Hi! This is Sol from My Korean Lesson. As a native Korean speaker myself, I have studied English for a long time. So I understand how difficult it can be to practice listening in a foreign language. Learning Korean can be an exciting and rewarding journey, but for many non-native speakers, developing listening skills can be particularly challenging.
However, you can significantly enhance your Korean listening abilities with the right strategies and consistent practice. This blog post will provide practical tips and techniques to help you improve your Korean listening skills. I hope it helps your language learning experience more effective and enjoyable.
Use Various Listening Materials
Start with Slow and Clear Audio Materials
When you’re just starting, choose audio materials that are slow and clear. Language learning apps like Talk To Me In Korean (TTMIK) offer beginner-friendly podcasts and lessons that gradually increase in difficulty. Watching Korean children’s shows or listening to Korean audiobooks for beginners can also provide a good foundation. These materials typically use simpler vocabulary and slower speech, allowing you to catch individual words and phrases more easily. I personally recommend the YouTube channel Pinkfong(핑크퐁). This channel is famous for its Baby Shark song. They have a playlist of traditional Korean stories.
Use Subtitled Media
Incorporate Korean dramas, movies, and TV shows with subtitles into your learning routine. Start with English subtitles to get a general understanding of the content, and then switch to Korean subtitles as your skills improve. This approach helps you associate spoken Korean with its written form, reinforcing vocabulary and sentence structures.
You can also try watching without subtitles once you get used to it. As you notice, using subtitles requires you to watch the same content many times. Repeating is your biggest helper in language learning!
Popular streaming platforms like Netflix and Viki offer a wide range of Korean content with both English and Korean subtitles. Also, you can find many YouTube channels that offer Korean subtitles.
Practice with Korean Music and Podcasts
Listening to Korean music and podcasts can be an enjoyable way to improve your listening skills. Music, especially K-pop, is not only entertaining but also provides exposure to colloquial language and modern slang. Try to follow along with the lyrics and understand the meaning behind the songs.
Podcasts are audio content that covers a variety of topics, including news, comedy, education, and sports. By subscribing to and regularly listening to podcasts in a field of interest, you can acquire specialized terminology and expressions in that field. You can also become familiar with Korean pronunciation, intonation, and more natural speech patterns. Subscribing to Korean podcasts on topics you’re interested in can keep you engaged and motivated!
How To Practice Listening
Practice Listening Daily
Consistency is key when learning a new language. Make listening practice a part of your daily routine, even if it’s just for 10-15 minutes. Consistent exposure to the language helps you become more familiar with the sounds and improves your ability to understand spoken Korean.
The "input" and "exposure" are a very important fact of language learning. Whether it’s listening to a podcast on your way to work, watching a short YouTube video during lunch, or winding down with a Korean drama in the evening, daily practice will accelerate your progress. So, consider K-pop songs or podcasts like background music or noise and just let it keep flowing around you.
Engage in Active Listening
Active listening is a vital practice, especially when learning a new language like Korean. Unlike passive listening, which involves simply hearing words without engaging with them, active listening requires full concentration and an effort to understand and retain what is being said.
Techniques for Practicing
Pause and Reflect: While listening, pause the audio periodically to reflect on what you've heard. Summarize the main points in your own words, either mentally or in writing. You can even draw what you just heard.
Mimic and Shadow: Shadowing involves listening to a segment of audio and then immediately repeating it, trying to match the speaker's speed, tone, and pronunciation. This technique helps improve both listening and speaking skills.
Take Notes: While listening, jot down key points, unknown or new vocabulary, and interesting expressions. Reviewing these notes later can reinforce learning and aid in retention.
Example Practice Routine
This is an example routine you can use. You can adjust the time and method that suits you, of course.
Warm-Up (5 minutes): Listen to a short, familiar audio clip to get into the listening mindset.
Active Listening Session (20 minutes): Choose a podcast or news segment. Listen attentively, pausing every few minutes to summarize what you've heard.
Shadowing Exercise (10 minutes): Play a segment of the audio and repeat it aloud, mimicking the speaker's pronunciation and intonation.
Discussion or Reflection (10 minutes): Discuss the content with a language partner or write a summary of the key points. You can draw what you heard as well. You can use a script or dictionary to find the words you couldn't understand while listening.
Review (5 minutes): Go over your notes and any new vocabulary you encountered.
Try the Natural Approach
The natural teaching method is a method based on the principle that children naturally learn their native language. This method makes you learn the target language naturally in communication situations without relying on the learner's native language.
One of the ways I used to study English when I was in high school was similar to this natural approach method. This method is from the book "Never Study English. (영어공부 절대로하지마라.)" by Chan-Yong Jeong(정찬용). With all the years later, I still believe it greatly helped me, so I wanted to share it with you.
This method asks you to learn a foreign language as you learned your native language. So, it expects you to study language like when you were a baby. A baby just listens to what others say, without understanding it, for a long time. You'll do the same!
First, you have to choose one listening material. The book is an old one, so it had cassette tapes. However, you can use only the audio part of YouTube without watching the video. You can also choose a podcast. It can be simple and short. It will be good to have clear, proper Korean dialogues.
Then, you'll listen to the audio file just like a baby. Do not try to translate it. You can play it like background noise, but you should pay full attention and listen carefully to the clip twice a day. The book recommended listening 6 days a week and rest one day. You have to repeat listening to the same file over and over until you fully understand what it says!
If you pass the first step, now you will do dictation practice. You'll listen and write what you heard. You should pause every sentence, not a word! That way you can be exposed to a full and natural sentence. For the words you are not sure, you can just guess and write what you heard.
Once you finish all dictation, now read back and find the words you guessed. Use the Korean dictionary and check if the spelling is right. Even if you don't understand the meaning, it is okay.
If you have finished making the script, now read it aloud! You must try to mimic the audio. Mimic the pronunciation and intonation. If you are not sure, listen again and repeat after it.
It is a part of the book's method. Yes, it is not easy. It can take a long time. However, just like a baby learns a native language, one day you can realize things from the audio file. It is the natural way to learn a language, so your intonation and pronunciation can be very natural.
Conclusion: Improve Listening Skills
Listening is a part of language practice, not a sole goal. People say that you can only hear what you know. So, while you practice listening, it is important to keep track of the new words or expressions. Also, you can connect this listening practice with speaking practice. These activities stimulate different parts of the brain and help learning more effectively.
Practicing active listening every day will greatly help you. However, don't forget to have background music or noise in Korean throughout your day. The best way to improve your listening skills is to listen a lot. Expose yourself to fun Korean audio files!
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