Korean (한국어, 조선말, hangugo, joseonmal) is official language Republic of Korea, North Korea and Korean autonomous region Yanban in China. In addition, the vast majority of the Korean diaspora from Uzbekistan to Japan and Canada communicates in this language. It is an amazing, but not easy, language with a rich history and culture. Whether you are planning a trip to a country where Korean is spoken, want to restore the heritage of your ancestors, or just want to learn a new foreign language, follow the following simple steps, and soon you will be fluent in Korean!

Steps

Training

    Learn the Korean alphabet. The alphabet is a good start if you want to learn Korean, especially if you plan to read and write on it in the future. The Korean alphabet looks a little strange for people who use Cyrillic or Latin in their speech and writing, as it is completely different from the usual characters, however, it is quite easy.

    Learn to count. The ability to count is a necessary skill when learning any language. Counting in Korean is quite tricky, as Koreans use two different systems quantitative numbers, depending on the situation: Korean and number system Chinese origin.

    • The Korean system is used for counting from 1 to 99 and for indicating age:
      • One= 하나 pronounced "hana"
      • Two= 둘pronounced "tul"
      • Three= 셋 is pronounced “set” (“t” is not pronounced. However, try to close the sound completely somewhere between “se” and “set”)
      • Four= 넷 pronounced "nat"
      • Five= 다섯 pronounced "tasot"
      • Six= 여섯 pronounced "yosot"
      • Seven= 일곱 pronounced "ilgop"
      • Eight= 여덟 pronounced "yodol"
      • Nine= 아홉 pronounced "ahop"
      • Ten= 열 pronounced "yul"
    • The number system of Chinese origin is used when naming dates, money, addresses, phone numbers and numbers after 100:
      • One= 일 pronounced "il"
      • Two= 이 pronounced "and"
      • Three= 삼 pronounced "himself"
      • Four= 사 pronounced "sa"
      • Five= 오 pronounced "oh"
      • Six= 육 pronounced "yuk"
      • Seven= 칠 pronounced "chil"
      • Eight= 팔 pronounced "pal"
      • Nine= 구 pronounced "ku"
      • Ten= 십 pronounced "pinch"
  1. Learn basic words and expressions. The wider and richer your vocabulary, the easier it is to become fluent in the language. Learn as many simple, everyday words as you can - you'll be surprised how quickly they learn!

    • When you hear a word in Russian, think about how it sounds in Korean. If you do not know, then write it down and look at the value later. Therefore, it is best to always have a small notebook with you.
    • Stick stickers with Korean names for items in your home (mirror, coffee table, sugar bowl). If you see a word often, you will subconsciously learn it!
    • It is important to learn the translation of words and phrases not only from Korean into Russian, but vice versa. This way you will remember how to say something, and not just remember familiar expressions when you hear them.
  2. Learn basic phrases for dialogues. This way you can start communicating with a native speaker using simple and polite phrases:

    • Hi Hello= 안녕 pronounced "anneon" (informal) and 안녕하세요 - "anneon-haseyo" (official)
    • Yes= 네 pronounced “ne”
    • Not= 아니 pronounced "ani" or "aniyo"
    • Thanks= 감사합니다 pronounced "kam-sa-ham-ni-da"
    • My name is...= 저는 ___ 입니다 pronounced “jeeun___imnida”
    • How are you doing?= 어떠십니까? pronounced "otto-sim-nikka?"
    • Pleased to Meet You= 만나서 반가워요 pronounced "mannaso pangawo-yo" or "mannaso pangawo"
    • Goodbye= 안녕히 계세요 pronounced "anyeonhee-keseyo" (stay happy). Says the one who leaves.
    • Goodbye= 안녕히 가세요 pronounced "anyeonhi-kaseyo" (happy journey). The one who remains speaks.
  3. Learn to use the polite form. Verb endings in Korean change depending on the age and rank of the person, as well as their social status. It is very important to understand these differences in order to keep the conversation on a polite level. There are three main types of degree of formality:

    Learn the basics of grammar. To speak any language correctly, it is very important to know the grammar of that language and its peculiarities. For example:

    Work on your pronunciation. It takes a lot of practice to learn how to pronounce Korean words correctly.

    Do not despair! If you are serious about learning Korean, keep going! The satisfaction of finally mastering the language more than compensates for all the difficulties along the way of learning. Learning any language takes time and practice, you can't learn anything overnight.

    Immersion in the language environment

    1. Find a native speaker. This is one of best way improve language. Korean will help you correct grammar mistakes or correct pronunciation, as well as tell you more useful information and teach you various vocabulary that you will not find in textbooks.

      • If you have a Korean friend who is ready to help you - that's great! Otherwise, look for a conversation partner on the Internet or, perhaps, there are Korean language courses in your city.
      • If you don't have Korean friends and can't find them nearby, try finding a Korean person on Skype. Find a Korean who is learning Russian and have them talk to each other periodically for 15 minutes to reinforce their language skills.
    2. Watch Korean movies and cartoons. Online resources or Korean subtitles will help you. It's an easy and fun way to learn the sounds and structure of the Korean language.

      • You can even pause after simple phrases and try to say them out loud yourself.
      • If you can't find Korean movies, look for them at disc rental shops - some of them have shelves with foreign films. You can go to your local library and ask them if they have films in Korean. If not, ask if they can order them for you.
    3. Find apps that are designed specifically for Korean kids. Translate "learn the alphabet" or "games for kids" into Korean and paste the results into the search bar of the app store. Such applications are quite simple even for a child, so you can use them even if you cannot read and speak Korean. And yes, using these apps is much cheaper than buying Korean movie DVDs. In such applications, you will be taught how to write letters correctly; in some of them, songs, dances, and games are used for this.

      Listen to Korean music or radio. Even if you don't understand anything, try to pick out key words or get the gist of what's being said.

      • Korean pop music is predominantly performed in Korean. Sometimes in songs they slip English words. If the song has become popular, you will surely be able to find its translation. That way you will understand the meaning of the song.
      • Download Korean-language podcasts to listen to while exercising with your teacher or doing your homework.
      • Download the Korean radio app on your phone to listen to it on the go.
    4. If you have the opportunity, go to a country where Korean is spoken. What could be better than immersion in the language environment than a trip to his homeland!

    • Watch movies and listen to music in Korean. Just by listening, over time you will begin to notice that you understand what is being said.
    • It may sound strange, but try thinking in Korean. When you think of a subject that you know, try thinking about it in Korean, without translation.
    • Pronounce words correctly. If you are not sure about the pronunciation, look up the pronunciation of a word on the Internet.
    • The best way to learn a language is to learn it often enough and invest emotionally in learning it. With frequent training, you can learn about 500 words, which will be enough for a general understanding of simple things. However, in order to better understand a particular topic in Korean, a more detailed study of the language is necessary.
    • If you have a Korean friend, communicate with him!
    • If you get the chance to make friends with a Korean, don't be shy. Yes, some Koreans can be shy, however, most of them are open and friendly. So you can exchange language experiences and learn about the culture of the Korean people. However, it is possible to meet a person who will be more interested in learning Russian than learning Korean. Discuss this point ahead of time.
    • Practice. Do at least some exercise every day.
    • Watch Korean TV shows and movies with English subtitles. Also watch music videos with subtitles.
    • Install the phrasebook app on your phone. Such phrasebooks contain basic words and phrases, as well as a Korean dictionary.
    • Review what you have learned from time to time so you don't forget it.
    • Make sure you pronounce the words correctly. If you are unsure of your pronunciation, download exercises to practice.

    Warnings

    • Korean can be difficult to learn for Russian speakers as it is completely different from Indo-European languages such as Spanish, English, German or Greek. Don't give up, imagine that the Korean language is a huge puzzle, enjoy putting it together!

Asia is becoming more and more popular among students, and all more people seek to get higher education in one of the Asian countries. South Korea ranks 1st in the world in terms of digital technology development. Korean students do internships at enterprises such as Samsung and LG. Universities in South Korea lead the world rankings in the field of technology, computer science and natural sciences. The main language of instruction in universities is Korean, so if you want to go there to study, you should start learning the language right now. To make it easier for you, we have compiled a selection of useful resources for learning this language.

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There are not many really good Korean language textbooks for beginners in Russia. And this is despite the fact that they provide a fairly good explanation of the grammatical material, a lot of useful vocabulary. The disadvantage of textbooks for a Russian-speaking audience is that some of them do not have audio recordings and even keys to exercises. That is why it is better not to limit yourself to self-study, but to additionally attend courses and look for acquaintances with Koreans to develop conversational skills.

Proven Textbooks for Learning Korean from Scratch

1. “Korean textbook. Basic course" Kasatkina I.L., Chon In Sun, Pentyukhova V.E. The book is intended for students who are studying Korean for the first year. There is enough material in the manual to master good writing skills, learn grammar. The textbook is designed for approximately 180-200 hours of classroom work. The manual is recommended by many students who have studied Korean, but it does not have audio and answers to exercises.

2. Textbooks written by the teachers of the Korean Won Gwan School for students with different levels of training: introductory course 초급 한국어 , Korean Intermediate Course 중급 한국어 and Basic Korean Course 고급 한국어. These textbooks are among the most famous among Russian students. In the manuals, the emphasis is on grammar, there are answers to the exercises. The books come with discs with texts and dialogues. The downside is that there are no listening tasks.

3. "Korean Language Textbook" Verkholyak V.V., Kaplan T.Yu., Galkina L.V., Kozhemyako V.N. and "Textbook of the Korean language" by Verkholyak V.V., Kaplan T.Yu. Benefits for beginners. The books are designed for approximately 400 hours of classroom work. They contain material on phonetics, grammar and vocabulary of the Korean language, but there is no audio for the books, so it is better to study them with a teacher or use them as additional materials for classes.

4. Textbooks of the National Institute of International Education of the Republic of Korea NIIED. There are only four such textbooks. On the plus side, they correspond to the levels of the Korean TOPIK exam. There are exercises in the textbooks to work out all the language skills, but, unfortunately, there are no answers. Therefore, you need to find someone who will check the execution of tasks.

5. “Korean language (Introductory course)” Choi Yang Sun. This course will be a good addition to your main textbook. In addition, this book can be used as a self-study, as it comes with an audio CD and answers to the exercises. The advantage of the textbook can be called a large number of dialogues.

6. Manuals for learning the Korean language author Kogay Yu.P. - "Phonetics", "Hieroglyphics", "Morphology", "Syntax", "Conversational Korean", "Phraseological units of the Korean language", etc. Not all of the manuals were published, but the author posted them for free access. The books are really worthy of your attention.

7. "Basic Korean: A Grammar and Workbook" by Andrew Sangpil Byon. A textbook for those who study Korean for the first year. The manual contains grammar exercises. You can study on your own or with a teacher.

8. "Korean grammar in Use"- a series of three textbooks that are compiled in the same way as English grammar in Use. Those. in the book, in each lesson, a grammatical construction + rules of use with examples + exercises for working out the material are given. These benefits are not to be missed.

Here is a small overview we have. By the way, most of the Korean textbooks listed here can be found on our website.

Living in the Far East, we were the first to feel the demand and relevance of knowledge of oriental languages. Today it is much less common to meet a student who has chosen to study German language than, say, Chinese.

In fact, there are a lot of languages ​​that are generically called "Eastern" in the world. These are the languages ​​of Central Asia - Tajik, Turkic, Kazakh, Tatar, and the Arabic group - Hindi, Urdu, Farsi, Persian, and the languages ​​\u200b\u200bof South and Southeast Asia - Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, Filipino and others. But, of course, most often the inhabitants Far East choose to study one of the top three - Korean, Japanese or Chinese.

Why Korean?

Today we will talk about a language that is not in the greatest demand, but is stable - this is the Korean language. A trip to Korea today has become easier than to the same China (we do not take into account the border one) - tickets cost a penny, a visa is not needed, foreigners are treated peacefully there, the food is tasty, and there is always something to do. Many Russians cooperate with Koreans in business, medicine, choose Korean educational establishments or emigrate.

If you are thinking of connecting your life with South Korea in one way or another, you probably have a natural question - is it difficult to learn Korean? Let us turn to the difficulties that may await you along the way.

Difficulties in Korean

The first is pronunciation. Many mistakenly think that since the language does not have tones, like in Chinese, then it is easy to speak it. In fact, less than half of Korean sounds have analogues in Russian. That is, you actually have to learn to pronounce sounds that your speech apparatus has not been adapted to since childhood.

For example, vowels can have 2 pronunciation options, and the difference between them is minimal by ear and very important at the same time - an incorrect sound turns one word into another. Consonants, in general, can be pronounced in three different ways - strong, weak and aspirated, and none of them coincides with the sounds familiar to a Russian person.

The second is grammar. Word order in a sentence is so illogical for native speakers Slavic languages that not everyone is able to accept it even after several years of study. Also, in Korean there are no forms of verbs familiar to us, but there are various categories of politeness, the need for which depends on what your status is and what the status of your interlocutor! It's time to decide that learning German with its many consonants is a more attractive prospect.

The third is vocabulary. Three types of vocabulary - native Korean, Chinese and borrowed from other languages ​​- lead to the fact that the word can be pronounced and written differently, but at the same time mean the same thing. Moreover, not a single course will help you understand this issue - everything is comprehended only in communication with native speakers and in complete immersion in the language environment.

Why you should take up Korean

Now that you're scared enough, allow yourself a spoonful of honey: yes, all these difficulties await beginners in learning Korean. But as soon as your mind adjusts to the previously unfamiliar logic of the inhabitants of the Land of the Morning Calm, as South Korea is poetically called, the language will go like clockwork.

The most important thing you should do is forget about everything you have been taught in English and even Russian and stop trying to match Korean with other languages ​​you know. Then you will be completely open to new knowledge, get acquainted with the structure of the language, which is unusual for you, and you will only have to love it with all your heart and want to speak Korean. Caution: in this case, you are in danger of complete "Koreanization"!

If you are still hesitant between Chinese, Korean and Japanese, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with

Then this video course is for you, learn Korean together.

This is a demo version of the alphabet course. In total, there are 6 lessons in the course, 3 lessons are freely available on the site. The remaining 3 lessons are available only for my subscribers. I recommend that you immediately subscribe to the course, and then every day you will receive 1 lesson by mail. The alphabet course is completely free and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Attention! Very important! After subscribing, look at your mail, wait subscription confirmation emails(it comes no longer than 10 minutes later). If the subscription is not confirmed, the lessons will not come!

If after 10 min. no letter, check your spam folder, click "not spam" and confirm your subscription.

I have prepared two ways for you to get full version alphabet lessons, and then the continuation of the course:

  • by mail subscription - subscribe
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Video Course"Speak, read and write in Korean."

Korean from scratch. Alphabet.

Lesson 1. Part 1.

This is the first lesson, part 1 of the series

You will get acquainted with the Korean alphabet, learn how to read and write the first 4 vowels (ㅏ, ㅑ, ㅓ, ㅕ).

To make learning as effective as possible:

  1. During the lesson, be sure to say all the letters aloud, repeating them after me and the Korean teacher.
  2. To remember, you need to listen carefully, repeat out loud and write the letter. And so several times.

Forward! You will succeed!

Homework after watching the video:

  1. write each vowel on 1 line,
  2. take a photo of your work and post it below in the comments for verification.

Watch the first video and start learning Korean from scratch right now!

Full Video Course Korean for Beginners "Speak, Read, Write Korean", and Workbooks With additional tasks, available only to my subscribers.

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