Let's Learn Korean!
So you want to start learning the Korean language or just learn a few useful words and sentences for your trip to Korea? Then you are at the right place. In this post, we will provide you with some steps to take to get started with learning the language as well as some words and sentences that you can use in your next trip to Korea. It can take quite some time to be fluent in Korean as it is not an easy language. In this post, we will cover topics such as the alphabet, numbers, useful words and phrases, and more.
1. Learn the alphabet
In the 10 tips to travel to Korea, we briefly mentioned the Korean language also known as hangul - 한글. There are 14 consonants and 10 basic vowels with 11 diphthongs. With a bit of effort, you can learn the alphabet in a few days or even a few hours. Start with learning how to pronounce and write the letters. Eventually, when you know the alphabet you can go to the next step and learn about the syllables.
There are a lot of ways to learn Korean, for example, watching Korean videos, buying a Korean study book, or learning Korean online. There are great websites to learn Korean for free such as TalktomeinKorean and HowtoStudyKorean.
2. Syllables
After you have learned the alphabet and how to pronounce the letters you can make syllables. A syllable consists of at least one consonant and one vowel. There are 5 different ways to write syllables. The C in the syllable block stands for consonant and the V stands for vowel. Syllable block combinations 1, 3, and 5 are used for vertical vowels, and block combinations 2 and 4 are used for horizontal vowels. Practice writing different combinations of vowels and consonants in the syllable blocks to get used to the writing style. It may be confusing how to read the syllable block but you read the syllable blocks from left to right and top to bottom.
3. Romanization
The best way to study Korean is without the romanization of the words as it sometimes cannot comprehend the spelling of the sounds of the Korean language. The words and phrases in this post will be provided with the romanization in order to quickly learn it for your trip. The alphabet letters are also shown in romanization to learn the sound of the letter. However, if you really want to learn Korean you need to be comfortable with how hangul actually sounds, so do not try to read or speak Korean with the English alphabet. In the beginning, it might be difficult but your Korean will improve a lot by learning the language exclusively through Hangul.
4. Korean Honorifics
Koreans don't address seniors, strangers, or many acquaintances by their first name, they use an array of titles and honorific suffixes. The most common are 아저씨 (ajeossi) and 아줌마 (ajumma). 아저씨 (ajeossi) is used to address an older married man, it can also be used to address taxi drivers or restaurant staff. 아줌마 (ajumma) which is used to address an older married woman. Both terms are appropriate as long as they are at an age at which people are usually married.
There are different ways for males and females to address older people who are acquaintances or friends. A 형 (hyeong) or 형님 (hyeong-nim) is used when a male is addressing an older brother or male friend. A 누나 (nuna) is used when a male addresses an older sister or female friend.
When a female addresses an older brother or male friend she calls him 오빠 (oppa), and 언니 (eonni) when a female addresses an older sister or female friend.
At last, when you refer to someone who is the same age as yourself or someone whom you have a close relationship with, then you can refer to them as 친구 (chin-gu), which means friend. There are a lot more ways to address other people but you will learn that at a different time.
5. Politeness levels
In Korea, they speak with informal speech and formal speech. It is important to know the differences and when to use it. It is best to start learning formal speech to prevent offending anyone people older than you or people who have a higher status than you. However, when you want to have a conversation with friends, people your age, or people younger than you, you will need to use informal speech otherwise it will be a bit weird right? The politeness levels affect everything from the pronouns to the way you conjugate the verbs. It will take a lot of time to learn the various forms.
It is very important that you use the right politeness level in Korea. People older than you can get annoyed or even offended when you speak informally to them as it shows that you do not respect them. There is even a game in Korea, which is called yaja time, where the elder people need to be polite and the younger people can speak informally to the elderly.
6. Watch and Listen Korean
The best way to learn Korean is of course practicing, practicing, and guess what more practicing. But it also helps to actually try speaking it. However, if there is no one you can practice Korean with then I would advise you to start watching Korean movies and series or listen to K-pop. Start watching the Korean series/movie with English subtitles, when you start picking up a few words, watch the same series/movie with Korean subtitles which helps with understanding the sentence structure. Look up the words that you do not understand.
When listening to Korean music look at the lyrics and translate them to English. Check if there are any words that are often used and see which words you do not know yet. This is a fun way to learn the language.
7. Numbers
Another, topic that can be useful to learn is the numbers in Korean. In Korea, they use two different number systems. The native Korean number system is used to count people and animals, ages, and hours. Then there is also the Sino-Korean number system which is used for prices, measurements, minutes & seconds, and phone numbers.
8. Learn useful words
Hello = 안녕하세요 (an-nyeong-ha-se-yo)
Goodbye (to a person who is staying) = 안녕히 겨세요 (an-nyeong-hi-gye-se-yo)
Goodbye (to a person who is leaving) = 안녕히가세요 (an-nyeong-hi-ga-se-yo)
Thank you = 감사함니다 (gam-sa-ham-ni-da)
Sorry = 죄송합니다 (joe-song-hab-ni-da)
Please= 주세요 (Ju-se-yo)
Yes = 네 (neh)
No = 아니요 (a-ni-yo)
Toilet/bathroom = 화장실 (hwa-jang-sil)
9. Learn useful phrases
Nice to meet you = 반갑습니다 (ban-gab-seub-ni-da)
Excuse me (when you call someone at a restaurant) = 저기요! (jeo-gi-yo)
I don't speak Korean = 저 한국말 뭇해요 (jeo han-guk-mal mos-hae-yo)
Do you speak English? = 영어할수있어요? (yeong-eo-hal-su-i-sseo-yo?)
Where is the bathroom? = 화장실이 어디예요? (hwa-jang-sil-i eo-di-ye-yo?)
(To a taxi driver) "Please go to..." = ...가 주세요 (ga ju-se-yo)
Please let me off here (to a taxi driver) = 여기 내려주세요 (yeo-gi nae-ryeo-ju-se-yo)
You just took your first steps in your journey of learning Korean, remember learning a new language can be challenging, but it's also incredibly rewarding.
Stay motivated, practice regularly, and most importantly, enjoy the process. Learning Korean isn't just about mastering words and grammar; it's about connecting with a new culture and meeting new people. Don't be afraid to make mistakes along the way as they are part of the learning process.
We're here to support you every step of the way on your Korean language learning journey. Keep coming back to our blog for more tips, lessons, and resources that will help you reach your language goals. 화이팅! (Hwaiting!) – "You can do it!"