Let’s be real: Learning basic gym vocabulary in Korean is a must for truly immersing yourself in fitness culture when visiting South Korea! As a longtime expat pumping iron in Seoul’s top sweat boxes, I’ve picked up enough native lingo over reps and running trails to get by just fine without English. But casual terminology still eludes many starry-eyed newcomers to Korea’s booming gym scene. So in this post, I’ll dish expressions in the Korean language to help you set PBs lifting deadlifts, grind out one last crunchy ab set when your coach is screaming “Hwaiting!”, and everything in between. T ..read more

Before I talk about how I learned Korean, let’s talk about how the language got so popular. It hasn’t been long since the Korean Wave, or Hallyu (한류). All of a sudden, South Korean TV dramas and albums were making their way to the screens and music store shelves of other Asian countries and later on internationally. This was something they hadn’t done before. Before they knew it, the whole world fell in love with Korean pop culture, which is famous for Korean dramas, endearingly known as K-drama (한국 드라마), as well as Korean music, especially K-pop (케이팝). Its impact was so big that more people s ..read more

Let’s be real: Learning basic gym vocabulary in Korean is a must for truly immersing yourself in fitness culture when visiting South Korea! As a longtime expat pumping iron in Seoul’s top sweat boxes, I’ve picked up enough native lingo over reps and running trails to get by just fine without English. But casual terminology still eludes many starry-eyed newcomers to Korea’s booming gym scene. So in this post, I’ll dish expressions in the Korean language to help you set PBs lifting deadlifts, grind out one last crunchy ab set when your coach is screaming “Hwaiting!”, and everything in between. T ..read more

If you’ve got the basics of Korean grammar down and are ready to tackle more complex linguistic challenges, intermediate Korean grammar is your next step toward fluency. As someone who recently climbed over that awkward “advanced beginner” stage myself, let me assure you the journey gets more fun and rewarding from here! Along with beefing up your technical skills, we’ll also work on sounding more native in vocabulary and sentence construction. I’ll share the common grammar mistakes in the Korean language so you can avoid headaches and embarrassment! After all, we could all use less of that in ..read more

Planning to learn beginner Korean grammar? I can’t blame you for wanting to master this tricky stuff! As a fellow K-pop stan who jams to TWICE and BTS daily or a K-drama fanatic currently binging my 5th sweeping saga this month, I know you’ve likely caught the Korean language bug too. You passionately belt out lyrics from all your favorite artists and find yourself picking up common phrases from those addictive shows. But let’s be real…understanding a few Korean words is cool and all but the grammar stuff? Now that’s worlds apart. You actually need to dedicate time to practice and learn the ba ..read more

Spring in Korea? Get ready for the most magical season ever! I should know – I’ve spent years exploring this country as a backpack traveler. And while South Korea is incredible all year round, springtime here is just something else. We’re talking candyfloss clouds of pink cherry blossoms or 벚꽃 beot-kkot…golden seas of rapeseed flowers shimmering in the breeze… misty hillsides blanketed with purple and white azaleas. I’m not gonna lie… It’s like nature put on its best party dress and went all out! In this complete guide, I’ll clue you in on everything you need to know to plan an amazing spring ..read more

Want to feel the vibe of being a Korean student? Why not learn the subjects in Korean, or 과목 (gwamok), first? If you want to improve your vocabulary, this blog is definitely perfect for you! Watching K-dramas that feature schools make us wanna go to South Korea and enroll in their schools. We can see how Koreans value education and learning from the cute uniforms and good times with teachers and classmates, down to parents’ hard work. The Korean public education system is divided into primary school for six years, middle school for three years, and high school for three years. Only approximate ..read more

We all know about cherry blossom viewing or Hanami (花見) in Japan. But did you know you can enjoy something similar in South Korea too? Not cherry blossoms, though. Instead, it’s Maehwa (매화), which is Korean for plum blossoms!  Now, let’s break down what Gwangyang Maehwa Festival (광양매화축제) means. The word “Gwangyang” (광양) is the name of a city in South Korea, which also means “bright” or “luminance.” “Maehwa” (매화), as mentioned earlier, refers to plum blossoms, while “Chukje” (축제) translates to “festival.” Put together, Gwangyang Maehwa Chukje means Gwangyang plum blossom festival! It ..read more

Did you know that once a year in South Korea, the sea actually parts? I know, I didn’t believe it either until I experienced the Jindo Sea Parting Festival (진도신비의바닷길축제) in person either! When I first saw photos of happy families celebrating on the temporarily exposed seafloor, I just had to see it for myself. Imagine having a front-row seat as the sea parts like something straight out of the Bible or movies! Of course, I had a million questions: How does it happen? Is it safe? What else goes on besides gawking at the parted ocean? If an adventure that seems almost too crazy to be true is on yo ..read more

What if I told you that with just a few simple, actionable tips, you could get way more out of every single Korean lesson? In this era of distraction, it’s easy for even the most motivated language learners among us to feel like our progress isn’t where we want it to be. But by incorporating smart study habits and learning hacks into your routine, you’ll retain so much more Korean vocabulary, grammar patterns, and conversational skills with each lesson. Table of Contents Tips For Maximizing Every Korean Lesson Pre-Lesson Vocabulary Preparation Active Listening And Shadowing Practice Use Mnem ..read more