안녕하세요!

Hello everyone!

I’m Jaehyun from the KEDI team, working on a culture-based Korean language education service!
Our goal is to create an environment where learners can study Korean not only as a language but also as a way to understand the culture and life of Koreans. Language is not just a combination of words; it carries the forms of life and the shared thoughts of native speakers.

As we prepare this service, we’d love to hear about the challenges you’ve faced while learning Korean, so we can incorporate them into our educational service and help solve the difficulties you’ve encountered.
What has been the most difficult part of learning Korean for you?

We believe some challenges might include a lack of content for intermediate and advanced learners, limited opportunities to converse with native speakers, and difficult pronunciation. Were there any other challenges you’ve faced?

Feel free to share your thoughts freely!

Also, we plan to post free 1-2 minute educational videos about three times a week! Watching them and providing feedback would be very helpful.

Thank you :)

I've written a notice for an injured lost dog that I found in my neighborhood-- I'm desperately trying to find the owner or someone who could potentially foster. If anyone could correct my mistakes I would greatly appreciate it. I also wasn't sure how to ask if someone could potentially foster the dog.

Title: 강아지 잃어버리 신분

Location에서 다친 강아지를 발견했어요. 사람들을 좋아하고 엄청 순해요. 직음은 ______동물병원에 있어요. 마이크로칩이 없고 주인을 안 찾으면 다음주에 아마 안락사될 수 있어요.

Hi all, sharing a quiz link for anyone interested. It's mostly for those wanting to take the TOPIK 1. Hope this helps with everyone's journey in learning Korean :)

TOPIK 1 Quiz

So I was listening to Like It by Yoon Jong Shin, and in the song at 4:26, on the lyrics 예전 남자친구일 뿐, when he pronounces 뿐, it sounds exactly like he uses the ㅡ sound? Why is that, or is it that my ears are wonky and is hearing it wrong??

https://youtu.be/92Y-K0gZyRY?t=276
Thank You In Advance :)

What verbs/contexts should be used with 잘 (and don't go with just 안 to negate them naturally)? I have trouble figuring out natural ways to say things but I guess this is just developed with time and exposure?

Like 먹다. 김치 안 먹어요 (X); 김치 잘 안 먹어요 (ㅇ)

Or 말하다. 한국어 안 말해요 (X); 한국어 잘 안 말해요 (ㅇ)

I also once said 영어 알아요 instead of 영어 잘 해요 and got corrected by a native speaker.

pretty much just what the title says. figured i would ask here because i don’t trust google translate

What is the use of 로 after 걸 here?

"생각해둔 모델은 없는데 들고 다니면서 쓸 거라서 가벼운 걸로 생각하고 있어요."

(I'm adding words to make my post long enough lalalalala why it gotta be this long)

For context I'm Korean-American, and I'm trying to fill a gap in my knowledge. I know that you say your age with ## 살 but I feel like I've also heard people say just the number ex. 저는 쉰셋입니다 or 마흔둘 etc. but is that correct?

Hi everyone! I am currently living in Seoul and am planning to apply for the 13-week program at the SNU LEI in Spring. My current Korean level is TOPIK Level 2 -- so I have finished TOPIK 1.

My goal is to take the TOPIK II exam next year, and I thought this program would be a good idea for extending my non TOPIK-specific learning. Has anyone here taken this course and can speak on the value of it as relates to TOPIK preparation? Obviously it is not a TOPIK-specific course, but I am curious about whether or not it is still a good choice for someone who, in the end, wants to find a job here.

Link to the program: https://lei.snu.ac.kr/mobile/en/klec/13Week/course.jsp

"I believe in you"

"나는 당신을 믿습니다 naneun dangsin-eul midseubnida"

Is this the correct translation to korean? I wanna Tell my girlfriend that I believe in her. We are both just starting to learn this language.

when i was in korea, i was told that 팍 either means beauty or passion (i don't remember). are there any instances where that is true?

Hi~~ recently I made the Topik II test and unfortunately I didn’t make it. I’m getting a bit frustrated because even though I get high results on the mock tests, my score is very low whenever I see my results on the real test.

I’m very diligent and I study almost everyday. I even took classes with a private tutor, came to the conclusion that I should probably change the methods I’m using or approach the language differently.

To those who have done the test and past ^^ can you please share the study methods you’ve used or any tips? I’d really appreciate it

Usually when people talk about how English speakers sound in Korean, it tends to be about Americans. So as a British person, I have been really curious about what things (if any) might differentiate a Brit from an American to someone with a trained ear.

Some obligatory notes: I know that most Koreans probably wouldn't be able to notice/identify the difference. I also know that accents vary wildly within both America and the UK (there are even accent differences among my own family members who grew up in the same city lol), and that other things can contribute to how someone sounds in another language, each person is different, the way people express themselves isn't necessarily region specific, etc etc.

I'm just curious if anyone here who is personally familiar with both American and British speakers of Korean has observed any notable differences, generally? It could be about sound/accent differences, expressions, 말투, etc.

how would you translate ‘고통받고 살아가며 버티는 우리라는 이름의 청춘들은 굽혀질 줄을 모르면서도’? i get the general gist of the words but i dont know how to translate the whole thing correctly

Hello! Still struggling to understand basic daily things like this: between the receipt/bag and now if we want it (bread mostly) sliced/cut but I’m having a hard time to find it to be able to spot it when they ask it to me. Thanks!

I scored 223/300 on TOPIK II, which is level 5, just 7 points short for 6, but I am still satisfied. But is there actually a way to see the markings for particular questions? I saw people online talking about their scores for particular questions and wondering how can one know this? Just curious how bad I did with questions 51 and 52 lol.

I heard that some pronounce saranghae and some omit the H sound and pronounce it as sarang ae.

Are both correct?

Similar question to prononce 승희

basically what the title is asking! duolingo taught me '공공칠가방' as the word for 'briefcase' and i find this super amusing, and am wondering if this is really the word commonly used or if there's a more common word and this is more of a silly nickname

Hi, everyone, just wondering if anyone else feels stagnant in their learning? This is a bit embarrassing to admit, but I've been learning korean since 2020 or 2021, so for about 3/4 years, but I feel like I'm nowhere in my journey. I can understand bits of korean, but my speaking and reading are so bad. I'm trying to be more confident when speaking but my tone is off saying certain phrases and I can't really project my voice. I understand that consistency is key, but it is so discouraging feeling like you aren't retaining anything you study. Is there anyway to combat this or does anyone else feel like they're in the same position because I'm genuinely so tired of getting nowhere.

Sidenote, my resources are youtube videos, howtostudykorean and I'm taking Yonsei University's "First Step Korean" course on coursera. I also have the "Korean Stories For Language Learners: Traditional Folktales in Korean and English" for reading practice

I'm hoping this at least covers TOPIK levels 1 and 2. And I'm wondering if I'd be ready to start reading easy materials in Korean. I plan to use a tutor after I finish TTMIK if I last that long. Just finished lesson 1-3. I'm doing 1 lesson per day.

(I'm intermediate in Japanese and I heard that will help a lot with Korean).

i really like ttmik series but i think it should include these two primary and basic grammar in the first book, as is did by vitamin korean and korean grammar in use.

Hi all, i’m in the process of learning some Korean for a study abroad and it was going well on Duolingo up until now. I just got to learning greetings and of course, it’s a lot different than what I know from English and duolingo just kind of throws it at you. However, i don’t want to just guess and get through this lesson without learning anything. I’m looking for a free app/resource, or something affordable for a college student. If anyone has any recommendations I would appreciate it!

Hi everyone, as you might know the 96th TOPIK results were supposed to be available from the 28th of November. However, I failed to access mine (both TOPIK I and II) ever since then. I was just wondering if anyone else had similar problems before?

I used Internet Explorer, refreshed multiple times and attempted to acquire my score several times a day, triple checked I have the correct registration number down, but the message is always the same: No search result found

I've already emailed every possible email address I could find that could provide some assistance, so I'm getting a little desperate.

Our examiner told us, for some reason, that our score specifically will be available from the 30th, so I delayed this post a bit, but as it still isn't showing I'm pulling all the threads I can to find a solution.

Does anyone have an idea what could have gone wrong?

(cross-posted on r/TOPIK, but I supposed someone here might have some experience that could help)

Around a month ago, I really started to take the time and effort to learn Korean, though I’m very much still learning the basics. So far I’ve been using YouTube and I’m soon purchasing the TTMIK Level 1 textbook and workbook. They’ll be offering an internet-based version of the test in the United States for the first time in late-February with the results out in mid-March. I’m planning on applying to the GKS for a graduate degree when the application period opens up in February/March. Would it be realistic to achieve a TOPIK Level 1 or 2 within a little under 3 months?

Annyeonghaseo, I'm working on an experimental Arabic alphabet for Korean just for fun (it looks good so I wanted to try how it looks like on Korean) and I need to know how does the glottal stop work exactly in Korean in simple enough terms. Any answer is appreciated, thanks!

What the title says, sometimes I'll come across it in videos and such. and the context doesn't really make sense with any of the other usages of -지 (like ",right?" or "of course" in response to a question.)

It's usually said in a bit of an annoyed tone in the clips that I've seen. It would maybe work with the "of course" definition except there's usually not a question of being asked, (maybe that's not the only context where that definition is applicable, I don't know, that's just what I was taught.)

The title is mostly because I had looked it up and someone had made a post on here about -지 in sentence without a question mark and someone had mentioned that it could sometimes work as a softer -잖아. However, I wasn't able to find anything else that listed that as a usage in a similar fashion.

I'm also aware that -지 has a lot of usages in different contexts so, if it's not too much trouble, if someone could list some of them in a concise manner for me, I'd be eternally grateful!

Thanks in advance!

A friend told me once that they didn't watch anime. This was maybe a month or two ago. Yesterday, they said they were watching anime and I was surprised. I asked which one and they started off by saying "원래 애니에 관심이 하나도 없었는데" and then explained why they gave it a try. I want to reply "yeah I remember you said that before, that's why I was so curious!" or something. But for "before" I only really know 아까, and that feels more like "earlier today" than "some vague time in the recent past".

So far I've been mostly using 전에 at the start of a sentence, but I get the feeling this might be an awkward direct translation, like how I used to say 한날에 before I learned that it should be 어느 날 lol.

So my question is basically the title. Can anyone tell me the different ways of referring to a vague time in the past along with how far back they can be used? Should be something that doesn't sound too formal/stiff in regular conversation (the way "previously" does in English). As far as I know 저번에 is "last time" and 예전에 is "in the old days".

Also, I wonder if it would be more natural to use something more grammar based instead, rather than a word?

Hi! Not sure if this is ok here so please let me know if this doesn't match the thread's vibes.

I've got a Korean show I'm very fond of & I've noticed there are times where the English translation doesn't quite match up to the vibe of interaction between the characters in the scene.

There's one moment in particular that I watched & thought "I'm sure the translation is missing something!" etc.

I had Google Translate listen to get a transcription & it came up with: 네가 날 자꾸 뜨겁게 만든다는 거야

The show plays twinkly fairy music right after the character says this line. Google Translate translated it as "you keep making me hot" which does not seem to match the twinkly fairy music that plays after the character says it lol

If you have any other suggestions for what to do in these instances, please let me know :)

What exactly is the difference between them? I even asked Chatgpt but it is not 100% clear to me. When do I use what?

I know that pose came from a celebrity doing it in King of Masked Singer and it became a viral meme but what does it exactly mean and how do you use it as some sort of non-verbal slang?

Additional context: The caption in the show when she did it was 상상도 못해 정체

Image reference: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT8uvFsbazu_MciTRgjmLD4G_di_xH2wIn28JN7jhWGmK8ITd3fKH8XhSdw&s=10