If you’ve taken a look at my previous posts, you will have noticed some interesting characters sprinkled throughout the text. If you can’t quite remember what they look like, here’s a quick reminder:
It might look a bit alien, but these funky lines and circles comprise the official writing system of South Korea, called 한글 (han-geul). It was created in 1443 by King Sejong the Great, and it was specifically designed to be very simple and easy to learn. As a result, Korea has one of the highest literacy rates in the world!
While the writing system is a piece of cake, the language itself isn’t quite as effortless. In fact, it is arguably one of the most difficult languages for native English speakers to learn. One reason for this is because the Korean sentence structure is quite different from the English model. For a simple example, English sentences would usually go Subject ➝ Verb ➝ Object, as in, “I ate pizza.” However, verbs come last in Korean, so the equivalent sentence would be “저는 피자를 먹었어요” (jeo-neun pi-ja-reul meog-eoss-eo-yo) which literally translates to “I pizza ate.”
Now, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed by the idea of taking on the Korean language, so let’s start small with learning how to read! This site is great for beginners, not only because it’s free and visually appealing, but it also makes learning into a fun and rewarding game. Personally, I learned to read with an app called Memrise which I would also recommend! This app allows you to study the alphabet free of charge, but note that you will need to pay if you want to unlock more advanced lessons.
So, once you’ve become a pro at reading in Korean, I challenge you to come back to this post and test your skills by trying to sound out the sign in the image below!
ANSWER KEY (Don’t read until you’ve tried to sound it out yourself!) In pink – neol wi-hae jun-bi-haess-eo / In blue – jo-geum-man gi-da-ryeo-jwo
As for everything beyond the writing system, I highly recommend the app called LingoDeer, as well as one of the most popular Korean-learning book series called Talk To Me in Korean. While you need to pay for these learning materials, I have found them to be super valuable and the absolute best resources for learning the actual workings of the language. Plus, if you have a Spotify account, you can already access the awesome Talk To Me in Korean podcast (with corresponding posts on their website for free) so you can learn on the go! Is there anything better than multitasking?
When you feel you’ve gotten a bit of a handle on basic Korean, practicing with natives can be a great way to become more conversationally fluent. One popular app for language exchange is called HelloTalk, where you can filter your results by different criteria to find conversation partners. Another great resource is HiNative, which allows you to ask questions about your language of choice and receive input from native speakers.
And with this (hopefully somewhat) comprehensive guide, I wish you the best of luck on your Korean journey. Feel free to leave a comment with any questions or tips you may have!
Vocabulary and Phrases
- 한국어 (han-gug-eo) – Korean language
- 한글 (han-geul) – Korean writing system
- 안녕하세요 (an-nyeong-ha-se-yo) – Hello
- 제 이름은 ___ 입니다 (je i-reum-eun ___ ib-ni-da) – My name is ___
- 만나서 반갑습니다 (man-na-seo ban-gab-seub-ni-da) – Nice to meet you
- 감사합니다 (gam-sa-hab-ni-da) – Thank you
- 네 (ne) – Yes
- 아니요 (a-ni-yo) – No
- 괜찮아요 (gwaen-chan-a-yo) – It’s okay/I’m okay
- 미안해요 (mi-an-hae-yo) – I’m sorry
- ___ 있어요? (___ iss-eo-yo) – Is there ___?/Do you have ___?
- ___ 어디예요? (___ eo-di-ye-yo) – Where is (the) ___?
Korea Crash Course 