Articles

Here are the guidelines for the TOPIK 2017 that will be held in New York in November. We received this information from the Korean Consulate of New York: Application Period: August 2 ~ September 13, 2017 (Weekdays 09:00∼17:00) Application mailing address: Korean Education Center in New York (460 Park Ave. 9th Fl., New York, NY 10022) The application is submitted by mail and in person, arrive it by September 13th. 

Hello everyone! New Year has arrived. January is an important month for Koreans to say Happy New Year to each other. Some may visit their parents or relatives’ houses to say in person. Others would do so by sending out New Year Cards or texting messages. Today I will list various sentences that convey Happy New Year in Korean. The below sentences are adequate to use to those who are older than you are or to those you maintain formal relationships with.

Hello everyone! This article shows Korean sentences you can use when introducing yourself in Korean. These sentences are simple but will help you succinctly state your name, age, nationality, occupation etc. Please note that the below sentences are a formal form, which is the most appropriate to use to strangers in Korea or elders. When pronounced correctly, you will sound polite and educated.

Ever wonder when shopping how to translate certain fashion words? Maybe you're traveling to China or Korea and would like to be able to request certain things, or maybe you're a Korean or Chinese native and would like to travel to each other's respective countries. Since it is a couple of weeks past Thanksgiving, and it has started off the holiday shopping season, we want to teach you today about fashion words in Chinese and Korean. Don't be afraid to do international shopping, if you know ...

During a conversation in Korean, you may often hear phrases or sentences that do not make sense or sound relevant to the topic, but participants in conversation seemingly understand the message better with those weird-sounding clauses. That is because the speaker quoted Korean proverbs. In the Korean dictionary, a proverb or adage is defined as a short sentence or phrase that ancestors formed based on their life experiences. Korea has a strong culture of respecting elders.

Hello everyone, This Friday, October 9th is Hangeul Day in Korea. As you may know already, Hangeul is a unique Korean language writing system invented by King Sejong in 1442 A.D. The Korean government appointed October 9 as a national holiday to commemorate the establishment of Hangeul as well as to promote its scientific beauty to the world. Let me briefly explain the history of Hangeul’s invention. 

Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) TOPIK is a written test that examines one’s aptitude in Korean. TOPIK does not cover oral proficiency but rather focuses on vocabulary, grammar, writing, listening, and reading. There are three TOPIK levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Furthermore, a grade system (1st through 6th grade, 6th being the highest) is given depending on your score. Since TOPIK does not test one's oral ability, we recommend taking an ACTFL OPI in Korean in order ...

Hello everyone! Today I would like to talk about the phrase ‘–있다/없다’. This is frequently used to express whether a subject possess an object in question or to indicate there is (are). First, ‘–있다’ means 1) a subject has something 2) there is (are), and goes properly in written format. In spoken language, using ‘-있어요’ sounds more natural. See examples below. 1. 돈이 있어요 – I have money 2. 남자친구가 있어요 – I have a boyfriend 3. 책상 위에 벌레가 있어요 – There is a bug on the desk ‘–없다’ means 1) a ...

Recently, we had the opportunity to do a video project with DramaFever, a video streaming website specifically for Korean programs. In this project, one of our Korean teachers here at Hills Learning, Paul Cho, teaches viewers basic Korean with the first episode of Dibo Sing Along Show. Here's the text from the video that we produced: Counting.There are two ways to count numbers in Korean.

Hi everyone! I would like to introduce the usage of ‘-고 싶다’ to all. This phrase is commonly used to express the desire of the subject. Adding ‘-고 싶다’ to the action verb gives it the meaning of “I want to ____.” See the examples below: 차를 마시고 싶다 – (I) want to drink a cup of tea 한국어를 배우고 싶다 – (I) want to learn the Korean Language 피자를 먹고 싶다 – (I) want to eat pizza With second person, the same meaning can be delivered in a question format. 차를 마시고 싶어요? - Do you want to drink a cup ...

When learning how to say I know you, you know me, you don't know me in Korean, there are subtle nuances that need to be addressed. Here are the most common ways of stating these phrases, and some explanation of when they are used / not used...

Hi everyone! Did you know that Hills Learning has a twitter account? One follower tweeted to ask us the difference between Korean words ‘아주’ and ‘너무​.’ I thought this information would be helpful to everyone’s studying Korean. It’s not uncommon to get confused about adverbs in Korean...

How to Shop In a Korean Bookstore In the center of Korean Town, New York City, there is a Korean bookstore called 고려 서적 (Koryo Books).  Since the 1970s, this place has provided Koreans with a variety of books and media items such as dramas, movies, music, CDs etc.  Due to the limited capacity, many customers often find that the materials they are looking for are not in stock, thereby, the store offers an option to place an order on site and pick it up in a few days.

My name is Minhee, a Korean teacher at Hills Learning, and I’ve found that some of my students when learning Korean have difficulty with particles. I’d like today to talk about Korean sentence structure and some of the most confusing particles, hopefully after reading this you’ll have a better understanding! At first, let’s discuss Korean sentence structure. Korean sentences consist of either a “subject + verb” or a “subject + object + verb.”  For example: -  캐럴이 와요[Carol-i wha-yo], ...

Congratulations on choosing to learn the Korean language! In New York City, there's a variety of Korean classes offered from a variety of institutions. This article tries to address the right way to choose your Korean class, along with the advantages of learning Korean over some competing languages. First of all, why learn Korean? There is a much smaller percentage of people that speak Korean than say Japanese or Chinese. Also, isn't Korean a difficult language to learn? The Korean ...