My inbox suddenly turned Korean
As we get closer to the day where I move to Korea, the planning intensifies. I’m in almost constant contact with my new Korean colleagues, the administrative staff at my […]
Finding my Korean cool
“If you want to be popular with your students in Korea you must become a more trendy professor!” These words were uttered by my ever brutally honest Korean language partner, […]
When “yes” means “no” in Korean
If you like watching Korean tv shows, and if you prefer to do so with subtitles, you’ll often find that the Korean word 네 (yes) is written as “no” in […]
Korean unlocked
To many foreigners, learning Korean vocabulary may be an overwhelming task. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be. As most Korean learners know, the majority of all […]
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 […]
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 […]
New Korean books, new motivation
I haven’t been updating the blog for a while, but don’t take this as a sign that I haven’t been studying Korean. In fact, I’m probably studying harder than ever. […]
Korean inspiration
I love learning something other than just the language when I’m learning Korean. I also find that as my Korean skills continue to improve, I’m able to use Korean to […]
The Tale of Chunhyang
I didn’t have too much time for studying Korean this weekend, but I did manage to read the final chapter of my Integrated Korean Adv. 2 textbook, and this chapter […]
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 […]
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 […]
Starting my day in Korean
Well, I usually start my day in Korean one way or another by either reading or watching TV, but today I started my day with my first italki lesson in […]
When memorization makes sense
Memorization (암기) does not have the best of reputations in Western education. Teachers and lawmakers worship at the altar of creativity (창의성) and critical thinking (비판적 사고) instead. This is […]
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 […]
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 […]
Coming and going in Korean
In English we have separate words for coming and going but their distinction is not as strict as when these words are used in Korean. Since I’ll be leaving for Korea […]
