A Korean teacher's opinion on learning Korean through K-pop

[@picante28]

i improved a lot by watching idols talking in livestreams. because they talk about everyday things, not love, heart, feelings or whatever

[@OskarNendes]

One thing that makes kpop worse as a learning tool is this. No correlation between what is singed (love and relationships) to what is being shown (a gorgeous woman dancing). It just disobeys the hypothesis/method of comprehensive input.

[@deureop]

i think music is good for learning vocabulary. it's easier to remember words when they're in the lyrics of the song that gets stuck in your head for days 🤷‍♀️

[@vanada116]

Agree to this. But for more day-to-day words i suggest to watch dramas/variety/reality shows instead. People learn languages in many different ways, and since all this media is a tool for learning it's not something bad. And when or if you want to learn more advanced then find a teacher or books or courses. Also i think the big part of learning language especially when you try to put it to actions is the confident, for beginners and non-natives you don't need to be perfect, just be enough is enough. Because the natives will try to understand and help you too. And after get used to it some times, with some improvement here and there, i'm sure you'll do it better and better. At least that's what i think.

[@chacha.channel]

That's what I like about this channel, instead of making us feel bad for not knowing Korean very well they motivate us to learn with different tips

[@fangjiunnewe3634]

I find that watching variety shows is the best way because people are speaking normally and using sentences, words and structures that are not even in any textbook or app. Colloquial phrases and idioms all over the place that are really challenging because i have to know whats the proper grammer and then derive the shortcut/metaphor that leads to the saying. It helps that typically the editors will put the words on screen and then other fans will translate basically everything thank you tireless fandoms

[@jessicah317]

That intro was hilarious - you guys always go above and beyond for every video! 감사합니다! I'm a big fan of K-pop, but after trying to learn Spanish through music I realised these downsides already. Now I just enjoy Spanish and Korean music, have fun picking up some random vocab and make time to intentionally study Korean through the TTMIK books and an online, face to face teacher. And, of course, these fun videos :)

[@helen_helenaa]

Oh I also learning spanish and korean !

[@MsFunambule]

K-pop is certainly fun. It's great to catch words and phrases that you've already learned. But of course it cannot be your only source. 🙂

[@lexica510]

I find Kpop can be useful as a memory aid for things I've learned elsewhere. When I was learning about ㅂ irregular verbs, I just needed to think of the lyrics to Seventeen's song "Boom Boom" ("아름다워, 아름다워”) to remember how they work. And remembering what 비틀거리다 means is easy thanks to B.I's song "BTBT". "Don't Wanna Cry" fits four bits of vocab/grammar into just one line - “울고 싶지 않아” has 울다, -고 싶다, -지 않다, and 반말 - which was helpful to me as a beginner.

[@julieronning1773]

I learned 울다 and -지 않아 from Don’t Wanna Cry! SVT 🥰🥰 I think songs are great for recall every once in a while. When I’m struggling to remember a word the tune helps me remember it

[@BlueWithoutBiu]

I've never realized this before I studied Korean, but Korean songs lyrics are really very poetic and beautiful ❄

[@josephz6]

선생님, your contents are always refreshing. You guys are super talented.

[@Yujinnn_119]

Why is the intro so funny 😭 I have a friend who learns Korean through kpop songs. I also learn Korean but not like her 😂 There's a word called 자네, I heard this word in svt leaders 'cheers'. Later I found out that this word means 'you'. People don't use this word anymore!!

[@nailartguy3363]

I still see 자네 used by older men, especially when they are speaking to younger men.

[@TheTheHellbean]

그대 also fits on the list of "common in songs but you never use it in real life" words

[@choipichiim]

I don't listen to kpop much these days, so I completely forgot that 그대 was even a word

[@Perhapsawiseman]

Did you do a video on this topic but on Kdramas? I imagine some of the trends are similar 😂

[@MissGardenGG1]

I try to understand the lyrics of the songs from K dramas ost. It helps me to "catch" the pronounciation of Korean. 꽃잎 for exemple was a bit difficult at first. Now I get it. And I like to sing, so, once I understand, I try to learn the song and it's a pleasure to sing because I think Korean is a very melodious language.I live in a very small town and will never have the chance to speak to real Korean people so...

[@purplerayofhope]

Intro was so funny. 선생님들, 배우가 될 수 있어요!! I don't purposefully listen to k-pop for learning korean but when I understand some lines or hear some words that I have learned I feel very happy. 🤗🌸

[@JX2209]

Happened to me while listening to fromis_9' DM for example, out of nowhere I started to identify words and they made sense😂

[@JB-kr3xz]

That’s what I do too. And try to practice pronunciation. But mostly I just like picking up words.

[@kdtatayoo]

팁 공유하시고 추천해 주셔서 감사합니다!! 정말 고생 많으셨습니다 선생님

[@Kpopfan0516]

감사합니다

[@mikealsonalexander5162]

I just learned the music of kassy "Morning" !!! good timing video !!

[@bill0chen]

My Korean journey was motivated by kpop. But I found it hard to study the lyrics and sing along. It is difficult to pronounce the word while following the melody and rhythm at the same time. Therefore I simply switch to study the vlog and podcast for beginners.

[@lorenaleoncio2106]

do you have a recommendation of podcast for beginners?

[@Mubeen-sw3rl]

I love the intro 😍 it was amazing and funny ❤

[@paolapaynee]

Great video! thank you for the interesting and useful tips! Also, i'm loving the intro, so funnyㅋㅋㅋ

[@alekzandriaa]

Thank you for putting 아르테미스 - Virtual Angel as an example, beautiful song

[@carmenavalos9321]

Hello! I have a few questions about Korean culture amongst younger generations. I am doing a project on the age/sunbae hierarchy culture present in Korea. I am wondering about how this culture is continuing and/or possibly eroding amongst younger Koreans. I consume some kpop content, so I know it is very common for groups to use honorifics if there are even 1 year older. I also know that bowing and greeting sunbaes, supporting your right arm with your left hand when shaking hands, etc. is a way koreans, and specifically kpop idols show respect. However, I have also seen some people talk about the lack of greeting and manners in junior idols, specifically not bowing, speaking informally, etc. I am wondering is this part of a broader trend amongst young koreans to “westernize” a bit more and become less strict about the age hierarchy? Would you say using honorifics towards elders, not eating until the oldest eats first, younger bowing first to the older, etc. are declining in korean society, specifically amongst young koreans? Could you see this culture going away with future generations? Personally, this is one of the things I’ve always loved about korean culture, so I would be a bit sad to see it go. Another theory I have heard is that generally youth rebel against this culture but jump into it all the way when they are older. I am curious to learn about possible changes in korean society.

[@dianaayt]

For me livestreams and remembering english translations of lyrics are the best. Livestreams because they talk about everyday things and the latter because if then i learn something that is in a phrase, when i hear the phrase and knowing the English translation my head makes a PLING!!! sound when i finally understand the lyrics

[@ingela_injeela]

Loved this! 😄

[@marialuisaachille9608]

"...우리의 만남은 운명의 장난일까?" 😂ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ😂 정말 웃기다요!! .....근데요 ...인터넷에서 티티믹을 찾았을 때는 ....분명히 운명이었잖아요!!! 😉😍😍😍 그리고 저도 이제 드디어 케이팝 가사를 이해할 수 있게 되었어요. 😁🎶🎶💪🏻

[@Yzura]

Interesting. However, I love using the songs as parts of learning vocabulary and pronunciation skill and ohh reading too.We do understand that the lyric can't be used as a daily spoken text. The best is use variety of content for our language journey.

[@stanLSF]

Sound advice 👌

[@jaychua120]

I hope you also do this kind of review in Kdrama version too.

[@tapamonca-6841]

I'd like to mention another disadvantage, which is that it can be a bit tiring for those of us who want to study the language for reasons other than K-pop. In my case, I started learning Korean through 태권도, and its overly technical terminology is quite different from the poetic aspects of the language. The issue is that my teachers incorporated K-pop into the lessons in a way that felt forced, and it's quite irritating. This doesn’t mean that I dislike K-pop fans, but it would be nice if they considered the needs of all types of Korean language learners.

[@AmbiCahira]

현우선생님 it is a bigger trend now to appear on interviews on youtube instead of variety shows, and on top of that there's a lot of livestreams, and quite a lot of kpop artists have a private youtube channel now too where they either do vlogs, cooking/food content, streaming, or some other kind of content so you can practice Korean quite heavily through youtube now. Even if you don't follow specific artists there's channels that specify in idol interviews and some even have idols as MC. The idols either go live on instagram or through platforms like weverse. Some idols even stream on twitch while gaming. There's endless content for kpop fans to listen to people talking, especially if they like several groups! :)

[@yoojin1204]

2 years ago, when I watched & listened TTMK's video that time I don't understand what they say but now I got it (like a Korean 😁) 제 영어로 쓰는글이 아마 틀린거 있는것 같아용^0^ 저 이제 한국말이 잘 할수 있어요 쌤 (들) TTMK 진이팅 (방탄이 아미니까 , 진은 최애🥰)

[@grahamgrover1]

Great video! Thanks! Instead of using 당신 should I use 너?

[@talktomeinkorean]

It depends! This video will help you understand. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKKye4Fobb6frKs

[@grahamgrover1]

@@talktomeinkorean Thanks!

[@AdAstraAtx]

Early on I realized KPop would not be the best path for learning. Now I enjoy it more because I have studied more through other means, like TTMIK. I love the humor you bring to an important topic!

[@taen_y]

Lol 당신 is giving me flashbacks to my parents fighting, haven't heard it used in any other context.

[@viiviviviiv]

i was watching the korean dubbed DBZ for exposure and randomly wrote down 운명 as one of my new vocab words. it was surprising to see it here lol now it will probably be one i will never forget. wait is that 운명??????

[@bluemorisan]

My Korean improved from watching idol radio , cuz the radio live translation is usually delayed

[@fuyushitarisou1]

Where is the link to the video that was mentioned @.@

[@vanessameow1902]

3:11 I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU WHEN YOUR WINGS BREAK, LETTING GO FO YOU THAT'S A HEARTBREAK💔

[@theshisho]

What to do if I don't like K-pop or idols or whatever but I still want to learn Korean? I need something that can hook me

[@Chiacchi86]

...My problem is that my favorite artist is IU, and my ultimate goal is to understand the true meaning of her lyrics without translation... I know I've gotten myself into a real mess 😅 (...and I think she is too poetic even in talk shows 😅😅😅)

[@blackbelt2000]

I love that Hyunwoo is wearing slippers in the intro 😅

[@magickittenz]

The first part is hilarious!! It really shows the structure is made for 3 year olds that can't speak yet.

[@anush9322]

5:08 오늘도 불러 봅니다 내게 소중한 사람 is from 소나기 😂.

[@pietersmal5903]

Hmmm. What if I am a classical musician who only listens to classical music? Old Korean songs (90s) are fun, but I don't listen to Korean music often.

[@malielanijoy]

イントロの時良く笑わなかったね。 I would've had a hard time holding in laughter shooting that intro.

[@thehighpriestess8431]

My thing is K-Dramas!!!

[@battarabbit8827]

Ah but I want to know the poetic phrases in songs. Because the English translations are very very odd. And I am a songwriter.

[@shannondelacruz452]

And I'm over here doing the opposite. Started learning because of watching Kdramas and realizing how lacking the subtitles are. Only started listening to Kpop because I had already started learning the language and TTMIK said it was a good way to increase my language exposure.

[@janap.8455]

Songs are good source of vocabulary, but for the longer natural sentences I rely more on kdrama and podcasts

[@sana-gq2ur]

❤❤❤❤

[@S_Wiggins]

5:08 - who else knew this was the lyrics from 소나기 straight away LOL

[@ChristyLuisDostoevskyinSpace]

Not me googling the lyrics to find the songs 🫣

[@Mad.E]

I think some people are pretty good at learning languages through 'osmosis' and even picking out some useful bits from lyrics, I however am not one of those people

[@JARVIS-CHEN]

we cant learn korean form kpop, but this is the reason why we learn korean LOL🤣

[@esthershull6003]

I love kpop and I love Korean learning but fortunately they are quite separate for me 😂❤

[@jamesb8064]

Genuinely just noticing I speak this way in English 😅

[@PuffySofty]

This aspect is similar to Chinese, where the lyrics can be way more lyrical and poetic than everyday language. Funny thing tho, English song lyrics actually helped me vastly improve my writing~

[@robertdempsey3417]

"Frozen heart" = "cardiac arrest"...?

[@game_is_onnn]

i know 운영 and 영원 😭

[@newjeansfan238]

I learned more words in kdrama than kpop but yes i know 당신 isn't used in every day conversation, too poetic dramatic find more in kdrama, kpop that's all. I know i don't use it

[@TheEmmaLucille]

So romantic...

[@Sthemingway]

Would OG groups like HOT, SES, FinkL, or Baby Vox have song lyrics that are equally "you don't actually say this in everyday conversation"? Or would their songs have better examples of "okay, this chorus isn't so bad... you could say this verbatim and nobody would laugh or think you're trying to start a fight."

[@cooleasytabs]

Actually all the downsides are true for all languages! Musical languages are different from real life languages!

[@aissa8989]

A true friend is the one who reminds you of God Almighty and helps you gain His pleasure I will give you free advice that is very valuable and expensive and cannot be bought with money and gold. But I will give it to you for free and you will benefit from it in the future. The basic condition is that you accept it, apply it and believe my words. The advice is: Life has no meaning if you are not a Muslim and follow the true religion of God. Convert to Islam, the true religion of God ,

[@Kloveer_333]

😂😂😂😂

[@cynthiacascante4422]

🤣

[@randi4321]

I'm probably one of the few people learning Korean that doesn't really like K-pop. lol

[@Jayinjapanese]

Only women learn through k-pop

[@MissGardenGG1]

What a sexist comment! Shame on you!

[@Yujinnn_119]

Then I have male friend who learns Korean through kpop, then is he a girl in disguise 😮😮

[@picante28]

wow people are still misogynistic in 2024

[@deureop]

what a weird thing to say. even if that were true (it's not), what's your point?