3+ Fail-Proof Tips To Learn Korean With Kpop

If you are a KPOP fan, you must have probably heard of Kpop, idols and imagined yourself many times in the city of Seoul and amused by South Korea’s rich culture having a chit-chat with your favorite Kpop groups. But is it possible to talk to them without having Korean fluency? No, it’s not. We are here to help you with your Korean learning by guiding you on how to Learn Korean with Kpop. Learn how to make your own sentences and speak Korean fluently!

Learn Korean with K-pop

Kpop has drastically changed the taste of the music of the entire world within a decade. Gone are the days when people used to love listening to one direction. Now people yearn to listen to Korean music. The importance of Kpop can be understood by the fact that Kpop Music is Saving The Economy Of Korea.

Korean 언니 (eonni) aka older sister and also used for the -Kpop idols (female) and 오빠 (oppa) aka older brother and also used for the Korean idols (male) have mesmerized and enchanted their fans globally. If you are also one of such fans, then you should take advantage of your craze for Kpop.

Learning Korean through Kpop can be extremely fun. You listen to keep up all the time, don’t you? What might be more fun than learning Korean through Kpop that we’re used to listening to all the time? If you learn Korean through Kpop for at least two months , you will notice a change soon enough.

There are several top-notch ways of learning Korean vocabulary and grammar rules through Kpop which we are going to tell you about. We will give you some tips and tricks that you can use to enhance your Korean language and sharpen your Korean skills.

Not only you’ll improve the written Korean language, but we will also give you tips about how to improve your spoken Korean language just by listening to Kpop.

Here are some amazing tips for you. If you stick by these tips for a few weeks you’ll crack a new way of learning Korean which is by far the most interesting one. So before further ado, let’s dig right in!

Find The Right Click

The first step of learning Korean from Kpop is to find a right-click for you. You need to look into the music of Kpop and see which kind of music attracts you the most. There are several bands which you can listen to. If you have not been introduced to the mysterious world of Kpop yet, then we suggest you read our article on Korean music to get a new start.

Once you get a basic understanding of which band you would like, you can start listening to their songs. You need to check which kind of music you resonate the most with. Korean music is nothing like American or western music.

Difference between Korean music and western music

Korean music is new and unique in many ways. For instance, every Korean song has both rap and slow parts. And also music is generally produced more in the form of bands as compared to solo. With that being said you would first have to find the right band for yourself.

Watching Live Shows

Most people like the bands after watching some live shows featuring them, so you can look into that as well. For example, the show is a great place to start getting to know Kpop artists. Most people start liking a band after knowing about their personality as compared to their music only.

read the lyrics and translations

Another key thing to do is to read the lyrics and translations different songs. Every band makes different songs. For instance, the songs of BTS are usually about motivation as compared to the songs of Exo, which are usually about love. The kind of love in songs by BTS is different from that of Exo or Shinee.

In a nutshell, first, find the right pick for yourself, and then go on with step number two.

Keep the Lyrics closer

Lyrics of different songs are how you’re going to learn through Kpop. Lyrics of the songs are the best way to look into different vocabulary terms and grammar rules. If you understand and learn the basic vocabulary and grammar rules of the Korean language then you have mastered the first step.

Make Notes

You can also get the lyrics of your favorite Korean songs printed out. In those printouts, you can highlight different words or phrases and write their meanings down to make organized notes. Did you know a literal word to word translation can do wonders? You might not know the importance of having word-to-word translation until you start doing it.

It might sound hard or seem difficult to you before you’ve started doing it but once you’ve started, it’s extremely easy. You’ll find that you’re eager to do it more with different songs. Once you start learning and writing the meaning of each word in a song, it becomes a habit of yours that motivates you to search for different words.

You can read the lyrics of Korean songs and then write their meanings in different formats. You can either use a Korean dictionary or Google translate to get the meaning of each word. You can then make different sentences from the words that you’ve learned. You can also apply the grammar rule here. Also, try finding the grammatical structures that you find in each sentence of the lyrics.

Informal Vs Formal Korean

We should let you know that to learn Korean vocabulary the lyrics are amazing, however for grammar rules or sentence structure, Korean lyrics might not be the best option. The reason behind this is that Korean songs are written in a poetic and informal manner.

You would need some guidance to know when to use which sentence and with whom. Most of the Korean sentences are for informal Korean. This means that if you’re going to use that sentence with an older person or someone who deserves more respect, they might get offended.

To avoid a situation like that you can always keep checking out our blog posts to stay updated about different grammar rules and get the context, right. Get your lyrics printed out right now and start color-coding them so that you can start learning the lyrics and words in no time.

노래방 (noraebang)

노래방 (noraebang) is the Korean version of Karaoke which is quite prevalent in Korean culture. You must have watched quite a number of Korean music videos and Korean dramas featuring 노래방 (noraebang). Kpop fans tend to sing a lot in 노래방 (noraebang). If you find a Korean song with interactive lyrics, then you can learn the lyrics and then sing in 노래방 (noraebang).

Singing this foreign language will make it even better for you to understand the lyrics. If you are in Korea then here’s some good news that it is even easier for you. You can become friends with native speakers and learn step by step, how to sing 노래방 (noraebang). Your Korean friends will guide you about k pop music and idol culture.

They will take you to a studio kind of set up for singing. You can choose some favorite songs from your favorite Kpop group like Big Bang etc. For this first, you need to write down the Korean song mentioned earlier. Then you need to learn the songs.

The best part is that even if you do not learn the song you just learn to read it, you can read and sing the song. However, we would still suggest you learn the song because while reading might not be that good at pronouncing the words right away. You cannot sing well if you do not the lyrics already.

The fact that you might be stuttering or taking time to read it might result in singing badly and then you might not be motivated. It is very important to stay on track and for that, we suggest you make friends with good people who are there to support you.

And also go prepared beforehand, if you are shy. If you know the lyrics already, then your voice would not be that big of an issue because it’s usually auto-tuned. You can simply sing and have the time of your life while studying Korean with Kpop.

Go To Youtube

If you’re learning Korean to keep up then YouTube might become your best friend for the next few months. YouTube can teach you a lot of things but one thing that YouTube is really good at is breaking down the lyrics for you. You can look into the breakdown of any of your favorite songs. 

Korean songs are quite trending these days which is why there are a lot of videos about the breakdown of Korean songs. Those videos have a word-to-word translation with some extra contextual information about the grammatical rules which can help you in the longer run. Having proper contextual information is important to learning any language and especially a language like Korean, which has different complexities like rules of formality and informality. 

You can subscribe to different channels and download different playlists on Youtube to get benefited from this phenomenon. Don’t forget to keep a notepad and a pen with you while you’re watching the videos because you need to write them down.

You can also get the lyrics printed out and do some highlighting and color-coding while also making notes. YouTube is free and what else you might need. You will end up learning some useful phrases.

Essential Vocabulary

Learn Korean with Kpop

Kpop songs can help you learn countless grammatical points. There are many songs which are teaching a variety of sentences through which you can learn some grammar rules. The lyrics in Korean songs are carefully crafted and therefore are worth digging into.

Let’s learn some amazing grammatical phrases from Kpop that you can use in your everyday life.

처럼 (Cheoleom)

There are many k pop songs featuring the line 마치 -처럼 and two most prominent ones of them are Burtterfly by BTS and As if it’s your last by Black pink. The name of the latter also has the phrase “마치 -처럼” in it.

Korean ExamplesRomanized HangulEnglish Translation
난 그냥 야구 방망이 처럼nan geunyang yagu bangmang-i cheoleomI’m just like a baseball bat
차례차례의 의미처럼 T자 처럼 생겼습니다.chalyechalyeui uimicheoleom Tja cheoleom saeng-gyeossseubnida.It is shaped like a T, as in the meaning of the sequence.
그것은 사실 나선형 처럼 보입니다 그것은 사실 나선형 처럼 보입니다geugeos-eun sasil naseonhyeong cheoleom boibnida geugeos-eun sasil naseonhyeong cheoleom boibnidaIt actually looks like a spiral It actually looks like a spiral
그들은 젊은 사자*처럼 울부짖는다.geudeul-eun jeolm-eun saja*cheoleom ulbujijneunda.They roar like a young lion*.

아름다워 (aleumdawo) -Beautiful

The word 아름다워 (aleumdawo) means beautiful in Korean and you would hear this word in countless Korean songs. Korean songs are generally about the beauty of the girl that they are in love with so they never leave a chance to remind her or the audience of how beautiful it is.

Break-down of Song lyrics

Now finally here we will give you a practical example of how to break down the lyrics of each song and thus learn Korean with Kpop songs. We will teach you how to take different words from each song by taking three words from each song and then discussing them and making more sentences with the same word. So 시작 (sijag) aka let’s start.

Butterfly- BTS

겁나 -geobna

There are several times that the word 겁나 -geobna has been used in this song. This word literally means “being scared”. Let’s look at some example sentences

Korean ExamplesRomanized HangulEnglish Translation
모르지, 그래서 물어보기 겁나moleuji, geulaeseo mul-eobogi geobnaI don’t know, so I’m afraid to ask
여자애들이 술 겁나 세!yeojaaedeul-i sul geobna se!Girls are so drunk!
하지만 프로필을 수정하는 것은 겁나 쉬워요.hajiman peulopil-eul sujeonghaneun geos-eun geobna swiwoyo.But editing your profile is super easy.

순간 (sungan)

The word 순간 (sungan) means a moment in Koreean. Korean people tend to use it as a moment or a minute. Here are some examples:

Korean ExamplesRomanized HangulEnglish Translation
그 순간, 저는 생각해봤습니다.geu sungan, jeoneun saeng-gaghaebwassseubnida.In that moment, I thought.
그 순간, 학생은 학자가 되었습니다.geu sungan, hagsaeng-eun hagjaga doeeossseubnida.At that moment, the student became a scholar.
순간 순간이 얼마나 행복할까?sungan sungan-i eolmana haengboghalkka?How happy will each moment be?

머물러 (meomulleo)

The word 머물러 (meomulleo) means to stay. Let’s look at some examples:

Korean ExamplesRomanized HangulEnglish Translation
왜 과거에 머물러 있지 않은 건데?wae gwageoe meomulleo issji anh-eun geonde?Why didn’t you stay in the past?
코린트는 그곳에 머물러 있는 상인들로부터 가외의 수입을 올렸습니다.kolinteuneun geugos-e meomulleo issneun sang-indeullobuteo gaoeui su-ib-eul ollyeossseubnida.Corinth earned an extra income from the merchants who stayed there.
그냥 당신 집*에 머물러 있으시오.geunyang dangsin jib*e meomulleo iss-eusio.Just stay at your house*.

Power Up -Red Velvet

벌써 (beolsseo)

The word 벌써 (beolsseo) means “already” in English. You can use this word when you are talking about something that has happened already. You should generally use this word while talking about the things which are getting late.

For example, the sentence from the song is 왜 시간은 벌써 3시 (wae sigan-eun beolsseo 3si) meaning Why is it already 3 o’clock. Let’s look at some more examples:

Korean ExamplesRomanized HangulEnglish Translation
벌써 거의 30년 전 일입니다.beolsseo geoui 30nyeon jeon il-ibnida.That was almost 30 years ago.
벌써 풋볼 얘기야?beolsseo pusbol yaegiya?Are you talking about football already?
벌써 20분째 행방을 모른다니beolsseo 20bunjjae haengbang-eul moleundaniYou don’t know where you are for 20 minutes

반짝 (banjjag)

The word 반짝 (banjjag) in Korean refers to something that is either glittering or sparkling. There are different Korean songs in which this word has been used. The example sentence from the song is 반짝인 그 ocean 위로 (banjjag-in geu ocean will) meaning above that sparkling ocean.

Another line from the same song using the same word is 그래 난 유달리 반짝거렸죠 (geulae nan yudalli banjjaggeolyeossjyo) meaning Yes I was exceptionally shiny. Let’s now look at some examples which you can use in your everyday life.

Korean ExamplesRomanized HangulEnglish Translation
‘그것은 마치 내 속에서 불이 반짝 켜지는 것 같았다’고 로리는 기술합니다.‘geugeos-eun machi nae sog-eseo bul-i banjjag kyeojineun geos gat-assda’go lolineun gisulhabnida.‘It was like a light flashing inside me,’ writes Laurie.
사랑은 탄식의 연기와 rais’d 연기되며 purg’d, 애호가 ́눈에 반짝 이는 화재가되는;salang-eun tansig-ui yeongiwa rais’d yeongidoemyeo purg’d, aehoga ́nun-e banjjag ineun hwajaegadoeneun;Love is smoke of sighs and smoke rais’d;
갑자기 내 눈을 빛의 반짝 잡았어요.gabjagi nae nun-eul bich-ui banjjag jab-ass-eoyo.Suddenly my eyes caught a twinkle of light.

완전 (wanjeon)

The word 완전 (wanjeon) in Korean means very or extremely. You can use this word to indicate that something matters a lot for you. The line from the song is 완전 소름 돋았어 (wanjeon soleum dod-ass-eo) meaning totally creepy.

Let’s look at more examples now.

Korean ExamplesRomanized HangulEnglish Translation
‘그것은 마치 내 속에서 불이 반짝 켜지는 것 같았다’고 로리는 기술합니다.‘geugeos-eun machi nae sog-eseo bul-i banjjag kyeojineun geos gat-assda’go lolineun gisulhabnida.‘It was like a light flashing inside me,’ writes Laurie.
갑자기 내 눈을 빛의 반짝 잡았어요.gabjagi nae nun-eul bich-ui banjjag jab-ass-eoyo.Suddenly my eyes caught a twinkle of light.
이게 우리가 완전 5도음이라 부르는 음정입니다.ige uliga wanjeon 5do-eum-ila buleuneun eumjeong-ibnida.This is what we call a perfect fifth

As If It’s Your Last -Black pink

자꾸 (jakku)

The word 자꾸 (jakku) in Korean means repeatedly or over and over again. You can say this when something happens for more than two times and in the same pattern. For instance, if you are used to verthinking every night before going to sleep then you might want to use this word in a sentence. Try it!

The sentence from the song using this word is 너 뭔데 자꾸 생각나? (neo mwonde jakku saeng-gagna?) meaning What do you keep thinking about?. Let’s look at some more examples:

Korean ExamplesRomanized HangulEnglish Translation
왜 자꾸 메가트론을 닮아?wae jakku megateulon-eul dalm-a?Why do you keep looking like Megatron?
자네 이름이 자꾸 오르락거려, 아서jane ileum-i jakku oleulaggeolyeo, aseoYour name keeps coming and going, Arthur
쳐보니까 자꾸 궁댕이가 가렵더라chyeobonikka jakku gungdaeng-iga galyeobdeolaWhen I looked at it, my buttocks kept itching

마지막 (majimag)

The word 마지막 (majimag) means “last”. You can use this word when you want to mention something that is last. The example sentence from the song is 마지막 밤인 것처럼 (majimag bam-in geoscheoleom) meaning like it was the last night.

Now let’s look at some more examples:

Korean ExamplesRomanized HangulEnglish Translation
히드라의 마지막 기지hideulaui majimag gijiHydra’s Last Base
마지막 단계는 간경변증입니다.majimag dangyeneun gangyeongbyeonjeung-ibnida.The final stage is cirrhosis of the liver.
우선, 마지막 단계부터 설명드리죠.useon, majimag dangyebuteo seolmyeongdeulijyo.First of all, I will explain the last step.

Learning the Korean language

Learn Korean with Kpop

Learning a new language, especially the Korean language is not as easy as many people might think. With the help of the Ling App, the entire process will become really easy for you. We teach the language learners this new language in a fairly easy and fun way.

Happy Learning!

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