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🎓 Lesson 23 — Formal vs Informal Writing in Korean (TOPIK 5–6)

Have you ever finished a Korean essay or email and suddenly thought, “Was that too casual… or too stiff?”
Many advanced learners know complex grammar, but lose points on TOPIK or sound awkward at work because the style doesn’t match the situation. In this lesson, we’ll learn how to control formal vs informal writing in Korean so you can sound professional, natural, and culturally appropriate.

📌 Learning Goal

• Clearly understand the difference between formal (격식체) and informal (비격식체) writing styles in Korean.
• Choose the right style for essays, business emails, and casual messages to friends.
• Apply advanced style control in TOPIK II writing tasks and real-life professional situations.

🧭 Table of Contents

• Concept & Meaning
• Real-Life Examples
• Practice Dialogue
• Quick Quiz
• Teacher’s Tips
• K-culture Insight
• Lesson Summary
• Your Turn

1️⃣ Concept & Meaning

In Korean, “good writing” is not only about grammar and vocabulary; it’s also about style. The two big axes you must control are:

• 격식체 (formal style) – used in official documents, academic essays, news articles, business reports.
• 비격식체 (informal style) – used in personal messages, blogs, social media, and close relationships.

또한 한국어 글에는 문어체와 구어체라는 축도 있습니다.

• 문어체 – written style, more structured and dense, often found in essays, reports, speeches.
• 구어체 – spoken style, conversational and flexible, used in dialogues and casual writing.

For TOPIK II and professional settings, your default should be formal 문어체. For blogs, KakaoTalk, and YouTube comments, informal 구어체 is often more natural.

Formula (very simplified): Audience + Purpose + Context → Choose Style (격식체 / 비격식체, 문어체 / 구어체)

Common mistakes:

• Writing a TOPIK essay entirely in 반말 endings (e.g. ~해, ~했어).
• Using only “-요” style in academic writing (friendly but not fully formal).
• Mixing multiple styles randomly in one text.
• Copying spoken drama lines directly into formal essays.

2️⃣ Real-Life Examples

Let’s compare sentences in different styles. Read carefully and notice the endings, vocabulary, and overall vibe.

1. “Please review this report.”

① 격식체 문어체: 이번 보고서를 검토해 주시면 감사하겠습니다.
→ I would appreciate it if you could review this report.

② 비격식체 구어체: 이 보고서 좀 봐줄래?
→ Can you take a look at this report?

2. “The meeting starts at 10 a.m. tomorrow.”

① 격식체 문어체: 회의는 내일 오전 10시에 시작됩니다.
→ The meeting will start at 10 a.m. tomorrow.

② 비격식체 구어체: 회의 내일 10시에 시작해.
→ The meeting starts at 10 tomorrow.

3. “If you have any questions, please contact me.”

① 격식체 문어체: 문의사항이 있으시면 연락 주시기 바랍니다.
→ If you have any questions, please contact me.

② 비격식체 구어체: 궁금한 거 있으면 연락해.
→ If you have questions, text me.

4. “I studied Korean on the weekend.”

① 격식체 문어체: 주말 동안 한국어를 학습하였습니다.
→ I studied Korean over the weekend. (formal, written)

② 중간 정도 공손체: 주말에 한국어 공부를 했어요.
→ I studied Korean on the weekend. (polite, neutral)

③ 비격식체: 주말에 한국어 공부했어.
→ I studied Korean on the weekend. (casual)

5. “I want to find out more.”

① 격식 어휘: 자세히 연구해 보고자 합니다.
→ I would like to research this in more detail.

② 일상 어휘: 좀 더 알아보고 싶어요.
→ I want to find out more.

👉 패턴 정리: 격식체에서는 학습, 연구, 검토, 문의사항 같은 한자어·추상어를 많이 쓰고, 비격식체에서는 공부, 알아보다, 궁금한 거처럼 일상적인 표현을 많이 사용합니다.

3️⃣ Practice Dialogue

📚 Situation: A student and a teacher discussing TOPIK essay style

A: 선생님, TOPIK 쓰기에서는 꼭 격식체를 사용해야 하나요?

B: 네, 특히 Ⅱ급 쓰기에서는 격식체 문어체가 기본이에요.

A: 저는 평소에 블로그 글을 써서 그런지 자꾸 구어체가 나와요.

B: 그럴 때는 먼저 반말 문장을 쓰고, 나중에 끝만 “-습니다” 형태로 바꾸는 연습을 해 보세요.

A: 그럼 “이 문제는 너무 어려워요”를 격식체로 쓰면 어떻게 돼요?

B: “이 문제는 매우 어렵습니다”처럼 표현하면 좋겠죠.

A: 아, 단어도 “너무” 대신 “매우”를 쓰는군요.

B: 맞아요. 어휘와 문장 길이도 함께 바뀌어야 자연스러운 격식체가 됩니다.

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💬 English Translation:

A: Teacher, do I have to use formal style in TOPIK writing?

B: Yes, especially in TOPIK II writing, formal written style is the default.

A: I usually write blog posts, so spoken style keeps coming out.

B: In that case, first write the sentence in casual style and later change the endings to “-습니다”.

A: Then how can I change “이 문제는 너무 어려워요” into formal style?

B: You can write “이 문제는 매우 어렵습니다.”

A: Oh, so the vocabulary also changes from “너무” to “매우”.

B: Exactly. For natural formal style, both vocabulary and sentence length must change together.

4️⃣ Quick Quiz

Check your understanding of style. Try to answer before opening the answers!

1. 빈칸 넣기 (Formal):
   아래 문장을 격식체로 완성하세요.
   내일 회의에 꼭 ________ 바랍니다.
   (to attend)
2. 오류 찾기:
   TOPIK Ⅱ 쓰기에서 아래 문장은 왜 부적절할까요?
   그래서 저는 이 문제가 너무 싫어해요.
3. 문장 변환 (Informal → Formal):
   이 책 진짜 재밌어. 친구한테 꼭 추천하고 싶어.
   → 격식체 문어체 한 문장으로 바꿔 보세요.

✔ Show Answers

1) 정답: 참석해 주시기
→ 내일 회의에 꼭 참석해 주시기 바랍니다.

2) 정답 설명:
• “싫어해요”는 목적어를 필요로 하는 동사인데, “문제가 싫어한다”라고 쓸 수 없음.
• 또한 “너무 싫어해요”는 구어체 느낌이 강해 TOPIK Ⅱ에는 부적절.
→ “그래서 저는 이 문제가 매우 부담스럽습니다”처럼 수정하는 것이 자연스러운 격식체.

3) 예시 정답:
→ 이 책은 매우 흥미로워 친구들에게 꼭 추천하고 싶습니다.
(동일한 의미를 유지하면서 “진짜, 꼭” 같은 구어체 부사와 반말을 격식체로 바꾸는 것이 포인트.)

👩‍🏫 Teacher’s Tips

Many advanced learners already know difficult grammar like -더라도, -기는 하지만, -도록. However, they lose marks because the style doesn’t match the reader.

특히 교수님께 보내는 메일이나 자기소개서에서 “-요”체만 사용하면, 친근하지만 다소 가벼운 인상을 줄 수 있습니다. 반대로, 친구에게 “-습니다”체를 쓰면 거리감이 느껴지죠.

Simple habit: Before you write, ask three questions in English (or Korean):

• Who is my reader? (professor, HR manager, friend, follower)
• What is the purpose? (to argue, to apologize, to inform, to chat)
• Will this be printed, emailed, or texted?

Answering these questions will already push your brain toward the correct level of formality.

🌏 K-culture Insight

Korean culture places strong value on hierarchy and respect. Because of this, writing style is not just a “personal choice” — it reflects your awareness of relationships.

한국어 글쓰기는 단순한 문법 문제가 아니라 위계질서와 거리감을 조절하는 기술입니다. 직장 상사, 교수님, 처음 만나는 사람에게 비격식체를 사용하면, 의도와 상관없이 무례하게 느껴질 수 있습니다.

Interestingly, Korean newspapers traditionally used very formal “-다” endings. But with digital media, many online articles now mix formal grammar with more conversational vocabulary to feel approachable to younger readers. So style is also slowly changing with time.

📍 Lesson Summary

• Formal vs informal style in Korean is deeply connected to hierarchy, distance, and purpose.
• TOPIK II writing and professional emails → use 격식체 문어체 with -습니다 endings and formal vocabulary.
• Blogs, messages to friends, and social media → 비격식체 구어체 with shorter sentences and casual words.
• 혼합 스타일은 연습 부족처럼 보일 수 있으므로, 한 텍스트 안에서는 기본 스타일을 한 가지로 유지하세요.

📝 Your Turn

1. Write 3 sentences about your weekend in informal style, then rewrite them in formal written style.
2. Choose one past TOPIK II writing question and rewrite your answer in a slightly more formal style. Focus on endings and vocabulary.
3. 한국어로 “나의 장점”에 대해 5문장을 쓴 뒤, 그 중 2문장을 비격식체로, 3문장을 격식체로 바꿔 보세요.
4. Post one pair (informal → formal) in the comments. I’ll try to give feedback or corrections where possible!

👋 Take a Korean Lesson with Me!

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👉 Book your first lesson on italki and bring your writing drafts!

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Tags: Korean writing, formal Korean style, informal Korean, TOPIK 5-6 writing, Korean essay tips, 한국어 글쓰기, 격식체 비격식체, 한국어 고급 표현, 韓国語 ライティング, estilo formal coreano