K-Pop Starter Kit

This is the main page for the K-pop Starter Kit, my new series of blog posts on various aspects of K-pop that will eventually make a full beginner’s guide for new fans (I hope). I’m just starting out, so there aren’t any posts yet… but I’ll keep adding to this as I make them!

You can read my announcement post about the series here – it gives more details about what I plan to do with this column. Click the underlined words in the tables to be taken to the post!

Month 1: A General Introduction to K-Pop
Beginner’s Guide (Part 1): Things about K-pop that might be surprising and/or interesting to newcomers. This specific post focuses more on the music and performance aspects of K-pop.
Beginner’s Guide (Part 2): This is a continuation of the previous post and talks about different industry norms and practices.
Beginner’s Guide (Part 3): This is a continuation of the previous two posts and talks about K-pop in relation to fans and the Korean general public.

Month 2: A VERY Basic Guide to the Korean Language
5 Beginner Tips for Learning Korean: A summary of my experiences studying Korean, as well as some advice for people who may be just starting out.
A Crash Course in Hangul Consonants: Part 1 of my posts about Hangul, breaking down consonants.
A Crash Course in Hangul Vowels: Part 2 of my posts about Hangul, breaking down vowels.
Reading Hangul With K-Pop Group Names: Looking at Hangul transcribed from English.
Reading Hangul With K-Pop Idol Names: Looking at Hangul with Korean first names.
A Crash Course in Korean Speech Levels: How to make them and when to use them.
A Crash Course in Korean Pronouns: Which ones are polite, which ones are casual, and how you should really say “you,” “he,” and “she.” (Plus a brief introduction to subject and topic markers)
A Crash Course in Korean Honorific Titles: The different ways you can address people in Korean.
How to Determine Your Korean Age: What “Korean age” is and how to calculate it.