Jian's Korea 101 — A Kid's Guide to Korea

✍️

Hangeul — Our Alphabet

한글 (han-geul)

Korean has its own alphabet called Hangeul. A long time ago, in 1446, King Sejong the Great made it so that everyone — not just rich scholars — could read and write. The letters are shaped like your mouth and tongue when you say the sounds!

It has only 14 consonants and 10 vowels, so many of my foreign friends learn to read it in just a few days.

Fun factWe have a national holiday just for our alphabet! Hangeul Day is October 9th — no school! 🎉

Try it!This is my country's name in Hangeul: 한국 (han-guk). Two syllable blocks — can you spot them?

📚 Learn more: Hangeul on KOREA.net (official site of the Republic of Korea)

🍚

Korean Food — Yum!

한식 (han-sik)

Kimchi is spicy fermented cabbage, and we eat it with almost every meal. In late autumn, families make a huge amount together — that's called kimjang, and UNESCO listed it as world heritage in 2013!

My favorites? Tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes — the #1 snack after school 🌶️) and bibimbap — rice with vegetables and an egg that you mix all together. Mixing is the fun part!

Fun factWhen Koreans take photos, we say "kimchi~!" instead of "cheese~!" 📸

Try it!Say 맛있어요! (ma-si-sseo-yo) — it means "It's delicious!" Say it at a Korean restaurant and watch everyone smile.

📚 Learn more: Korean food guide on VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization)

👘

Hanbok — Traditional Clothes

한복 (han-bok)

Hanbok is our traditional clothing with bright, beautiful colors. Girls wear a short jacket (jeogori) with a long puffy skirt (chima), and boys wear the jacket with baggy pants (baji).

We don't wear it every day — we wear it on big holidays like Seollal and Chuseok, or for special family photos. It feels like wearing a rainbow!

Fun factIf you wear a hanbok to old palaces like Gyeongbokgung in Seoul, you get in for free! Many visitors rent one nearby. 👑

Try it!Say 예뻐요! (ye-ppeo-yo) — "It's pretty!" Perfect word when you see a hanbok.

📚 Learn more: Hanbok on KOREA.net

🌅

Seollal — Lunar New Year

설날 (seol-lal)

Seollal is Korean New Year on the lunar calendar, usually in late January or February. The whole family gathers, wears hanbok, and eats tteokguk — rice cake soup. We say eating it makes you one year older!

The best part for kids: we do a deep bow to grandparents called sebae, wish them a happy new year — and they give us pocket money! 💰

Fun factThe new year money is called sebaetdon. It comes in a pretty envelope or silk pouch. Best. Holiday. Ever.

Try it!The Seollal greeting: 새해 복 많이 받으세요! (sae-hae bok ma-ni ba-deu-se-yo) — "Receive lots of luck in the new year!"

📚 Learn more: Traditional holidays on VisitKorea

🌕

Chuseok — Korean Thanksgiving

추석 (chu-seok)

Chuseok is our harvest festival on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month (September or October), under the biggest full moon of the year. Families travel to their hometowns — the highways get SO crowded!

We thank our ancestors for the harvest and make songpyeon — half-moon rice cakes filled with sweet sesame or beans. I help my family shape them. Grandma says if you make pretty songpyeon, you'll have a pretty baby someday. 😄

Fun factSongpyeon are steamed on a bed of pine needles — that's where the "song" (pine) in the name comes from! 🌲

Try it!Look at the full moon and make a wish — that's what Korean kids do on Chuseok night. 🌕✨

📚 Learn more: Seollal & Chuseok on VisitKorea

🥋

Taekwondo — Our Martial Art

태권도 (tae-kwon-do)

Taekwondo was born in Korea and is now an Olympic sport practiced all over the world. The name means "the way of kicking and punching" — and the kicks are the coolest part. 🦵

Tons of Korean kids (including lots of my friends) go to taekwondo academies after school. You start with a white belt and work your way up to black. It teaches respect and confidence, not fighting.

Fun factBefore practice, we bow to the teacher and shout "Charyeot! Kyeongnye!" (Attention! Bow!). Respect comes first, always.

Try it!The famous shout when you strike: 태권! Stand tall, punch the air, and yell it. Feels great, right?

📚 Learn more: Sports & culture on Arirang TV (Korea's international broadcaster)

🏯

Hanok & Palaces

한옥 (han-ok)

A hanok is a traditional Korean house with a curved tile roof and wooden pillars. The coolest invention inside is ondol — heating that runs under the floor! That's why Koreans love sitting and sleeping on warm floors, even today in modern apartments.

In Seoul you can visit grand old palaces like Gyeongbokgung, built in 1395, and watch the royal guard-changing ceremony in colorful costumes.

Fun factWe ALWAYS take our shoes off inside a Korean home. Always! The floor is for sitting and eating, so it stays clean. 👟🚫

Try it!Visit Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul — a real neighborhood of hanok houses between two palaces. (Quietly — people live there!)

📚 Learn more: Palaces & hanok on VisitKorea

🏫

My School Life

학교 (hak-gyo)

Korean elementary school is 6 years, and the school year starts in March, not September! We take our shoes off at the entrance and wear indoor slippers all day.

School lunch (geupsik) is a real Korean meal on a metal tray — rice, soup, kimchi, and side dishes. After school, many kids go to academies called hagwon for piano, taekwondo, art, or English.

Fun factWe clean our own classrooms! Students sweep and wipe the desks — it teaches us to take care of our space. 🧹

Try it!Say 선생님 (seon-saeng-nim) — "teacher." We always add "-nim" to be polite!

📚 Learn more: Life in Korea on KOREA.net

🙇

Korean Manners

예절 (ye-jeol)

In Korea, respect for older people is a big deal. We bow when we greet, and we use two hands when giving or receiving something from a grown-up. Even when my grandpa hands me a snack, I take it with two hands!

At meals, we wait until the oldest person picks up their spoon first. And remember: shoes OFF inside the house — no exceptions!

Fun factKoreans often ask your age when they meet you. It's not rude — we need to know it to choose the right polite words! 🎂

Try it!Say thank you with a small bow: 감사합니다 (gam-sa-ham-ni-da). Two hands + a bow = super polite!

📚 Learn more: Korean etiquette on KOREA.net

🎮

Traditional Games & K-Culture

놀이 (no-ri)

Maybe you saw Korean games in Squid Game? They're real! Ddakji (flipping folded paper tiles) and Mugunghwa kkochi pieotseumnida (our "Red Light, Green Light") are games we actually play. On holidays we play yunnori, a board game where you throw four wooden sticks instead of dice.

And yes — K-pop! My classmates dance to it at every school talent show. Korean music, dramas, and webtoons are loved all around the world now. That wave of Korean culture even has a name: Hallyu.

Fun factDdakji is just folded paper — you can make one from two sheets and play anywhere. Slam yours to flip your friend's tile! 📄

Try it!Say 대박! (dae-bak) — "Awesome!" Korean kids say it all the time.

📚 Learn more: K-culture shows on Arirang TV

⭐

Korea 101 Quiz!

퀴즈 (kwi-jeu)

Did you read everything? Let's check! Tap an answer. 😎

Annyeong! Let Me Show You
My Country, Korea!

Hangeul — Our Alphabet

Korean Food — Yum!

Hanbok — Traditional Clothes

Seollal — Lunar New Year

Chuseok — Korean Thanksgiving

Taekwondo — Our Martial Art

Hanok & Palaces

My School Life

Korean Manners

Traditional Games & K-Culture

Korea 101 Quiz!

1. Who created Hangeul, the Korean alphabet?

2. What soup do Koreans eat on New Year's Day to get one year older?

3. What must you ALWAYS do before entering a Korean home?

4. What do Koreans say when taking a photo?

5. Which rice cakes do families make together at Chuseok?