Boost Your Korean Skills With BTS Song Lyrics

Things that were unimaginable just ten years ago are now happening. As K-pop's global popularity increases in earnest, the Korean music industry is rising in all aspects, including smashing records for physical and digital music sales in less than a year.
Weeks before the K-pop concert, many overseas fans begin practicing singing and memorising fan chants for their favorite K-pop idols. The number of people learning the Korean language is soaring as their love for K-pop develops into an interest in Korean culture and language.
But can K-pop help you boost your Korean language proficiency than just spark an interest?
It's definitely a yes! In this post, we will look at how you can use your favourite K-pop music, which is widely available online with lyrics and translations, to help your Korean sparkle and shine.
Before we begin to learn Korean through the lyrics of K-pop songs, let us tell you a little bit about BTS.
Who is BTS?
BTS is a seven-member K-pop boy band. The BTS's popularity has skyrocketed not only in the Korean popular music industry, as well as in the US with their music hitting the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The Korean chart-topping boy band is currently the most popular K-pop band in the world.
What Does BTS Stand For?
Many have heard of their group's name. But what does BTS stand for? BTS, full name in Korean is Bang-tan So-nyeon-dan (방탄소년단), also known as the Bangtan Boys, which when translated to English means Bulletproof Boy Scouts.
How to Use K-pop Lyrics to Help you Learn Korean
Many foreign language learners feel a lack of practice and are less confident in their listening skills. Learn Korean language through K-pop lyrics is a great way to improve your listening skills and writing skills. You can make some effective listening exercises by practicing with K-pop.
Begin by finding a song that you enjoy and that has the grammatical and vocabulary points in the lyrics that you learned in Korean class.
Make Your Own Gap-fill Exercises
Many people believe gap-fill exercises are boring, although this is not entirely true. By personalising gap-fills to your personal tastes, you can make them more interesting and meaningful. It is a great way to improve receptive listening and productive writing while also exposing students to new vocabulary and grammar in a variety of contexts. When we use gap-fills repeatedly, they become more effective. Korean learners will need to be exposed to new words or grammar numerous times in order for the new words to be stored in their long-term memories.
Create your gap-fill exercise by printing or writing out the K-pop lyrics of your choosing in Hangul, leaving empty gaps for you to fill in while you listen to the music.
To make the songs more relevant to you, concentrate on the gaps in the lyrics that cover vocabulary or grammatical points that you're learning or have learned.
Students who have completed intermediate levels at ONLYOU Korean Language School, for example, can use the lyrics of BTS's ballad "The truth unfold(전하지 못한 진심)" to create a great gap-fills.
Create gaps around grammar patterns you want to practice; for example, you could make a gap in the line “너의 이름은 뭔지 - I wonder what your name is”, “갈 곳이 있긴 한지 - I wonder if you have a place to go” to practice the grammar ‘-(으)ㄴ지/는지/인지’, ‘-(으)ㄹ’, and ‘-기는 하다’. You can also revise the grammars you learned in the beginner levels such as ‘-고 싶다’, -(으)ㄹ 수 없다.’
This is how the worksheet may look like:
Practice | Answer |
---|---|
외로움이 가득히 __ __ 이 garden 가시투성이 umm 이 모래성에 난 날 매었어 __ ___ __ _ __ __ __ Oh could you tell me? ehh 이 정원에 숨어든 널 봤어 And I know 너의 온긴 __ _ __란 걸 푸른 꽃을 꺾는 손 __ ___ 내 운명인 걸 Don't smile on me Light on me 너에게 다가_ _ ____ 내겐 ___ ___ __ You know that I can't Show you me Give you me 초라한 모습 ___ _ __ _ ___ __ _ ___ _ But I still want you (want you, want you) |
외로움이 가득히 피어 있는 이 garden 가시투성이 umm 이 모래성에 난 날 매었어 너의 이름은 뭔지 갈 곳이 있긴 한지 Oh could you tell me? ehh 이 정원에 숨어든 널 봤어 And I know 너의 온긴 모두 다 진짜란 걸 푸른 꽃을 꺾는 손 잡고 싶지만 내 운명인 걸 Don't smile on me Light on me 너에게 다가설 수 없으니까 내겐 불러줄 이름이 없어 You know that I can't Show you me Give you me 초라한 모습 보여줄 순 없어 또 가면을 쓰고 널 만나러 가 But I still want you (want you, want you) |
1. | Fill in the gaps with the correct words by listening to the song as many times as necessary. Especially the first few times you do this exercise, it'll take a lot of listening, so pick a song you love! |
2. | If it’s really hard to fully grasp the lyrics, get hints from the English translation. Do not look at the Korean lyrics yet! |
3. | Finally, view the full Korean lyrics to double-check your answers. |
Conclusion
Using your hobby as a learning resource is a great way to maintain your interest and attention when learning a new language. Not only are you enjoying yourself as you listen to your favourite BTS tunes, but you are also improving your Korean language ability!
However, it is crucial for students to note that the language used in K-pop songs may be phrased differently to ensure the lyrics rhyme and match the tune’s melody. Native Korean speakers may express themselves differently to sound more natural.
So while K-pop is a brilliant learning resource to improve your Korean language skills, it is not a substitute for attending Korean classes. If you wish to emulate a native Korean speaker, you should consider enrolling in our online Korean language courses. Our experienced teachers will gladly clarify any doubts you have and guide you on your Korean learning journey so you can better understand this unique language and culture.