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Korean Learning Guides

Hangul, TOPIK, vocabulary and study methods - clear, honest and practical.

Vocabulary

You Already Know 40 Korean Words

먹방 is eat + broadcast. 치맥 is chicken + beer. 눈치 is eye + measure. The words K-dramas already gave you, who is actually allowed to say 오빠, and how to read every one of them in Hangul within days.

10 min read
Grammar

How to Say What You Want in Korean

주세요, -아/어 주세요, -고 싶어요, 좋아해요, 있어요?, -(으)ㄹ래요? Six beginner patterns, fifteen ready sentences, and the 좋아요 vs 좋아해요 particle trap.

9 min read
Speaking

네요, 죠, 잖아요: The Endings That Make You Sound Human

Korean keeps its warmth at the very end of the sentence. What 요, 네요, 죠, 거든요, 잖아요, 더라고요, 는데요 and 구나 each signal - and why 잖아요 can sound like scolding.

10 min read
Vocabulary

How to Read a Korean Menu

Dish names are ingredient + cooking method. 찌개 vs 국 vs 탕, 볶음, 구이, 조림, 무침 - plus the 1인분 two-portion rule, free 반찬 refills, and how to ask for it less spicy.

11 min read
Vocabulary

The 55 Korean Signs You Meet Every Single Day

당기시오 pull, 미시오 push, 준비중, 관계자 외 출입금지, 계산대, 셀프, 무한리필, 환승, 막차, 1+1. The closed set of words that runs public space in Korea - all readable the week you learn Hangul.

11 min read
Free tool

Free Hangul Quiz: Letters and Syllable Blocks

Most Hangul charts stop at the letters. This drills the 24 letters and whole blocks like 한, 글 and 옷 - the step where reading actually starts. Both directions, full charts, no signup.

5 minutes
Vocabulary

Korean Onomatopoeia: 25 Sound and Mimetic Words

반짝반짝, 두근두근, 살금살금 - plus the vowel rule that turns a small sparkle (반짝) into a big flash (번쩍).

12 min read
Vocabulary

20 Most Beautiful Korean Words and Their Deep Meanings

윤슬 light glittering on water, 그루잠 the sleep you fall back into, 나비잠 butterfly sleep - twenty native Korean words with no English equivalent, each checked against the Standard Korean Dictionary.

11 min read
Grammar

Korean Sentence Structure: The 5 Rules

Verb always last, particles tag each noun so the rest can move, modifiers go in front, obvious words get dropped, and the final ending picks your politeness level.

9 min read
Grammar

Korean Question Words: 누구, 뭐, 어디, 언제, 왜, 어떻게

Nothing moves in a Korean question - the question word sits where the answer would go. Plus the intonation trap that turns “who came?” into “did somebody come?”

8 min read
Basics

How to Type Korean on iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows

No candidate lists and no conversion - Hangul is a real alphabet. The 2-set layout logic, Shift for tense consonants, and why blocks reshape themselves as you type.

7 min read
Pronunciation

Korean Pronunciation Rules: Why 좋아요 Sounds Like 조아요

Korean spelling records the underlying form, not the sound. Seven rules bridge the gap - liaison, ㅎ deletion, tensification, nasalisation (this is why 감사합니다 is gam-sa-ham-ni-da), ㄴ/ㄹ assimilation, palatalisation and the seven-sound batchim limit.

9 min read
Vocabulary

The 100 Most Common Korean Words

Grouped by function rather than alphabetically: pronouns, connectors, the 25 unavoidable verbs, adjectives, everyday nouns, time words and day-one phrases. With romanisation, the sound changes that matter, and why 당신 is not on the list.

10 min read
Free tool

Free Korean Level Test: What TOPIK Level Am I?

24 questions, four per band mapped to TOPIK levels 1 to 6. Particles, conjugation, speech levels, pronunciation and idiom, with an instant result and an explanation after every answer.

5 minutes
Grammar

Korean Past Tense Conjugation

One rule, one vowel check, every contraction, the past of 이다, all seven irregular families, 안 versus 못, and the double past 었었. The complete past tense in one page.

11 min read
Speaking

How to Say I Love You in Korean

사랑해, 사랑해요, 사랑합니다 by politeness level, plus why 좋아해 is the word Koreans actually confess with first, 보고 싶어 for missing someone, and what couples call each other.

9 min read
Speaking

How to Say Thank You in Korean

감사합니다, 고맙습니다, 고마워요, 고마워, and the one social rule that picks between them. Plus what to say back, and why 천만에요 sounds dated.

9 min read
Grammar

Korean Verb Conjugation: The 해요 Form

One rule for the present tense: drop 다, check the last vowel, add 아요 or 어요 (or 해요 for 하다). With contractions and irregulars.

10 min read
Grammar

존댓말 vs 반말: Korean Speech Levels

Formal 합니다, polite 해요, casual 반말 해 - which to use with whom, how to switch, and the mistakes that sound rude.

11 min read
Pronunciation

Korean Batchim (받침): Final Consonant Rules

Why 부엌 sounds like 부억 and 한국어 becomes 한구거 - the 7 final sounds and the liaison rule, with romanization.

10 min read
Grammar

Korean Particles Explained: 은/는 vs 이/가

The spotlight rule that finally makes the topic/subject choice click.

10 min read
Vocabulary

Korean Numbers: Native vs Sino-Korean

하나둘셋 vs 일이삼 - exactly when to use each system.

9 min read
Speaking

How to Say Hello in Korean

안녕하세요 and 12 more greetings, by politeness level.

8 min read
Vocabulary

Konglish: 30+ English Loanwords in Korean

The free vocabulary - and the false friends like 서비스 and 커닝.

9 min read
TOPIK

TOPIK Levels Explained: 1 to 6 Complete Guide

Pass marks, exam structure, vocabulary per level and which level you actually need.

11 min read
Hangul

Learn Hangul: The Korean Alphabet Complete Guide

All 40 letters, the syllable-block system, and a weekend plan to start reading.

10 min read
Method

Best Apps to Learn Korean in 2026

Hanguljo, LingoDeer, Duolingo, TTMIK and more - honestly compared by job.

10 min read
Method

How Long Does It Take to Learn Korean?

Honest timelines - Hangul in a weekend, conversation in months, fluency in years.

9 min read

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