When I lived in Korea, I seriously studied the Korean language for two years by taking KIIP courses, using online resources and books. Some of them have been excellent (like 90 Day Korean because they have a FREE Korean alphabet cheat sheet) and others… Well, they leave much to be desired. A question I oftentimes get is, “Gina Bear! Help me!!! What are your tips on how to study Korean language?”
Real talk, Korean is one of the hardest languages I’ve learned to date. And the answer is, there are no shortcuts. Only dedication, motivation, a good teacher, and even better resources. Whatever your reasons for studying, whether it be to understand your favorite Korean actor or actress, order Korean barbecue flawlessly, or to understand the BTS song lyrics, I feel you.
Today, I’ll be talking about a program that I’ve personally been testing out and using called 90 Day Korean. My learning style is a combination of auditory, visual, and hands on. Meaning, if you just yammer at me, like my shitty teacher did during the Korean Immigration and Integration Program (KIIP), I will probably never learn. And when it comes to their Korean language tests, I almost always fail. I need to find ways to properly memorize and practical methods to learn.
Blog Posts You Might Like
- How I’m Learning Korean
- Korean Immigration and Integration Program
- What’s Really Like Living in South Korea?
How 90 Day Korean Works
The program uses the 80/20 method. So thankfully, they’re not going to kimchi slap you in the face with hoards of information. Which, I don’t know about you makes me want to shrivel and die on the inside. If you want the Korean language explained properly, then I can’t recommend 90 Day Korean enough. Think about it, you’ve probably made excuses already like, “I’m way too busy” or “It’s too hard.” Sound familiar?
But let me ask you, what’s your excuse not mentioned here?
Between managing my blog, social media, and studying language, believe me, I know what busy is and I still find time to further my Korean language studies.
You can completely study Korean online and work at your own pace. All you need is a little bit of wifi, motivation, and your favorite K-drama OST and I guarantee, you’ll be having an incredible time.
They have a FREE 90 minute reading cheat sheet. That means in one afternoon, you’re guaranteed to be able to read. In addition, you’ll get a bunch of other useful freebies. How cool is THAT?
Learning Hangul
Learning Hangul is the fundamental you need in order to really crush it at Korean. Luckily for you, you can easily learn the Korean alphabet, hangul in one afternoon. After all you gotta learn Korean basics before you soar with language. King Sejong really did the people a solid because it’s one of the most phonetic languages out there. While there are tons of free language learning sources out there, most of the time, they don’t really go into detail on what’s up. There’s also a 90 Day Korean course called Hangul Made Easy. It delves really deep into the language, how to ready it properly and why when certain parts of the alphabet come together they make certain sounds. It’s worth a look if you need some pronunciation and an extra push to learn the Korean alphabet.
Learning Vocabulary
Learning textbook grammar is much more of a cakewalk compared to vocabulary. For whatever reason, it’s been the bane of my existence. I don’t care much for memorizing words unless I can use them in my daily life. So outside normal conversation and chit-chat, I really struggle. The way 90 Day Korean is focused, you are presented vocabulary words.
Believe me, I took full advantage of that because I seriously hate memorizing vocabulary. But it’s also better to invest in the inner circle course, you’ll get many bite sized lessons with vocabulary cards, pronunciation and matching exercises.
Inner Circle Course
Seriously, there is not better time than now to get started. The holidays are around the corner so while we’re all sitting around and getting chubby from the copious amounts of delicious food we’re eating, why not exercise our brains? For only $35 a month you get access to all the lessons and materials you need to succeed in being able to speak Korean. Think about it, with the amount of money I’ve spent on fancy pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks, $35 is an incredible offer to invest in yourself and being a bad ass.
If you’re an absolute novice, you’ll definitely be pleased to know there is an entire module dedicated to Korean for beginners. They’ll take you from learning to write Hangul to being able to hold a 3 minute conversation in Korean. For the Korean language explained in a super easy way, I’m still shook with how well these courses are done.
Is Learning Korean Enjoyable with 90 Day Korean?
For what it’s worth, I really enjoyed learning with this platform and it has been 10x more enjoyable than my KIIP courses (and let me tell you, one of the worst experiences of my life has been studying Korean in Korea). And let me tell you, it got pretty embarrassing when I was at the higher levels and I couldn’t converse at all because all I knew was how to pass a test.
I liked how the inner circle course broke down everything into bite sized bits so it wasn’t an overwhelm of information.
Included in the course are also Korean language tests and quizzes. Meaning after you go through the modules, you’ll be tested on what you know. And let me tell you, I passed all my tests with flying colors after going through the lessons. The detailed explanations in English really made the course that much more enjoyable.
Is 90 Day Korean Good for Korean Practical Language Use?
As someone who would rather learn language for every day uses, I can’t recommend this program enough. There’s even sections that teach you how to get around in a Korean taxi.
For me, it’s important to understand what’s going on in my daily life. We use language to communicate and grow, not to pass a test. I think a great goal is to be able to make your life easier if you do visit or live in Korea.
Is studying Korean worth it?
For Korean language classes that obviously work dashed with a bit of Korean culture, and proper tools to guide you, 90 Day Korean is one of the better Korean language resources out there. If you’re into the whole online learning trend and want to study Korean online, don’t forget to check out the inner circle members area for more info. And don’t forget to check out these free Korean resources to get you started on your Korean language fluency journey.
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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