Korean expressions
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Same but different
When I was a child, I could easily spend 90 minutes watching a Disney movie just to rewind the tape and watch the same thing all over again. With a child’s enthusiasm I enjoyed the second viewing no less than the first. If anything, I may actually have enjoyed it more the second time because I…
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My very first Korean historical drama
I’ve just finished the last episode of The Princess’s Man (공주의 남자) and I’m so happy that I stuck to this one all through the end. I’ve never allowed myself to really give in to the temptation of Korean historical dramas until now, for fear of learning anything but contemporary Korean. However, with plenty of…
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One-minute Korean
While I sure recommend that you spend more than just one minute per day when you’re learning Korean, there’s a certain satisfaction in cramming a short and effective Korean lesson into your busy schedule. Our awesome teachers at TTMIK have recently introduced such a series called “One-minute Korean”. In this one-minute youtube video series the teachers take turns…
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Crying and screaming in Korean
Don’t worry, I haven’t actually done either (only the occasional whining), but anyone who watches Korean tv dramas will know that if you have a good classic melodrama running across whatever screen you’re using to feed your K-drama addiction, you can be sure to hear the female lead scream and cry at the top of her…
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Korean tongue twisters
I’ve always loved tongue twisters. They are fun, and an excellent tool for practicing pronunciation in any language. Who hasn’t tried to say “How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?” or “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers”or “She sells seashells at the seashore” over and over really fast…
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Cute Korean
While it may certainly be argued that the Korean language may sound cute just on its own, there are several ways to make your Korean sound even cuter. Many Koreans, especially young Korean girls, like to add a little aegyo 애교 (special Korean type of cuteness) to their speech when they want to sound cute,…
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Tips for improving your Korean speaking skills
Once again, I’ve reached a point where I feel that my Korean skills are developing a bit asymmetrically. I’m reading faster than ever, I understand most of what is being said around me as long as the topic isn’t too technical, and I generally feel quite comfortable with the language. So, what’s the problem? Lately,…
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You can’t or you won’t?
When making simple negating sentences in Korean, usually either 못 or 안 is used. They roughly mean can’t and won’t, respectively. In English, these two words are not as strongly differentiated as they are in Korean. When, for instance, you want to say in English that you can’t go somewhere because you’re busy, you can choose…
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Are you eating well?
밥은 잘 먹고 있어요? Are you eating well? These words just flew out of my mouth when my language partner called me up yesterday around midnight Seoul time and told me how stressed he was because of his midterm exams and endless applications for summer internships. Without knowing it, I instantly went into complete noona-mode and started…
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Korean election day
Today is general election day in Korea and also a national holiday so everyone will have a chance to cast their vote. This is not the presidential election, which will take place next year. Today, on the other hand, is the day when Koreans decide who to put in the national assembly. In the spirit of this…
Sofie to Korea 