Making Out in Korean: A Korean Language Phrase Book (Making Out Books)

I'm learning a bit of spoken Korean with a Korean friend. We've gone over some videos we found online, a formal book which gives the full grammar and written language and a few other things. This is her favorite book we've looked at so far, as it actually gives words and phrases as they are used by real, live Korean people. Other books are awfully formal. Formality is important in Korean culture, but understanding people, and making yourself understood is probably more important. One of the other reviewers is quite correct: there is a lot of bawdy stuff in here. If you're religious, you are likely to be offended. However, there are a lot of us who want to be able to say such things in Korean, and as such, this is a valuable resource. It is decidedly non-proper, and it warns you when it teaches phrases which are not obviously off color (lots of "hey dude" kind of things involve calling the other fellow something fairly rude to most Koreans). This isn't a phrasebook for board meetings: it's a phrasebook for making new friends in Korean bars.One point against it, which may be just a difficulty with Korean in general: the pronunciation guide is quite messed up. It makes very little sense, and sounds nothing like how Korean people pronounce the words. Probably no big deal if you are doing what I am doing, or if you understand the standard English transliteration of Hangul, but if you're just picking this up casually and hoping to make yourself understood, you'd be better off pointing to the helpful Hangul in the phrasebook than trying to sound the words out by yourself.

I had purchased this booklet almost 2 years ago for my girlfriend then. She still casually reads it on occasion for basic references and for fun.The appeal of the book is that it has the right mix of educational and entertainment value to actually teach her how to read basic hangul and speak some Korean phrases as painlessly as possible from a book. Hearing her reading the later chapters is a treat in itself. Making out in Korean, indeed...The romanization is a bit off at times, requiring me to correct her. But even I have to admit I learned a few slangs myself that I was previously unaware of (I'm a 1.5 generation).I have to conclude the book was perfect for us, and it set out to do what I hoped. Not to make my (now fiance) fluent in Korean, but to increase her appreciation in Korean culture and bring us that much closer. She's even taken to wanting to wear a hanbok (traditional Korean dress) for part of our upcoming wedding.

funny, embarrassing, and dirty. This book is all laughs and a little but of education. Ignore the English romanization is it is the worst I've ever seen. However, the translations and Korean is spot on. If you want to learn some great insults, cuss words, and the worst ways to compliment a women, pick up this book. I can't help but look at it from time to time to see how might I make my buddies crack a smile. It truly is a unique book and certainly the only one of its kind (other than the "sequel" book of course)Having said all that, it does contain some dirty language that must be handled with care especially in the presence of Korean people. I'll save you the story but just know that some of the words and phrases here can get you into big trouble if not used properly.[...]

I am a beginner in Korean language. That being said I watch a lot of Korean dramas and listen to a lot of Korean music so I am used to hearing the real Korean pronunciations. The romanization in this book is TERRIBLE. For example the Korean word for WHY (wae) is listed as being pronounced as just WA but it is far closer to the WA sound in WAKE or closer to our word WHEY but they don't say that. If you already know how to read Korean, then this isn't an issue since you can read the hangul for the correct pronunciation. That also being said, I would suggest you learn how to read hangul before attempting to use any of the phrases in this book or you'll probably sound like an idiot using the romanization. It is fun to flip through but I don't think it will be useful to me until I can read the hangul. To be fair it does point out that the English sounds are only approximate to the Korean sounds as there isn't always an exact phonetic match but they still could have done a far better job. In fact I have seen better romanization in other books.

I was generous in giving this book 4 stars, but I did so because the book actually has some useful phrases to learn. In that sense, it's one of the best phrase books I've seen. But I'll repeat the gripe that many have: the author's version of the romanization is just plain incorrect in many cases. The author did include the Hangul (native script) and the official romanization of Korean. But be warned that without experience with the language, this book alone will not make you able to be understood by Koreans.So bottom line is: the book is great, but if you use the author's idea of the pronunciation you'll often be speaking nothing more than gibberish. Learn to read Hangul, and you'll find this book extremely helpful.

Don't let other serious students steer you away from this book just because it's not a textbook; phrase books have their place for serious students also. I have learned both from phrase books for weguksaram's and from phrase books for Koreans.Unless you are more kind-hearted than I am, you might be especially interested in Chapter 9, "Curses and Insults." That had some words and phrases which I have been unable to find in the dictionary. I even made a special computer file so that I could study those words and phrases.To read the book through once takes only a couple of hours. Still, it's worth the price.

Again for ma pal who went over tae the koreas for the work. Now am no sayin he didn’t use it but a Will say he ended up pulling an American fellow so didnae need to chat Korean after all. It was at that moment I decided to stop trying to live my life through ma pals.

Great small book with little pieces of slang, language and cultural information you don't find in ordinary Korean textbooks. More novelty than educational, though.

Easy to understand, small enough to bring with you in your purse or bag, and explains the female and male differences in sayings.

interesting even has some love language hahah

Great book!