Learning Resources
Korean Wiki Project
This site is one of the first the I ever stumbled upon a few years ago. In a matter of about an hour, I was able to learn the Korean writing system and even a few words. It's one of the sites that help give me the little push I need to get started with learning Korean.
Talk To Me In Korean
Talk To Me In Korean is the second site I visited at the beginning of my journey. They had just started out and it seemed like a wonderful concept and I loved the idea of being taught through a simple podcast. It was great for me when I was at the beginning stages and the way it progressed week by week was really helpful in giving me time to solidify what I had been taught. The PDF print outs were great too. It's been a while since I've used it because I've resorted to learning with my own methods, but for someone just starting out, and even for the more advanced, I would say that this site is everything. The do include some pay to use services, but for the most part, you can learn everything you need for free!
Lang-8
I began using this site about 4 years ago when I was learning Japanese. It was an on and off again relationship between us. The site works much like a blog or journal, except you can receive corrections from users to what ever entries you post in the language you're learning. It can be a really helpful tool if you need to practice writing but don't know if what you're writing is correct. I wouldn't use it to get corrections on one sentence because it's aimed more as a journal than a quick translator though. You can also correct other users who write entries in your native language. It's a fantastic way to meet friends too!
Naver Dictionary
This resource maybe not be easy to navigate if you don't know a bit of Korean already. The site is comepletely in Korean but if that doesn't phase you, it can really help as a fantastic free study tool. I use it everyday whether I'm writing something in Korean, reading a book, or talking to a friend in Korean and I'm unsure of what a word means. It's done wonders in increasing my vocabulary and I really swear by it. An actually dictionary would be nice to buy but since they cost upwards of $80, I won't be buying one until next year so this is a gem. Also, it may be better than an actual book because it combines the knowledge of many different dictionaries all in one search engine. No need to flip through pages looking for a word. There are even mobile apps of Apple OS and Android devices!
Naver Webtoons
If you love reading comics or are a collector of manga, this site will really help you in your studies. I am a firm believer that having some kind of fun activity that's linked to your learning will make learning easier and faster. In my own studies, I feel like if I'm staring at a book for too long, I get to a point where I'm not absorbing any knowledge and I'm just reciting words in my head for them to leave my mind seconds later. When it comes to learning with comics, the words stay in my head easier because they come from a story that I read. It wasn't as if I was just reading out the definition. There is context to place the word with which helps me to remember it later when I'm in a situation where the context is the same.
Find A Friend!
This app is amazing. I've found so many people here in a short amount of time who were interested in learning English and are fluent in Korean. It's not easy to hit it off with just anyone, but when you find someone who has similar interests to you, it's makes the whole language exchange that much more fun and exciting. I've found dozens of friends here within a couple months of using and a few of them have remained very good buddies. This is a must try app for anyone who is interested in finding a partner to practice Korean with. It's available for Apple iOS and Android. Check out the site for complete details on the features it provides.
Another good mobile phone app. This one is only available for Apple iOS devices unfortunately. I can't compare this one to any other app. It allows you to interact with people from other counties regardless of what language either of you are studying. You can send messages, use a translator on the ones you receive (but it's basically google translate and kind of complete trash), reply to messages, create chatrooms that other users can enter and chat in, and add a photo and status updates. I'm sure there are more features but you'll have to download it yourself or click the link to realize what it offers in it's entirety. I've made a few friends here but none that I have continuously kept in touch with.
This site is much like facebook or myspace in respect to social media. The only difference is that it's primary use is to find a language exchange partner. I have used it many times in the past few years, but I haven't really been able to find a partner here that was very interested in serious learning, or maybe they just didn't like me(?). Anyways, just because I didn't find anyone doesn't mean you won't! Give it a try!
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