The Best Way to Learn Korean Vocabulary

Are you searching for Korean vocabulary? Do you want to know the best way to practice Korean vocabulary? Are you curious how many Korean vocabulary words you should study every day? Look no further! I’ll talk about all of these topics and more in this episode.

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[RNJR]

Back in the day when I first started learning a language, I told my friend for every flash card he showed me, if I got it wrong he could slap me. Boy, I learned those words quickly.

[niamhbutler]

I found vocab always being better to learn first as it’s so frustrating to learn grammar and then realising you can’t actually use it outside of your example because you don’t know any words

[l.nguyen]

I know how to read korean, but i dont know what im reading.

[kapturepic]

Honestly your videos inspire me to become better in Korean. Your whole persona and attitude is so upbeat and great! Thanks for all the informative videos you put out~ ☆♡

[andymounthood]

My tips for paper flashcards: It's easier on the wrists if, when you turn the card over to the back side, you flip it top-over-bottom rather than left to right. In this way, the back of the card is actually upside down compared to the front. You can then flip it with your fingers to see the back instead of having to turn your wrist. Many office products stores in the US sell half-size cards and index card boxes (where you can store cards you've learned--just in case you take a two-month break and need to review everything). If the cards are lined, I like to write the Korean on the blank side in larger letters.

When I guess cards correctly, I put them down on my thighs or on a table in such a way that I end up with at least two piles--putting every-other-word on the left pile and every-other-word on the right pile. If I get a word wrong, I move it to the bottom of the deck (but I keep each deck small). When I've guessed all the cards correctly, I put the two piles together and put the rubber bands back on them until next time. (Rubber bands eventually break, so I use two.) Big or thick rubber bands can bend the cards, so I use small, thin ones. By making two piles, I change the order of the cards every time I study. Otherwise, I'd start guessing a card correctly because they're always in the same order. This wouldn't be much different than studying a list on a sheet of paper. I have an extra pile off to the side where I put words that I feel I know well and can put away in the box (making the deck smaller).

I personally prefer topical vocabulary books instead of frequency lists. This way, I can select a topic and prepare for it before the conversation. However, not many of them have been published for Korean. The easiest one to use, in my opinion, is "Korean Vocabulary for English Speakers - 9000 Words" by Andrey Taranov (also available for many other languages--get the paperback version, not the e-book). Other topical books are less easy to use, but include example sentences and/or frequency rankings--for example, "Essential Korean Vocabulary" by Kyubyong Park. I buy at least two topical vocabulary books for each language because every book is incomplete. Even so, they have long lists under each topic, so I just select a small number of words that I can imagine myself using. I don't worry about the rest of the words because I'll eventually encounter them while reading or listening to Korean and can learn them that way.

If you're too shy or nervous to converse with anyone else yet, try finding a private spot and talking to yourself (thinking aloud) in Korean. Have an electronic dictionary with you to look up words you don't know and a pocket notebook and pen for writing them down (or save the words as favorites in the dictionary, if it has that feature). These words can then be your top priority to learn, as you know you'll need them again. If your phone is constantly online, use the Naver or WordReference dictionary. If your phone's internet connection is spotty, use an offline dictionary such as the one by eflasoft. My Korean has improved greatly over the past few weeks because I do this, coupled with a lot of grammar study.

[missseaweed]

"You can add a hundred words and then forget them."

Man, this takes me back to Spanish 1. Flashcards. Flashcards everywhere.

[Bob-wrmd]

If anyone's reading this and want to take an advice:
I am currently finished with his book korean made simple 1(which I recommend, it's a great book), but i have upcoming exams, thus i just started to learn all of his 1, 000 vocabularies with anki.
I now know about 650 words of the 1, 000, and although I recognize more words in sentences, etc., my Korean level has not improved at all, since i had to take a break from studying grammar.

My recommendation is that, if you have time, learn the grammar and 15 words a day, like he recommended it, and find korean pen pals online.
If you know the grammar, you can look up words online while chatting with your pen pals, but you would know how to use these words and express yourself with them.
If you keep using korean, I'd say that you'll know the most important and frequently used vocabulary naturally after a while.

[_Aesthetic_Korean_Girl_]

Billy Korean is the best channel for learning Korean language your video are really helpful for us I'm watching Billy Korean since 2021 and now I can speak 10% of Korean
Thank you Billy Korean 😊😊

[lacoreanita]

I discovered you today and I really really love and appreciate your personality, your Korean ability, and your teaching!

[bambibam]

My goal - 10 words a day until my straykids concert(69 days as of right now) - basic conversational
overall goal - fluency!
(I'll come back and add more when time passes :))

[nataliawiecek]

You can use your foreign language book for learning korean, at the end of the chapter there usually is all the vocabulary that was used in it and then you can translate the words in naver vocabulary, there are also good sample sentences. And for remembering the vocabulary, the method that works for me is of course writing the word and pointing out at the thing or if I can't, I imagine it. I sometimes create a rhythm for a word or if it sounds similar to another word it's easier to remember

[selohcin]

That intro was pure gold! Great video. Seriously: I have spent so much time memorizing useless words from vocabulary lists, but I didn't know how to find more relevant lists. Thanks for the suggestions, Billy. Also, I didn't know you wrote books. I'll have to check them out.

[muzikk]

Def agree on the timing to learn vocabulary. As a beginner I tried to start with drilling vocab with duolingo but gave up after 6 months because even if I knew the words, I couldn't understand or make simple sentences. I regained interest in learning a year later by translating lyrics since I thought that would introduce me to many types of grammar in a digestible format. I now, more or less, understand sentence structure but lyrics are not a very good way to learn vocabulary since their content (love, memory, sadness, time, etc) is repetitive and not likely to be used in daily conversations. I've started making index cards for more common and useful vocabulary recently. I also organize them by topic because I find it easier to memorize related words. My current goals are to learn around 10-14 new words a day, practice listening of learned words by watching korean tv, and to become conversational in 1-1.5 years.

[amelierichards]

Your books helped me learn most of the Korean I know! Thankyou!

[cloudwatcher]

I did most of my beginning Korean study almost 13 years ago and I'm just getting back into it seriously, and when you wrote 배 my brain said "pear" but then you said "boat" and I was a little crestfallen until I went to check if it's a homonym. I was excited to find out I was correct

[oceandiscovery]

One of the best videos I have seen on a rational approach to learning vocabulary! Truly inspiring and motivational. I have tried over and over to memorize big lists of vocabulary words without success. This is a much better approach..so many good tips here. Thank you, GO Billy Korean.

[g_vost]

since im learning korean with interest in internet culture, im finding playing video games and watching videos in korean is helping me with specific vocabulary related to topics im interested in. a lot more applicable and memorable than 'umbilical cord' lol

[sarsysnape]

I'm getting so much strenght from your videos, thank you so much Billy!

[camideleon]

Definitely very useful!! I get asked this a lot when someone's starting to learn Korean!
What I did as a beginner is list down words I personally used at home.
My first vocabulary list consisted of 20 things I see in my own room and house.
Radio, TV, Bed, Chair, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Clothes...
Even if I didn't use these words all the time, when I used them with grammar, I could at least make sentences with them!
I'm gonna share this video with my beginner friends :D

[twiceizone]

You deserve 1million sub's from kpop fans this was so help full. And I need a Korean friemd