KoreanClass101.com Blog

반찬- Side dishes. It's all about presentation. I should mention that rice is like the daddy mac and kimchi is the mac daddy (that reference just happened. you heard it here first). Where one is the other is, too. They are expected at all main dishes (save noodle-based dishes like 짜장면 or 비빕국수). I mentioned rice before but I'm afraid that I missed a crucial cultural point. Rice is just about the only "side dish" that really should be finished. It's not overtly rude to leave some rice in one's bowl, but make it a point to finish your meal off by making that rice bowl empty. If you find yourself getting full fast, put the brakes on the 잡채 and finish your rice. If you're feeling particularly hungry or if your eyes perk up at the... Show more

Korean nursery rhymes First and foremost, unless you teach kindergarten or have small children, listening to nursery rhymes (regardless of language) is like dragging nails on a chalkboard. Even then, it can be a cruel form of punishment. For only the brave, continue reading. The first one that comes to mind for me is 곰 세 마리가 (Three Bears). Here's a blog entry that seems to dissect the song entirely. I'm sure anyone who watched 풀하우스 remembers it fondly. 내 동생 is made from pure sugar and should be considered mandatory for all kids. Here's a great flash animation. 동, 동, 동대문 is a twist on London Bridge is Falling Down. At 3:52 there's a cute game known in English as the "Rose of Sharon" (no relation to the epic song from... Show more

여러분! Dear all our podcast listeners and blog readers.  :) Great news! Our blog, this KoreanClass101 Blog has been nominated for the Most Helpful Blogs to Expats, 2008 for the Golden Klog Awards ! Go to this page to find out more about Golden Klog Awards, and if you think the KoreanClass101 Blog has been helpful, please vote for us here. Thank you!!

I know, I know. I promised last week that I'd come with some hiphop today. But there's something else I want to write about today instead. I've been a fan of FT 아일랜드 or FT Island since their debut. They're a five member boyband - and by band, I mean an actual band. They don't all sing and dance - they actually play their instruments, and generally suck pretty bad at dancing. There's 이홍기 on vocals, 최종훈 on guitar, 이재진 on bass, 최민환 on drums, and 오원빈 on guitar and backing vocals/'rap', and my favourite. They debuted in 2007 and since then they've released two albums and repackages, and a Japanese mini album and single, as well as performing songs on a couple of drama OSTs. The above is the first single, 사랑후애, from their second album... Show more

Korean Reading Practice for Beginners #3 is here! You can practice pronouncing some combinations of consonants and vowels using this video. If you can't watch the video, please click the following link.