Hi hamkkeclan. It’s been a minute, right? Welcome back to the Hamkke chatroom, where we interview Korean enthusiasts on various topics.

Right now, we have Suli in the chatroom, a Korean language enthusiast who has been in the game for a while, and I am so excited to do this.

How did she become a language lover, and how far has she gone? Let’s get our answers

Hey Suli, can you tell us what sparked your interest in Korean culture, and how long have you been a fan?

Suli: What actually sparked my interest was Korean dramas, and I got to know about Korea generally through that. I found two Korean dramas at the time, and that was 2013.

Which dramas are we talking about?

Suli: That was ‘Boys Over Flowers’. Although it was actually ‘Jumong’ I found first but I didn’t really invest time in it at the time and it was just me watching a few episodes here and there before I found BOF. So you could say I found ‘Jumong’ first but ‘BOF’ captured my heart.

Can you speak the Korean language, and how fluent are you?

Suli: Yes, I can speak the Korean language, but I can’t boldly say I am at the intermediate level yet, so if you will permit me to say, I am at the beginner-intermediate level. More like an upper beginner and lower intermediate.

What motivated you to learn the Korean language, and how did you get started?

Suli: Like I said, I got to know about Korea through BOF and right from watching that drama; I felt like this language is new and it’s not something I am familiar with; I am going to learn it. So I started by learning the alphabets online, how to write them and some numbers.

Is this purely self-learning?

Suli: Not exactly, I recently joined a class where I am learning. However, I can say the beginning was purely self-learning before I joined the class.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while learning Korean, and how did you overcome them?

Suli: At first listening was kind of hard because Koreans talk really fast, but one major challenge I faced when learning was the grammar. The Korean language grammar is very hard, there are so many grammar points and the fact that they also have casual and polite form is another thing. You have to know when to use the polite form and not mix it up with the casual form.

Can you share any tips or resources that have helped you improve your Korean language skills?

Suli: Actually, I have so many PDFs. I don’t really use YouTube channels, but I download some podcast videos that I listen to at leisure, and when I come across things I don’t understand in them; I go online to research and learn more so that the next time I am listening to the podcast; I understand better than the first time coupled with the class I currently attend. Then I use Hello talk to learn as well.

What language learning resources or materials have you found most helpful in learning Korean?

Suli: First will be my class, some YouTube videos, and Variety Shows. Although most people prefer to use K-Drama but I found that there are some expressions they use in K-dramas just to make us understand better and they don’t use them in real life. However, variety shows are unscripted and that means they use normal daily basis expression.

What advice would you give a Korean language beginner to help them get started and become better?

Suli: I will say ‘practice.’ If you are a language enthusiast, I mean any language at all, if you have to practice and speak it more often. Try to speak with people and don’t be afraid so you can be corrected, and that’s just the way to get better. Even if you don’t have someone to speak with, you can speak to yourself. Also, for the Korean language, using Romanization to learn is not good at all, it is better to learn using Hangul.

Learning the Korean language, has it brought you any benefits so far?

Suli: That will be a straight ‘Yes.’ Attended a competition in my current class that earned me and some other member’s prices that were sent from Korea. Also, I attended a Korean event that was organized in Lagos State and even participated in the speech contest and came out in the second position and even got a price for it. Generally, I will say there are a lot of opportunities that can come with learning any language, not just the Korean language.

And that’s it for today, Hamkkeclan, a special shout out to Suli for visiting our chatroom and sharing her journey with us.

See you in the next chat room and just before we go, just like Suli, if you would like to tell us about the numerous things you’ve achieved courtesy the Hally Wave, click here