The best free apps for learning Korean on Android

Happy Monday to you! let's spend our time wisely by learning some Korean! And is there possibly an easier way to study a language by using your smartphone? I don't think so, it's that thing that's always in your hand nowadays so why not use it efficiently in your language studies!
If you are interested in learning Korean but have an Iphone. Don't worry, I made this post especially for you. And for those of you who are interested in learning Japanese as well you can read my Learning Japanese on Iphone and Android post.
Now let's get started!

PopPopping Korean;
The first app I tested is called; PopPopping Korean, sounds promising right? When installing the app it does requires you to have Adobe Air. If you don't have Adobe Air you can download it for free in the Playstore as well. If you don't have Adobe installed on your phone the app can't run. The app runs in landscape mode and focuses on learning Hangeul. The app is divided into two sections; Hangeul pronunciation and Rhythm Hangeul. In the Hangeul pronunciation section you find all the Hangeul characters pronounced for you. The cool thing is; there is even a picture in the background on how you should place your tongue and teeth while pronouncing the character. Especially with Korean I found it extremely helpful when my teacher told me how to place my tongue etc. for the perfect pronunciation, so it's really a good feature of the app!
Then comes 'Rhythm Hangeul' which is a game where you can spell out words and sentences with the Hangeul you just learned to pronounce. From standard words such as 사랑 해요 ( I love you)  to 빅뱅 (Big bang, especially for the Kpop fans among us). The app has cute illustrations of funny monsters which guide you trough the app.
Overall I think it's not an app you can enjoy for more than a couple weeks or months. It's convenient and easy for learning Hangeul but since the app doesn't have more features that's about as far as it goes.

Overall rating PopPopping Korean;
visual / layout; 5/5
Information; 3/5

Pro's
- Perfect for Hangeul pronunciation
- Fun layout
- Also good for kids

Con's
- Not suitable for long term use
- Need to install Adobe Air additonally

Learn Korean with Eggbun;
You might think; ugh another app with a cute name, but the Eggbun app is way more than that! It's quite different than any other language app I've seen! It does use mostly Hangeul so make sure you've got that down before starting with Eggbun. Eggbun focuses on learning Korean trough interactive conversations. Your screen looks like a chat screen and you can read the conversation while a native speaker pronounces everything for you. This sound easy, but it's not a sit back, relax and listen kind of app. You need to respond and actively participate in the conversation by choosing responses and typing things yourself. The conversations are quick and convenient and don't last longer than 5 minutes or so. Which gives you no excuse to slack on your Korean learning :) After conversation mode you can choose either review or quiz to check if you really understood everything. Just like PopPopping Korean Eggbun uses really cute illustrations of (you can't guess) a little egg bun-like character and other cute drawings. Overall the app is really easy to use and even though you do need to know Hangeul the app does start off with really basic conversations so it's perfect for beginners as well.

Overall rating Eggbun Convo;
visual / layout; 5/5
Information; 4/5

Pro's
- Unique layout and setup
- Detailed interactive conversations
- Fun quiz mode

Con's
- I know it's a first but I don't have any cons!

I hope this post was helpful! As usual I was not sponsored or asked by these companies to review their apps. If you want me to test and review any particular app please send me a message!

~mei mei

The best free apps for learning Korean on your Iphone

Hello there! One of my most popular posts was The two best apps for learning Japanese. Since many people thought it was helpful I even made a part two! After covering apps for Japanese, I had to find the best out there for Korean as well. So I did a little research and found these two apps. Since I will be making a part two for sure I thought I will split it into Iphone and Android rather then mixing them up. If you have a device running on Android please be patient, I will make an Adroid version soon. Now let's get reading and I'll show you the apps I found!

Accelastudy Learn Korean FREE Essentials;
This is a simple flashcards app. In the menu you are able to select from three main options; prepare, learn and test. Each option has it's own sub-options, I will explain them briefly for you. First there is 'PREPARE' in prepare you have three sub-options; my focus, my study sets and my progress. In 'my focus' you can select words from seven categories or select all the words you want to study. In 'my study sets' you can create your own set of flashcards and in 'my progress' you can see the percentage of the words you have mastered for each category.
For the 'LEARN' section you have four sub-options which are; study, spaced repetition, flashcards and hands free. The LEARN section is where you will actually be practicing your flashcards. Every option gives you a different style of learning, for example hands free where they will say the words out loud in both English and Korean.
In the last menu option you find TEST which has two sub-options; quiz and audio quiz. The English word will be in the screen and you need to select the correct answer from the four options in Hangul. The only difference between the audio option and the normal option is that the audio options pronounces the word for you.. in English... not sure if that's very helpful though.

Overall rating Essentials;
Visual / layout; 4/5
Information; 2/5

Pro's
- Clean layout
- Adjustable study options

Con's
- Not many words / categories to study
- Audio quiz is not helpful

iStart Korean;
As you might know from my Japanese app post I kind of raved about iStart Japanese so I had to try the Korean version as well. Although only the first four lessons are free I really recommend this app because it is extremely helpful! It teaches you trough lessons which give you that classroom feeling in your own comfort at home. Mirai apps work with three basic principles. First- language should be fun stimulating and enjoyable. Second- language instruction should be logical, well-paced and consistent. Third- language instruction and learning should be goal-oriented, with the objective of making you, the learner functionally proficient in actually speaking and understanding the Korean language. And don't tell me that's not exactly what you want! The Lite or 'free' version comes with four lessons; introduction, politeness, simple vowels and saying goodbye. At the beginning of each lessons they explain you what you will learn in this lesson. Then you will go through the session with your 'tutor'. This is a fun interactive lesson which in the end takes you to the summary where you recap what you have just learned. There is also a vocab section where you can review all your new words and a quiz section to make sure you really understand the information from the lesson.
I really liked the Japanese version and the Korean version is just as amazing. So far this is really my number one app for Korean!

Overall rating Essentials;
Visual / layout; 5/5
Information; 5/5

Pro's
- Clean layout
- Amazingly detailed lessons

Con's
- Free version has only four lessons
- Full version available at €4,99


I'm not in any way sponsored by these companies to review their apps.

Thank you for reading. If there is an app you would like me to try on either Iphone or Android devices let me know!

~ mei mei

6 reasons why you should learn Korean / why Korean might be easier than you think!

When you think about the Korean it might seem just another difficult Asian language. But don't get scared about what they  tell you, Korean is actually one of the easiest East Asian languages to learn! I will give you six reasons why Korean might be easier then you might think and why you should start learning Korean right now.

1. Korean has one of the most intelligent writing systems on earth. Compare it to Chinese and Japanese and it is looks suprisingly easy as well! The Korean alphabet is called Hangul and consists of 14 consonants and 10 vowels. That makes only 24 characters to learn!

2. Hangul is written the same way you probably have learnt. From left to right, top to bottom. And unlike Japanese, it has spaces inbetween.

3. Korean is not a tonal language. The language does have some accents but these don't change anything grammar wise.

4. The grammar in Korean language is very simple and straightforward. For example; you do not have to worry about gender and many verbs are just made out of nouns + the verb 'to do'.

5. There is a huge amount of information (most of the time for free) on the internet. You have lots of dramas with Korean and English subtitles and the amazing podcasts of Talk To Me In Korean are also free!

6. Korean has a lot of English loanwords (Konglish )and many Koreans are eager to learn English.

I hope this post has triggered your interest in Korean language. Read some more information about Korea and you will probably fall in love with it's beautifull language, interesting culture and kind people. If you are a fan of everything Japanese, have a look at my other post which compares the Japanese language to Korean.

Thank you for reading!

~Mei mei

Black Day, Asian day for singles? 블랙데이 - Jjajangmyun 자장면 Recipe

In case you don't have that  special person to celebrate Valentine's Day or White Day with, don't worry, the Asians have a special day for you too. It is called 'Black Day' 블랙데이. Black Day is celebrated on April 14th and is mostly celebrated in South Korea. At this day the Koreans mourn a little over the fact they didn't get any gifts earlier (on Valentine's or White day) and then celebrate their singleness by getting together with other single friends. If you want to follow their tradition you just have to wear something black and eat some dark coloured food like the famous jjajangmyun 자장면. 

Jjajangmyun is Black Day's signature dish and consists of white noodles covered in black bean sauce. Although jjajangmyung is written like 자장면 , it is pronounced as 짜장면, with a 'J' as in 'jam'. Jajang (자장) means 'fried sauce' and myeon (면)means 'noodle'.

It is actually a Chinese-Korean dish which some Chinese immigrants brought to Incheon. Unlike other Korean noodles, jjajangmyun is made of white flour instead of potato starch. The noodles are made by hand, and after that shortly boiled. When the noodles are cooked,  pork,vegetables and sea cucumber are added which make the base for the sauce. Last but not least they add black bean paste and a good stock. Some corn starch can be added also if the sauce isn't thick enough. jjajangmyun is considered as a national dish of Korea and the perfect comfort food for Black Day.

If you want to take it to a whole other level there are even many jjajangmyun eating contests this day!

Although jjajanmyun may sound like a dish for the loners which can make your teeth stain, it is really delicious. I highly recommend you to try it so I have the recipe for you below!

  

Recipe;

 This recipe makes four servings;

- Pork belly, diced in easy to eat cubes or strips

- 1 cup diced carrots

- 1 cup diced potatoes

- 1 cup diced onions

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- +/-  3 large table spoons black bean paste

- corn starch

- Water

- Sesame oil

- Your favorite vegetable julienned ( I recommend cucumber or Korean radish)

- Korean noodles of your choice 

1.        Heat a wok or a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meat and cook until the edges are slightly browned.

2.      Add the carrots and potatoes and sauté for 1/2 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions turn translucent.

3.      Add the black bean paste to the pan and combine. Make sure everything gets  evenly coated. Gradually add some water and bring to a high simmer. ( be careful not to add to much).

4.      Let the sauce simmer until it thickens, this will take about 3 to 4 minutes. The sauce has to stick to the noodles, but not too much either. If your sauce is not thick enough, you can add some cornstarch.

5.      Turn off the heat and add some sesame oil, stir until combined. Pour the sauce on top of the noodles. Garnish with your fresh vegetables.

I hope you enjoyed reading my post!

~ Mei mei