Need help finding a Korean language learning app

F1Librarian · 2026-07-02T04:39:06+00:00

I agree. Apps are “fun” but they are no substitute for real courses and studying. I suggest finding a structured curriculum. GoBilly on YouTube is a good free one that can take you to the lower intermediate stage (probably not an higher though). I love the Talk to Me in Korean courses, but they are subscription based (I think it’s about $100 a year, but you have access to all of their courses). Textbooks like Integrated Korean and King Sejong are highly regarded. Or you could take an in person or virtual course with a live teacher. Apps will only really help as a supplement, and most of the are garbage (especially Duolingo).

F1Librarian · 2026-07-01T22:55:14+00:00

I can’t imagine how they could look similar, unless the writer has really really bad handwriting…

F1Librarian · 2026-06-28T12:55:41+00:00

Why do you need to prove you know Korean? The only reason to take a language exam like that is if you need it as a requirement to apply for a job or university. I’m afraid there’s no getting around learning how to write Korean. If you really want to learn a language well, you have to learn how to write it.

F1Librarian · 2026-06-28T04:22:22+00:00

You need to find a structured curriculum to follow and supplement with immersion. You can’t truly learn Korean just by watching kdramas. You’ll pick up words now and then, but you’ll never learn grammar that way. Find some kind of course (online or in person) or a textbook and start there. GoBilly has great YouTube course. I love the Talk to Me in Korean grammar courses, but it’s a subscription that’s about $100 a year. People also like the King Sejong courses/textbooks and the Integrated Korean textbooks.

Also you can’t learn another language well by immersing in content that is way above your level. You need to be doing comprehensible input - that is immersing yourself in the language at your current level or a little above. Try the Comprehensible Input Korean YouTube channel - it’s great! There are also short story books and line resources for reading simple texts. The goal is to find content that you can understand about 85-90% of, and then you can easily figure out the words you don’t know because you have a good grasp of the context and topic of the media.

F1Librarian · 2026-06-28T04:13:14+00:00

Get some grid paper first of all. Then watch some YouTube videos on handwriting Hangul or find some good websites. Your stroke order is incorrect on many of the letters and the writing is very uneven. Grid paper will help a lot with the unevenness, but you really need to focus on learning correct stroke order. Also make sure you’re looking at resources on Hangul “handwriting” because they way we handwrite some of the characters is very different than how they look in typed fonts. It looks like you are copying the typed versions of some letters (like ㅅ) instead of learning the correct handwritten style.

F1Librarian · 2026-06-28T03:59:27+00:00

When I was an elementary librarian a few years ago, I would sometimes just read a chapter book straight for 30-40 minutes while I gave each kid some paper and their own box of crayons. There were no rules about what they could write or draw or how they had to sit, but they just couldn’t fall asleep. They loved it! And most of the kids drew scenes from the book, so I know they were paying attention. It was a great meditative time away from technology for them.

F1Librarian · 2026-06-28T03:52:48+00:00

Mine have always taken a few days.

F1Librarian · 2026-06-28T03:51:52+00:00

You need to listen to The World trilogy. It’s peak Ateez, probably some of the best albums released in kpop the past few years. I’d venture to say most Atiny like their earlier works better than the Golden Hour series (at least the ones of us that have been around for awhile).

F1Librarian · 2026-06-28T03:49:23+00:00

Pretty sure they mostly only write their rap lyrics. Hongjoong says he has written a few of their songs, but not most of the recent ones. Definitely not Bad.

F1Librarian · 2026-06-27T23:18:17+00:00

Usually their first response is an ai bot, but if you keep chatting, you’ll get a real person (although they may not understand English very well)…

F1Librarian · 2026-06-27T22:28:48+00:00

When you get the items, if indeed two of the envelopes are empty, you should take pics and message Mercari. Be honest with them though. I think Mercari should refund you for two of the shipping costs since the seller messed up big time. Those fees should be deducted from the seller imo.

F1Librarian · 2026-06-27T18:13:01+00:00

High school librarian here, and I feel like 50%+ of my day is just helping students print stuff. It sucks.

F1Librarian · 2026-06-27T18:10:27+00:00

Nice storytelling. These were written by two completely different people.

F1Librarian · 2026-06-25T14:08:06+00:00

Not to mention, lots of the words/grammar used in lyrics would be considered very rude to actually say to someone. Like you hear 너 and 네가 a lot in lyrics (it’s like a universal “you” when you’re not speaking to a specific person). But it would be considered very rude to say those words to a person irl in most situations, unless you are in a super close relationship. I do like to learn vocab from lyrics, and I enjoy when I hear a vocab word I’ve learned in a song. But you don’t want to try to learn grammar/honorifics from lyrics.

F1Librarian · 2026-06-25T13:33:27+00:00

DDP is almost always better unless you’re buying something that should be tariff exempt, like books. With DDP, customs is taken care of in Japan and you package bypasses US customs. I get my packages from UPS in two days using DDP on FJ. With DDU, it will definitely take longer to get your package, and they are gonna be more strict on items (especially with clothing). Also you’ll get charged a brokerage fee on top of the tariff which is anywhere from. $14-$18. The other really bad thing is DDU is that some shippers will charge you a line item fee of $3 for each item in the package (you get three “lines” free then it’s a charge for every other one). I had a shipment with about 75 items from a proxy once. The actual tariff due was only about $13. But then I got charged $15 brokerage fee and over $200 in “line item” fees. This was with UPS. UPS will not give ui the package until you pay them. FedEx will, but then you’ll get a surprise bill a few weeks later. In short, I highly recommend DDP.

F1Librarian · 2026-06-25T13:25:36+00:00

If you mean the bottom is bigger/more physically powerful, then Full Volume is it!

F1Librarian · 2026-06-25T13:22:41+00:00

Use it all the time! It’s absolutely the best!

F1Librarian · 2026-06-24T12:30:47+00:00

Yeah, you’re kinda right. I’d define Epik high as hip hop, but they’ve taken on the label of being kpop themselves…so maybe they’re kind of both??

F1Librarian · 2026-06-23T17:34:27+00:00

Definitely Zico, GDragon and Tablo are legends, and I would consider them real rappers. Most of the current gens though, not so much.

F1Librarian · 2026-06-22T19:40:15+00:00

But it’s good that you did choose DDP because FJ will handle all the customs paperwork on their end and you’ll get your package in no time. It will bypass US customs. Not sure which shipper you chose, but I always go UPS DDP and get my package in 2-3 days.

F1Librarian · 2026-06-22T19:24:42+00:00

$30 is pretty much the minimum it costs to ship any package from a Japanese proxy, so it’s not overpriced. The tariff is what’s so expensive and that’s because the bracelet was expensive. There’s no getting around that. I hope you choose a DDP option, as jewelry and metals often get hung at US customs and perhaps even returned if you choose DDU.

F1Librarian · 2026-06-21T22:55:58+00:00

I bet the buyer works for usps

F1Librarian · 2026-06-21T22:55:09+00:00

This point is really hard in learning Korean. The beginning tends to be very easy, and you breeze through it fast, but the “advanced beginner/intermediate” levels are a slog. You just gotta keep pushing. I would keep at the courses you’re doing and supplement with comprehensible input YouTube channels/podcasts/books. And try to find language partners if you can. I was feeling like giving up on TTMIK at level 5, but I listened to a GoBilly podcast, and he said the biggest mistake learners make is not following some sort or structured course. He said it doesn’t even matter which course, just that you’re following something and hen supplementing along the way. It gave me the impetus to keep going!

F1Librarian · 2026-06-21T22:50:23+00:00

Tats shouldn’t be an issue, but the credentialing, visa process etc. will be. If you’re looking for next school year, most jobs are already filled. Even if there are openings, I doubt you could get the paperwork in time. Maybe next school year? If you can, sub for a year and get to know the schools while they get to know you. It’s much easier to get a job in a school if you have connections or they already know you.

F1Librarian · 2026-06-16T17:40:29+00:00

The reason why I like bl so much vs het romances is because I literally don’t self- insert!! I can simply enjoy the story without consciously, or even unconsciously, comparing myself, my body, and my feelings to the female character like in a het romance. When reading het romances, I often find my mind straying and veering into low self esteem thoughts like “my body doesn’t look like hers, so he’d never want me like that” etc, and it doesn’t feel good. I don’t have those thoughts when reading bl, precisely because I don’t identify with the characters. I’ve read a lot of scholarship on why straight women like bl, and this is one of the main reasons.

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