Common mistakes Korean learners make, and how to fix them
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Every Korean learner makes the same handful of mistakes, and most of them come from treating Korean like a version of your own language with different words. None of them will stop people understanding you, but fixing them is what makes you sound natural. Here are the most common, roughly in the order learners meet them.
1. Putting 은/는 on everything
Textbooks start with 저는 학생이에요, and many learners then put 은/는 on every subject. But 은/는 marks the topic, often with a sense of contrast, while 이/가 marks a new or specific subject.
- 누가 왔어요? 민수가 왔어요. (Who came? Minsu came.) Here 민수는 would sound odd, because Minsu is the new information.
- 비가 와요. (It is raining.) You would not say 비는 와요 unless you were contrasting rain with something else.
A rough guide: question words (누가, 뭐가) and new information take 이/가; things already being talked about take 은/는. The particles guide on this site goes into this in detail.
2. Mixing speech levels
Learners often switch between 해요 and 반말 in the same conversation, or use 반말 with someone older because a K-drama character did. Pick 해요체 as your default with anyone you do not know well, and only drop to 반말 when the other person suggests it. The speech levels guide covers when each one is used.
3. Honorifics in the wrong place
Honorific verbs raise the person you are talking about, never yourself. A common slip is saying 제가 드실게요 or 저는 주무셨어요. Raise others with -시- and special verbs (드시다, 주무시다, 계시다); lower yourself with 저 and humble verbs (드리다, 여쭤보다). Also, never add -시- to your own actions, even when speaking to someone senior.
4. 저 and 나, and the problem with "you"
저 is the polite "I" and 나 the casual one; use 저 whenever you use 해요 or 합니다 endings. The harder problem is "you". 당신 is not a neutral word for "you": it is used between spouses, in song lyrics and in arguments, and to a stranger it can sound cold or rude. Use the person's name with -씨, their title, or leave the subject out altogether, which is what Koreans do. The guide on how Koreans address each other covers names and titles.
5. Spacing
Korean is written with spaces between words, but particles attach to the word before them, and many learners put a space in the wrong place: 학교 에 instead of 학교에. On the other hand, dependent nouns such as 것, 수 and 때 are written separately: 할 수 있어요, 먹을 때. If in doubt, copy the spacing from a good example sentence.
6. False friends from English loanwords
Konglish words look familiar but mean something different:
- 핸드폰: a mobile phone.
- 원룸: a studio flat, not a one-bedroom.
- 서비스: something free from the shop, not "service".
- 파이팅: "you can do it", not a fight.
- 미팅: often a group blind date, not only a work meeting.
7. Pronunciation traps
- ㅓ vs ㅗ: 거 and 고 are different words; ㅓ is open and unrounded.
- Plain, aspirated and tense consonants: 달, 탈 and 딸 mean moon, mask and daughter. Practise hearing the puff of air.
- Pronouncing every letter as spelled: 감사합니다 is said "gamsahamnida", and 같이 is "gachi". The pronunciation rules guide explains these sound changes.
- Stressing syllables: Korean has a much flatter rhythm than English. Give each syllable roughly equal weight.
8. Translating literally
"I am hungry" is 배고파요, not a sentence with 저는 and "be". "Have a good day" has no natural word-for-word version; Koreans say 좋은 하루 보내세요, or simply 안녕히 가세요. Learn whole phrases for situations rather than building them from English.
- Too many pronouns: Korean drops anything obvious from context.
- Too many "and"s: Korean joins clauses with endings like -고 and -아서/어서 instead.
- Answering negative questions: "yes" and "no" work the other way round. 안 가요? 네 (안 가요) means "right, I'm not going".
How to fix mistakes faster
- Read your sentences aloud and compare them with a native recording.
- Ask for corrections in a language exchange, and write down the corrected sentence, not just the word.
- Collect example sentences instead of single words.
What mistake did you make for longest before someone pointed it out? Share it, or ask about a sentence you are unsure of, in the comments.