TOPIK II Intermediate Vocabulary
Build the intermediate vocabulary needed for TOPIK II: society, environment, culture, and development.
TOPIK II vocabulary jumps significantly in abstract and topical terrain compared to TOPIK I. The exam draws heavily on themes: society (사회), environment (환경), culture (문화), economy (경제), education (교육), technology (기술), health (건강), and development (발전). Each theme has a recurring core vocabulary of 30–50 words that appear across multiple past exams.
A practical approach: pick one theme per week and absorb its core vocabulary using past TOPIK II reading passages on that theme. Read the passages until you can understand them without a dictionary, then practice the questions. This thematic-immersion method outperforms generic vocabulary lists by a wide margin because you learn the words in the syntactic patterns where they actually appear on the exam. Japanese speakers have a major advantage at this level — TOPIK II vocabulary leans heavily on Sino-Korean compounds that map directly onto Japanese 漢語.
-에 따라 (depending on / according to)
Expresses that a result varies depending on a condition. [noun] + 에 따라 + [result]. Frequently appears in TOPIK II reading passages on social and cultural topics.
-에 비해 (compared to)
Used to compare two things and show a difference. [noun] + 에 비해 + [result showing the difference]. Common in TOPIK II essays and analytical reading passages.
How It Works
TOPIK II vocabulary shifts decisively away from daily life towards abstract and social domains: 환경 (environment), 갈등 (conflict), 발전 (development), 정책 (policy), 인식 (perception). This shift is the single biggest jump between TOPIK I and II.
The overwhelming majority of this vocabulary is Sino-Korean, which changes how you should learn it. Rather than memorising words individually, learn the recurring Sino-Korean morphemes: 화 (-ification) in 세계화 and 고령화, 성 (-ness) in 가능성 and 필요성, 적 (-ic) in 사회적 and 경제적. One morpheme unlocks dozens of words.
-에 따라 means 'depending on' or 'according to' and introduces a variable condition: 나이에 따라 다릅니다. It differs from -에 따르면 in Lesson 7-1, which cites a source. The two look similar and are easy to confuse.
-에 비해 means 'compared to' and is the compressed form of the -(으)ㄴ/는 데 비해 you met in Lesson 7-6. It attaches directly to nouns, which makes it shorter and more common in written analysis.
Both appear constantly in TOPIK II reading passages because the passages are analytical — they compare situations and describe variation, which is exactly what these two constructions are for.
Where You'll Hear It
TOPIK II covers levels 3 through 6 and includes a writing section, which makes it a substantially different exam from TOPIK I rather than simply a harder one.
The reading passages are drawn from the register of newspaper features and general-interest non-fiction, which is why Lesson 7-1 is useful preparation. Reading Korean news regularly is close to direct practice.
The vocabulary domains are predictable: environment, ageing society, education, technology, work culture, and social change. These are the topics Korean public discourse returns to, and the exam reflects that.
For Japanese speakers, the Sino-Korean advantage becomes decisive at this level. Where a Western learner must memorise 환경, 갈등 and 발전 as new items, a Japanese reader recognises them immediately. This can mean the difference between TOPIK II being a vocabulary marathon and being primarily a grammar and reading-speed challenge.
-에 따라 appears in almost every passage about variation, and 개인에 따라 다르다 ('it varies by individual') is close to a stock phrase in Korean discussion of social topics.
The grammar range broadens considerably, but the constructions tested are largely those covered in Levels 5 through 7 of this course.
Cultural & Language Note
TOPIK II vocabulary shifts to abstract and social domains — 갈등, 환경, 발전 — where Sino-Korean compounds dominate. This is exactly where Japanese speakers gain the most, since 葛藤, 環境, and 発展 are the same compounds with predictable sound correspondences. Learning the correspondence patterns unlocks large blocks of vocabulary at once.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
에 따라 and 에 비해 look similar but do one different thing each: 에 따라 means 'depending on', 에 비해 means 'compared to'. Both attach to nouns. Learners also assume every Sino-Korean word matches its Japanese counterpart in nuance, but some have drifted — check rather than assume for abstract terms.
How to Practice This Lesson
Learn morphemes, not words. Make a list of the recurring Sino-Korean elements — 화, 성, 적, 력, 주의, 관 — and learn what each does. This is the highest-leverage vocabulary strategy available at this level and it compounds continuously.
Japanese speakers should build the 漢語 bridge systematically. Go through a TOPIK II vocabulary list and mark everything you already recognise from Japanese. You will likely find you can skip a large fraction and concentrate on the genuinely new items.
Distinguish -에 따라 from -에 따르면 deliberately. Write five sentences of each and check that the first introduces a variable and the second introduces a source. They are confused often enough to be worth ten minutes.
Read Korean news features rather than textbook passages. The register match is close, and the material is unlimited and current.
Build reading speed with timed practice on authentic material. At TOPIK II length, comprehension without speed is not enough — the passages are long and the time is tight.