How to Develop Korean Speaking Confidence

The importance of confidence can't be emphasized enough when it comes to language learning. But, do you know actually how to build Korean speaking confidence? Here are 4 tips to become a confident Korean speaker, that you can tap into now and here.
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[@angelnokare6906]

After 2 years of using your materials i am still very much amazed by your generosity. You put out all this content for us, a lot of it for free. The videos are great, podcasts as well and i am so thankful for all of the tools you have provided. You and the whole crew are a huge inspiration to my learning and thanks to your work i am walking to fluency day by day, step by step. Just.. great thanks to you and the rest of the TTMIK folks

[@goeasykoreantv6058]

Good luck

[@wolfdemonkoga508]

Instead of talking to an imaginary friend I talk to my dogs! They get confused but excited so it's kind of funny too

[@goeasykoreantv6058]

ㅋㅋㅋ Then I'll talk to my cat. But probably he's going to keep sleeping

[@justaperson4363]

That's funny. I mean who is better friend than pets.🙂

[@animekpoplover1622]

Lol I'll do that with my cats. I have 8 cats, don't ask how one cat turned into 8 ...

[@stellamartin4863]

I was talking to my puppy today

[@JuriesVlogs]

😂😭😭 me too I talk to my cat

[@koreanlabjoon3699]

I strongly agree on having conversation with imaginary friend. This is really helpful method! Plus, it is good to write script yourself and keep practice with imaginary friend. Your awkwardness turn in to confidence

[@kholidamsolikhah0373]

Korean Lab JooN i installed meeff and dont know what to do with chatting with korean people

[@afsaaasiazaira3723]

but what do I do when I don't know many words?

[@Nat_alia]

"You need the rehearsals before you embarrass yourself". That's sth about me 😂😂😂

[@goeasykoreantv6058]

right...We need the rehearsals

[@gugelhupf8453]

The imagination that younger 현우 was bboying just hit me like a train. Didn't expect that at all. That's great

[@noellegates9073]

I wonder if video exists?

[@jeff__w]

@@noellegates9073 Several definitely exist. Just search for them. Hyunwoo mentions his love of breakdancing (or B-boying) on his personal channel and blog. It's not any kind of secret.

[@jess0219]

He still does! 🙂 On his Instagram account, he sometimes uploads videos where he's teaching his little boy to dance.

[@bobbyleo8649]

There's a lesson he does on KZbin . This guy can do everything!!

[@shady_dodo]

@@jeff__w what is his personal channel?

[@hopefillledday9026]

I just got a Korean language partner and had a massive drop in confidence, I feel like I forgot everything and didn't know enough to have a conversation, so I really needed this video. Thank you :)

[@ritaritata3457]

This is me exactly 2 days ago. I went to a Korean restaurant thinking I would order stuff in korean. Then right when he asked me if we are ready to order I realized I couldn't speak! turned out switching to ordering in english instead. My husband said I was an epic fail. LOL..

[@bobbyleo8649]

Did the waiter ask you in Korean?

[@angele09luv]

Lol try its ok just try again next time. I would first ask if they can speak Korean and then ask if it is alright to practice. "안녕하세요, 혹시 한국어 할 줄 알아요? 한국어 연습해도 되나요? " and if they say yes proceed to order. But remember it is ok to stumble don't feel bad. Personally I don't like ordering in Korean but my mother loves it when I do it so I try to ask the waiter if they speak korean and if I can practice. Most of the time if I just straight out order in korean they just go "oh you speak korean so well" but continue to speak in english which for some reason makes me feel embarrassed for even attempting to speak korean hahaha. I am not fluent and still make plenty of mistakes but each time I do it I get better so keep that in mind for next time.

[@TheEyitemi]

this was me today lol

[@BrownSugaBabe]

I went through this too at a restaurant out of town. I asked my waiter could I practice ordering in Korean and please let me know if I embarrassed myself or didn’t say something right. He was so kind and helped me a lot. He was impressed with my broken Korean still and even got some of the cooks from the back to hear my terrible Korean lol.

[@tomryan8663]

"When I was doing breakdancing," really got my attention!

[@AlexC595]

I am an introvert so speaking has always been a challenge for me even if it's my native language. Hahaha!

[@Neverender6]

This video is really relatable for me. I've been learning Korean on and off with TTMIK for a while now and aside from being more consistent with my studying, I think the main thing I'm lacking is the confidence to try using what I've learned in real life. Whenever I'm at a Korean restaurant, my girlfriend (who knows I'm learning Korean) tells me I should try ordering in Korean. I always refuse and say I don't know how to yet. The thing is, I'm 99% sure I know how to order food at a restaurant in Korean, but for some reason whenever I'm actually there, I suddenly start worrying that whatever I think I know is actually wrong and if I try I'll just make a fool of myself. I'm lucky to live in a city where there are lots of Korean immigrants. If I could just gain the confidence to try speaking Korean and to let people know I'm learning, I think I would probably be a lot more advanced in my speaking ability than I am now.

[@startmelaughing]

This is such a coincidence that this was posted because for the past week after my Korean classes, I hit such a low point with my confidence in Korean. This video was really helpful and has helped to re-inspire me.

[@Ndhusbbfe]

감사합니다 선생님~ 저는 한국에 벌써 일 년동안 살고 있는데 자주 얘기 못 해서 자신감이 천천히 없어지고 있어요 ㅠㅠ

[@baeloui.e]

This is so me. And sometimes when I get a chance to talk to a native Korean speaker, I got mental blocked. Well, I can make small talks and basic conversations but cannot sustain the conversation.

[@devikirupacv6460]

let me say something,if the koreaboo in your class can yell oppa without any fear,you can forget that object marking particle without any fear. *learn from koreaboos my friends*

[@nurwahidah4981]

I really like your style and method. One of the best teachers around. 감사합니다 선생님.

[@bobbyleo8649]

5:30 I try to read the signs when I drive through Korea Town in Los Angeles .

[@Seasonfin_ale]

I do that too!!

[@annny6465]

That exists?

[@neatcoconutboi]

"In my head it sounded more natural" - me, pretty much always

[@apieceofsky24]

1:07 That was 100% me when I visited you, and you were introducing me to the other TTMIK staff. I stood there awkwardly understanding what you said to them and being totally incapable of speaking to them, next time hopefully will be better xD - Jess.

[@huiyi4551]

Omg this is so me I learned a lot but every time I try to speak to native speakers my confidence dropped so much, I’ll try to talk to myself more often! Thanks for the advice~~~

[@Anayaah421]

현우 선생님, 진심으로 감사합니다 ! 선생님 덕분에 한국어 빨리 배우고 있는 것 같아요!!

[@teerich2011]

He's the only Korean I know that talks so much with his hands. Sometimes it's distracting 😂. Always great info tho

[@talktomeinkorean]

Hahaha :D

[@tinbi9465]

Ohh!!! This is me... am doing great on the pepper but l'm so scared to talk to native Korean i just go blank after 안녕하세요😩 Thanks that was really helpful

[@samanthainfante6483]

I am a naturally shy person, but I love learning languages. Korean has been really difficult because I keep getting tongue-tied. I find it so easy to speak to cab drivers or people in convenience stores. But, I get so incredibly shy around my friends and co-workers. I know that they mean well when they laugh at me or call me cute when I speak, but it really blows my confidence and I don't want to speak anymore. But thank you for your video, it managed to get me motivated again !!! I will keep trying.

[@leijen208]

The timing was perfect for this. I associate with Korean friends regularly, but I always find myself saying something in Korean and quickly follow up by saying it in English.

[@ari3044]

Its like god sent u to me, I literally just continued my korean studies after a year break and I kept complaining that I lack confidence when it comes to speaking/making my own sentences (since I also neglected vocab), gosh I love u guys tysm for always helping me out ure the reason I’m so ahead in my korean (used ur website to learn)❤️ (Sorry if my English is bad, It’s my second language )

[@dzieckoziemi]

Thank you for that, 현우. I know I should be speaking more. You really are doing god's work here trying to teach us this amazing language, in so many different ways. 감사합니다!

[@christdawn6416]

Just when I started losing my confidence after not practicing my Korean for awhile, this video popped up. Thanks TTMIK!

[@yeetusdeletus3072]

Wow. Thank you very much! This is really helpful 💞😊

[@Derrellyn]

Thank you for being so encouraging :)

[@MichaelFineMusic]

Thanks for this inspiring video!

[@juanpAAA2059]

Thank you so much for the tips!!!

[@andrewku6683]

Thanks so much!! For some reason, this spoke exactly to where I needed it

[@erniehadi605]

Thanks you for the info😉...now I can feel someone actually understand me

[@wugistheword]

I really needed this video! 정말 감사합니다 선생님! ^^

[@igorcorreia3561]

This video came right in time!! Thank you so much TTMIK friends!

[@dmario84]

This is so spot on regarding the situation I'm in right now. Thank you for the advices

[@ecru8488]

I always get so much motivation from your videos !!🔥

[@Vetmed91]

This video ❤️ I live in Korea...My husband is Korean...my reading/writing/listening is intermediate...but my speaking level is definitely lower...I’m glad I’m not alone.

[@kevster5252]

OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED!

[@BrownSugaBabe]

I practice out loud all the time. I don’t have have Korean speakers where I live so I talk to myself a lot and I also talk to my dog Valentina a lot lol. I am so thankful for you guys, your website, this channel and your books. You are helping so many learners like me tremendously.

[@shadowkatzchen]

Thank you Hyunwoo, these tips make a lot of sense. I’ve started an Instagram account purely to make short Korean speaking videos on for practise & I’ve noticed that the sentences & new vocabulary that I’ve recorded on there are the ones that I’m most confident in because I rehearsed it before I recorded it. I think I need to do much more of that.

[@leondeveraux4485]

Thank you. I really needed this. I rewatch all your videos about increasing confidence in the language so much 😭

[@DeYaa]

Thaankk youuu!!!! Your videos are sooo useful~~~ also I use your books for learning korean, you helped me alot!!!

[@tamelaadams3743]

I really hope that you keep going, you help me a lot! 감사합니다 :)

[@AozoraNoUta]

This is really one of the best KZbin channels on Korean! Thank you so much for this simple yet effective piece of advice. I've been doing the daily reading training but not out loud, so I guess actually speaking by myself will give me the confidence I lack in Korean :D

[@laceymae8208]

Thanks so much for these tips! I was kind of just coming to this realization for myself. I listen and feel like I get everything well in the moment but then cannot seem to recall it enough to speak when I’m trying to practice. Now I know I’ve been on the right track with talking to myself and creating my own sentences!

[@myuniyt]

I’ve always been apart of the first group of people 😭 but I’m hoping I can get more confidence and this video definitely helped me learn how to do so. As always, thank you! You’re videos have been helping me for YEARSSS now and continue to help throughout my journey :)

[@tanzplay_7841]

I love the way he teaches it's much easier to understand Korean after watching his videos . Thank you 😊

[@jonztube]

Great points! "Language Rehearsal". Especially reading aloud, not silently. Much thanks!

[@oliviag.2203]

I have been struggling with speaking Korean with confidence T.T thank you for making this video, this is so useful. 감사합니다

[@BunnyBee3]

thank you for always being supported for us like less confident speaking Korean language and hope you makes videos more on Koreans language improvement, much more better than we thought

[@blu3r0s4]

선생님 고맙습니다! 🌸

[@victoriabrylova01]

I just paid attention that the post this video on my birthday💕✨thank you for information!!

[@justwanderer2287]

I have a Korean friend who willingly teach me Korean. We study almost everyday and it's been 3 weeks but i still can't pronounce words properly due to lack of confidence. I start to be afraid that my friend would give up teaching me anytime soon 😥😥

[@jeanjaz]

I hope you can keep going with your friend, but you probably need to work on your pronunciation more on your own as well as with your friend. TTMIK has several videos on the sounds that are harder for English speakers. They tell where to put your tongue and how it is different from English. Also, record yourself in your phone and play it back to hear what you actually sound like. Our ears will actually deceive us - this is something speech pathologists know, so they use a tape recorder to help their patients hear themselves. I use several language apps. One I like for Korean is Memrise. It has a "Pronunciation" section that records your Korean words and "Grades" them. Duolingo is another popular app and it might have the same recording practice section too. Don't get too wound up on pronouncing Korean perfectly at first. Just converse with your friend. Your pronunciation will improve as you get comfortable and your ear will get better at telling the sounds apart when you HAVE to tell different words apart that your friend says. :) Don't give up! "Monolingualism can be cured!"

[@karynmartinez7127]

Dont give up....everyone learns at different speeds...

[@goeasykoreantv6058]

He or she won't give up. ㅋㅋ Good luck

[@AmbiCahira]

It's better to try and fail to show effort than not trying at all. :) Pretty much all countries that don't speak English had to learn English in school so people do know how it feels to learn and struggle, don't worry.

[@mareemaree5091]

Just watching this video is a confidence booster in itself. Lots of speaking practice has helped a lot. My cats can almost speak Korean now.

[@kathrinasarahlim208]

Omg. This is what I needed. 감사합니다, TTMIK.

[@unknownartist7204]

i'm an intermediate learner and still lack confidence to speak in korean so this is a big help

[@maddie1]

i just recently ordered 1-7 and i’m so excited!!!!! they’re supposed to get here soon i can’t wait :-)

[@davidg6800]

Awesome video very helpful 😊👍

[@Elizabeth-fs8mn]

thank you so much 선생님

[@pentatheorem]

Just when I was on the brink of giving up...this came up! Ill tke this as a sign. Fighting!😊😊💜

[@iampangwen]

Just the video I needed 😭😭

[@melissahaus]

this was so heloful..I have been learning slowly for 3 years and I honestly know the only reason I am not where I should be level wise is ME..I can understand if someone speaks slowly to me but answering back in a conversation I have no idea, forget words etc and feel discouraged and wanna give up but of course I don't thank you so much for this..sometimes you just feel like you're the only one (I know I'm not but sill brain sometimes) you're videos are inspiring and so helpful 감사합니다 ☺☺🥰

[@emiliabreaks2519]

Same here!

[@andrewku6683]

Wow I thought this was only me! Thanks for sharing

[@liammcconnell9559]

melissa Haus i am the exact same way!

[@liammcconnell9559]

After two years I’ve finally found a korean friend who is as eager about learning English as I am about korean, and it’s my first time having real conversations in korean and while i am proud of how much I understand, it is also disheartening to see how much I struggle keeping the conversation going and creating my own sentences, but I know it takes time and I’m excited to see my improvement :)

[@PhongTran-ry5ug]

Very helpful advice

[@kailastevens1389]

Thank you! I was in Seoul for the 1st time last month. I admit my comprehension was pretty good but expressing myself was a bit frustrating. I am even more determined now to have more conversations with my (native) Korean study buddy. Her English has improved a lot but that’s because we end up speaking more in English. I’ll make sure we split the session 50/50 . YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!!

[@delalima]

good advice , i've been learning korean on my own for a long time and is very frustrating because i don't have someone to practice with , but i'll keep going

[@KoreanArah]

This is a really great video. Its very informative.

[@kimestherthebtsgirlqueenca9891]

Thx u 😘

[@andie16h]

Thank you! This is so helpful. I live in Arkansas and have been self studying for a while, but I decided to join a Korean Baptist Church and am immersed in Korean culture every week. And I started going to their Korean school. These tips will help me a whole lot!

[@JustTerrified]

I'm still a beginner but when I'm at home I go through the older videos about describe the whether and then I practice the different types of flower names, so when I go to work at the garden center, I practice describing the whether that day and putting names to the flowers I see in Korean. Still not that great yet, but it helps ahaha~

[@Wheepupsdimple]

This is me... Thanks for this! I needed this. I can type and chat in Korean (not fluently but understandable) but can't speak it confidently or just *won't* speak it haha Thanks for this tip 👍😊

[@tinadurrell2943]

Thankyou so much for this video this is so me I have 15 of your books now and I am progressing with my reading skills but speech is so lacking. I will try to practice out loud. Thank you once again Tina from England.

[@carmencardenasj7289]

Very iThanks!

[@jeanjaz]

THANK you for making these KZbin videos available to those who can't buy the books! I've studied several languages - mostly in the 80s and 90s. I think young people have SO many wonderful inexpensive and free tools for learning a language now. It's so amazing! (I'm 60). Just a couple exercises I found that have helped me in French (I've only recently started Korean, so not enough vocab yet). Write letters to your friends, your parent, your teacher, the President - whoever. [I like using my phone to write words because my 한글 is very messy. (I do practice my writing tho)] I don't mail these letters. Lol. But I read them aloud a couple times and then record myself with my phone. I usually end up doing it several times, trying to get faster and better pronunciation. With French, I also memorized children's songs. They have a lot on KZbin. I haven't checked to see if there are Korean children's songs on KZbin yet, but there probably is. Anyway, this is an exercise that helped me move "recognition vocabulary" to "active vocabulary" without getting too discouraged. It helped me with French and Hebrew, and when I get far enough, I'll be using it for Korean too. :) ~~Monolingualism can be cured!!~~

[@Valentino016]

My dream is to go to South Korea. Ive been learning korean culture and the korean language and I want to be able to communicate with you guys. Korea is the best.

[@somegirlanna]

Hello Hyunwoo-ssi, I wanted tho say that I recently started listening to TTMIK podcasts, and to say thank you so much for the fact that they're free, I really enjoy listening to you and Kyeong-eun-ssi and I think these podcasts really help me a lot (but I'm only at level two :D )! 너무 감사합니다 :)

[@goeasykoreantv6058]

Wow! Your Korean must be great! Good luck

[@cristinacho7881]

Thank you for this video! I get so nervous speaking Korean to other Koreans. I practice with a native Korean from Daegu and one who moved here to the US with his family, go to a nail salon owned by Koreans, and there’s a Korean woman at my workplace. But those are the only people I don’t feel shy around, but when meeting strangers, I go back to speaking English. But I will try my best with others now. 도와셔서 감사합니다!

[@goeasykoreantv6058]

ㅋㅋ 나만 그런게 아니었군. I feel soooo nervous speaking English to other native English speakers

[@CandiceKCandice]

선생님 우리에게 이 유용한 충고를 말해주셔서 감사합니다

[@iMakeYoutubeConfused]

Thanks

[@user-wb9kf7qg8d]

I really like your video👍👍I 100% agree with you...i have tried each and everything you mentioned in your video and am still stick to it😊😊is it possible for you to do a weekly live streaming?

[@Luna-hy3mx]

I didn't really think there was a way to practice speaking korean without someone helping you until I saw this video!!!!!!! I especially love the idea of practicing with an imaginary friend and creating scenarios!!!! Thank you for this advice!!!!!!

[@priyadarshaniniluka5330]

thanks a million 🥺🥺🥺❤❤💜❤❤🥰🥰

[@besponja91]

I'm on level 1 lesson 12 of TTMIK and my only problem is my family will get sick of me because whenever I learn a new word I constantly repeat it to them hahaha :D I guess my confidence is fine for now :D

[@mariana298]

THANK YOUUUU!

[@marialuisaachille9608]

선현우 선생님 감사합니다.^^

[@SirCastic17]

안녕하세요 현우 선생님! Please do a video explaining the difference between the different "agains" in Korean: 다시, 또, ~도 etc

[@seokjinspinkjacket2594]

Wow! I already do this. Nice lol

[@Jess-se4re]

i already read every korean word i can to myself so to know that that’s helping me is reassuring

[@lisa-yo6wq]

You are the best man ever 😄😄😄😄❤❤❤❤❤

[@jhoviemontalbo7030]

oh' i hope i have a friend who is interested in learning hangeul so that we can practice talking to each other😊 i think that way it will be a lot helpful while im learning hangeul

[@kireidoll]

For the first few months in korea, i had to resolve myself to work solely on my pronunciation, as absolutely no one could understand me (I have more of a Japanese accent, yet they usually understand them. But a Japanese accent on a white face isn't familiar lol). Even buying a coffee was difficult? After months taking it in, and becoming much better at pronouncing correctly, to my surprise, the reaction I got from the natives was about the same: if it wasn't a perfect native level they didn't understand what I was saying. Even people who speak other languages, but rarely meet foreigners who speak korean, usually did a (?o?) face then repeated the exact thing one just said as they finally understood. Motivation = down. So after 1 year and 3 months in korea, I did understand korean much better, but I barely spoke because spending that long not being understood tore me down and made me feel I'll never be able to speak korean. Yet Japanese was so easy for me to learn, and I've never had problems being understood. Such a strange experience. Anyone else in Korea to whom the same happened?

[@redeemedstone]

Can also go to a Korean restaurant and practice ordering food in Korean with the staff as a beginner. One of my regular spots I go to appreciate that I'm learning and it really breaks the ice.

[@aangdorje6669]

I was trying to structure my Korean study journey with the goal of speaking fluently. (at least decent enough to be understood). I thought it would be best to do in the order of improving writing, reading, listening and at last speaking. However, after watching this video I will incorporate speaking practices in my study session so, that I can reach my goal quicker. Thanks for the tips. Much appreciated! 감사합니다 선생님!

[@prodicylt5481]

Lol I'm totally the opposite 😂 I'm very confident in my Korean speaking but I can't seem to grasp on learning the Korean language fully. I don't know what's holding me back from fully understanding the language 😔

[@koreantutorskikigogo403]

Just speak it out loud!!!!!! That's means you can speak at least two languages🤓

[@afr11235]

Those are all awesome suggestions. Fortunately, every Korean I have ever met has been ecstatic that I'm even trying to speak the language. So I think it's important in those situations to remember that languages can be understood even with lots of mistakes. If someone doesn't understand, they'll say so. Otherwise, my advise is to just plow ahead even as you hear yourself make errors.

[@hanna7429]

I have been talking to myself in Korean even though I'm not entirely sure if my sentences are even correct 😅 And it really did help! But of course I would have to push myself more. I have Korean friends from university but now that we all graduated it's very difficult to meet up since we now work in different parts of the city. But I'm glad that I found a friend online through Hello Talk! I'm helping her learn English and she's helping me with Korean. We set up a schedule and talk for hours on both languages. I really do have to practice more because I'm still not confident. I tend to switch in English when it gets difficult. But after knowing I'm in the right path, I just need to push myself a little more hehe

[@marianam7439]

This is true, I've been having imaginary fights in Korean with non Korean Speakers saying that I don't know Korean, and a week ago I got to use my imaginary conversation in real life, it was beautiful, his face was like 😳. 😂❤

[@BlackCatBCB]

I think this is the best motivation and explanation video ever made for language learning. My concern is how much time it will take to master Korean. I only have 1 hour class a week..