Boosting Reading Skills & Vocabulary for TOPIK II

Tackling reading & vocabulary. 

Let’s discuss some strategies for improving reading comprehension: 

  • Step 1:

First of all one thing which you need to keep in mind that “ try to understand the right pronunciation of korean Alphabets ( 한글).  This is the first step to improve your reading skills.

  • Step 2: 

Always start from simple paragraphs with easy vocabulary. Because easy vocabulary will help you to create flow in reading. Reading with flow is very useful for the TOPIK II exam. 

  • Step 3

There are words in Korean that have different writing structures with different pronunciations. You need to read them correctly. 

For example: 같이, 맏이, 굳이 

When you will be able to read these kinds of words correctly, it becomes easy for you to scan the paragraph during the TOPIK II exam. 

Must watch this video. 

How to expand the Korean vocabulary? 

 Let’s discuss some strategies which I used to apply while I was preparing for the TOPIK II exam. 

  • Watch vocabulary videos. 

( You can find them in pdf, YouTube video, Instagram posts even in reels). 

  • Make a daily list of words.

( The best method which I used to apply was “write vocabulary words in alphabetical order, the same as a dictionary).

  • Use paper pen method: 

( It’s good to have digital notes but I will suggest using paper and pen. When you write by using  your hands your brain will automatically remember that word).

Note: 

These are simple and easy tips to start from scratch.  

My Experience: 

Being a language learner I can understand that it’s not an easy journey. It takes time and effort. 

I always tried  to be consistent and not break the flow of my studies, But sometimes due to my routine work I was not able to do that. So

  • I created a study plan. 

( This study plan was on a daily basis. I managed my work with my study time. The best time to study Korean is early morning when your mind is fresh. So I did the same thing. I used to get up early in the morning in a fresh mood and study my vocabulary list which I had made before sleeping). 

My suggestion: 

Add at least 10 words daily in your vocabulary list. Must review them on weekends. 

  • Learning of grammatical structures: 

When you start preparing for TOPIK II, it’s necessary to have a good command of grammar. Because without that you will not be able to solve the multiple choice questions. My strategy was to learn 10 -15 grammatical structures in a week. After that I used to apply those structures in a sentence. 

My suggestion: 

Must write a small paragraph using the grammatical structures you learned before. If you keep the paragraph in the story telling type, it will be more productive. 

  • Past TOPIK preparation tests: 

I used to solve past papers which I downloaded online. These past papers helped me to understand the nature of the reading section. The difficult section for me was “ fill in the blank” so I used to read the solved online papers and then go for unsolved ones. This is a good strategy. 

My suggestion: 

Start preparing for TOPIK II at least one month before the actual exam. Reading is the hardest section sometimes.

For reading practice use this series of books ( Vitamin Korean).These books have enough reading sections to complete. These are available online.

 Useful resources for Korean reading practice: 

KOREAN WEBTOONS: 

Webtoons are basically Korean comics which are available online . These are the best resources for Korean reading practice. 

You can find webtoons on “Naver”& “Daum” apps. For beginners “Naver” is a good choice & for intermediate learners “Daum” is a good choice. 

  • Naver Webtoons: 

My suggestion: 

Don’t just go for the webtoon you see or like the title, you have to understand your level of language and select accordingly. Otherwise you will not be able to read properly.

  • Daum App: 다음 

This app is more versatile. Here you will find thousands of topics and videos. This is also the best option for 

  • Learning vocabulary 
  • Improving reading comprehension 
  • Right pronunciation 
  • Todai

 ( easy Korean – Easy life)

This app is also useful for reading practice. 

This one has a listening section. You can listen to the whole story and improve your reading skills.  Even some of the words are highlighted for your comfort. 

There is a section for TOPIK tests. You can download them for free and practice your language. 

KOREAN NEWSPAPERS: 

  • 동아일보 ( dongailbo).

This is the most popular Korean newspaper. It’s a great source for reading practice. If you just started reading and practicing for TOPIK II there is a section in this news paper called “  어린이 동아 kids donga”

  • 중앙일보 & Korea times. 

These are also the most precious newspapers for Korean language study. There are some newspapers which have English translation websites also, which is a great source for reading improvements. 

Korean news channels: 

  • MBC News 
  • SBS News 
  • KBS News 

Also you can find some videos  on YouTube for vocabulary and reading like mukbang videos , cooking videos, Korean daily vlogs etc. 

90 Day Korean 

This is the best website for vocabulary & not only vocabulary this website provides free language level tests. Also lots of different options for improving reading skills. 

Instagram Account: 

Euphoria Blogs 

Must visit this Instagram account. You can find multiple free resources for 

  • TOPIK preparation and vocabulary apps also have multiple options for Flashcards. 

DICTIONARY ( Papago) : 

This is the best dictionary you can use for vocabulary. I have been using it since 2023. 

This is how it works. You can shift from English to Korean & Korean to English.

This dictionary not only translates but also provides you with complete information about sentence structure. 

Extra Bonus Point: 

info Books 

This website also provides resources for 

  • Korean Books 
  • Korean Novels 
  • Korean Poetry 
  • Theater Books
  • Exercise Books 

I hope you find this blog useful. If you have any questions related to TOPIK preparation or Korean language.

Feel free to contact us.

Regards, 

Taskeen Peerzada

Author


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