Resources that helped me improve my Korean
Seoul University’s Korean and Korean Culture class
TOPIK 150 essential grammar intermediate book
TOPIK i, ii reading/writing/listening books
avoid solely relying on “learn korean” tumblr blogs, oftentimes the information is incorrect
+ways to tackle the language
Get a firm understanding of most grammar. Correct Korean grammar is crucial to understanding and speaking the language because each grammar has a different nuance and effect. Choosing the right grammar is the most useful way to communicate your ideas in Korean.
Memorize vocabulary. Make sure you are learning a real word that Koreans actually use. Try typing it into naver.com to see what comes up to make sure its the meaning you’re trying to convey. memrise.com is helpful with memorizing and learning new vocab, but some words are not always used in daily life. Just check if you’re unsure, or ask a Korean friend.
Practice speaking. If you watch dramas, try repeating what they say slowly at first. Then move up until you can repeat them at the same speed. Even if you’re not sure exactly what they’re saying, you’ll get a feel for how Koreans actually speak. This obviously works better if you are sure what they’re saying, so start with small phrases you’re familiar with. This helped me immensely in improving my accent and speaking.
Tip: As a girl, and what I’ve heard from other girls who speak English and Korean, is that your voice may tend to get lighter/higher tone when you speak Korean as opposed to when you speak English. Keeping this in mind may help you get more comfortable with pronunciation etc.
Reading. This helps endlessly with syntax. Very important if you want to sound fluent vs. if you want to sound rehearsed in Korean. There are things taught in Korean language schools that Koreans themselves don’t use in colloquial or formal speaking. So, read news articles, blog posts, webtoons, etc. to get a feeling of what Korean looks/sounds/feels like when used by Koreans. Reading novels in Korean will give you a whole new learning perspective of the language. Read every day, set goals, and keep working at it. You will see yourself improving.
Never think you’ve learned all there is to learn! If your goal is to just get by in Korea, then a few weeks or months of study will get you there. But if you’re looking to understand the people and the culture, it is essential to have a firm grasp on the language. It is impossible to really know Korea just by watching variety shows and dramas. Korea is a culture shaped and embodied in its language. The language is like a blanket that covers everything to be known about the culture. Once you can pull the blanket away, as in once you deeply understand the language, you will see and understand Korea as more than just the shape of it you saw when it was under the blanket.
“언어는 한 문화의 로드맵이다. 그 문화의 사람들이 어디에서 왔는지, 어디로 가는지를 말해준다. Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.” - Rita Mae Brown
“언어에 대한 지식은 지혜로 들어서는 문이다. Knowledge of languages is the doorway to wisdom.” - Roger Bacon
