When you think of someone who’s fluent in a language, you probably picture someone speaking perfectly, without stops or pauses. In reality, a lot of filler words are used to fill silences.

You already use English fillers without realizing it. When you can’t think of the word you want, you might say “Um…” This gives you a break without an awkward, silent pause.

Filler words don’t add any particular meaning to a sentence, but they allow speakers to keep going while coming up with the next thought. Korean does this, too. You’re allowed to pause and think, be unsure of the best response, or even forget the word you’re looking for. The trick is knowing the appropriate filler to use while you put your thoughts together.

Learning Korean filler words makes you sound like a native speaker in no time at all. I’ve listed the common fillers here.

Note: The filler words used in polite speech (존댓말) are marked with an asterisk *.

Reference:

1. “Filler (Linguistics)”. En.Wikipedia.Org, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filler_(linguistics). Accessed 20 Aug 2018.
2. “A Linguistic Anthropologist Explains Why, Um, “Filler Words” Are OK To Use”. Quartz, 2018, https://qz.com/921004/lets-stop-demonizing-filler-words/. Accessed 20 Aug 2018.
3. “Category:Korean Interjections – Wiktionary”. En.Wiktionary.Org, 2018, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Korean_interjections. Accessed 20 Aug 2018.