked your age is entirely normal — not rude. Age determines which speech level Koreans use with each other: older person receives formal speech, younger person may receive more casual speech. Asking 나이가 어떻게 되세요? (How old are you?) is a way of calibrating the relationship, not an intrusion.

Until 2023, Korea used a unique counting system where everyone was considered one year old at birth and added another year on January 1st. A baby born in December could be called "two years old" by New Year's Day. Since June 2023, Korea officially standardised to international age (만나이), but the traditional system still surfaces in daily speech — especially among older generations.

In formal introductions, 명함 (business cards) are exchanged with both hands. Receiving a card with one hand is considered impolite. Take a moment to read the card before putting it away. These small gestures signal cultural fluency — and are warmly noticed.

📚 Lesson 12 Homework

Before Lesson 13…

Write all 15 words in your notebook — Korean only, no romanization. Add them to your flashcard deck. You now have 30 cards total — review both sets tonight.

Write your own 5-sentence 자기소개 using today's template. Use your real name, country, job or study, and one personal detail. Read it aloud five times until it flows naturally.

Drill the 나라 + 사람 formula: pick five countries (한국, 미국, 영국, 프랑스, 일본) and say "[country] 사람입니다" for each. This pattern recurs constantly — make it automatic.

Memorise 잘 부탁드립니다 — say it five times. Say it to your mirror. You will use this phrase in your first real Korean conversation. It should be instant recall.

Lesson 13 preview: Next lesson is Polite Expressions — 실례합니다, 천만에요, 잠깐만요, 괜찮으세요? and more. The phrases that fill the spaces between greetings and introductions in real conversation.