How To Learn Korean Easily With 6 Simple Tips (2024)

The Korean language is the countrywide language of both North and South Korea. Korean is among the most popular languages of today’s generation after the success of BTS (Bangtan Boys), a South Korean boy band, who got famous because of their song, “Dynamite”, and K-dramas that have become popular with shows like Squid Games, Crash Landing on You and Descendants of the Sun on streaming app Netflix.

Around 75 million people speak the Korean language across the globe. The admiration of the language has increased with a large number of people wanting to enjoy and understand the culture, music, cuisines and dramas in the Korean language.

This article will take you into the lanes of Korea to help you in your first step towards learning the Korean language.

Hangul: Learning Korean Alphabet

The basic step to learning any new language is to learn the alphabet first. Firstly learn the letters, vowels and consonants. The Hangul consists of 24 basic letters: 14 consonants and 10 vowels.

As you further dive into the pool of alphabet you’ll figure out there are actually 19 and 11 complex letters and vowels respectively and 5 tense consonants formed by a combination of basic letters.

Pronunciation Of Korean Consonants For Beginners

Note: “O” is silent when used at the beginning of the syllable and when the syllable starts with a vowel it is used as a placeholder.

Double Consonants

Pronunciation Of Korean Vowels For Beginners

Double Vowels

Basic Tips To Learn The Korean Language

Make a strategy and pattern to follow while learning the Korean language. Many people just don’t understand where to start while learning a foreign language. This Forbes Advisor India has gathered a few tips you can consider to start with to learn the Korean language.

Tip 1: Learn Hangul

The most important thing to learn any language is to understand the alphabet in it. You need to master it thoroughly. Hangul is the alphabetic script wherein the language Korean is written.

Tip 2: Build Vocabulary

Once you get a hold of Hangul, you can start building your vocabulary. Start with learning korean numbers, followed by days, weeks and months and then simple communication phrases. If you’re planning a trip to Korea make sure you learn movements, directions and transportation-related words and food-related vocabulary.

Tip 3: Loanword And Konglish Words

Most of the Korean words are loanwords and Konglish (Korean + English) words. These are the words that make up an important part of daily vocabulary. Then there are borrowed words meaning the words that sound like English words with the same meaning but have a Korean accent to them. They are easily memorized because they sound like the English language.

For example:

인터넷 (in-teo-net) = internet

카페 (ka-pe) = cafe

Some other Konglish words sound exactly like English words but have different meanings to them. Search Konglish words and you’ll find out how many words in Korean you already know.

Tip 4: Engage With A Korean Teacher

A tutor will help you learn the language faster and more efficiently. It will help more with your grammar and difficulties. A private tutor will understand your learning style and accordingly plan your study pattern.

Tip 5: Engage With Friends/Group

Engaging with Korean friends or groups will help you with learning new words, improve your language skills and keep you motivated. Make it a habit to converse only in the Korean language with your friends.

You can find Korean groups on social media platforms like Meetup and Facebook. You can also use the communication application KakaoTalk: A widely used application in South Korea also can be an alternative to WhatsApp.

Tip 6: K-Dramas And K-Pop

Watching K-dramas and listening to K-pop can enhance your language skills. Adding this activity to your daily plans can help you learn the language faster. Adding subtitles and making notes of unfamiliar words and phrases and writing them will increase your vocabulary. After a while, you will be surprised how your brain helps you to compare the words with their meanings.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)