Culture articles and intermediate vocabulary and grammar to get closer to Korea day by day!

The Airport & Traveling by Plane

Learn some vocabulary about the airport, flying, and all the steps in between! The words in the list below are often heard during boarding announcements at the airport, onboard the plane, and can be seen on airline websites.

공항 airport
비행기/항공기 airplane
항공사 airline
출발 departure
도착 arrival
직항 항공편 [지캉] direct flight
국내 [궁내] domestic, interior
국내 비행 서비스 domestic flight service
국제 [국쩨] international
국제선 international lines

노래방 - Korean Karaoke (and its complicated remote)

Karaoke Room in IndianapolisKorean karaoke, or 노래방, is really popular among Koreans of all ages. Friends, family, or colleagues use karaoke as a sort of social gathering, usually drinking beer at the same time. 

Some of the etiquette rules governing 노래방:

  • Do not queue several songs at once, but let other people queue their own songs.
  • Avoid looking at your phone frequently, as it is considered rude.
  • If you see that you do not know a song as much as you thought, skip it (press 취소 followed by 시작 on the remote)

One of the barriers of entry to 노래방 for foreigners is probably the seemingly overly complicated remote. Learn the various features of the remote prior to going to 노래방 so that you can make the most of your time there! Check the picture (divided by zone) and the corresponding vocabulary below. You can also download this information and print it to take it with you to your next 노래방 session! If you live too far from a karaoke place, you can also buy a Korean karaoke machine for home use.

Ending –거든(요): it’s because, you see

거든() can be translated as “it’s because, you see.” It follows a verb and, in this form, is always ending a sentence (another pattern exists with 거든 in the middle of a sentence, with a different meaning). It is commonly used to add information to what was previously said, provide justification for one’s actions, or referring to something that was said in the past.

A: 왜 늦게 왔어?
B: 할 숙제 많았거든.
A: Why did you arrive late?

B: Because I had a lot of homework left.

Pattern (을/를) 통해(서): through, by way of

(을/를) 통해(서) / (을/를) 통하여(서) can be translated as “through, by way of” and is used with nouns to indicate “sources of information” such as persons, institutions, activities, etc.

텔레비전을 통해서 한국 문화에 대해 많이 배우게 됐어요. I ended up learning a lot about Korean culture through television.
친구를 통해서 민주의 소식을 들었어요. I got news of Minjoo through a friend.

Academics - University Topics

This lesson introduces words to talk about university subjects, the different university degrees, and some examples using these words together in a sentence.

Some words in this lesson:

수학 mathematics
물리학 physics
(수학) 학위 a degree (in mathematics)
학위 소지자 person with an academic degree

Book Review - Korean: A Comprehensive Grammar

Korean: A Comprehensive Grammar by Jaehoon Yeon and Lucien Brown is one of the most useful, if not the only, comprehensive Korean grammar books available in English. The book starts with a very complete refresher on honorifics and the complex pronunciation rules of the Korean language. The rest of the book has one chapter per class of words in the Korean language. The structure of the book goes as follow:

Particle: Usage of –에

Learn some of the common uses of the particle –에, as well as frequent patterns with companion verbs such as 대해(서) (about), 의해(서) (due to).

Some examples:

핸드폰 이메일을 저장했어요. I saved the email on my phone.
그 일 관해서는 아무 것도 몰라요. I know nothing about the matter.
–에 관해(서) (보기: 할인에 관해) Regarding (e.g., regarding the discount)

Using the Internet in Korean

Always wondered how to use Korean websites? While some technology-related words are borrowed from English, a lot of words are proper to Korean, and are sometimes hard to find in dictionary. This lesson includes common Internet nouns and verbs to help you use the Internet.

Some words in this lesson:

확인(하다) (to) confirm
신용카드 credit card
배송 delivery
저장하다 to save (computer)
이용하다 to use
이 노래 대해서 검색하고 있어요. I’m doing a search about this song.

Consult the full lesson, or download a PDF to print or take with you. Also, you can quickly learn the vocabulary using the provided flashcards!