Korean Learning Blog

Grammar, pronunciation, and the Korean you actually hear.

I Called My Friend the Wrong Name for Weeks

I read the romanization the way I'd read English, and my friend turned into someone else.

Japanese has the exact same goodbye — so I assumed sugohasyeossumnida was safe for my department head. It wasn't, quite.

I wasn't sure guys even wear hanbok — then I wore one all day and walked into Gyeongbokgung for free.

Two years of K-drama subtitles told me oppa, hyung, noona, and unnie were all just "brother" — here's the rule the subtitles threw away.

I spent two months not eating the free banchan at Korean restaurants. Here's what's actually included in the price — and why nobody wants your tip.

I paid double for transit for a whole month because nobody told me Korean buses need a second tap when you get off.

Day one in Korea, I tried to pay a bus fare with a 10,000 won bill. Here's the T-money card lesson I got instead.