How To Start Learning Korean

Korean 한국어, Hangugeo is the official language of South Korea, North Korea, and China’s Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture. 

Whether you are trying to learn the Korean language to understand K-dramas, K-pop music, planning a trip to Korea, or even learning for work purposes, just follow these simple steps as a guide to kickstart your journey.

Start by learning to read Hangul 

Hangul is the name of the Korean alphabet. Without a doubt it will be the easiest part of your learning journey as it is one of the simplest alphabets to learn.

Pick a learning resource and stick to it 

The courses provided by Talk To Me In Korean (https://talktomeinkorean.com/) are really simple and easy to understand. Other free resources include howtostudykorean.com. When you start one course, complete that course and overlap the courses with others. These language courses are built with intent, and the lessons build on one another, so it’s better to just stick with one.

Make a routine

Commit to studying one or two lessons a day from your resource of choice. If you build a routine, it will be easier to stick with it and keep studying. Remember studying is a long journey and consistency is key.

Collect Vocabulary

Once you’ve learned to read the Korean alphabet, the next step is to begin collecting vocabulary. Sometimes it’s difficult to decide which vocabulary to learn, which is where categories can be helpful (i.e. greetings,food, animals, common adjectives, common verbs).

Focus on grammar

In order to speak any language correctly, it is necessary to study the grammar particular to that language.

Watch K-dramas and listen to K-pop

Add more Korean to your daily life: watch dramas, films, TV shows thereby increasing your vocabulary. Include subtitles, if possible, and write and learn all unfamiliar words. After some time, you will be surprised at the ability of your brain to compare words and phrases with their meaning, even if you did not have time to thoroughly learn them. Another good habit in learning a language is listening to Korean songs or radio. After listening to the song once, you are unlikely to understand something. Try to find keywords and collect from them a common meaning. Then you can sing along while listening – this is a good option to improve the pronunciation.

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Have fun

I know this is cheesy, but learning should be fun 😊 You should find what works best for you! This was just what I personally did to advance my language skill.

Hope you found this useful. 

Don’t forget to love yourself. Happy reading 🙂