Learn Korean (한국어 배우기)
Learn to speak Korean. Learn to read Korean. Here are the articles and sources to help you on your Korean language learning journey. (한국어 말하는 것을 배워라. 한국어 읽는 법을 배워라. 여기 한국어 학습 여행에 도움이 되는 기사들과 자료들이 있다.)
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The Korean Ajumma and How I Became One
When I first came to Korea, I had just graduated from university and I was pretty bright eyed and bushy tailed. I had no idea what was what and I was floating through life having fun, attending parties that seemingly never ended, and traveling around South Korea and other nearby countries. Switch to now and I’ve just turned 40 and l’ve learned how to transition into this next stage of my life from the iconic Korean ajummas that I’ve called neighbors for most of my adult life. For some, there’s something scary about them. For others, they seem undaunted by everything and liberated to the point of uncaring about mundane…
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Korean Dad Jokes: Or Jokes Your Bilingual Kids Will Love
For a little background, in my house, we’re constantly speaking English and Korean. My husband speaks only Korean with our daughter and I speak only English with her so every conversation between the three of us is bilingual. Now, kids can be… funny. I love that laugh when my daughter thinks she gets a joke but really doesn’t, but sees us laughing so she laughs. Fake it ’til you make it right? I really like that laugh when she thinks she’s told us the funniest thing ever and thus I’ve learned a lot of what I would call “Korean dad jokes”, called “아재개그” (ajaegaegeu) in Korean, but from my 8…
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Glossika Language Program Review: Learning Korean Online
Do you want to learn Korean? There are some great programs to learn Korean online out there and Glossika is one of them. Whether you’re planning to visit Korea or just want to understand those Korean dramas you’re watching better, learning Korean is a good idea. When trying to learn Korean or any new language, it’s important to focus on listening and speaking just as much as reading and writing. There are a lot of programs and websites that will help you with memorizing vocabulary and learning grammar, but fewer that focus on listening and speaking. Glossika is one really good website to practice your listening skills. Check out my…
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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…
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Learn Korean Online: The Best Online Korean Classes & Apps
Whether you want to learn Korean so you can understand more of what your favorite Korean idols are saying or because you plan to live in Korea, there are a ton of resources out there to help you. Learning Korean, at least at a basic level, makes it a lot easier to live in Korea or even just visit. Koreans are very proud of their language, even having a holiday called Hangul Day to celebrate. So, take part, learn some words, and have some fun. With that in mind, here are some recommendations for the best websites to learn Korean, with resources from beginner level to people practicing for the…
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The Korean Words You Won’t Learn In Class: Onomatopoeia & Mimetic Words
Onomatopoeia, or words that represent sounds, are really common in children’s stories obviously, and make the story all the more fun to listen to. Most people that come to Korea to teach English probably hear these words from their students in class and don’t realize what they are. Children mimic the sounds we make but as a teacher, we might say ‘meow’ and then our students will deduce what we’re referring to and then respond with the ‘yaong’ which is what Koreans think cats sound like. Did you know, there is also a whole other set of words that we don’t even have words for in English? Mimetic words are…
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The Thunderous Hello: An English/Korean Children’s Story
After so much great feedback and interest in my bilingual bedtime story The Sun & The Moon Story, I jumped right back in to write another and worked with Raquel Cruz to illustrate a second book in the series titled The Thunderous Hello. I am so excited to introduce this bilingual Korean and English story. I love that my daughter is bilingual and I want to continue to foster that by giving her every opportunity to use both English and Korean with me and her daddy. What started as a one off experience to write a story for my daughter has turned into something very meaningful and I’m so thrilled…
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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…
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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.
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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'.
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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...
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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.
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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.…
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The Time I Mooned A Nurse in Korea Because I Couldn’t Speak Korean
One of the reasons I love living in Korea is because almost every day there’s something to chuckle at. It may be due to my own misunderstanding, a Konglish word I should have guessed, a spelling error that ends up being something totally different, or just a natural inclination of Koreans that is completely opposite of my own. There is just always something. Have you ever had to speak Korean at a hospital before? Well, I did and it didn’t end well suffice to say. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking at no cost to you. Thank…
