-
The Best Books To Study Korean
So you’re ready to jump in and start studying Korean. You’ve celebrated Hangul Day in Korea and think the language is for you. There are a lot of great online Korean courses to choose from, but just as important are books. Finding high-quality Korean learning resources can be daunting but there are more and more out there as Korean dramas and K-pop spread worldwide. Good textbooks for learning give you a good foundation for language so get ready to study Korean grammar, how to construct Korean sentences, and more with the best books to study Korean. Are you ready to start learning Korean? Here’s where to start: (This post contains…
-
Learning Korean In Korea: Noisy Salesmen Are Great Teachers
When I first got to Korea, I did not speak Korean. Not a lick and that was cause for quite a few humorous assumptions. Assumptions aren’t always bad. It depends what you do after making assumptions that can be bad. Luckily for me, after awhile, I fell into a group of Koreans that were quick to show me the err in my ways or just to educate the silly foreigner. The education has proven immeasurable and also has given me many funny stories along the way. Today, I’m going to share a couple of those funny tales. Wonder why learning Korean when living in Korea is useful? I’ve got some…
-
Why Koreans Say Have You Eaten Instead of How Are You
Recently in a conversation with four Korean women, the topic of etiquette and manners came up. We were discussing differences from the west compared to Korea. I brought up how endearing, although strange at first, that Koreans consistently ask if I've eaten and if I respond that I haven't, inevitably food shows up.
-
Maybe Doesn’t Mean Maybe In Korean
Maybe is one of those words that loses its meaning, or the subtlety of the word, in translation. While most English speakers will use 'maybe' to mean 'possibly but most likely no', Koreans will generally use 'maybe' to mean 'yes'.
-
10 Things to Know Upon Arrival in Korea
From getting lost just steps from the front door to signs in another language being of no use for navigation, moving to a new country can be daunting. There are a lot of things you learn AFTER you come to Korea and plenty of them are easy enough to figure out and a ton are definitely good to know BEFORE you get here. Here’s what you should know if you’re moving to Korea and there’s a nifty packing list at the end of this post too. Wondering if you should learn Korean before you move to Korea? Let me fill you in. Wondering about the best apps for transportation in…
-
Conversations with Koreans: Where are you from?
It doesn't matter how much Korean I speak, or what I'm even doing, this question is bound to come up in every conversation I am having with a Korean. I guess it makes sense; I'm clearly not from here. However, sometimes I just wonder why it's so common. Yesterday, I was just picking up some milk tea in my local convenience store and as I was checking out, the cashier asked...
-
Learning Korean Can Be Laugh Out Loud Funny: Funny Korean Words & Phrases
Learning a new language is a difficult task for anyone. Some of my favorite words or phrases are the ones that are just so literal in my own language that they are hilarious. Here have been some of my favorites that I still try to splice into conversation even if it's just to make myself chuckle a little.
-
Conversations With Koreans: Wait, we aren’t friends?
“Thank you”, “Hello”, “Give me… please” and a few other words and phrases are among a handful of words that foreigners just in Korea learn and among them is often the word chingu (친구), translated loosely as “friend”. Foreigners splice this word into their English sentences without hesitation and use it seemingly without understanding exactly what it means. This is probably one of my least favorite words in Korean and I’ll explain why. If you’re learning Korean or trying to speak Korean, then you’ve probably learned that there is a hierarchy in the language and how you use it. Because of this, who is considered your “friend” is really important.…
-
Conversations With Koreans: How many bowls of tteokguk have you eaten?
Happy Seollal, or Lunar New Year! 새해복 많이 받으세요. It is the Lunar New Year in Korea and people around the country will be eating tteokguk. If you’ve learned Korean or are learning Korean, this is a great time to learn a little saying that relates to tteokguk. Tteokguk is a rice cake soup that is a must eat this holiday in Korea and it also relates to your age… you’ll see. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking. Thank you for your support.) Whether or not families across the country will be celebrating in the traditional…