Korea, explained for curious Americans.
Plain-English guides to Korean food, everyday customs, and history. Checked by a Korean-born editor in metro Atlanta, with sources you can follow.
Browse the guidesBackground: a ramie jogakbo, the patchwork cloth sewn from fabric scraps, drawn for Korea Primer, with photos of Korea. Photo credits
Start with a topic
- 음식eumsik, “food”Food & GroceriesWhat to pick up at a Korean grocery store, how to use it at home, and what to expect at a Korean restaurant in the US.
- 예절yejeol, “manners”Everyday CultureAge, titles, polite speech, and table manners. The things K-dramas show but rarely explain, and when the rules bend.
- 말mal, “words, speech”Language & ExpressionsKorean words English speakers keep hearing, what they really mean, and who can use them.
Latest guides
- What Are Banchan? Korean Side Dishes Explained
Banchan are the small side dishes served with rice at a Korean meal: what they are, the common kinds, whether refills are free, and how to eat them.
- How Korean Names Work: Family Names, Given Names, and English Spellings
Learn why Korean family names come first, why Kim, Lee, and Park are common, why married women keep their surnames, and how to write names in English.
- Aigoo, Daebak, Hwaiting: What These Korean Expressions Mean and When to Use Them
What aigoo, daebak, and hwaiting mean, how Koreans actually use them, and when each one fits or doesn't, with dictionary definitions and simple examples.
- Is Chuseok the Korean Thanksgiving? How the Two Holidays Compare
Chuseok is often called Korean Thanksgiving. Here's what the fall holiday actually is, how it compares with American Thanksgiving, and how it's changing.
- What Is Kimjang? Korea's Fall Tradition of Making and Sharing Kimchi
Kimjang is Korea's late-fall custom of making a winter's supply of kimchi together and sharing it: when it happens, why people help, and how it's changing.
- Pepero Day in Korea: What It Is and How to Celebrate on November 11
Why many Koreans give chocolate-dipped Pepero sticks on November 11, how the custom started, the rice-cake alternative, and easy ways to join in from the US.
How we write
Sources you can check
Dates, laws, and history come with a link to where we found them.
Korea and Korean America
We distinguish current practices in South Korea from what you may encounter in Korean American communities.
No invented experience
We only describe a visit or a tasting when our editor actually made it.
Photo credits
Photos in the patchwork at the top of this page, via Wikimedia Commons:
- Painted eaves (dancheong), Changdeokgung Palace, Seoul. Photo: laszlo-photo, source, CC BY 2.0. Cropped and resized.
- Geunjeongjeon, the throne hall of Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul. Photo: Richard Fisher, source, CC BY 2.0. Cropped and resized.
- Tile roofs in Bukchon Hanok Village, Seoul. Photo: Stevenliuyi, source, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and resized; this version is also CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Napa cabbage kimchi. Photo: Jeremy Keith, source, CC BY 2.0. Cropped and resized.
- Ipseoksa temple in autumn, Chiaksan Mountain. Photo: Sohyeon Bak, source, CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped and resized; this version is also CC BY-SA 3.0.
