harusclass:

OO oo! A question about Korean !! Yay!! Okay so this might be a bit of a long answer but I highly encourage you to read through it.

Something really important to understand is that while those lessons might not seem important, they are. In Korean, you’re much less likely to call someone by their name, especially if they’re older. This is why they’re teaching you things like “aunt” and “uncle” in korean. Because you typically refer to someone by their title and not their name. Now this does change, you CAN refer to people by their name, but it’s kind of complicated and you can learn about that later.

Secondly, I use multiple resources but the two highly encouraged will be talk to me in korean and how to study korean.

Talk to me in Korean is typically much easier to grip onto and understand for people, the lessons are very simple and plain. Where as How to study korean goes into a lot of detail and can sometimes be confusing but it is really good for when you need the nitty gritty of some grammar.

Here’s what I recommend as someone who has failed time and time again and learned from my mistakes!

1. Learn the alphabet (it takes about an hour and a half)
2. Learn basic vocabulary (NAVER dictionary is your friend) and so are anki flashcards
3. Learn basic grammar (How to study korean / talk to me in korean)
4. Immediately begin immersion (listen to music, watch shows in korean, begin reading in korean even if you don’t understand it)
5. Use a language exchange app to further your learning

Something I want to stress is that a large part of learning a language is doing pretty much everything at once. An example of a good study routine for korean would be : Vocabulary flashcards > Grammar practice > Immersion > Post to language app

For practicing grammar, take sentences you see and spend time breaking down each part of it. Grammar and all. This will help you get a good grasp on where things are placed in korean!

Listen listen listen! You have to learn how to hear Korean. You can’t just magically understand it, there are double consonants etc that are REALLY difficult to distinguish from eachother especially at first. So make sure you’re reading, listening, and speaking (out loud) daily. That was a big mistake I made.

My first ever word / phrase in Korean was 배고파요! (bae-go-pa-yo) In Korean, this means “I’m hungry!”

I wanna get into some personal tips about it!

1. Don’t ever let anyone immediately speak in banmal (informal) to you! That is a huge cultural no-no, they’re just doing it because they think they can disrespect you. They need to speak formally until permission is established.
2. When you’re talking to someone in korean, do not use 당신 for “you” It’s considered disrespectful
3. Speaking of that, Korean’s don’t state the obvious. If everyone knows who you’re talking about (as in it has been established previously) or it’s just super obvious, you don’t need to say “i/you/etc” because they already know.
4. Culturally, Korean people tend to avoid being “too straight forward/too blunt” I’m not sure why, but it’s a really big deal there. If you’re very blunt, they’ll be shocked.
5. Kids shows and songs in korean will be easier for you to grasp than watching something complex!
6. Don’t be afraid to text people in korean :0 typically Korean people are very sweet when it comes to mistakes. You’ll run into some assholes but that’s everywhere.

If you have disney plus, watch movies and shows in korean (you can change it in the little sttings for subtitles)

Other stuff and resources:

1. Test your Korean listening
2. Listen to korean on your commute
3. Korean children song

Here’s some phrases and words I recommend learning first:

1. Stop that!
2. I’m hungry.
3. I want to eat
4. Did you eat well?
5. How have you been?
6. Sorry!
7. Please
8. Of course/Right

Learn well and good luck! You can always send me an ask if you are having trouble and need some help looking for grammar etc. Just remember, it may seem useless to learn certain words/things but it is vital to your fluency later on.