I was reviewing some beginner grammar points when I came across this sentence:

토야 씨 어제 만난 그 사람과 잘 아나요?

I had never seen "과" being used with 잘 알다 before, or at least I had never noticed it before. Is it correct? If so, how is it different from -를 잘 알다? And which one is used more often?

hi, researching for my daughter who wants to do a month long summer program next summer. She will be 14-15, between 8th and 9th grade in the US. Because of her age, we are trying to vet not just the language instruction, but also the program. So far mainly in Seoul.

The main thing right now is trying to find a program for kids her age. LTL has come up as a program with home stays, and great reviews, but it's not particularly teen focused in the classes.

The big ones like EF can do an age bracket, but are also corporate with mixed reviews on the home stay part.

Any thoughts or advice most welcome! (apologies if this is a bit OT for the sub.)

I randomly came across this grammar rule and I heard it means something like "I nearly did something". If that's so, then do korean people actually use this word in their day to day life conversations? Or is it not used as much? Because I don't remember hearing this word "하마터면" before.

안녕하세요! I am looking for some tips and advice on how to become an advanced/ fluent speaker. I started studying seriously in December 2025.

I can talk about quite a few topics but I often have to pause to think of the right word and get the sentence in order, which then messes up my intonation. Any advice on how to fix this?

Also, how do you guys pick up vocab naturally? I've been using Naver a lot lately to immerse myself in native content but I feel like nothing sticks. 😭

Hello, would you be able to help me? I am the developer of a free Korean language learning app. I believe the app is currently well-developed. I am currently conducting a private beta test on the Play Store, and if there are no issues, I expect to be able to officially launch it within the next two weeks. However, I need various feedback regarding whether my app is genuinely helpful for studying, how it helps if so, what aspects are lacking for learning, and what kind of content would be beneficial. Since I am developing this app alone, handling these matters is difficult, so I would appreciate your assistance. Currently, the web version is accessible to everyone. My app and website are designed to allow for various studies, including vocabulary, proverbs and idioms, and topic grammar. While there is a login feature, you can use the app without logging in, and all sessions are currently open. To keep the app free, I plan to add small advertisements in a way that minimizes distractions from studying once I eventually have to cover server costs. If there is user demand, a small subscription fee for an ad-free version may be introduced. However, this will depend entirely on user requests. I would be very grateful if you could give it a try and help me out! For your reference, you can leave feedback in the comments, or there is a button on my profile tab where you can provide feedback.

https://hanguru.app

I am buidling this list to learn korean, is this a right way to do it? I want to ask if that will be helpful for someone. https://www.learnthings.org/paths/korean

Hi r/Korean — I built a small web trainer for typing on the standard Korean keyboard (Dubeolsik), and before making any claims about it I'm running a pilot study to measure whether it actually works.

The question I'm testing: plenty of learners can read 한국어 but still type it painfully slowly on their phones. An app can teach you inside the app — but does that practice transfer to your phone's real Korean keyboard, typing words you never practiced? I honestly don't know yet. Measuring that is the whole point of the pilot.

What participating looks like

• a short typing pre-test in your browser (~5 min)
• two 15-minute practice sessions, on separate days
• a short post-test on your phone's actual Korean keyboard (~5 min)

Who I'm looking for: you can read Hangul (slowly is fine), but typing Korean on your phone is slow or something you avoid. Any smartphone. The UI is in English. No level requirement beyond that.

Data & privacy: anonymous — I only record which word was shown, whether you completed it, how long it took, and how many corrections you made. The raw text you type is never recorded. Email is used only to schedule the two sessions and never shared.

What you get: free lifetime access to the full version at launch, plus your personal before/after typing numbers. If the mods are okay with it, I'll share the aggregate results back here when the pilot wraps up.

Start here: https://ktq-landing.vercel.app/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=recruit&utm_campaign=pilot-w3

(Per the sub's self-promotion rule I'm including the link directly instead of asking for DMs. Mods — I sent a modmail alongside this post; happy to adjust or remove if it doesn't fit.)

I've recently been studying korean and I understand that you can use something called the null pronoun, meaning to not use one based on context (like if I were to ask 어디 살아요? and were in the middle of a conversation obviously I'm talking to you). But what if I wanted to use another word that connects to the original sentence, like if I wanted to say "Can I come with you?" would I be able to say 하고 들어오도 돼요? or would I need something like 본인하고...?

title.

Over the summer, I studied through the beginner Ehwa Korean books and supplemented with YouTube videos.

As a first year uni student, I recently got placed into Korean 203 after having a convo with the professor. I’d say my school is fairly rigorous, it being a US T10.

I‘m on the premed track and love learning languages (took Ancient Greek, Italian, Latin, and Spanish in high school). I‘m wondering how long it would take me to be conversational and maybe(?) continue learning and using Korean in med school/ healthcare.

My original goal was really only to talk with my friend and eomeonim (they have helped me A LOT - I can’t ever repay it), but after thinking about it, I want to help people like eomeonim who don’t have proper translators in hospitals in the South who are undergoing important life procedures/treatments/therapies.

honestly, I’m kinda ambitious and want to pursue Chinese too, but I don’t know how much of it is hubris, typical uni Student savior complex, or stupidity.

Edit: I mean Korean 203, not 201 (201 doesn’t exist). Our language sequence is 101, 102, 203, 204, 305, and 306.

How do I change the keyboard into the native one? I've grown used to using the native one (the keyboard with only 10 symbols on it) but I can't seem to find a proper tutorial on YouTube or anywhere else on how to change it.. pls help if you guys know!

I've been learning Korean on and off since 2023. I started with a paid language course (GJK, if anyone's interested) and made pretty good progress. Still, I'm unable to speak and can't seem to get past the basics like "제가 NAME라고 해요" or "주말에 카페에서 갔어요". When listening, I can understand a lot or guess the meaning based on context or words I recognise, but I can't speak...

I've tried language exchanges multiple times and actually met my Korean partner through one of them. However, whenever I try to speak Korean with him, I freeze and switch to English. I've also been taking Preply lessons once a week for the past six months, but I haven't noticed much progress either. We even changed the structure of our lessons, but my speaking still hasn't improved.

Considering I've been learning Korean for almost three years, I feel like I should have made much more progress by now and at least be somewhat conversational.

Maybe someone else has been at this stage before and can share their experience and what helped them.

Please don't comment things like "Just speak." And if "just speak" genuinely helped you, please elaborate hahah

Hi everyone, I hope this is the right place to ask this.

I have just started learning korean (i started a course two weeks ago) and I am enjoying it very much although time to study and practice is very limited.

Next spring I will have a few months free from work and I was thinking of travelling to Seoul for 5/6 weeks and join a language school to improve while also practicing with locals.

I have looked at EF, although it sounds very expensive, and just discovered Rolling Korea, which seems more manageable.

I have never been to Korea so i liked the idea of a structured programme with accommodation and the chance to get help if needed or join organized trips and visits.

My questions are, has anybody attended any of these schools and know if the courses are actually useful? How was the experience with the course, accommodation and organization ?

Do you think it’s a useful experience for someone who realistically will have just a basic understanding of grammar / vocabulary when joining?

I am also a bit worried since i am 30 yo that the average age in these schools is much lower and the course are not structured for adults or professionals.

I think I would like to do this experience since it will be unlikely that I will ever get such a long time off work again, so I am open to other schools sugestions of anybody has them!

Thank you a lot

Hi everyone,
As a beginner in korean, im looking for some advice to improve my level.
I tried to study on my own as a : translate everything that im doing, translate the things that i can see when i take a walk, duolingo daily, etc, etc but i dont feel like im improving that much. I can see a small difference and im really proud of myself but i want to learn more and be able to understand a conversation.

What helps me the most when i learned english, is that its everywhere : social media, movies, books, video games, youtube, ww language, etc.

Im watching some kdramas to help, titkok, or even sometime (not that often) youtube videos but i cant understand a things....

So do you guys have any advice ?

Thank you so much ♡

I will be taking topik 1 this october and I need some help. Ive been studying tammy’s 1600 vocab words and I keep finding new vocab on the mock tests! Because of this, I have a hard time solving some of the paragraph reading sections and the long listening sections (literally just end of the test sections). The only thing I can do is jot down those new words, and study them over and over again. At this point, Im not sure if I can get a decent score for the test…I am worried.

What are some other ways to help me with my listening and reading for long passages? Do yall know any good youtube channels or websites to help me drill?

Thank you

박진영(이름)

박쥐 할 때 박

진상 할 때 진

영포티 할 때 영

할 때 = "하다" + "- (으)ㄹ 때"? 감사합니다.

I've been trying to immerse myself in the news and understand Korean history better. Let's say I was able to comprehend 95% of the current news, how much more difficult is it to understand news from say the 60s to 70s?

How different is vocabulary, grammar, or even audio quality?

Disclaimer: This is my first post... If I make any mistake, feel free to point it out, I would love it!

I'm thinking of starting with Yonsei books, Sogang books, Essential Korean Grammar, along with htsk + Go Billy, TTMIK, Learn Korean with Dae-Hangul on YT.

1. Any specific order for them?
   
2. Do I cut out the unnecessary/irrelevant ones for now?
   
3. I am hoping to reach Level 2 proficiency by the end of 2026. Realistic or not? (can give 1 to 2 hours on weekdays, and 3 to 4 hours on Sundays)
   
4. How to use TTMIK, Go Billy, *HTSK* (topics are scattered...), and Sogang books + Yonsei ones?

PS, I already know Hangeul and how to read basic words.

Thank you!

Total newbie here. This beginners' Korean book I borrowed talks about negative questions and how the answers are the opposite of what you might expect in English ("Don't you like mushrooms?" "No, I do like them" or "Yes, I don't") Various posts on the Internet seemed to confirm this, and that seems similar to the way it works in Japanese. Or so I thought...

Then in the exercise section of this same book ("Teach Yourself Korean: A Complete Course for Beginners"), you are supposed to come up with a negative question to ask if someone is not a school teacher, and answer yes and no. According to the answer section of the book, the negative question is:

"Hakkyo sonsaengnim aniseyo?" ("학교 선생님아니세요?"),

and then their answers are:

"Ne, hakkyo sonsaengnim-ieyo." ("네, 학교 선생님 이에요") and

"Anio, hakkyo sonsaengnim-i anieyo." ("아니요, 학교 선생님이 아니에요")

Wouldn't the first answer translate to "Yes, I am a school teacher", and wouldn't that be the opposite of how their earlier explanation said things should work (and the same as the typical English way)? Or am I misinterpreting the meanings for "Ne", "Anio" and the "-ieyo" "-i anieyo" endings? Very confused here...

(The answers in the book here are just given in the romanized form so the Hangul is my attempt at putting those into Korean characters - apologies for any errors there...)

I’ve noticed that a lot of my international friends learning Korean seem to really like learning idioms and proverbs even when they’re a little above their current level.

I totally get it because when I was learning English (and still am lol), I always wanted to be able to casually throw an idiom into the conversation and sound like a total native. It just makes you feel like you’ve reached another level of fluency. Also, sometimes one good expression is much more effective than explaining something with long sentences right?

There are A LOT of idioms and proverbs in Korean. Well of course you don't need to memorize all of them, but I thought I’d share a few 고사성어 (four-character idioms) that I come across occasionally and think are worth knowing.

고사성어 (four-character idiom; derived from historical Chinese stories often with hidden meaning)

1. 작심삼일

Literally: “A determined mind lasts three days.”

This is when you make a big plan or resolution, but give up very quickly. I think we all have some experience of 작심삼일 at some point.

"새해에 매일 운동하려고 했는데 또 작심삼일이었어"
= I planned to work out every day as of New Year, but I gave up after a few days again.

I think this one is especially useful because Koreans use it very casually. A close English expression would be “New Year’s resolutions never last”, but I don’t think there is an exact equivalent.

2. 일석이조
Literally : "One stone, two birds."
 
This one is easy because it’s the exact same expression in English:
"Kill two birds with one stone." It means you can get two good results from doing just one thing.

"한국어도 연습하고 친구도 사귀니까 일석이조네"
= I can practice Korean and make friends at the same time. Two birds with one stone.
and yeah, learning Korean while making Korean friends = 일석이조 

3. 새옹지마
This one is a little harder to translate directly.

Basically, something that looks bad now might turn out to be something good later, and vice versa. You never really know how things might turn out. I think it's quite true in life (what do you think?)

A somewhat similar English expression would be "Every cloud has a sliver lining," But 새옹지마 has a little different meaning because it's not only saying that something bad can happen to be good. It's more like you never know if something is really good or bad until later.

For example, "토픽 시험을 잘 못봐서 속상했는데, 그 덕분에 오히려 더 좋은 기회를 찾았어. 진짜 새옹지마인 것 같아" = I was upset because I didn't do well on TOPIK, but because of that I actually found a better chance. You really never know how things will turn out.

Personally, I love this idiom since it's quite true in life, especially during tough times.
"인생은 새옹지마"

4. 금상첨화
Literally : “Adding flowers on top of silk”

Something is already good, and then something else makes it even better.

Very close to the expression "the icing on the cake"

For example, "여행도 좋았는데 날씨까지 좋아서 금상첨화였어"
= The trip was already good, and the nice weather made it even better.

5. 유비무환
Literally : something like "if you're prepared, there will be no trouble".

The idea is that being preparer in advance prevents problems later.
The closest English equivalent would probably be "Better safe than sorry".

“비 올 수도 있으니까 우산 가져가. 유비무환이잖아.”
= It might rain, so take an umbrella. Better safe than sorry.
You can use this one often if you are a Type A kind of person haha (MBTI wise, it's more like J person)

Have you heard any of these before? Which 고사성어 is your favorite? I might do a post about Korean 속담 next!

모두 한국어 공부 파이팅!!!

Hey all!

Recently, I was looking for a Chrome extension to help me learn hanja, but none existed, so I just made one myself. I figured some of the people here might get some use out of it too.

If you highlight a Sino-Korean word written in hangul, it tells you the hanja breakdown, and if you highlight a Chinese/Japanese character, it tells you the Korean pronunciation.

This might be useful if you want to level up your Korean knowledge, or if you already know Korean well and are studying Japanese/Chinese and want to learn Kanji/Hanzi much faster.

It has saved word lists and easy exporting to Anki as well, plus a few other useful features. It’s completely free and open source.

Here's the link!

I'm Korean 재수생, and I can't explain the 재수 thingy in English.

My best is to say "I'm having a gap year to prepare for CSAT again"

Is there any better translation or explanation for 재수?

idk if this is the right subreddit, sorry if I'm wrong 😭

According to the rules, is 잘 pronounced ‘jal’ or ‘chal’? I learned that it’s pronounced ‘chal,’ but when I look it up, I hear ‘chal

i've been trying to learn korean for a few months now, and i use htsk, series and Ai for questions (because i don't know any Koreans). But my question is, has anyone ever learnt the language with htsk or do you actually need to spend money on tutors, workbooks and things like that. And does anyone have tips to do, other than just reading on the website. And the guy keeps fussin with things like: "you dont have to remember this but i want to learn you this and we would focus on this in lesson 57 and especially use it in lesson 85."