Emma Learning Korean

 but then i remind myself that i have no obligation to study korean, i am doing this solely for myself because i am enjoying this path of exploration new language and culture, and cause it is fun. and i remind myself how happy i feel when i read sentences in my textbook and actually understand what they are about and what those particles mean, even if the sentences are the simplest. 

(anonymous) asked: I know that we should use the person’s name when speaking Korean, but how come I hear in some Kpop songs they use things like 너 or 그대?

Hello! Thank you for this ask - it’s pretty important to distinguish people when you’re speaking Korean, and a pronoun is a pretty good way of doing that. I would like to add, that Korean pronouns don’t have the same connotation in English. Where you can use pronouns in Korean and it’s pretty common, it’s not 100% necessary and often times that person’s name or kinship title will do! 

However, you’re hearing these pronouns because often times in songs, there won’t be a name to address someone as! Especially in terms of love songs! 

First, what do I mean when I say “kinship title”? Well, these are the titles that you will use towards someone that isn’t family, but you give a familiar title to:

언니 - big sister (f.)

누나 - big sister (m.)

오빠 - big brother (f.)

형 - big brother (m.)

아줌마 - middle-aged woman

어저씨 - middle-aged man

할머니 - grandma

할아버지 - grandpa

이모 - aunt

Other alternatives to titles you can use:

     1. omit the subject entirely      2. use “여려분” where applicable

Pronoun Cheat Sheet:

Like I said above, third person pronouns aren’t often used. You will usually say “그 / 이 / 저” (that / this / that over there) with “여자 / 남자 / 사람 / 아이” (woman / man / person / child) to say “that person” etc. 

Example Sentences:

저(나)는 지금 집에 없어요 - I’m not at home right now

저희 어떡하지 … ? - what should we do … ?

*where 당신 can be used in lyrics, there’s more rules to follow

Example Sentences:

나 너 스타일이 좋아!  - I like your style (casual)      ~ this is an example of how -의 can be dropped

In terms of 그대, it’s often poetic and formal. You might only hear it in scripture, poetry or in lyrics. 

TLDR; the biggest difference is that 너 is the second person common casual pronoun ”you”. Whereas 그대 is kind of an old, poetic way of saying “you”.

Hope this helped <3 

Happy Learning :)

Calendar: 달력 - (Dal-lyeok)

Day: 일 - (il)

Month: 월 - (weol)

Year: 년 - (nyeon)

(There are other words used for ‘day’ and ‘month’ and also their counters but I’m sharing these ones since they’re relevant in this situation so please bare that in mind!!)

Days of the week (including their Chinese derivative meaning):

Monday: 월요일 - (Weol-yo-il) {Moon day}

Tuesday: 화요일 - (Hua-yo-il) {Fire day}

Wednesday: 수요일 - (Su-yo-il) {Water day}

Thursday: 목요일 - (Mog-yo-il) {Wood/Tree day}

Friday: 금요일 - (Geum-yo-il) {Gold/Metal day}

​Saturday: 토요일 - (To-yo-il) {Earth day}

Sunday: 일요일 - (Il-yo-il) {Sun day}

Calendar Months:

January: 1월 - 일월 - (Il-wol)

February: 2월 - 이월 - (I-wol)

March: 3월 - 삼월 - (Sam-wol)

April: 4월 - 사월 - (Sa-wol)

May: 5월 - 오월 - (O-wol)

June: 6월 - 유월 - (Yu-wol)

July: 7월 - 칠월 - (Chil-wol)

August: 8월 - 팔월 - (Pal-wol)

September: 9월 - 구월 - (Gu-wol)

October: 10월 - 시월 - (Si-wol)

November: 11월 - 십일월 - (Sib-il-wol)

I don’t know about you guys, but I occasionally get brain freeze when I’m speaking on the spot and I forget which number system I’m supposed to use with which counters - this happens a lot when I’m talking about years (년) so I’ve drawn up a little helpful table of some of the most common number counters - the list of counters are numerous so I have added additional ones under the cut (without examples)

FINAL NOTE: For most things that need the quantity counting (e.g. animals, books, buildings and other objects), the number will more often be Pure Korean. Sino Korean is used for weight, percentage, temperature and distance and very large numbers over 100 [namely… MONEY!].

I don’t know about you guys, but I occasionally get brain freeze when I’m speaking on the spot and I forget which number system I’m supposed to use with which counters - this happens a lot when I’m talking about years (년) so I’ve drawn up a little helpful table of some of the most common number counters - the list of counters are numerous so I have added additional ones under the cut (without examples)

FINAL NOTE: For most things that need the quantity counting (e.g. animals, books, buildings and other objects), the number will more often be Pure Korean. Sino Korean is used for weight, percentage, temperature and distance and very large numbers over 100 [namely… MONEY!].

So I’ve been reading a few kid’s stories (Aesop’s fables!) with my language exchange partner, and I’ve learned that Korean uses a lot of mimetic words to describe things! I think these words are pretty fun, so I figured I’d start a small list of them here in case y’all want them, too! So here they are:

포동포동 = chubby, plump

어슬렁 = wandering/meandering/strolling

덜덜덜 = trembling, shivering

엉금엉금 = crawling

깡총깡총 = hopping (but for small animals)

쿨쿨 = sleeping deeply

우당탕탕 = the sound you make when you bump into things

This comes from a TTMIK video and if you need a pick-me-up I highly recommend it as it’s one of the most wholesome things I’ve seen.

I’ll add to this list as I learn more, but hopefully this is a nice little place to start. Hope everyone’s staying safe!!

D-51 til April topik And since I get many dm asking what books I’m using I figure I would just take a picture. Please note though you don’t need to use a ton of books. One or two will definitely do the job. I use books for vocabulary, grammar, reading, the specifics of the topik exam and news. I personally need a lot of books to study because of my learning style. I’m the type that is very analytical and I need to see things multiple ways to understand it well. Also the yellow cover book is our schools topik textbook we use in topik class

When choosing books, setting up how much time or how you study, it’s very personal. Please never let anyone tell you how little or how much you should study because no one knows what’s good for you other than you. Some people thrive studying 10hours a day, some can only handle 30 minutes a day. We are all different and our brains process information differently. Don’t compare (easier said than done) and just do what’s right for you

Today I wanted to talk about this book and why I feel it’s so amazing. Firstly let me just say this book is all in korean so you should be able to understand korean well enough to get the explanation or be best friends with NAVER dictionary/Papago.

This book breaks away from the traditional set up of topik books and instead breaks things down but what level of topik you want to achieve. So for example the first 6 chapters only cover everything you need for topik 3급, the next chapters build on that information but only til level 4 etc. there is also a color coded schedule at the front of the book for 6 weeks and tells you what to work on each day. (You could adapt this to go as fast or slow as you needed). What I love about this is you don’t need to flip through to the different sections of the test as each chapter is arranged according to the study plan for that level and the schedule. So it keeps you organized and from getting stressed or overwhelmed.

Now within the chapters each question is broken down with explanations and you are also given relevant lists with most common grammar/vocab seen for that specific type of question. And at the end of the each level chapter there is a mock topik exam BUT it only includes the questions up to the level you want to achieve. So the level 3 test only has level 3 questions on it. Again stress free and organized. This is repeated across the different levels. There is also a separate book that has all the vocabulary and grammar separately and it’s explanations in korean only (there’s no English anywhere in this book) as well as the answers to the main book exercises with explanations.

in the past, i had to prepare for several exams by self-studying for long hours at home, so over the years i’ve learned the best ways to adapt to this situation, which i now present in this little infographic. i hope it can ease some of the pressure! 💜

그램: gram (weight)

그러나: but, however

그러니까: so, because

그러면: if so, then

그런: like that

그런데: by the way, however

그럼: if so, then, of course

그렇게: be so (abbreviation of 그러하게, that is a conjugated form of 그러하다: so, such as)

그렇구나: well/okay, I see

그렇다: so, such as, same, so-so

그렇습니다: that’s/you’re right

그렇지만: but, however, nevertheless

그릇: bowl, dish, container

그리고: and

그리다: draw, paint

그림: drawing, painting, sketch

그만: involuntarily, without a choice; no more, giving up

그분: (very polite) his, the person 

그저께: the day before yesterday

그중: among them, the rest

드라이 해 주세요: please dry this clean for me 

다림질 해 주세요: please iron this for me 

기장을 늘려 주세요: please make this longer

기장을 줄여 주세요: please make this shorter

단추 붙여주세요: please sew on this button

얼룩 뺄 수 있어요?: can you remove this stain?

옷을 언제 받을 수 있어요?: when can I pick up my clothes?

제 옷을 찾으러 왔어요: I’m here to pick up my clothes

얼마예요?: how much is it?

모두 얼마예요?: how much is the total?

source: 90DayKorean

Welcome to part two of numbers in Korean! As you know if you were here for our last lesson, there are two number systems in the Korean language. Today, we'll go over native Korean numbers. I suggest taking a look at Sino-Korean numbers first if you haven't already, because they're used a lot more!

Explanation

Like their name implies, Native Korean numbers are entirely Korean words, not influenced by Chinese. These are used for counting aloud, time in hours, and number of people/things up to 99.

Numbers 1-10

1 - 하나

2 - 둘

3 - 셋

4 - 넷

5 - 다섯

6 - 여섯

7 - 일곱

8 - 여덟

9 - 아홉

10 - 열

*There is no native Korean number for zero, so just use the appropriate Sino-Korean zero if needed.

Numbers 11-19

For numbers 11-19, use 10 followed by the 2nd digit. Example: 10 is 열, and 1 is 하나, so 11 is 열하나.

Numbers 20-99

Unlike Sino-Korean numbers, native Korean multiples of ten each have their own name that must be memorized.

20 - 스물

30 - 서른

40 - 마흔

50 - 쉰

60 - 예순

70 - 일흔

80 - 여든

90 - 아흔

For 2-digit numbers other than multiples of 10, use the multiple of 10 followed by the 2nd digit. Example: 20 is 스물, and 3 is 셋, so 23 is 스물셋.

일상 생활. (Il-sang / saeng-hwal): Daily Routines.

나는 회의에 참석한다. (Na-neun / hwi-ui-e / cham-seok-han-da): I attend a meeting.

나는 학교에서 아이들을 집으로 데려온다. (Na-neun / hak-gyu-e-seo / a-i-deul-eul / jib-eul-ro / deryeo-on-da): I bring my children home from school.

나는 머리를 빗는다. (Na-neun / meo-ri-reul / bit-neun-da): I brush my hair.

나는 양치질을 한다. (Na-neun yang-chi-jil-eul / han-da): I brush my teeth.

나는 식료품을 산다. (Na-neun / sik-ryu-pum-eul / san-da): I buy groceries.

나는 휴대폰 배터리를 충전한다. (Na-neun / hyu-dae-pon / bae-teo-ri-reul / chun-jeon-han-da): I charge the battery on my phone.

내 이메일을 확인한다. (Nae / i-me-il-eul / hwak-in-han-da): I check my e-mail.

나는 청소한다. (Na-neun / cheong-su-han-da): I clean.

나는 내 방을 청소합니다. (Na-neun / nae / bang-eul / cheong-so-hab-ni-da): I clean my room.

나는 요리를 한다. (Na-neun / yo-ri-reul / han-da): I cook.

나는 예술을 창조한다. (Na-neun / ye-sul-eul / chang-jo-han-da): I create art.

나는 과외 활동을 한다.  (Na-neun / gwa-wi / hwal-dong-eul / han-da): I do extracurricular activities.

나는 집안일을 한다. (Na-neun / jib-an-il-eul / han-da): I do housework.

나는 세탁을 한다. (Na-neun / se-tak-eul / han-da): I do laundry.

나는 내 숙제를 한다. (Na-neun / na / suk-je-reul / han-da): I do my homework.

나는 커피를 마신다. (Na-neun / keo-pi-reul / ma-sin-da): I drink coffee.

나는 내 차를 운전한다. (Na-neun / nae / cha-reul / un-jeon-han-da): I drive my car.

나는 아침을 먹는다. (Na-neun / a-chim-eul / meok-neun-da):  I eat breakfast.

나는 디저트를 먹는다. (Na-neun / di-jeo-teu-reul / meok-neun-da): I eat dessert.

나는 저녁을 먹습니다. (Na-neun / jeo-nyeok-eul / meok-seub-ni-da): I eat dinner.

나는 점심을 먹는다. (Na-neun / jeom-sim-eul / meok-neun-da): I eat lunch.

나는 운동을 한다. (Na-neun / un-dong-eul / han-da): I exercise.

나는 내 애완동물에게 먹이를 준다. (Na-neun / nae / ae-wan-dong-mul-e-ke / mak-i-reul / jun-da): I feed my pet.

나는 옷을 입는다. (Na-neun / -t-eul / ib-neun-da): I get dressed.

나는 침대에서 일어난다. (Na-neun / chim-dae-e-seo / il-eo-nan-da): I get out of bed.

나는 달리기를 하러 간다. (Na-neun / dal-li-ki-reul / ha-reo / kan-da): I go for a run.

나는 조깅하러 간다. (Na-neun / jo-king-ha-reo / kan-da): I go jogging.

나는 쇼핑하러 간다. (Na-neun / syo-ping-ha-reo / kan-da): I go shopping.

나는 학교에 간다. (Na-neun / hak-gyu-e / kan-da): I go to school.

나는 자러 간다. (Na-neun / ja-leo / kan-da): I go to sleep.

나는 체육관에 간다. (Na-neun / che-yun-gwan-e / kan-da): I go to the gym.

나는 대학에 다닌다. (Na-neun / dae-hak-e / da-nin-da): I go to university.

나는 일하러 간다. (Na-neun / il-ha-reo / kan-da): I go to work.

나는 친구들과 어울린다. (Na-neun / chin-gu-deul-gwa / eo-ul-lin-da): I hang out with friends.

나는 음악을 듣는다. (Na-neun / eum-ak-eul / deud-neun-da): I listen to music.

나는 문을 잠근다. (Na-neun / mun-eul / jam-geun-da): I lock the door.

나는 점심을 만든다. (Na-neun / jeom-sim-eul / man-deun-da): I make lunch.

나는 내 침대를 정돈한다. (Na-neun / nae / chim-dae-reul / jeong-dun-han-da): I make my bed.

나는 내일을 계획한다. (Na-neun / nae-il-eul / kye-hwik-han-da): I plan for tomorrow.

나는 게임을 한다. (Na-neun / ke-im-eul / han-da): I play games.

나는 스포츠를 한다. (Na-neun / seu-po-cheu-reul / han-da): I play sports.

나는 화장을 했다. (Na-neun / hwa-jang-eul / haett-da): I put on my makeup.

나는 책을 읽었다. (Na-neun / chaek-eul / ilk-eott-da): I read a book.

나는 전화를 받는다. (Na-neun / jeon-hwa-reul / bad-neun-da): I receive a phone call.

나는 화장을 지운다. (Na-neun /  hwa-jang-eul / ji-un-da): I remove my makeup.

나는 내 자전거를 탄다. (Na-neun / nae / ja-jeon-keo-reul / tan-da): I ride my bike.

나는 심부름을 한다. (Na-neun / sim-bu-reum-eul / han-da): I run errands.

나는 문자메시지를 보낸다. (Na-neun / mun-ja-me-si-ji-reul / bo-naen-da): I send text messages.

나는 가족과 함께 시간을 보낸다. (Na-neun / ka-jok-gwa / ham-kke / si-kan-eul / bo-naen-da): I spend time with family.

나는 공부합니다. (Na-neun / gong-bu-hab-ni-da): I study.

나는 뜨거운 목욕을 한다. (Na-neun / ddeu-keo-un / mok-yok-eul / han-da): I take a hot bath.

나는 샤워를 한다. (Na-neun / sya-wo-reul / handa): I take a shower.

나는 내 아이들을 학교에 데리고 간다. (Na-neun / nae / a-i-deu-eul / hak-gyu-e / de-ri-gu / kan-da): I take my children to school.

나는 버스를 탄다.  (Na-neun / beo-seu-reul / tan-da): I take the bus.

나는 지하철을 탄다. (Na-neun / ji-ha-cheol-eul / tan-da): I take the subway.

나는 기차를 탄다. (Na-neun / ki-cha-reul / tan-da): I take the train.

나는 내 알람을 끈다. (Na-neun / nae / or-ram-eul / kkeun-da): I turn off my alarm.

나는 알람을 켠다. (Na-neun / or-ram-eul / kyeon-da): I turn on my alarm

나는 문을 연다. (Na-neun / mun-eul / yeon-da): I unlock my door.

나는 내 컴퓨터를 사용한다. (Na-neun / nae / keom-pyu-teo-reul / sa-yong-han-da): I use my computer.

나는 소셜 미디어를 사용한다. (Na-neun / so-syeol / mi-di-eo-reul / sa-yong-han-da): I use social media.

나는 변기를 사용한다. (Na-neun / byeon-ki-reul / sa-yong-han-da): I use the toilet.

나는 일어난다. (Na-neun / il-eo-nan-da): I wake up.

나는 개를 데리고 산책합니다. (Na-neun / kae-reul / se-ri-go / san-chaek-hab-ni-da): I walk my dog.

나는 세수를 한다. (Na-neun / se-su-reul / han-da): I wash my face.

나는 내 머리를 감는다. (Na-neun / nae / meo-ri-reul / kam-neun-da): I wash my hair.

나는 드라마를 본다. (Na-neun / deu-ra-ma-reul / bon-da): I watch a drama.

나는 영화를 본다. (Na-neun / yeong-hwa-reul / bon-da): I watch a movie.

Welcome to part two of Korean particles! If you've gotten the hang of part one, these shouldn't be too difficult, since they actually have English equivalents. Let's get started!

Possessive Particles

These particles are used to express that something belongs to something/someone, just like 's in English. This one's pretty simple!

Add 의 to the noun that possesses something.

The man's room

남자의 방

Connecting Particles

These particles are used to connect two or more nouns together, just like the English words "and" or "with." Unlike English, however, they are attached to the end of one word rather than placed between two words. There are several options when it comes to Korean connecting particles.

Option 1: Add 과 to the first noun if it ends in a consonant, or 외 if it ends in a vowel.

Option 2: Add 이랑 to the first noun if it ends in a consonant, or 랑 if it ends in a vowel.

Option 3: Add 하고 to the first noun, regardless of whether it ends in a consonant or a vowel.

I play piano and guitar.

저는 피아노와 기타 연주해요.

저는 피아노랑 기타 연주해요.

저는 피아노하고 기타 연주해요.

All of these sentences are correct. The main difference is that 와/과 is more formal, while the other two options are more likely to be used in everyday conversation.

Location Marking Particles

These particles are used to express where something is, just like the English words "at," "in," or "to." There are two location marking particles in Korean that are each used in different situations.

Add 에 to the location when describing where a noun is.

I am at home.

저는 집에 있어요.

We use 에 here because we are describing where a noun is. In this case, our noun is "I."

Add 에서 to the location when describing where an action takes place.

I go to school.

저는 학교에서 가요.

We use 에서 here because we are describing where an action takes place. In this case, our action is "go."

To connect nouns together, using the Korean version of ‘and’, you have 3 options:

NOUN와/과

NOUN(이)랑

NOUN하고

와/과 is used mostly in writing, presentations and speeches, so you will more commonly hear (이)랑 or 하고 in speaking.

저는 고양이와 개를 좋아해요 - I like cats and dogs

저는 사과랑 배를 샀어요 - I bought apples and pears

커피하고 케이크 주세요 - Please can I have coffee and cake

If the preceding word ends in a consonant sound (has 받침), then 과 or 이랑 would be used, but if the preceding word ends in a vowel (doesn’t have 받침) then 와 or 랑 would be used. 하고 can be used with anything!

BONUS

If talking about doing something WITH someone, such as doing something with a friend, you can use these particles but must add 함께 or 같이 after so it becomes ‘together’

친구하고 같이 영화를 봤어요 - I watched a move together with my friend