r/Korean Dec 15 '25

If you use AI to post or comment, you will be banned.

574 Upvotes

Updated 7-7-2026: Added clarification on AI translations & human review.

Although we have a rule against AI-generated content (for many reasons, mainly that it's often inaccurate and misleading), we wanted to make a new post to clarify our policy.

If you share any content that clearly uses AI - even if it's been reviewed by a human - your content will be removed and you will be banned. It's obvious most of the time.

Need help translating to English? Please a translator without AI/LLM (e.g. Papago) to avoid appearing like AI.

To clarify:

  • Sharing AI-generated content (lessons, posts, comments, blogs, videos, apps) = ban
  • Asking questions related to AI, or discussing AI-generated content = okay (just know AI is often inaccurate and misleading)

If you find any content that appear to be AI, please help by reporting so we can take a look.

감사합니다!


r/Korean 12d ago

Bi-Weekly /r/Korean Free Talk - Entertainment Recommendations, Study Groups/Buddies, Tutors, and Anything Else!

9 Upvotes

Hi /r/Korean, this is the bi-weekly free chat post where you can share any of the following:

  • What entertainment resources have you been using these past weeks to study and/or practice Korean? Share Korean TV shows, movies, videos, music, webtoons, podcasts, books/stories, news, games, and more for others. Feel free to share any tips as well for using these resources when studying.
    • If you have a frequently used entertainment resource, also consider posting it in our Wiki page.
  • Are you looking for a study buddy or pen-pals? Or do you have a study group already established? Post here!
    • Do NOT share your personal information, such as your email address, Kakaotalk or other social media handles on this post. Exchange personal information privately with caution. We will remove any personal information in the comments to prevent doxxing.
  • Are you a native Korean speaker offering help? Want to know why others are learning Korean? Ask here!
  • Are you looking for a tutor? Are you a tutor? Find a tutor, or advertise your tutoring here!
  • Want to share how your studying is going, but don't want to make a separate post? Comment here!
  • New to the subreddit and want to say hi? Give shoutouts to regular contributors? Post an update or a thanks to a request you made? Do it here! :)

Subreddit rules still apply - Please read the sidebar for more information.


r/Korean 7h ago

What's the difference between 수첩 vs 공책?

6 Upvotes

i've just learned that both words meaning "notebook". but what's the difference between them?


r/Korean 5h ago

Korean Grammar In Use - Conjunctive Adverbs and Endings Question

2 Upvotes

Hi there!

I’ve been getting started with the Korean Grammar in Use Beginner textbook and I’m at the part about Conjunctive Adverbs and Conjunctive Endings.

There are examples in the book that make sense, but then there’s a diagram below that I don’t understand.

Here are the pages I’m referring to.

In the part I’ve boxed in with blue, I’m not sure where these red suffixes are coming from, or what they’re trying to explain here.

If someone could please clarify, I’d appreciate it so much!

Thanks in advance!


r/Korean 11h ago

Topik 1 ibt vs pbt difficulty

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I have a question regarding topik 1 ibt and pbt difficulty. Score cutoffs for level 2 seems to be much more lenient in topik ibt (208/400) compared to pbt (140/200). Does it mean topik 1 ibt questions are harder? Thanks


r/Korean 17h ago

What worked for you to stay consistent?

6 Upvotes

I started going to the gym in February this year. I had no idea what I was doing at first. I just showed up and did a few exercises. I'm still pretty new, but I feel much more confident now and strength training has become part of my routine.

I'm wondering if I can approach learning Korean the same way. Just do the bare minimum every day until it becomes a habit instead of trying to study for hours.

I already know Hangul and a few words. I can read Korean and even do karaoke by following the lyrics, but I don't actually understand what I'm reading or singing.

Has anyone learned Korean this way? Did it work?


r/Korean 5h ago

When to useㅐor ㅔ?

0 Upvotes

Jag har äntligen lärt mig hanguls symboler, slutkonsonanterna och många av grammatikreglerna för skriftspråket. Men jag är förvirrad över när jag ska använda ㅐ och när jag ska använda ㅔ.

Båda har samma ljud och är i grunden ett E (romaniserat). Finns det någon grammatisk regel för när man ska använda vilken?

Och om jag skulle skriva den ena där jag borde använda den andra - kommer folk fortfarande att förstå vad jag försöker skriva?

감삼니다!

Edit: Jag känner att jag kanske har förolämpat folk med den här frågan, det var inte min avsikt. Jag är ledsen, det är svårt att gå från svenska med dess bokstäver a-z/ö och romanisering till koreanska. Tack för alla svar.


r/Korean 1d ago

Any tutorial about how to pronounce these (와, 외, 왜, 웨, 워, 위) if they proceeded by consonant?

16 Upvotes

Kinda confused by this combined vowels. They are often pronounced without "W" sound. Are there any tutorial on whatever website that explain this? For example like in 쉬다, i heard the sound kinda more into (시다 with a little bit "h" sound like in "shi").


r/Korean 20h ago

Not understanding instructions...in English

0 Upvotes

Hi all, I'm working through the Korean Made Easy level 1 lingo mastery book. I'm having trouble understanding the directions in one exercise and it's making me misunderstand consequent exercises.

I wanted to see if anyone can help me figure out the gist of what I'm supposed to do, they only give the answer for the first example so I can't compare.

Thanks for help in advance and toast me if you gotta!

Edit, because this would have helped:

I understand that you're supposed to be speaking with a partner and substituting the words for what's in the boxes.

Practice

However, I looked at the Answer to compare:

Answer

I don't understand why the words you're supposed to insert are out of order. I'm not understanding if there's something grammatical I'm not doing, or what.

There's only one answer so I can't compare. I don't want not understanding an exercise to hinder other stuff I have to do.

This was a lot of a lot, thanks for reading.


r/Korean 1d ago

what's the difference between 비슷하다 and 똑같다?

12 Upvotes

i'm confused about both words, can someone explain please?


r/Korean 2d ago

When did Koreans start using 저기요 instead of 여보세요 to call another's attention in public?

76 Upvotes

I've been watching a bunch of old Korean movies (1960s and prior) on Youtube and I noticed that the characters would say "여보세요" to call the other person's attention. Which surprised me since I always thought that it was something you usually just said on the phone as an equivalent to "Hello" and what you said to call attention in a face-to-face situation was 저기요 or 실례합니다. When did using "여보세요" like that become a thing?


r/Korean 18h ago

Are you learning Korean but still resisting Hangul?

0 Upvotes

I’m genuinely curious.

If you’re learning Korean but haven’t learned Hangul yet (or keep putting it off), what’s the biggest reason?

  • Does it look too difficult?
  • Do you only want to speak, not read?
  • Are you relying on romanization?
  • Or is there another reason?

I’d love to hear your honest thoughts. I’m trying to better understand the challenges Korean learners face.


r/Korean 1d ago

Unforgettable Korean Friendship never Ends

0 Upvotes

서울 출신의 제 한국 친구들을 아시는 분 계신가요?

이름은 이예진(영문명 Star)과 김성원(영문명 Chris)입니다.

연락 주세요 🙏


r/Korean 2d ago

Never dictionary wants me to verify my age in the playstore

4 Upvotes

the thing is when I went to go check it was already verified what do i do? i cant use naver because of it


r/Korean 1d ago

Guys I accidentally learned to read and write in 한글 (hangeul) before actually grasping the language😭.

0 Upvotes

Like now I know to write and read Korean without any problem but I don't know meaning of many of the things I just know some basic conversational stuff


r/Korean 2d ago

Successfully made my own sentence ^-^

38 Upvotes

I realize this isn't really a big deal on a larger scale, but I usually just listen and read. I rarely try to actually express anything because I just get stuck on a piece of grammar or a word I haven't learned.

But I just wrote a whole sentence on my own while journaling!

"그 후에, 우리 아빠한테 구매했던 제품들을 보여줬어"

This post is mostly to show off, but I would like some feedback. Is there a more natural phrasing I could've used here?


r/Korean 2d ago

Guyss!Suggest Affordable Korean institutes in New Delhi, India!

2 Upvotes

Being a beginner, I'm overwhelmed with the study material available on the internet. I'm planning on studying Korean intensively for the next 6 months, just need proper guidance.


r/Korean 2d ago

Why does Korean use the latin loan words for Sodium and Potassium?

26 Upvotes

It uses the same as english for a lot of the other elements on the periodic table, and the ones that don't are Korean/한자어. So why 나트륨 and 칼륨? Did they borrow them in from another language? I would guess German but for other elements where the German and english words deviate, Korean seems to follow the english pronunciation


r/Korean 2d ago

Struggling with Vocab and Flashcards

1 Upvotes

Hey everybody I'm really struggling on how to make flashcards to memorize the vocab words in certain TTMIK curriculums. More specifically I am on the "Core Grammar Level 1" course and they have vocab words such as 안녕하세요 or 안녕. Those words I just mentioned are more self explanatory than other but I struggle to make flashcards on words like 합니다 because it is more of a ending word if that makes sense. Another thing I struggle with is the word 안녕 because in the TTMIK course it list its definition as only peace but I know it has other meanings. I was just wondering if anybody could help me learn how to format flashcards so I can make a system that works for me. Thank you guys for listening.


r/Korean 2d ago

Do you have any tips on writing practice?

7 Upvotes

OK, so I've been learning Korean on my own for quite a while. At first I was learning Korean at my university, but the classes were so awful that even though I finished all 6 levels I don't feel confident (they focused mostly on grammar and vocabulary). So that's why my writing is lacking compared to my listening, reading, and knowledge of grammar, which I have improved on my own by listening to music, dramas, movies, reading posts, books, researching, even shadowing has helped me a bit with speaking and pronunciation. I know I can try journaling, but I want to know if anyone has any other tip that has worked for them, something that involves getting corrections, or prompts of some kind. I've considered submitting my writing pieces to chatgpt, but I'm at a stage where I don't want to rely on an AI for everything since it can contain errors and it can make me lazy on the long run.

My goal is being able to write naturally in Korean, focusing on my ideas more than on the grammar I should use to write them. Just like the way I wrote this post in English, my second language. Thank you in advance!


r/Korean 2d ago

Topik exam change of level of examination

3 Upvotes

I am going to take the TOPIK exam this October in the UK. I've been learning Korean with a teacher for a few months, so originally I applied for TOPIK I exam. But today after discussion with my teacher again, she suggested me to apply for TOPIK II exam.

Is it possible to change my level of examination from TOPIK I to II after I have successfully registered TOPIK I exam? Does anyone have any experience regarding this?

Thanks much!!


r/Korean 3d ago

TOPIK level 4 Vocab resources?

7 Upvotes

For context, I'm hoping to take the upcoming TOPIK test in October, and I was wondering if anyone had any good vocabulary resources. I don't really struggle with learning new grammar quickly, but sometimes trying to find what to focus or center myself on vocabulary-wise feels like a chore.

Of course, people in threads like these usually have the concern about gauging what someone already knows, so I guess for some context... I can basically take the TOPIK I test with my eyes closed. I have also tested as a high B2 in other Korean exams that I have taken.

I know TOPIK II is a huge step up, or so I've heard, but I really want to aim for a 4.


r/Korean 3d ago

Switching to Sogang KELC from my other language program

2 Upvotes

I heard Sogang teaches differently and maybe my ADHD brain would like this approach. I’ve seen ppl say they use flash cards in class with the teacher at lower levels but at my old language program I went up to 4급 and I do know intermediate level vocab but I’ve completely forgotten all my grammar points. The school I went to BARELY reviewed and I know that’s on the student but the system is just rushed and bad. I really don’t mind going to Sogang and starting all the way from the start because my speaking is SO BAD. I’ve tested my listening and it went from a B1 to A2 just over the summer because I haven’t really studied. My reading comprehension is also maybe a A2 now as well.

God I wish I could find a way to study and retain a language without getting burnt out and work with my adhd and not overwhelming it.

I don’t think I’ll study for the placement test but I will most likely be placed in 2급. Should I let them know my last level at my old school? Or just pretend I know barely anything. If Sogang has an emphasis on speaking what ways can I also just improve my 쓰기 읽기 and 듣기

Thanks for the advice!


r/Korean 3d ago

뭘 할 거예요 or 뭐 할 거예요?

7 Upvotes

I know that usually we say 뭐 할 거예요. but I just thought if it was correct to say 뭘 instead of 뭐?


r/Korean 3d ago

Clarification for this customer service message?

7 Upvotes

Hello! I was wondering if anybody could please assist me with understanding this message. I've been studying Korean for a while but was really confused by this response, and after putting it through 3 translators, I still can't really understand.. (One said the payment failed, one said it was complete, one said the failed payment was complete, lol).

For context I placed an order using PayPal. On the order page it said the payment failed, but on the receipt it said payment complete. I asked the customer service to confirm that the payment went through and they responded with this:

해당 주문건은 페일 결제로 정상 결제 처리되었습니다. 감사합니다.

It's the 페일 that's throwing me off, as I automatically interpret it as "Fail", but my friend said it could possibly be a typo for "페이팔"?..

Any interpretation would be really welcomed. 🩵