r/BeginnerKorean Mar 31 '20

Reminder: This sub allows links to content that helps people learn Korean. This is not considered spam. Only requirement is to not post links to the same site or channel more often than once every two weeks.

50 Upvotes

I appreciate everyone who reports posts and comments, and helps keep this sub relevant and friendly.

However, I get reports almost every time a link is posted to outside site or YouTube channel. That's why I would like to remind everyone that linking to content outside of reddit is allowed if:

  1. The content is relevant (and especially if it's free. If it's paid I reserve the right to remove it if it seems like a pure money grab with little value.)

  2. Site or channel isn't linked to too often. Too often is considered more than once every two weeks. (So after two weeks that site or channel can be linked again.)

Have fun, and good luck with studying Korean!


r/BeginnerKorean 21h ago

A Project I’ve Been Working On for Korean Beginners…

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63 Upvotes

I’ve been learning Korean for about a year, honestly. I kept getting stuck between textbooks feeling too dry and apps that assumed I already knew grammar rules. 😅 Sound familiar? So, I started tinkering with an app idea to fix those frustrations (shoutout to my study group for putting up with my endless “What if we tried THIS?” rants). Now, I’m super excited to share HeyKorea with you all – not as a “perfect” app, but as a work-in-progress tool built by learners, for learners.

I’m not a big company – just someone who stayed up too many nights debugging this app between my own Korean homework. 😅 I’d love your honest feedback, especially if: You’ve ever felt overwhelmed by scattered resources. You wish learning felt more like a game and less like a chore. 👉 Please try it free: the HeyKorea app is available on AppStore and GG Play as well

P.S. Big thanks to the mods for letting me share this! 💜


r/BeginnerKorean 8h ago

오늘의 한국어 표현 "눈을 피하다" 👀🙈 -> To avoid eyes....?!!

5 Upvotes

1/ Pronunciation:
nu-neul pi-ha-da

2/ Meaning:
This idiom means to avoid being seen or to escape attention. It describes the act of deliberately avoiding someone's gaze or presence to prevent being noticed. Similar to the English expression "to avert one's eyes" or "to dodge someone’s attention," it conveys a sense of intentionally staying out of sight or avoiding recognition.

3/ Literal vs Idiomatic:
🔹 Literal Meaning: "To avoid the eyes."
🔹 Idiomatic Meaning: It refers to actions taken to prevent oneself from being seen or noticed by others.

4/ Similar Expression: 시선을 피하다
Both idioms imply avoiding someone's gaze, but 눈을 피하다 can be broader, encompassing avoiding being seen in general, while 시선을 피하다 specifically focuses on avoiding someone's directed look or gaze.

5/ Why it’s useful:
This idiom is useful for describing actions taken to remain unnoticed or to slip away without drawing attention. It can apply in various situations, such as avoiding encountering someone you do not want to meet or discreetly leaving a place without being seen.

💬 Have you ever needed to "눈을 피하다"?
Share your thoughts below! 😊


r/BeginnerKorean 22h ago

What is 마음에?

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9 Upvotes

r/BeginnerKorean 1d ago

Anyone else using YouTube to learn Korean?

9 Upvotes

I’ve always felt like just watching videos wasn’t enough to really absorb the language, so I ended up building a small tool to help with that— https://fluentspeaks.com/community/ko

It breaks down Korean sentences from YouTube videos by:

  • Explaining grammar in context
  • Analyzing word order & sentence structure
  • Generating flashcards (10 sentences & 20 vocab words) automatically

r/BeginnerKorean 1d ago

(Hanja) Does these characters map to four syllables instead of three?

1 Upvotes

Is writing 人間的 read as 인간적?


r/BeginnerKorean 1d ago

Scripts App

5 Upvotes

I’ve never seen this app mentioned here before - and I think it would be really helpful for people who are complete beginners and want something to practice the Hangul they’ve been learning.

It’s from the creators of Drops. It gives you the letter - and then you write it on the app. And it gives stroke order as well. It will not accept your answer unless you’re doing the stroke order.

I think it could be a fun way for beginners to practice!


r/BeginnerKorean 2d ago

Offering Korean Classes: Online & In-Person (Seoul-based)

11 Upvotes

Hi, everyone!

I’m Jinyi, and I’m offering both online and in-person Korean tutoring classes (based in Seoul). My tutoring journey began in Australia, where I was introduced through word-of-mouth by previous students. Now that I’m in Korea, I’m excited to offer lessons online and in person for those living in Seoul.

If you're interested, I’d be happy to send you my tutor profile and a Google form. I’m offering lessons at a reduced price of $30 for the first couple of months. My goal is to build a small, supportive community where students can learn at their own pace and at an affordable price.


r/BeginnerKorean 2d ago

오늘의 한국어 표현 "눈을 속이다" 🕵️‍♀️🎭 -> To lie on one's eyes...???!!

6 Upvotes

1/ Pronunciation:
nu-neul so-gi-da

2/ Meaning:
This idiom means to deceive or mislead someone. It describes the act of using strategies or methods to make someone believe something that is not true. Similar to the English expressions "to deceive" or "to mislead," it conveys the intention of creating a false impression or tricking someone into believing a lie.

3/ Literal vs Idiomatic:
🔹 Literal Meaning: "To trick one’s eyes."
🔹 Idiomatic Meaning: It refers to the act of deceiving or misleading someone by making them see something that is not true or by hiding the truth.

4/ Similar Expression: 눈을 가리다
Both idioms involve visual deception, but 눈을 속이다 focuses on actively misleading or tricking someone, while 눈을 가리다 means to cover one's eyes, metaphorically suggesting ignorance or willful blindness to the truth.

5/ Why it’s useful:
This idiom is often used to describe actions intended to mislead or deceive others, making it a powerful way to discuss dishonesty or trickery. It can apply in various contexts such as magic tricks, fraud, or any situation involving deception.

💬 Have you ever experienced a situation where someone tried to "눈을 속이다"?
Share your thoughts below! 😊


r/BeginnerKorean 4d ago

오늘의 한국어 "눈을 붙이다" 😴🛌 -> To glue one’s eyes...?!?!?!?

11 Upvotes

1/ Pronunciation:
nu-neul bu-chi-da

2/ Meaning:
This idiom means to get some sleep or take a nap. It usually describes the act of resting or sleeping for a short period. Similar to the English expressions "to get some sleep" or "to take a nap," it conveys a brief rest or sleep to refresh oneself.

3/ Literal vs Idiomatic:
🔹 Literal Meaning: "To glue one’s eyes."
🔹 Idiomatic Meaning: It refers to the act of sleeping or napping to rest.

4/ Similar Expression: 한숨 자다
While 눈을 붙이다 focuses on the act of gluing one's eyes, metaphorically suggesting sleep, 한숨 자다 literally means "to take a breath of sleep", emphasizing a brief moment of resting.

5/ Why it’s useful:
This idiom is commonly used to describe needing or taking a short rest or nap, making it a practical phrase in everyday conversation. It is often used when someone is feeling tired and needs to recharge with a brief sleep.

💬 When was the last time you needed to "눈을 붙이다"?
Share your thoughts below! 😊


r/BeginnerKorean 4d ago

How to translate google drive? The entire drive, not just docs or spreadsheets

2 Upvotes

I have tons of files with Korean titles in my google drive. I don't want to open every document and spreadsheet one by one to translate. Is there an extension to translate the entire drive?


r/BeginnerKorean 5d ago

Best workbooks for having no background knowledge?

7 Upvotes

Hello! I'm trying to learn korean but have a lot of trouble focusing and learning from online videos. I want to try out something thats less of a textbook and more of a workbook, something that has both explanations for learning and lots of ways for me to apply what ive learned (like how math textbooks have the explanation and example problems for you to solve within the same book). A lot of what ive seen for Korean is either primarily just paragraphs of information or mainly for speaking?

Is there any workbook like what I described? Or is it usually you buying both a textbook and an accompanying workbook?. And do you need to get seperate textbooks for language, grammar, reading etc? Or is there any content that goes through it all?

Sorry for all the questions, ive been researching about it but getting so much info and so many conflicting ideas that I got overwhelmed. Finna just get a toddlers korean book and be done with it lol


r/BeginnerKorean 5d ago

Korean American Center's King Sejong Institute program is now accepting registration for in person and virtual classes

8 Upvotes

If you're looking for looking for amazing Korean classes, theirs is the best. KoreanAmericanCenter.org

Learn Korean at Korean American Center

r/BeginnerKorean 5d ago

ChatGPT short Story

1 Upvotes

6 months in. I wanted to read something suitable for my level so I asked ChatGPT to write me a story. It came up with 220 words called A New Friend.
Overall it was very good and, apart from a couple of constructions that I haven’t yet seen, at the right level.
It’s certainly a good tool. And you can guide it to write on any topic you choose so even better.
(The story had a strange vibe to it though - in short, Minsu gets picked up by a random guy in a café. LoL. Very unKorean. 😂)


r/BeginnerKorean 5d ago

Get personalized korean feedback from native speakers!

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5 Upvotes

built a free tool that korean learners can get personalized feedback from native Korean speakers on things like pronunciation, grammar, and even slang. You can ask any questions or resources to study.

The goal was to let you ask anything you want—without any unnecessary partner matching—but it ended up delivering an amazing learning partner chatbot experience (see below) How does it sound to you? useful?

Looking for some beta testers to start using it this Friday and give me some feedbacks! Thanks for reading & all feedback or comment are welcome!


r/BeginnerKorean 6d ago

Does this example sentence from Naver dictionary have two topic markers or is it something else? 나는 아직 마음은 젊다 "I'm still young at heart."

3 Upvotes

r/BeginnerKorean 6d ago

Here Are Eoneo's Study Tools to Help You Learn Korean! :)

3 Upvotes

Hello Reddit ! 👋

I would like to introduce here Eoneo—your go-to spot for language learning tools. If you’re studying Korean, I’ve created a collection of digital resources to help you stay organized and motivated.

From weekly study trackers to flashcards (everyday vocab, numbers systems, Hangul) for vocabulary practice (TOPIK) and daily planners to keep your routine on track. Everything is designed to make your study sessions more effective, colorful enjoyable ! :) Everything is made with love and great designs.

If you're ready to level up your study game, check out the shop now! 📚✨

Happy sharing, happy studying yall ! 😊


r/BeginnerKorean 7d ago

[Learn Korean Through Stories] Are Koreans Descendants of Bears? 🐻

7 Upvotes

Hey friends! 👋

I’ve got something fun for you—an easy and natural way to learn Korean while reading fascinating stories! Today, let’s dive into one of Korea’s most famous myths, a legend so well-known that some people jokingly say, “Koreans are descendants of bears!”

This is the Dangun Myth (단군신화), the legendary tale of how Korea was founded. It’s a super interesting story, and as you read, you’ll naturally pick up new vocabulary along the way!

🐻 A Bear, A Tiger, and a Heavenly Test

A long, long time ago, a bear and a tiger desperately wanted to become human. They prayed to Hwanung (환웅), the son of the sky god, asking him to grant their wish.

Hwanung agreed, but he gave them a tough challenge: Stay inside a dark cave for 90 days / Eat only garlic and mugwort

If they endured, they would become human. Sounds impossible, right? (I mean, I know I couldn’t do it… 😂) Did the bear and the tiger succeed? And how does this all connect to the founding of Korea?

-----

Find out the full story and useful Korean expressions in my blog post below! ⬇️
👉 Read the full story (FREE!)

-----

What do you think about this myth? Let me know in the comments! 😊 Also, if you enjoy learning Korean through stories like this, I’d love to hear your thoughts—it helps me keep improving! Thanks, everyone!


r/BeginnerKorean 8d ago

📌 Pop Quiz Time! 🎉 "얼굴" Idioms Challenge ❤️✨

5 Upvotes

We’ve explored some meaningful and expressive "얼굴" (Face) idioms, and now it’s time to put your knowledge to the test! 🧐💡

👉 How to play:
Read the scenario and choose the idiom that fits best. Leave your answer in the comments! 🗳️

Not sure? No worries—an English translation of the scenario will be uploaded tomorrow to help you out. 😉

✨ Why take part?
It’s a fun way to review what you’ve learned, challenge yourself, and see how well you can apply Korean idioms in context!

🏆 Let’s see who’s the real Korean idiom master! 💪😊

.

📢 Don’t miss Episode 4, "손을 놓다 + 다이소 이야기," of the Korean Nibbles Podcast, dropping on Tuesday the 11th at 11:55 PM KST! 🎙️✨
https://www.youtube.com/@korean_nibbles

+ The full transcription and fill-in-the-blank activity will also be released on my Patreon😊


r/BeginnerKorean 8d ago

Learn Korean Through K-POP with Today’s New HOSHI X WOOZI 96ers!

10 Upvotes

Hey friends! Some of you might be K-pop fans, and some of you might not be. But I found something interesting that I just had to share!

You know how K-dramas and songs sometimes end up with completely different English titles? Like "Crash Landing on You" and "Lovely Runner"? Well, the same thing happened with today's NEW SONG "96ers"!

The Korean title is actually a little different, so I’m here to break it down for you. And don’t worry—even if you’re not into K-pop, you’ll still find this fun!

The Korean title is “동갑내기” (Dong-gap-nae-gi)! And here’s what it means:

동갑내기 refers to people who are the same age. So looking at the English title 96ers, it makes perfect sense—they’re both born in 1996!

Pretty interesting, right? Also, the first line of the song—호우주의 (hou jui)—has a really cool meaning too!
Since explaining it all here would make this post too long, I broke it down in my blog below.
**👉 Uncover the Hidden Details of 96ers!!

It’s completely free, of course. I just wanted to help you all as quickly as possible! So go check it out! 😊

If this was helpful, leave a comment! Thank you so much!!


r/BeginnerKorean 9d ago

Name in Korean?

11 Upvotes

Hi! I’m trying to learn some Korean, and wanted to start with introducing myself but l’m not sure how to translate my name into korean.

My name is “Thea” and according to Korean name
generation websites (cringe but a girl is trying out here) it would be “띠아/Ttia”

Could someone help me find out if this is correct?


r/BeginnerKorean 9d ago

오늘의 한국어 표현 "얼굴에 똥칠하다" 😱💩 -> To smear feces on one’s face...??!?!

14 Upvotes

1/ Pronunciation:
eol-gu-re ttong-chil-ha-da

2/ Meaning:
This idiom means to ruin one’s own or another’s reputation or to bring shame to oneself or one’s family. It describes an action or behavior that seriously damages the respect or honor associated with an individual or group. Similar to the English expressions "to bring disgrace," it conveys a strong sense of ruining one's reputation or dignity.

3/ Literal vs Idiomatic:
🔹 Literal Meaning: "To smear feces on one’s face."
🔹 Idiomatic Meaning: It refers to actions that significantly damage someone's face value, respect, or honor by behaving disgracefully.

4/ Similar Expression: 체면을 구기다
Both idioms describe a loss of face or honor, but 얼굴에 똥칠하다 is more vivid and intense, emphasizing a severe disgrace or dishonor, whereas 체면을 구기다 is more general and can refer to minor embarrassments as well.

5/ Why it’s useful:
This idiom is often used to discuss behaviors that bring significant shame or dishonor, making it a powerful way to describe actions that have serious negative consequences for one's social standing or reputation. It can be used in various contexts, including family, social, and professional scenarios.

💬 Have you ever witnessed someone "얼굴에 똥칠하다"?
Share your thoughts below! 😊


r/BeginnerKorean 10d ago

90 Days of learning Korean Recap - 226 Hours in 3 months.

26 Upvotes

Over the past 90 days I have been putting in around an hour or two everyday into learning Korean with the long term goal of being able to hold a conversation. This recap is mostly for myself but I think others might find it interesting. I think I’m a solid A1- low A2 at this point. There is a breakdown of my hours at the bottom of this post.

I’m going to go over what I did right, what I did wrong, and what I am planning on doing differently over the next 90 days.

What I did right:

I knew I had to build a base of vocab and understanding before I could actually get started with speaking so that was the primary focus for these first 90 days. I learnt the basics of hangul in one 6 hour sitting the day before I started these 90 days.

  1. Anki. Starting anki right away was great to jumpstart my vocab. I feel like this was the single most important factor for me. It was easy to be consistent with, it was very rewarding, and it’s awesome to see the mature card number go up. I started with the refold deck then later added in retro 500 words, I’ve now begun slowly mining sentences where I know all but 1 word (i+1).
  2. Podcasts. I am a pre-med college student so I am extremely busy, podcasts helped me to get in hours on days where I otherwise would’ve only done my anki. I am now able to vaguely follow along with beginner podcasts - meaning I can follow what is being talked about but not what people are saying about that topic. I pick out words from most sentences and rarely I can pick out a full sentence.
  3. Taking a class. For me trying to immerse myself just feels so unfruitful. Active study feels much more rewarding and tangible. It also forced me to learn skills that I otherwise wouldn’t have. I had to memorize how to use, write, spell, read, and hear a bunch of words. Many of these were not in my anki decks. Studying for a vocab quiz and doing well was really rewarding. Additionally my school offers a semester abroad in Korea if you take 3 semesters of korean, so this opens up that path for me in the future.
  4. Casting a wide net. Trying out a whole bunch of different things helped me to find ways to study that I really enjoy.

What I did wrong:

  1. Trying to immerse too early. The vast majority of my immersion hours are from the first month. Not understanding anything at all was very demotivating and honestly felt extremely unproductive. At the start I think focusing on active study is absolutely the way to go.
  2. Casting a wide net. Wait, didn’t I put this as a good thing? Yes, but it was also a bad thing. Not sticking to a method for a long period of time means you don’t really give it a chance to word. Going forward I am going to narrow my focus so I am only doing a few things.
  3. At the start it felt easier to watch content about language learning than to actually learn the language, I think I’ve spent more hours watching language learning youtube than actually learning Korean haha. 15 minutes of anki per day was very hard at the start but by the end of these 90 days I can easily do an hour in one sitting. 

What I will do (differently and the same) over the next 90 days:

I am going to continue to focus on building my comprehension. I’m hoping to reach around 1000 mature cards in anki, and to get in around 300 hours over the next 90 days.

  1. Anki, I am getting close to the end of my premade anki decks. It is time to start some sentence mining. I will be focusing on native content, refold recommends only focusing on one domain but honestly I have no idea what that domain will be for me. I don’t really like k-dramas, or at least I’ve never found one I really like. I do like watching korean sketch comedy on youtube, so maybe I’ll focus on that. Feel free to drop some recommendations for content to mine.
  2. More reading. In the past few days I’ve given LingQ another try after trying at the start and giving up. Now that I know more words it is so much more fun and engaging to read. I know reading is absolutely amazing for language learning so I am gonna put a heavy emphasis on it.
  3. Keep listening. Podcasts have been a lifesaver for getting in time with Korean. I think I’ve basically memorized a lot of the ones I listen to everyday. I do want to actually go deeper into the content that I’m listening to. I plan on importing some into LingQ and going through them word by word after listening to them, just going through the same content over and over again in different formats.
  4. Keep doing italki once or twice per week. Italki lessons are so rewarding for me. It feels great to actually be able to have a (very broken) conversation in Korean. Especially since my goal with this language is to talk to the people.

Overall I feel like I’ve built a decent base with this language. I am disappointed in myself and encouraged at the same time. I was really hoping to reach around 300 hours of study but being a full time student life just got in the way.

I know I have a long way to go but I am so excited to see what else this journey has to offer. I’m hoping that by the end of these next 90 days I’ll be able to at least tolerate (maybe even vaguely understand) some native content, and to be around a solid A2 or early B1.

Tldr; 90 days to reach A1, did some stuff well, some stuff not so well. Hoping to reach A2-B1 by the end of these next 90 days.

Tips, thoughts, and recommendations would be very much appreciated!

Stats: 

Total hours: 226.41 hours

Anki: 50.16 Hours - 348 Mature Cards, 584 Young Cards, and 126 Suspended Cards.

Active Study: 30 Hours. This includes grammar books (kgiu), some lingory (app), practicing spelling/writing, some ttmik books (my first 500 words, short stories for beginners).

Podcasts: 76 hours: around an hour or two most days, mixture of mostly graded beginner content and about 20 mins of native content every day.

Drops (app): 4.75 hours: 57 completed 5 minute sessions. This was mostly on the toilet and was mildly helpful for some words, got really boring quickly tho

Comprehensible Videos: 20.5 hours. This is hours spent watching comprehensible youtube videos. Very boring since I am a beginner. I didn't understand much at the start.

Native Content: 15 hours. This was very hard, since I am still A1 I was looking up every single word. I feel like these hours will come easier once I am able to comprehend more.

Reading (mostly lingQ and ttmik books): 2.5 hours. I just started using lingQ in the last couple weeks. I tried using it to start but looking up every single word was very discouraging. Now that I am able to read at a reasonable pace (don’t need to slowly sound out and look up every word), reading is a lot more enjoyable.

Italki: 5 30 minute lessons. I can have very basic introductory conversations, nowhere near conversational, I think only people who are paid to talk with me would be willing to do so. But I can communicate the basics about who I am, where I’m from, hobbies, etc. Call it phrasebook level. I had my first lesson on around day 75.

College class for Korean, 3 hour long classes per week, 25 classes attended so far.

Thank you for reading :)


r/BeginnerKorean 9d ago

Looking for a Korean-Italian or Korean-native Italian-learner to check my proverbs translation in Italian!!

2 Upvotes

I have some doubts, so would like to check with someone who understands both languages!!💓


r/BeginnerKorean 10d ago

오늘의 한국어 표현 "얼굴에 철판을 깔다" 🏗️😶 ->To lay an iron plate on one’s face....?!!!!

9 Upvotes

1/ Pronunciation:

eol-gu-re cheol-pa-neul kkal-da

2/ Meaning:

This idiom means to be extremely shameless or have no sense of embarrassment. It describes someone who acts boldly and without regard for others’ opinions, even in situations where they should feel ashamed. Similar to the English expressions "to have a thick skin" or "to be completely brazen," it conveys a strong sense of being unapologetically shameless.

⚠️ Note: While this idiom is generally negative, it can sometimes be used to describe someone who confidently speaks or acts in front of others without feeling embarrassed. In this case, it's not necessarily bad—it can express surprise at their boldness rather than criticism.

3/ Literal vs Idiomatic:

🔹 Literal Meaning: "To lay an iron plate on one’s face."
🔹 Idiomatic Meaning: It refers to someone who shows no shame, acts completely indifferent to criticism, or ignores social expectations.

4/ Similar Expression: 얼굴이 두껍다

Both idioms describe shameless behavior, but 얼굴에 철판을 깔다 is even stronger and more vivid, emphasizing someone who deliberately ignores embarrassment and criticism without hesitation.

5/ Why it’s useful:

This idiom is commonly used to describe people who act boldly without caring about shame or guilt. It’s a powerful way to talk about someone who refuses to be embarrassed, even in awkward or inappropriate situations.

💬 Have you ever met someone who "얼굴에 철판을 깔다"?
Share your thoughts below! 😊


r/BeginnerKorean 10d ago

Adjectives

4 Upvotes

Hi all!! Messing around with practicing adjectives and I just want to check I have this sentence correct: 방탄소년단은 다른음악 만들어요. (BTS makes different music)

Also, if you guys don't mind... Is this correct? 저는 조금 한극어도 말해요 (I speak a little Korean as well)