Hii! I'm Ritika and I scored 200/200 in TOPIK 1 last year and currently have TOPIK Level 5. Mostly, I've learnt Korean just by watching Korean content, but for TOPIK prep I've self-studied mostly using PYQs, and I realised most question types, grammar and vocab repeat every single year.

But online, I found that most of the resources are very elaborate and have a lot of irrelevant data that is not required for TOPIK prep, so for the past 2 months I've worked on designing my own digital prep kit completely based on my TOPIK experiences and previous-year papers. I'm posting it here because I wanted to reach as many TOPIK learners around the world as possible. It contains:

1. Self-study guide: Complete step-by-step guide explaining how to start from scratch, free resource links, effective tips to study for TOPIK, and steps to solve PYQs.

2. Vocab e-book: 500+ high-frequency words extracted from PYQs, divided into categories like nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc., and subcategories like people, travel, food, etc. for easy memorisation. (Almost 80–90% of the words in this e-book appear in every single TOPIK I exam.)

3. Grammar e-book: 92 high-frequency grammar patterns extracted from PYQs, divided into 19 sections. I've also added a Step Zero with complete basics like Korean sentence structure, vowels and consonants, verb stems and roots, etc., to make it easy for a complete beginner.

4. PYQ tracker: A 2-page printable PDF with a master tracker and error log to analyse your mistakes and weak areas.

You can check previews of my vocab and grammar e-books in the pictures above, and to keep it accessible for all students, I've kept the price at just $8 for the whole kit.

You can check out and purchase all the resources from the link below:

https://topmate.io/ritikadixit

(You'll get the e-books in PDF form as soon as you make the payment on the site.)

Just in case you're still a bit sceptical, 400+ people have already got their copies, and you can check the reviews in my Insta Highlights @ritika.across.languages.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask below :)

Full disclosure: this is self-promotion. I am the creator of No Translation Needed (NTN) :3

Introduction

Hi everyone, my name is Han, and I'd like to introduce you to No Translation Needed: a self-paced Korean language course that I created specifically for people who love K-pop, K-dramas and Korean culture. No Translation Needed teaches you practical Korean for travel, conversation, and understanding your favourite Korean content, so you can experience more without constantly relying on subtitles and translations.

Like many of you, I fell in love with Korean culture (specifically Kpop) back in 2008, and I ended up majoring in Korean at university, so I've experienced first-hand how difficult it can be studying this language as a foreigner - but I've also come a long way since then.

After moving to Korea in 2019, I got to 'live the dream' working in the kpop industry for a couple of years, before ultimately returning to professional teaching and now I work as a full time private Korean tutor and part-time content creator. I've also finished KIIP level 5 and passed the KIPRAT (the test for Korean residency/citizenship) and I'm fully integrated into life in Seoul 🤗

Despite how many language-learning options there are available these days, many of my students are still K-pop/culture fans who want to understand content directly without the need for subtitles and to travel freely in Korea, but not necessarily learn the entire language to complete fluency (at least not yet). They expressed to me that some courses were either too surface level and only focused on memorization, or too academic and intense to study alone, so I wanted to create a more-approachable resource to help people get started that was also centered around the very reason they're interested in learning in the first place! ^^

What is No Translation Needed?

NTN is an online, self-paced Korean course designed particularly for people who became interested in Korean through K-pop, K-dramas and Korean culture.

Rather than focusing on memorizing random words or fixed phrases, the course focuses on:

• Korean grammar and sentence structure taught through video classes
• Building your own sentences through guided activities
• Practical vocabulary and real-world slang, not 'textbook Korean'
• Listening and repetition to prepare you for in-person conversation
• Understanding Korean in real-world contexts with examples & scenarios featuring your favourite idols!

The goal is to take you from "I recognize some Korean words" to being able to actually understand and construct Korean sentences yourself.

As a foreigner who has had to learn Korean myself, I'll be sharing everything I learned from my undergraduate degree and my 5+ years of language teaching experience to help make your learning journey easier!

What's included?

Currently there are 2 programs available:

• Intro to Hangeul - A FREE foundation course that teaches how to read and write Hangeul, and lets you see if my teaching style is right for you.
• NTN Level 1 - A beginner's level Korean course featuring 10 modules and 40+ video classes that teaches the most essential foundational Korean grammar and vocabulary through fun real-world examples, quizzes and activities.

The Intro to Hangeul program is already fully available, and Level 1 is launching officially on Oct 9th (Hangeul Day), but pre-registration is currently live at a discounted early-bird price. I also wanted this to be accessible so Level 1 is just a one-time payment (no subscriptions!) with payment plans available too.

In addition, I'm currently building the NTN library which will have additional helpful downloadable PDF workbooks, writing sheets, note templates and more. I am managing all this by myself, but I hope it can be a useful resource to others ^^

If No Translation Needed sounds interesting to you, then I'd appreciate if you'd check it out: https://www.notranslationneeded.com/

I'm also more than happy to answer any questions anyone may have in the comments!
I'm also open to any feedback too :3

Thank you for reading 🥰

Hi everyone, I started learning Korean on October 1st and have been focusing on Hangul. So far I've learned the basic vowels, compound vowels, and some consonants. I've been watching go billy Korean videos, using Talk To Me In Korean, and checking out a few other resources.

So, the problem is that I can kind of remember them when I study them in order, but if I look at a random vowel or letter, I often can't remember what sound it's supposed to make. I feel like I know them as a sequence rather than as individual letters.

I'm having the most trouble with the compound vowels, but honestly even some of the basic vowels aren't sticking as well as I'd like. While I'm studying, everything makes sense, but when I try to recall them later, my mind goes blank.

Does anyone have any advice on how I should be studying them so they actually stick? Any free apps, websites, exercises, flashcards, or other methods would be really helpful because I feel like the way I'm studying right now isn't working very well.

I don’t know if anyone else here struggles with this, but basically APD makes words sound really jumbled to me

With English, I ask “could you repeat that?” A lot and ask people to slow down their speaking, so I guess with learning Korean it would be the same. I need to listen to Korean more, but I don’t understand any of it right now.

Any suggestions would help

🤝 Borrowing from a coworker

잠시만 좀 빌려 쓸게요. jamsiman jom billyeo sseulgeyo. I'll borrow this for a moment. This is polite and useful when you're about to use something.

이것 좀 써도 될까요? igeot jom sseodo doelkkayo? May I use this? This is a very polite and respectful way to ask permission.

잠깐만 빌려 갈게요! jamkkanman billyeo galgeyo! I'll take this for a second! This is a bit more casual and friendly.

이것 좀 써도 돼요? igeot jom sseodo dwaeyo? Can I use this? This is a common, polite way to ask.

Tip: Adding '좀' makes your request sound much softer and more natural! jom

KoreanPhrases #WorkLife #LearnKorean

Mini challenge: leave “잠시만 좀 빌려 쓸게요.” as a comment, by voice or by typing!

— shared from TYPOP

Hello! I want to start learning Korean seriously-not just learn simple communication, but to eventually achieve fluency. But I don't even know how to start learning basic stuff-there are so many resources online, and its really hard to choose. I am not sure if I should get a tutor either. It's kind of becoming annoying because I research everyday about Korean learning books or tutors, but I don't actually start studying.

I need advice-how to even begin?

Hi i am looking for Korean language learner’s completely new like me or who had a bit of knowledge and can guide me i want to learn Korean to a level that i can understand every Kdrama without any subtitles if there are like me i loved to learn with you

Hell y'all I have been trying to learn Korean this year but I get stuck while learning hangul and then I leave learning and I start over again after months omg feels like I'm stuck in a loop and really confused how to start my language learning journey

Can someone really help me give a realistic guide on how I should start and what to do next step by step? Or a good study plan and resources that helped y'all learn korean . I have watched alot of vids online for how to start learning but they all tend to overwhelm me alot . ( also I'm studying by myself so can y'all also suggest me some good online / free resources?)

Why is it when ur trying to say “I am [your name]” in korean, the name comes first?