My tips for learning Korean
This is not a single how-to guide, but rather a compilation of tips & strategies I’ve collected over my years of studying.
👂 Input > Output
I think you should focus on listening more than on speaking.
This is for two reasons:
Listening also helps a lot with speaking. You can’t speak the language if you don’t even know what it should sound like. As you listen, you slowly “unlock” new phrases & words which you can use when you speak later on.
In my experience, listening is more often the roadblock to participating in conversation, not speaking. There are far more times where I couldn’t respond in a conversation because I didn’t understand what they said, than I didn’t know how to respond.
Yes, output is still important too. My ideal split is roughly 80% input, 20% output.
Many polyglots & near-native language speakers agree, like Tyler Rasch, Hyunwoo Sun, and Steve Kaufman.
🧠 Use mnemonics
Mnemonics are “memory tricks”—any shortcut that helps you remember a word. They are so helpful for memorizing new vocab—even the world’s memory champions use them!
For example, the word 친구 (Chingoo) means friend in Korean. A mnemonic might look like: “goo means sticky, and friends stick around!” This always works better than just repeating to yourself “Chingoo! Chingoo! Chingoo!!!!”
✏️ Active listening >>> Passive listening
Passive listening: Listening in the background while doing something else (cooking, driving). Better than nothing, but not very effective.
Active listening: Sitting down with a pen & paper, focused, trying to understand each word, taking notes, rewinding when you missed something.
I find active listening so, so much more helpful than passive listening.
⏱️ Measure your progress in focused hours per week
“I’ve been studying Korean for 2 years” really doesn’t mean much.
Instead, ask yourself—how many cumulative hours do you spend interacting with the language every week? 1? 5? 20?
Learning a language takes time. There is no way around that.
🎧 Digitally immerse yourself in the language
Follow Korean Instagram meme accounts. Listen to Korean podcasts & songs. Watch Korean vloggers & shows.
This will create more opportunities for you to interact with the language.
📈 Create opportunities for ultralearning
Ultralearning is a word for when you focus really deeply on learning something for an extended period of time.
I think doing this for language learning is really helpful and rewarding. My Korean improved the fastest on my gap year from college while a) living on farms in South Korea and b) spending several hours a day learning & reviewing words.
This could take the form of a study abroad, gap year—even a 2 week vacation! And it doesn’t need to be “physical immersion”—you could spend a whole weekend digitally immersing yourself at a cafe!
🏡 Go to small towns, not big cities
That’s because:
a) you’ll be forced to speak the language—you’re less likely to meet international friends or locals who already speak your native language
b) people will be more happy to talk with you—they’re generally more giving & have more time
😫 Try to always slightly push yourself beyond your limits
If you understand everything with ease, it’s too easy and you won’t be growing. If you’re at an intermediate level and feel like you’re plateauing, this could be why.
✏️ You need to put in the solo hours.
Although the end goal of learning a language is to speak with other people, the actual process of it is largely something that happens alone.
I see a lot of beginners learning a language who don’t invest much time outside of a scheduled group class. This just won’t work—you need to spend time on your own listening, reviewing, and practicing to build a foundation.
To play basketball well, you can’t just play pickup games with friends, you need to practice your shot in the gym on your own. Yes, the end goal is to have fun playing pickup games, but solo practice helps you get there.
The same is true for language learning.
🗣️ Shadow!
Shadowing is when… while listening, you speak up & repeat out loud what a native said.
I think is a very, very effective way to improve your speaking & pronunciation skills, and it’s not emphasized enough.
When you shadow, your goal is to perfectly match how the native spoke—and once you can match their words and pronunciation, you’re literally speaking just like a native!
📚 Don’t study in libraries.
On that same note… find places where you can repeat out loud what you’re reading or listening to, like cafes. This will strengthen your speaking skills at the same time.
😄 Find a way that you enjoy
I personally don’t enjoy Korean Variety Shows so I never watched them while learning Korean, but I have a friend who learned most of her Korean through them!
There’s a lot of curriculums, content, & programs out there. Ultimately, you should find what you enjoy and can make into a daily habit, and stick with that.