Chrome Add-On: Pop-Up Dictionary (via Jeanne’s Korean Learning Journey)

This is seriously the best thing I’ve ever come across. Thank you so much, Jeanne!! Ever since my Japanese-learning friend bragged about pop-up dictionary Rikaichan or something, I’ve been looking around for something similar for Korean, in vain… Until now. Seriously, why didn’t anyone tell me about it? A free Chrome add-on (though I’m pretty sureContinue reading “Chrome Add-On: Pop-Up Dictionary (via Jeanne’s Korean Learning Journey)”

욕 (辱)

욕 [yok] is an interesting word.  I hear it in a lot of Korean songs and, more often that not, it’s a word that’s awkwardly translated into English. As a noun, it means a “swear word” or “curse.”  In the verb form [욕하다], it can mean “to swear at,” “to curse at,” “to speak illContinue reading “욕 (辱)”

How many is too many?

As much as I love languages, I’ve always limited myself to learning ONE or TWO at a time.  I’m not sure I admire people who say they are learning six languages at the same time.  Mostly, I’m just skeptical of them. Personally, I think it’s okay to learn multiple languages at the same time ifContinue reading “How many is too many?”

Beware the dictionary

I’m having fun writing in Korean.  Whether it’s lang-8 entries, fan letters, random tweets, or me2day updates, I’m really enjoying the fact that I can construct a decent sentence without laboring over it for a long time.  In fact, I LOVE that Korean grammar allows me to write longer sentences that would sound like absoluteContinue reading “Beware the dictionary”

Finding a voice

How many years of study does it take, I wonder, for one to develop a “voice” in a foreign language? When I wrote literature or history essays in college, I never sat down and thought about how I should “sound” in my paper.  I wrote the way I thought my paper should be written toContinue reading “Finding a voice”

What’s in a name?

One of the reasons I love watching Korean and Japanese dramas is because language often plays a role in the progression of a relationship.  Sometimes within just sixteen episodes of a Korean drama, we can hear the shift from honorific language to polite language to plain language; and, I don’t know if it’s just me,Continue reading “What’s in a name?”

Learning versus memorizing

When I first started out learning Korean,  I learned most of my grammar and vocabulary by translating Korean songs.  These days, I pick up new words by reading books, 만화, articles, and watching interviews and reality shows.  But the critical question is, of course, how does one retain this seemingly endless onslaught of unfamiliar words?Continue reading “Learning versus memorizing”

Korean reality shows

As if being hooked to Korean dramas wasn’t bad enough, lately I’ve also found myself addicted to Korean reality-variety shows.   SIGH.  It all started with watching CNBLUE’s Jung Yonghwa and SNSD’s Seohyun on 우리 결혼했어요 (We Got Married).  I didn’t expect to be hooked but, well, I was barely one episode in and theContinue reading “Korean reality shows”

Fishing for compliments

No matter what language you’re trying to learn, if you’re learning by yourself, you’re bound to get discouraged at some point – especially if it’s a language that you don’t get to practice on a daily basis.  Unless you have the opportunity to communicate with a native speaker, there’s still a degree of unreality, aContinue reading “Fishing for compliments”