How I’m Learning Korean: How To Study Korean

Believe it or not, this is one of the most frequently asked questions I get on my blog and and YouTube channel. It usually starts out with, “Gina, how are you learning Korean?” Well, after a few months of working on this blog post and finding the perfect resources that have helped me, I’m ready to share what works for me, and what doesn’t.

I’m a visual and auditory learner. So unless I understand the materials really well, it literally won’t stick. I’m one of those people in high school and university who never studied for tests because I paid attention in lectures. Once I hear something and see something visual to make the connection, it gets stuck in my memory.

Pro Tip: Before you get on any website and start trying to speak, I highly recommend you take an afternoon or two and learn the Korean alphabet, hangul.

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90 Day Korean

One of the best programs out there for learning Korean is 90 Day Korean. This course promises that at the end of 90 days, you’ll be able to have a 3 minute conversation in Korean with a native speakers. How cool is that? In the course you’ll learn everything from how to order at a restaurant, speak to a taxi driver, and grammatical structure. Everything is broken down in an easy and simple way.

90 Day Korean offers an inner circle course where you can access other language learners and your very own personal coach for only $35 a month.

If you’re not ready to take the plunge, you can download this absolutely FREE hangul cheat sheet and learn the Korean alphabet in only 90 minutes.

KIIP

KIIP stands for the Korean Immigration and Integration Program. It is a language course specifically developed to help foreigners residing in Korea get points toward their permanent residency. The course teaches grammar, Korean culture, and daily life. To learn more about registering for the course and other details, check out my blog post here.

I began taking the KIIP courses in May of 2018. I started off in level 2 and I was taking courses at Hankkuk University of Foreign Studies. My teacher at Hankkuk was AMAZING. She spoke Korean really slowly, used a lot of TPR, and made us do projects to help us speak Korean. Out of all the KIIP classes I’ve been to, that was the class I enjoyed and learned the most in.

I’ve had problems with the teachers in my classes, so I really recommend just studying on your own because I’m not a fan of the Korean teaching style. In addition, it really is the luck of the draw whether or not you get a good teacher. It’s very heavily grammar focused and teacher centered. I don’t get many opportunities in the KIIP classes to speak. If you’re in Korea and you choose to go through these courses I recommend the books Korean Grammar in Use (Beginner) and Korean Grammar in Use (Intermediate).

My advice to you is that if you are planning on staying in Korea long term and want other options, I highly recommend you start KIIP ASAP. If you fail a level you’ll be spending six months in hell. Believe me, I know because I’ve done the whole failing game twice and IT SUCKS. If you’re lucky, you’ll get good teachers and KIIP will be a breeze.

Korean Class 101

Korean Class 101 is a really great way to study Korean online. One of the things I really like about it is that you get a daily email with a Korean word of the day in it. For me, this is useful since I am in Korea and I can apply the words I learned.

I also like how before you start the lessons, you place yourself in a level. If something is too easy or hard, you can move up or down a level. Also, they have video lessons (for visual learners like me), worksheets, lesson transcripts, and more. They talk about useful topics and I have found this beneficial in my language learning journey. If you’re interested, sign up here and get their premium classes for $1!

Ganada Korean For Foreigners

When I used to study with my unnie, she gave me Ganada Korean For Foreigners as a gift and it was a super useful resource. I really enjoyed the book because it was very easy to understand. The vocabulary was always accompanies by pictures, has bite size reading, and conversations that are really easy to understand.

What I liked most about is was that it had easy grammar explanations and why they were like that in Korean language. (Because I’m the kind of person who needs to know why. LOL.) The back of the book also contains answers to help you study.

I even memorized some of the speaking exercises to help me talk with my coworkers. I also liked how the vocabulary was on the bottom of many pages and translated so I didn’t have to waste my time looking everything up. Also, some words, as you know, aren’t always found on Google translate.

Making Out in Korean

Once you’re super bored of learning polite and textbook English, then you really need Making Out in Korean. This book has phrases for real spoken language so you don’t sound like a robot when talking to people.

It has chapters on cursing, dating, going to the restaurant, shopping and more. I really love this book and it definitely helped me a lot.

How To Study Korean

How to Study Korean is a great way to learn Korean online free. This website has helped me learn specific grammar points and give detailed examples. It’s one of my favorite go to resources for explaining difficult grammar from my KIIP courses. The website was written by a foreigner for foreigners so I feel like they really have a grip on the grammar and how to explain it simply.

Audio Books

Did you know about 30% of people in the world are auditory learners? This means they absorb information primarily through hearing it. (I think part of my learning style is this way as well, but I have to truly understand what I’m being taught in order to absorb it fully.) Anyway, if you’re one of those lucky few who has a good ear, I recommend these audio books for you.

• Berlitz Korean For Your Trip – This audiobook contains real expressions from native speakers that you’re bound to encounter while you actually travel in South Korea.
• Korean Nursery Rhymes – I actually found this gem of a book in the library of my old Japanese high school. I like singing songs and things tend to stick when I do, so this was really fun for picking up simple vocabulary words.

The Kpop Dictionary

You may be thinking why do I need the Kpop Dictionary: 500 Essential Korean Slang Words and Phrases? When I was handed this book, my eyes literally rolled so far back into my head. I was like, “What is in here? How to be a Kpop Star?” This is actually a really fun way to study Korean with Kpop.

I’m telling you I was pleasantly surprised and the book actually helped me understand a lot of the shit my students say since they’re constantly trying to emulate the Kpop stars. It also helped me get brownie points with them and be a better teacher.

Talk To Me in Korean

When I first came to Korea and I was searching around for ways to learn Korean and everyone kept recommending Talk To Me in Korean. When I typed it in on Google, I found their website with free podcasts and easy explanations of Korean grammar. They also have additional books available for purchase as you go through the levels. They have exercises and more explanations to help you on your Korean learning journey. I also highly recommend this program for learning Korean for free.

• Talk To Me in Korean Level 1
• Talk To Me in Korean Level 2
• Talk To Me in Korean Level 3
• Talk To Me in Korean Level 4
• Talk To Me in Korean Level 5

My Favorite Apps

Of course, since we’re living in a digital age, we gotta have all the apps, amirite? I find myself frequently using them and have been very helpful for me on my language learning journey.

• Papago – I find this app to be a lot better than Google translate.
• HelloTalk – This is useful if you want to speak with native speakers and actually practice real Korean.
• Memrise – This app actually coincides with my KIIP courses. On the app, I can find vocabulary and grammar flashcards. It’s insanely useful.

Hopefully these tips will help you start studying and learning Korean. Of course a lot of learning a language is based on you and your motivation. If you just stare at these books, apps, or websites hoping that you will learn something, of course nothing is going to happen. I recommend sitting down for at least 30 minutes to an hour every day to study Korean.

This post contains affiliate links which means at no additional cost to you, I make a small commission to help keep Gina Bear’s Blog running. Thanks for your support!

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