Writing Emails & Letters
Write formal and informal emails with proper greetings and closings.
Korean emails follow a specific structure that differs from Western business emails. Formal emails open with 안녕하세요 (hello) followed by an explicit self-identification: 저는 [name] [company]의 [role]입니다 (this is [name], [role] at [company]). The actual message follows, written in -ㅂ니다/습니다 formal speech. Closing uses 감사합니다 (thank you) or 잘 부탁드립니다 (please look after this), then the sender's name.
Key vocabulary for emails: 첨부 (attachment), 답장 (reply), 회신 (response, more formal than 답장), 문의 (inquiry), 일정 (schedule). Note that Korean emails often include a level of hierarchical address that English emails do not — addressing the recipient as [성함] 님 (Mr/Ms [name]) is essential in formal contexts. Skipping the honorific feels rude. Practice a few template structures and you can handle most business email situations.
~기 때문에 — Because (written/formal reason)
Verb stem + 기 때문에 = because of doing ~. More formal than ~아/어서. Often used in written Korean. 시간이 없기 때문에 (because there is no time).
~(으)ㄹ 때 — When (time clause)
Verb stem + (으)ㄹ 때 = when doing ~. 가다 → 갈 때 (when going), 먹다 → 먹을 때 (when eating). For past: ~았/었을 때 (when [I] did).