Korean "eats" way more than food (먹다 and 까먹다)

Most people learn 먹다 on day one as "to eat", and then a few weeks later it starts showing up in sentences that have nothing to do with food. Here's roughly how the word stretches.

The first stretch is small. Pretty much anything that goes into your body through your mouth or nose gets eaten. In English you take medicine, but in Korean you eat it (약을 먹다), and it doesn't matter if it's a pill or a spoonful of syrup. Smoke counts too.

점심 먹었어. (I had lunch.) 밥 먹고 약 먹었어. (I took my medicine after eating.) 고기 굽다가 연기를 엄청 먹었어. (I breathed in a ton of smoke grilling meat.)

After that it gets abstract, and this is where learners usually get lost. You eat a decision, you eat a year of age, you eat fear, and when someone yells at you, you eat that as well. I loosely think of it as taking something in and having to live with it, though that doesn't really cover the last example below.

마음먹었어. (I made up my mind.) 나이를 한 살 더 먹었어. (I'm a year older now.) 생각보다 높아서 겁먹었어. (It was higher than I expected and I got scared.) 실수해서 욕먹었어. (I messed up and got chewed out.) 너무 더워서 더위 먹었나 봐. (I think the heat got to me.) 우리 팀이 1등 먹었어. (Our team took first place.)

Small thing about spacing, since it trips people up. 마음먹다, 겁먹다 and 욕먹다 are written as one word, but 밥 먹다 and 더위 먹다 keep the space. And 1등 먹었어 is casual, you wouldn't put it in a report.

There's one that looks like it belongs in this list but doesn't. When your ears or nose get blocked, 먹다 is used too (귀가 먹었어), but the dictionary treats that as a separate word that just happens to be spelled the same, not as a stretched meaning of eating. On a plane most people would actually say 귀가 먹먹해, and 귀먹다 written as one word means going deaf, so be a bit careful with it.

Then there's slang. If you just made a new friend, the normal verb is 사귀다 (새 친구 사귀었어). 친구 먹다 is different. It means two people agreed to drop the polite speech and talk to each other like same-age friends, even if they're not exactly the same age. 짱 먹다 is being the toughest or the best one in a group, very schoolyard.

우리 오늘부터 친구 먹기로 했어. (We decided to just talk casually from now on, like same-age friends.) 걔가 그 학교에서 짱 먹었대. (Apparently he was the top dog at that school.)

My favorite one is 까먹다, which is 까다 (to peel, to shell) stuck onto 먹다. It literally starts as peeling something and eating what's inside.

귤 까먹었어. (I peeled and ate a tangerine.) 밤 까먹었어. (I shelled and ate some chestnuts.)

If you picture eating chestnuts one at a time until the bag is empty, the next meaning makes sense. It's slowly using up money or savings and having nothing to show for it.

모아 둔 돈 다 까먹었어. (I burned through all the money I'd saved.) 시간만 까먹었어. (I just wasted my time.)

And in everyday speech it mostly means to forget, like the memory got eaten and now it's gone. This is honestly the meaning I use the most, way more than the tangerine one.

생일을 까먹었어. (I forgot the birthday.) 약속 까먹었어. (I forgot we had plans.) 대사를 까먹었어.

다들 알아먹었죠? 약속 까먹어서 욕먹은 적 있으면 댓글로 달아 줘요 ㅎㅎ So, did you all eat that up? (알아먹다 is a slangy way to say you got it.) If you ever forgot plans and got chewed out for it, confess in the comments.

— TYPOP에서 공유

Confusing Korean Public Transit Vocabulary Guide

When taking the bus or subway in Korea, it is easy to mix up several similar-sounding transit words. Here is a simple and clear breakdown of six everyday Korean transit terms.

1. How do '터미널' and '종점' differ?

According to the language refinement notes in the Korean dictionary (우리말샘), '터미널' and '종점' can be used together. In real life in Korea, however, native speakers clearly distinguish between the two.

• 터미널 (Facility / Building): A large transit building equipped with ticket booths, waiting lounges, shops, and platforms.
• 종점 (End of the Line): The final point where a bus or subway line finishes its run.

💡 Key Differences at a Glance * 지하철 1호선 종점 (O) / 지하철 1호선 터미널 (X)
The final station on a subway line is called a '종점'. Koreans do not use '터미널' for subway stations. * 마을버스 종점 (O) / 마을버스 터미널 (X)
Even if there is only a single roadside sign, it is still a '종점' if the bus route ends there. Without a large facility building, it is not a '터미널'. * 인천공항 터미널 (O) / 인천공항 종점 (X)
An airport terminal is a large facility for boarding or transferring flights. Since it is not the end of a route, it is not called a '종점'.

• Representative Sentences for 터미널

  • "명절이라 고속버스터미널 대합실이 사람들로 꽉 찼어요."
    (Because of the holiday, the express bus terminal waiting lounge was packed with people.)
  • "인천공항 제2터미널에서 비행기를 갈아타야 해요."
    (I have to transfer flights at Incheon Airport Terminal 2.)

• Representative Sentences for 종점

  • "지하철에서 깜빡 잠들어서 종점까지 가 버렸어요."
    (I dozed off on the subway and ended up riding all the way to the last stop.)
  • "이번 역은 이 열차의 마지막 역인 종점입니다."
    (This station is the final stop for this train.)

2. Difference Between '정차' and '경유'

The difference comes down to whether a vehicle comes to a halt or passes through a place on its route.

• 정차 (停車): The action of a vehicle briefly coming to a stop on the road or at a station

  • "버스가 완전히 정차한 뒤에 자리에서 일어나 주세요."
    (Please stand up from your seat after the bus has come to a complete stop.)
  • "이 급행열차는 이번 역에 정차하지 않고 통과합니다."
    (This express train passes through this station without stopping.)

• 경유 (經由): Going via (passing through) an intermediate place on the way to a destination

  • "이 버스는 시청을 경유해서 서울역으로 가요." (It goes via City Hall.)
    (This bus goes to Seoul Station via City Hall.)
  • "직항 표가 없어서 도쿄를 경유하는 비행기를 탔어요." (It goes via Tokyo.)
    (There were no direct tickets, so I took a flight with a layover in Tokyo.)

3. Difference Between '정류장' and '정거장'

Both refer to places where you get on and off transit, yet their nuance and everyday usage differ.

• 정류장 (停留場): A relatively small roadside spot where you catch a bus or taxi (usually marked by a sign or bench)

  • "집 앞 버스 정류장에서 143번 버스를 타면 돼요."
    (You can catch bus 143 at the bus stop in front of my house.)
  • "내릴 정류장을 놓쳐서 다음 정류장에서 내렸어요."
    (I missed my stop, so I got off at the next bus stop.)

• 정거장 (停車場): Traditionally refers to a station where trains or vehicles stop (and can also be used for bus stops, as in '버스 정거장').
  In everyday conversation, it's also often used to count how many stops are left.

  • "여기서 시청역까지는 지하철로 세 정거장만 더 가면 돼요."
    (From here to City Hall Station, you only need to go three more stops by subway.)
  • "전 이쯤에서 내리겠어요. 버스 정거장 가까운 곳에서 세워 주세요." — 출처 <<이병주, 행복어 사전>>
    (I'll get off around here. Please pull over near the bus stop. — Source: <<이병주, 행복어 사전>>)

4. Quick Summary Table

Hi all :)

I just decided to start learning Korean, and I love learning the alphabet! (I am THAT early in my learning journey).

I made two visuals to help me learn both the alphabet and how to type, and thought it could be useful to some of you, so sharing it here :)

Let me know what you think, and have fun on your learning journey!

WM

Example : 생리 - period/menstruation

And other words that end with 리. I'm sure there are other cases where this happens but it's by far the hardest thing to pronounce for me because to me it sounds like you're almost about to use the ㄹ sound but then you change your mind and use 니 instead. I don't know if that's a good analogy.

Can anyone break it down for me why is it like that? Because I understand for every other vowel pairing how it sounds but the 리 in some cases just confuses me.

Disclosure: I am the developer of K-Talk Mate, a pilot Korean-learning web app. This is a promotional post seeking feedback, not an independent review.

The 30-second animated video plays with 사과 주세요 (An apple, please) and 사과해 주세요 (Please apologize). It uses synthetic Korean voices with playful pitch effects; the performance is a joke, not a pronunciation model.

I am looking for 5 adult beginner learners to try a beginner lesson for about 5 minutes and share ONE thing that was difficult or confusing.

Core features: beginner Korean lessons, speaking practice, and AI conversation. The video contains an illustrated feature preview rather than a recording of the app. This is a software pilot, not a certified Korean course; AI responses may be inaccurate and features may have bugs.

Website: https://ktalkmate.com/

No invitation code is needed. Please review the privacy notice before creating an account. Feedback can be posted in this thread or through Feedback in the app.

Thank you for helping improve the learning experience!

I play piano and make videos in Seoul. I don't know how to write code. I got lonely working alone, so I made nojo.club.

It's a small 3D space you leave open while you work. People sit, chat, sometimes talk. Most of the regulars are Korean. The chat translates, so you can try writing in Korean and everyone still reads it in their language.

No install. Works on phones. You can walk in as a guest. Free, no ads.
https://nojo.club/?ref=rd-beginnerkorean

How beginners can use it: most people in the room are Korean, so you can try typing in Korean and see if people get it. Each line shows the translation under the original, so you can read real casual Korean next to your own language. In voice, the speaker can turn on subtitles, so you see what was said as text too... it's not a lesson app, just a place to practice with real people.

Hi! I’m Tjay, a native Korean speaker living in Seoul, and I’m offering paid beginner Korean lessons on Preply.

If you’re starting from zero or planning a trip to Korea, we can work on Hangul basics and useful situations such as ordering at a cafe, eating at a restaurant, asking for directions, and shopping.

Format and materials

• One-on-one online lessons through Preply; regular lessons are 50 minutes.

• We practise with short dialogues, slow Korean, repetition and role-play. I can provide simple English support (B1), rather than advanced explanations in English.

• I have prepared beginner worksheets and a flexible four-week plan. No textbook purchase is required for this plan.

• We choose the starting point and pace around your level and goals. A sample first topic is ordering a drink, then practising the same exchange with a different order.

My background

I’m a native speaker and a new Korean tutor. I do not hold a Korean language teaching certificate. My lessons focus on beginner travel and everyday conversation.

Price and booking terms

• My current base rate is US$12 per 50-minute regular lesson.

• Preply charges for the trial lesson separately; it is not a free trial. Check my profile and checkout for the available trial duration and current total.

• Regular study uses a Preply subscription that renews automatically every 28 days until canceled. The plan total depends on the number of lessons you select.

• Preply adds a processing fee and applicable taxes at checkout. Your bank may also charge currency conversion or international transaction fees. The US$12 base rate is not a promise of an all-inclusive checkout total.

• Under Preply’s lesson cancellation policy, canceling more than 12 hours before the start returns the lesson to your lesson balance; canceling less than 12 hours before the start does not. Returning a lesson to the balance is not the same as a cash refund.

• Please review Preply’s current terms and the full checkout total before paying.

Profile and booking: https://preply.com/en/tutor/8776820

If you have general questions about the lessons, please ask here in the comments so everyone can see the answers. Please do not post private contact or payment details.

For me

Website: How to learn Korean

YouTube channel : hi easy Koran

App: lingory

What about you?

This is a TOPIK Level 2–3 practice set. I made it myself for my Russian students, so the questions are in both Russian and Korean. The answers are at the bottom of this post, hidden with spoiler tags. Try solving it first, then check!

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한국어 어휘·문법 및 맥락 평가

• EN: Korean Vocabulary, Grammar & Context Assessment Test
• RU: Тест по корейской лексике, грамматике и пониманию контекста

• 이름 (Name / Имя): ________________________
• 날짜 (Date / Дата): 2026년 _월 _일
• 시간 (Time limit / Время): 40분 (40 minutes / 40 минут)
• 구성 (Structure / Структура):
  • 사지선다 12문항 (60점) / 단답식 6문항 (24점) / 주관식 3문항 (16점) · 총 21문항 (100점)
  • Multiple Choice: 12 questions (60 pts) / Short Answer: 6 questions (24 pts) / Sentence Writing: 3 questions (16 pts) · Total: 21 questions (100 pts)
  • Выбор ответа: 12 заданий (60 баллов) / Краткий ответ: 6 заданий (24 балла) / Развернутый ответ: 3 задания (16 баллов) · Всего: 21 задание (100 баллов)

Ⅰ. 사지선다형 (문항당 5점, 총 60점)

• EN: Part I. Multiple Choice (5 points each, 60 points total)
• RU: Часть I. Задания с выбором ответа (по 5 баллов, всего 60 баллов)

※ [1~4] 대화를 읽고 빈칸에 들어갈 가장 알맞은 단어를 고르십시오.

• EN: Read the dialogue and choose the most appropriate word for the blank.
• RU: Прочитайте диалог и выберите наиболее подходящее слово для пропуска.

1.

가: 오늘 우리 회사에 중요한 손님이 오세요.
나: 네, 손님께 (            )을/를 갖추어 대접하도록 합시다.

① 나이테
② 예우
③ 도구
④ 무늬

2.

가: 한국에서는 어른과 식사할 때 어떻게 해요?
나: 예부터/옛날 부터 어른이 먼저 숟가락을 든 후에 먹는 (            )이 있어요. 하지만 현대에는 이런 전통이나 예법이 느슨해진 면이 있지요.

① 예절
② 고요
③ 사이
④ 넋

3.

가: 오늘 '다도' 수업에서 무엇을 배웠어요?
나: 방석에 바르게 (            ) 따뜻한 차를 마시는 법을 배웠어요.

① 밟아서
② 앉아서
③ 쪼개서
④ 깨서

4.

가: 기차가 곧 와요. 어디에서 기다려요?
나: 저기 (            )에서 줄 서서 기다리세요.

① 부엌
② 승강장
③ 숲
④ 이마

※ [5~8] 빈칸에 들어갈 말이나 어휘의 쓰임이 맞는 것을 고르십시오.

• EN: Choose the correct word for the blank or the option where the vocabulary is used correctly.
• RU: Выберите правильное слово для пропуска или вариант с правильным использованием лексики.

5. 빈칸 ( ㉠ ), ( ㉡ )에 들어갈 말로 알맞은 것을 고르십시오. - EN: Choose the correct words for blanks ( ㉠ ) and ( ㉡ ). - RU: Выберите правильные слова для пропусков ( ㉠ ) и ( ㉡ ).

• 봄이 와서 정원에 예쁜 꽃이 ( ㉠ ).
  
• 오늘 오후에 시간이 ( ㉡ ) 같이 차 마셔요.

① 피었어요 — 비면
② 삐었어요 — 비면
③ 비었어요 — 피면
④ 삐었어요 — 피면

6. 두 문장의 빈칸에 공통으로 들어갈 단어를 고르십시오. - EN: Choose the common word that fits in both blanks. - RU: Выберите одно общее слово, которое подходит для пропусков в обоих предложениях.

• 나무에서 맛있는 포도를 (            ).
  
• 올해 운전면허증을 꼭 (            ) 싶어요.

① 타다
② 다다르다
③ 따다
④ 싸다

7. 빈칸 ( ㉠ ), ( ㉡ )에 들어갈 말로 알맞은 것을 고르십시오. - EN: Choose the correct words for blanks ( ㉠ ) and ( ㉡ ). - RU: Выберите правильные слова для пропусков ( ㉠ ) и ( ㉡ ).

가: 민수 씨와 수진 씨는 결혼한 ( ㉠ )예요?
나: 네. 두 사람은 성격 ( ㉡ )가 있지만 부부 지간이 아주 좋아요.

① 사이 — 차이
② 부모 — 사이
③ 또래 — 나이
④ 아저씨 — 몫

8. 밑줄 친 단어가 틀리게 쓰인 문장을 고르십시오. - EN: Choose the sentence where the underlined word is used INCORRECTLY. - RU: Выберите предложение, в котором подчёркнутое слово использовано НЕПРАВИЛЬНО.

① 꽃집에서 장미꽃 <u>세 송이</u>를 샀어요.
② 이 일은 내가 해야 하는 <u>내 몫</u>이에요.
③ 김치찌개에 소금을 많이 넣어서 <u>값이 싸요</u>.
④ 나무의 <u>나이테</u>를 보면 나무의 인생을 알 수 있어요.

※ [9~10] 밑줄 친 '~는 것(~는 거)'을 '-기'로 바르게 바꾼 것을 고르십시오.

• EN: Choose the option that correctly converts '~는 것 (~는 거)' into '-기'.
• RU: Выберите вариант, где конструкция '~는 것(~는 거)' правильно заменена на '-기'.

9. 다음 문장의 밑줄 친 부분을 바르게 바꾼 것을 고르십시오. - EN: Choose the correct replacement for the underlined part of the sentence. - RU: Выберите правильную замену для подчёркнутой части предложения.

• 주말에 친구하고 밖에서 <u>노는 거를</u> 좋아해요.

① 주말에 친구하고 밖에서 놀기를 좋아해요.
② 주말에 친구하고 밖에서 노기를 좋아해요.
③ 주말에 친구하고 밖에서 놀는기를 좋아해요.
④ 주말에 친구하고 밖에서 놀르기를 좋아해요.

10. '~는 것'을 '-기'로 바꿀 때, 틀린 것을 고르십시오. - EN: Choose the INCORRECT conversion when changing '~는 것' to '-기'. - RU: Выберите вариант, в котором замена '~는 것' на '-기' выполнена НЕПРАВИЛЬНО.

① 과자 먹는 것 → 과자 먹기
② 한국어 쓰는 것 → 한국어 쓰기
③ 방의 불 끄는 것 → 방의 불 꺼기
④ 자전거 타는 것 → 자전거 타기

※ [11~12] 다음 글을 읽고 질문에 답하십시오.

• EN: Read the text and answer the questions.
• RU: Прочитайте текст и ответьте на вопросы.

한국에서 대학원 수업을 들을 때의 일이다. 나는 지도 ( ㉠ )께 질문할 것이 있어서 연구실에 찾아갔다. 문을 두드리고 들어가자 교수님께서는 따뜻한 차를 내주시며 "한국 생활은 어때요? 요즘 날씨가 많이 추워요. 감기 조심하세요."라고 다정하게 인사를 건네셨다.

나는 처음에 한국어로 이메일이나 보고서를 ( ㉡ )가 참 어려웠는데, 교수님께서 매주 글의 구성과 어휘를 꼼꼼히 봐 주신 덕분에 실력이 많이 늘었다.

11. 윗글의 빈칸 ( ㉠ )과 ( ㉡ )에 들어갈 말로 가장 알맞은 것을 고르십시오. - EN: Choose the most appropriate words for blanks ( ㉠ ) and ( ㉡ ) in the passage. - RU: Выберите наиболее подходящие слова для пропусков ( ㉠ ) и ( ㉡ ) в тексте.

① 가수 — 쓰기
② 교수님 — 쓰기
③ 투수 — 쓰기
④ 부모님 — 끄기

12. 윗글의 내용과 같은 것을 고르십시오. - EN: Choose the statement that matches the content of the text. - RU: Выберите утверждение, которое соответствует содержанию текста.

① 한국에서는 날씨가 추워질 때 상대방의 건강을 걱정하며 안부 인사를 건네는 문화가 있다.
② 글쓴이는 연구실에 갈 때 교수님께 차를 직접 끓여 드렸다.
③ 글쓴이는 한국어 말하기는 어려웠지만 보고서 작성은 처음부터 쉬웠다.
④ 교수님은 학생과 사적인 인사를 나누는 것을 예절에 어긋난다고 생각하셨다.

Ⅱ. 단답형 (문항당 4점, 총 24점)

• EN: Part II. Short Answer Questions (4 points each, 24 points total)
• RU: Часть II. Задания с кратким ответом (по 4 балла, всего 24 балла)

※ [13~15] <보기>에서 알맞은 단어를 골라 빈칸에 쓰십시오.

• EN: Choose the appropriate word from <보기> and write it in the blank.
• RU: Выберите подходящее слово из рамки <보기> и впишите его в пропуск.

[ <보기> / Word Bank / Список слов ]
평일 / 주말 / 여덟 / 값 / 몫 / 다다르다 / 괜찮다 / 넓다

13. 월요일부터 금요일까지는 '주중'이나 '(                      )'(이)라고 해요. 토요일과 일요일은 '주말'이에요.
14. 이 시장은 과일 (                      )이/가 싸요. 그래서 과일을 자주 사요.
15. 두 시간 동안 기차를 타고, 기차역 끝/종점에 (                      ).
↳ (기본형 그대로 쓰세요 / Write in base form / Напишите в начальной форме)

※ [16~18] <보기>와 같이 밑줄 친 말을 '-기'가 들어간 한 단어로 바꾸어 쓰십시오.

• EN: Replace the underlined expression with a single word ending in '-기', as shown in <보기>.
• RU: По образцу <보기> замените подчёркнутое выражение одним словом с суффиксом '-기'.

[ <보기> / Example / Образец ]
- 밥을 먹는 것 → ( 먹기 )
- 밖에서 노는 거 → ( 놀기 )

16. 여행 가방을 ( 싸는 것 )가 어려워요. → 정답: (                      )
17. 아침에 버스를 ( 타는 거 )가 힘들어요. → 정답: (                      )
18. 얼음을 ( 깨는 것 )가 재미있어요. → 정답: (                      )

Ⅲ. 주관식 서술형 (총 16점)

• EN: Part III. Sentence Writing / Open-Ended Questions (16 points total)
• RU: Часть III. Задания на составление предложений (всего 16 баллов)

※ [19~21] <예시>를 보고 조건에 맞게 한국어로 짧은 한 문장을 쓰십시오. (<예시>와 다른 문장을 쓰세요.)

• EN: Look at <예시> (example) and write one short Korean sentence according to the conditions. (Write a sentence different from the example.)
• RU: Посмотрите на <예시> (пример) и составьте одно короткое предложение на корейском языке в соответствии с условиями. (Составьте предложение, отличное от примера.)

19. [문법 '-기' 문장 만들기] (5점) - EN: Sentence writing with grammar '-기' (5 points) - RU: Составление предложения с грамматической конструкцией '-기' (5 баллов) - 어휘 (Vocabulary / Слова): 주말 또는 평일 (1개 선택) + 동사 (1개 선택: 먹다, 놀다, 타다, 쓰다, 사다 등)
(EN: Choose 1 word [주말 or 평일] + 1 verb [먹다, 놀다, 타다, 쓰다, 사다, etc.]) / (RU: Выберите 1 слово [주말 или 평일] + 1 глагол [먹다, 놀다, 타다, 쓰다, 사다 и т.д.]) - 문법 (Grammar / Грамматика): '~는 것' 대신 '-기'를 사용하세요.
(EN: Use '-기' instead of '~는 것'.) / (RU: Используйте '-기' вместо '~는 것'.) - <예시 / Examples / Примеры>
- 주말에 친구하고 놀기를 좋아해요.
- 평일에는 아침밥 먹기가 힘들어요.
- 답안 (Answer / Ответ): ________________________________________________________________

20. [단어 구별하여 문장 만들기] (5점) - EN: Sentence writing distinguishing similar words (5 points) - RU: Составление предложения: различение слов (5 баллов) - 어휘 묶음 (Word Pairs / Пары слов): A, B, C 중 하나를 골라서 두 단어로 한 문장을 만드세요.
(EN: Choose one pair from A, B, or C, and make one sentence using both words.) / (RU: Выберите одну пару из A, B, C и составьте одно предложение, используя оба слова.) - A: 사다 / 싸다 - B: 짜요 / 찌개 - C: 지다 / 치다 - <예시 / Examples / Примеры>
- 시장에서 값이 싼 과일을 샀어요. (A)
- 오늘 먹은 김치찌개가 조금 짜요. (B)
- 선택 (Selection / Выбор): ( A / B / C ) - 답안 (Answer / Ответ): ________________________________________________________________

21. [사회적 맥락과 예절 문장 만들기] (6점) - EN: Sentence writing on social context and etiquette (6 points) - RU: Составление предложения о социальном контексте и этикете (6 баллов) - 조건 (Conditions / Условия): 아래 <보기>에서 단어 2개 이상을 골라 한국 생활이나 예절에 대한 한 문장을 만드세요.
(EN: Choose 2 or more words from <보기> below and make one sentence about life or etiquette in Korea.) / (RU: Выберите 2 или более слов из <보기> и составьте одно предложение о жизни или этикете в Корее.) - [ <보기> / Word Bank / Список слов ]
예의 / 존중 / 차례 / 부모 / 부부 / 어르신 / 아주버니 / 할머니 / 기차 / 승강장 / 앉다 / 없다 / 괜찮다 - <예시 / Example / Пример>
- 기차 승강장에서는 줄을 서는 것이/줄서기가 예의예요. - 답안 (Answer / Ответ): ________________________________________________________________

Ⅰ. 사지선다형 정답 및 해설 (각 5점, 총 60점)

1번: ② 예우 (중요한 손님을 정중하게 모시는 맥락)

2번: ① 예절 (어른과 식사할 때 지키는 기본 규범)

3번: ② 앉아서 (다도 수업에서 방석 위에 자세를 잡고 차를 마시는 맥락)

4번: ② 승강장 (기차를 타려고 줄을 서서 기다리는 장소)

5번: ① 피었어요 — 비면 (꽃이 '피다'와 시간이 '비다' 구별)

6번: ③ 따다 (포도를 '따다', 면허증을 '따다' 다의어 공통 활용)

7번: ① 사이 — 차이 (결혼한 두 사람의 '사이', 서로 다른 점 '차이')

8번: ③ (소금을 많이 넣었을 때는 맛이 '짜요'가 맞으며 '싸요'는 오답)

9번: ① ('놀다' + '-기' 결합 시 'ㄹ'이 탈락하지 않아 '놀기'가 됨)

10번: ③ ('끄다' + '-기'는 '끄기'가 맞으며 '꺼기'는 오답)

11번: ② 교수님 — 쓰기 (대학교 맥락의 '교수님'과 일기 '쓰기')

12번: ① (추운 날씨에 "감기 조심하세요"라고 안부를 묻는 한국 문화 맥락)

Ⅱ. 단답형 정답 및 해설 (각 4점, 총 24점)

13번: 평일 ('주중'과 같은 뜻이며 '주말'과 반대되는 어휘)

14번: 값 (물건의 가격을 뜻하는 겹받침 단어, '갑' 표기 시 2점 감점)

15번: 다다르다 (목적지 끝에 도착한다는 뜻의 동사)

16번: 싸기 ('싸는 것' → '싸기')

17번: 타기 ('타는 거' → '타기')

18번: 깨기 ('깨는 것' → '깨기')

Ⅲ. 주관식 서술형 채점 기준 (총 16점)

19번 (5점): '주말/평일'과 동사+'-기' 형태를 바르게 써서 <예시>와 다른 짧은 한 문장을 완성하면 5점 (예: "주말에 공원에서 자전거 타기가 재미있어요.", "평일에 한국어 일기 쓰기를 연습해요.")!<

20번 (5점): 선택한 두 단어의 뜻과 철자를 구별해 자연스러운 한 문장을 만들면 5점 (예: [A] "가방을 싸고 기차표를 샀어요.", [B] "이 된장찌개는 안 짜요.", [C] "해가 지기 전에 공을 치고 놀았어요.")

21번 (6점): <보기> 단어('차례' 포함) 2개 이상을 사용하여 한국 예절이나 생활 맥락에 맞는 한 문장을 쓰면 6점 (예: "시장에서 할머니가 나에게 '언니'라고 불러서 이상했지만 예의와 존중의 표현이라는 걸 알게 되었어요.")!<

Anyone taking the TOPIK PBT on November 15 in Busan or Incheon?

I’m curious if there are people who couldn’t get a test center in Seoul and Gyeonggi and ended up registering in Busan or Incheon or who are traveling there from another city.

If that’s you, say hi 🙌

I’d also love to know how you’re planning to get there!!

Hey guys! after my Last Post a lot of people voted. So apparently this is the community agreed upon rankings. Different than I expected through my own experiences hah but really interesting to see!

If you still want to vote Here please do, really fun to see what everyone else thinks!

Also, if you have ideas for other lists that would be fun to vote on let me know I will try and make more.

ajussi here. I used to run an English academy, and the #1 thing that confuses English speakers learning Korean is word order.

English: I / eat / kimchi Korean: 저는 / 김치를 / 먹어요 (I / kimchi / eat)

The verb jumps to the end. So I made a little card game for it.

👉 https://tjdrldud850-prog.github.io/korean-word-order/

How it works

• You see an English sentence, colored by role (subject, verb, object, place, time)
• Tap the shuffled Korean cards in the right order
• Right = 딩동댕! Wrong = 땡! and it shows you the correct order with matching colors

Features

• 🎲 Random mode: builds new sentences every time, so it never runs out
• 3 levels: Easy (3 cards), Medium (4 cards), Hard (particles like 는, 를, 에서 split into their own cards)
• Themes: daily life, food, shopping, getting around, travel, K-drama lines 😄
• Casual speech toggle: switch between 존댓말 (polite) and 반말 (casual)
• Meanings under each card for beginners
• 🔊 Listen on phones (needs a Korean voice on your device)

It's free, no sign-up, no ads. Use it as much as you want.

What level did you get stuck on? And tell me if any sentence sounds weird, I'll fix it.

If you have friends who want to learn Korean, feel free to share the link with them!

(Image created by Gemini)

Both pattern forms translate to "about" in English, but they play very different grammatical roles in a sentence. Here is a quick distinction you might want to keep in mind:

• -에 대해 → Acts as an adverb (connects to a verb or action like talking about, learning about, thinking about).
• -에 대한 → Acts as a noun modifier (attaches directly before a noun a book about, a story about, a question about).

Examples:

• 우주에 대해 배웠어요. (I learned about space. — followed by the verb: 배웠어요)
• 우주에 대한 책을 읽어요. (I'm reading a book about space. — modifying the noun: 책

Think of -에 대해 as describing what you do (an action), and -에 대한 as attaching directly to a thing (a noun). Plus, you will often see -에 대해서 as well. Adding -서 makes no difference in meaning! (-에 대해 = -에 대해서).

• Instead of: 한국 문화에 대한 배웠어요.

Try: 한국 문화에 대해 배웠어요. (I learned about Korean culture.)

• Instead of: 한국 문화에 대해 책이에요.

Try: 한국 문화에 대한 책이에요. (It's a book about Korean culture.)

I hope this helps 😊

In Korean, 등 (deung) can mean “light” or “back” depending on the context!

• 💡 등을 켜다 = to turn on the light
• 🧍 등이 아프다 = my back hurts

Words like these are called 동음이의어 (homonyms) in Korean.

Can you think of any other Korean words like this? 😊

I'm Korean, and I built this for people who watch K-pop MVs with Korean captions.

A lot of words in lyrics are Sino-Korean. Each syllable has its own meaning, but captions never show it. So you either pause and open a dictionary, or you just let it go.

In the clip (ILLIT, 체포하겠어), when 체포 comes up, a small tag shows 잡을 체 · 잡을 포 above it. Catch + catch = arrest. It shows up, fades, and the video keeps playing. You can also spot 아이스티 (ICE TEA) and 최애 (가장 최 · 사랑 애) in the same 15 seconds.

What it does and doesn't do:

• Only Sino-Korean words and loanwords, not grammar or endings
• Works on official K-pop MVs that have a song dictionary. 21 songs right now, more added every day
• Desktop Chrome + YouTube only. Doesn't work on phones, sorry
• You don't need to turn captions on

It's free, no account, and it doesn't collect any data. I made it myself.

Which MV should I add next? Drop a song in the comments. If the official MV has Korean lyrics captions, I'll add it.

https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ccgkjadedllbfhdikanppgicehonplkj?utm_source=reddit

Many people are designing apps for language study right now, so I want to share my idea for a study material that would keep me motivated. I’d like to know if it’s been done, and if not, I hope someone will make it!
 
I have a hard time finding motivation to read stories in Korean, because my level would be children’s picture books. I’d like to read fan fiction style romance, I want to get invested and really look forward to what will happen next. I never experience this with study material, but there’s no reason why it needs to be this way.
 
It would be perfect if someone (a real person, not AI) wrote a long story that’s really captivating, like well made fan fiction, but designed for learners. It would start with short and simple sentences and vocabulary, and new vocabulary would be added little by little (and repeated enough times). The grammar would advance too as the story goes on.

(I’m not talking about actual fan fiction with idol names. I mean simple writing style that focuses on romance and keeps the reader eager to continue, versus ”literary” short stories or typical study material that doesn’t feel engaging.)
 
It doesn’t even need to be an app. The story could be published for example on Substack, the first parts could be free and then you’d need to pay to continue.
 
I’d be so happy if someone made material like this! And if it already exist, please tell me so I can go read it!

Ever confused -(으)려고 하다 and -기로 하다?
Made a short video on the difference.
Questions welcome!🤗

Hi everyone! I’m a Korean teacher based in the UK.

​(Transparency note to respect subreddit rules: I want to be fully upfront. These apps have a lot of 100% free content (early levels and first lessons of every level) with no login required. There is a paid Premium pass for full access to all advanced levels, but you can get a lot of solid practice using just the free sections!)

​I’ve always wanted a truly clean, distraction-free, and practical app for my students, so I decided to build it myself.

I made two separate web apps depending on how you like to study:

​📚 Korean Learning App https://alisonkorean.japsunny.workers.dev/

한국어앱

This is the core app. It has Vocab, Grammar, Dialogues (with native audio), and Quizzes.

​📖 Korean Storybook App https://alison-storybook.japsunny.workers.dev/

스토리북앱

This one is focused purely on reading and shadowing practice.

(This is my own story book)

​​The best part:

You don't need to download anything from the App Store. Just open the links in Safari or Chrome, tap "Add to Home Screen" , and it works exactly like a native app on your phone.

​I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts. Please try out the free sections and let me know your honest feedback!

You can use it when something is totally shocking, surprising, or awesome!

Example: "Wow, daebak!" (와, 대박!)

What's your favorite Korean word? 😊

Prefer watching? My YouTube channel also has videos with English and Japanese subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/@글자놀이

You can select the subtitle language in the YouTube player settings.

Hi everyone! I'm the creator of GLANGI (글랑이), and this is a self-promotion post.

GLANGI is a browser-based Hangul word-play website for people taking their first steps with Korean letters. It was designed with young children in mind, including ages 4–6 learning with a parent, but I'd also love feedback from adult beginners.

What you can try:

• Start with 기차 (gicha, train), 나비 (nabi, butterfly), and 두더지 (dudeoji, mole) without logging in.

• Play with letters and simple words; for example, the train activity introduces ㄱ + ㅣ = 기.

• Switch the interface to English or Japanese. The English word screen includes romanization and meanings.

• Open it directly in a web browser; no app installation is needed.

Cost and access: All currently available activities are free, including after login. There is no paid subscription or paid content at present. Some additional word activities require a free login. Sections marked "coming soon" are still being developed and are not available yet.

About my background: I have no experience teaching Korean. I hold a Korean Grade 2 secondary-school teaching certificate (중등학교 2급 정교사); I am not presenting that as a qualification to teach Korean as a foreign language. This is a small practice resource, not a complete Korean course or a promise of learning results.

Try it: https://glangi.com/#/home

Choose English or 日本語, then open the word activities. The screenshot below shows the English word screen.

If you try one activity, what was clear and what was confusing? Feedback about the instructions and first-time learner experience would be especially helpful. Please leave questions or feedback here in the comments so the discussion stays public. Thank you!

What's 딱(ddak)?

-It's used when something is an exact fit or ideal for a situation.

-Normally it goes with 2 versions as below

딱 맞아요(ddak-ma-ja-yo) / 딱 이에요(ddak-i-e-yo)

Definition of 딱 맞아 / 딱 이야

딱 맞아 : Fits perfectly (in terms of size, number, time, measurements, or physical specs).

딱 이야 : Perfect for / Ideal for / The best choice for a situation or taste.

Example

오빠는 딱 내스타일이야 - You are reeeally my type

이 옷 진짜 나한테 딱 맞아 - This clothes exactly fit me

(잘 어울리는 옷을 보면서)딱이네.. - (Looking at clothes that fit well) It's perfect..

너 딱 기다려 - Stay put right there 

너 딱 걸렸네? - You're busted / I caught you red-handed

I'm part of a small team in Korea, and this is a post about something we sell. So the pitch comes first, every detail the rules ask for comes right under it, and anything you ask in the comments I'll answer in the comments.

Every learner we talked to had the same story. You've put in the hours: the textbook chapters, the grammar points, the vocabulary deck you review every morning. You can read a sentence and tell exactly why it's correct. Then a Korean person says something to you and nothing comes out. Studying is a solo sport. Speaking isn't, and that's the part nobody practices, because there's nobody to practice with at 9pm on a Tuesday.

So we made a phone number. Pick Up Korean is +1 (828) 520-8282. Call it, and a Korean AI partner picks up and talks with you in Korean at your level. If you're at zero, it starts with the sounds of Hangul, greetings and a few phrases you actually say out loud. If you can hold a conversation, it's a conversation, and when you get stuck it switches to English for a moment and comes back. You do close to half the talking. That's the whole point.

The part that makes it stick: you pick the days and a time, and on those days your phone rings. Not a notification you swipe away. A call you answer. Fifteen minutes a day, and after a month you've said more Korean out loud than in the last year.

What it is, exactly

One-on-one phone calls with a Korean partner. The partner is an AI, and says so if you ask. Nothing to install and nothing to prepare: it works on any phone, you call the number or it calls you, and a call runs up to 30 minutes. During the call your partner doesn't stop to lecture. When something comes out wrong it asks again or drops a hint so you fix it yourself, and the conversation keeps going. After you hang up you get a text with the summary and a web page with the whole transcript, each phrase that came out wrong next to the natural way to say it and why, the new words, and a plan for next time. Your partner remembers you, so the next call starts where the last one ended and brings back what you got wrong. You can also text your partner between calls. Beginners are the point of this: level zero starts with Hangul sounds and greetings.

What it costs, all of it

Free trial: your first call is free, 10 minutes, no account, no card. Once per phone number. US and Canada numbers only for now.

Monthly plans, each a weekly amount of call time. Lite is $14.99 a month for 60 minutes a week, and it calls you on up to 3 days a week. Standard is $24.99 for 100 minutes a week, up to 5 days. Max is $34.99 for 140 minutes a week, any day. On every plan you can also call in yourself whenever you like, and a scheduled call you miss costs nothing.

Yearly: $151.99, $253.99 or $355.99, about 15% off.

Cancel any time in your account. No cancellation fee: the plan runs to the end of what you paid for, then stops. Prices are in US dollars, and sales tax is added where your state charges it. Payments and refunds go through Paddle, the merchant of record, under its refund policy. The full table is on https://pickupkorean.com

Discount for this sub: the code BEGINNERKOREAN20 takes 20% off your first month on a monthly plan.

Who we are

LayerNines, a small software company in Korea, all native Korean speakers. We didn't wire a chatbot to a phone line and call it a day. Before the first call, we wrote down how a call should run as a teaching method grounded in second-language-acquisition research (Lyster & Saito 2010, Nation & Yamamoto 2012, DeKeyser & Suzuki 2025), and the partner follows it: it draws your speech out instead of explaining, it corrects with a clue (a clarification question, a repeat of your error, a prompt to try again) rather than handing you the answer so the fix is yours, a call is split between real conversation, fluency practice and grammar form, and the report afterwards records what you did well before what to fix. Then we spent hundreds of hours on real calls, listening back and tuning how long it waits, when it switches to English and how it corrects, and that work hasn't stopped. Transcripts and recordings are deleted within 30 days and never used to train anything. AI can still slip, which is one more reason the first ten minutes are free: judge the Korean with your own ears before you pay for anything.

Try it before you believe any of this. Call the number, talk for ten minutes, and tell me in the comments where the Korean or the corrections were off. That's honestly what I most want from this post. Thank you for reading!

Hi all. I shared this TOPIK I practice here two weeks ago and got useful feedback (someone said 30 questions in a row was too long, so there's now a 10/15/20/30 option). With TOPIK 109 on Nov 15, I added a few things:

- Exam mode: 40 reading questions in 60 minutes, easy types first and longer texts last, like the real section

- 10 listening questions with audio (each dialogue plays twice)

- Instant score and a rough Level 1/2 estimate

- A word list from your mistakes, with Anki export

- Short guides: question types, scoring, vocab by topic, and a 2-week plan if you're scoring under 140

Link: https://devjar.dev/lab/topik-practice/?utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=k076_update

Price and details: free, no sign-up. Explanations are free for the first 5 questions of each set. There is a "$9" button for full explanations, but it isn't available yet. It only counts interest and nothing is charged.

Disclosure: I made this. It's unofficial and not affiliated with NIIED. The questions are original practice items written with AI assistance. If you find an unnatural sentence or a wrong answer key, please tell me in the comments and I'll fix it.

Hey guys! I’m Danny, a Korean tutor based in Seoul.

A few of my international students recently told me, "Teacher, there are so many learners on Reddit asking great questions about real Korean!"

Curiosity got the best of me, so I decided to make an account and drop by! I have classes throughout the week so I can't be on here 24/7, but I wanted to swing by and share a funny moment from this week's lesson.

We were practicing basic self-introductions, and so many of my students were reading sentences like a robot without even realizing it.

The classic culprit? "-이에요 / -예요".

Everyone was saying:

❌ 저는 미국 사람이에요 ➔ [저-는 미-국 사-람-이-에-요] (beep-boop 🤖)

When I told them, "Stop! Native Koreans don't talk like that. Say it like this:"

✅ [미-구 사-라-미-에-요]

They were like, "Wait... why did the 'M' jump over there?!" and burst out laughing haha.

What’s actually happening here? (Liaison / 연음 법칙)

In spoken Korean, when a syllable ends with a final consonant (받침) and meets a vowel next to it, the sound slides right over:

- 미국 + 이에요 ➔ The ㄱ slides over ➔ [미구기에요]

- 사람 + 이에요 ➔ The ㅁ slides over ➔ [사라미에요]

- 독일 + 이에요 ➔ The ㄹ slides over ➔ [도기리에요]

Don't pause between the noun and 이에요. Treat it as one single smooth word in one breath!

Try saying your country + 이에요 out loud right now. Does it feel smooth or does your tongue still feel twisted? haha

If you're not sure how your name or country connects naturally, drop it in the comments below!

화이팅! 😊

I'm learning Korean, and one of my biggest struggles is remembering new vocabulary. 😭

Sometimes I learn a word, understand its meaning, and feel confident about it. But when I see the same word a few days later, I can't remember what it means!

I've tried memorizing word lists, but I want to learn vocabulary in a way that actually sticks.

For those who have been learning Korean for a while:

• Do you use flashcards, notebooks, apps, or something else?
• How often do you revise old vocabulary?
• Do you learn words individually or through example sentences?
• What has genuinely helped you remember words long-term?

I'd love to hear about your personal experiences and methods that actually work!