How to Learn Korean

by Clary Camazuela / February 21, 2019

Whether you’re a fan or not, you can’t deny the impact of the Korean wave in the Philippines. What’s not to love? They’ve got bingeable Korean dramas, talented K-pop idols and Korean skincare products. Plus who can forget the samgyupsal that Filipinos are willing to stand in line for?

With the Korean wave not going anywhere, anytime soon, there are so many reasons to learn the language! If you’re a fan of EXO or Blackpink, you can fully understand your favorite dramas and songs. If you’re a jet setter, you can explore the newest boutiques or restaurants by travelling off the beaten track when you travel to Korea. Not only that, learning a new language is also good for keeping your brain active and healthy and opens doors for more job opportunities in the future.

So if you’re up for all of these, take the challenge! Here are five easy steps to becoming fluent in Korean:

1. Start with the basics

Hangul has a different lettering system, consisting of 10 basic vowels and 14 basic consonants, unlike many modern-day languages that use the Latin alphabet. Sounds tricky, but no worries! Language learning apps such as Tengugo Hangul, Duolingo and more for both Apple and Android devices are helpful for beginners and makes learning fun for aspiring learners. Once you’re familiar with hangul (한글), learning the language will be easier for you.

2. Study language fundamentals

The Korean language or Hangukeo (한구커), much like hangul, can be difficult at first because it follows the Subject-Object-Verb pattern. English follows a S-V-O pattern instead, so you might get confused while you’re learning sentence structure and grammar.

For example, in English, we say: “I really like Korea.”

In Korean, it would be “jeo neun hanguk eul neomu joah-yo” (저는 한국을 너무 좋아요), translated literally as: “I Korea really like”.

On top of that, there’s a bunch of Korean terms and words to remember, but luckily you have the Internet at your fingertips. Free online resources and learning materials are available on websites and apps such as Talk to Me in Korean, Dongsa, and TOPIK One. Studying can be hard but remember, no pain, no gain!

3. Keep on practicing

Studying is one thing, but retaining and applying what you’ve learned is another. Practicing for even 10 minutes a day and making it a habit will help you remember the hundreds of new words and rules that come with learning a new language. You can read short phrases in hangul on your way home or sing along to your favorite K-Pop tunes to perfect your pronunciation. Small things could turn into big things over time, so keep practicing.

4. Immerse yourself in the language

Watching your favourite dramas and variety shows is an effective way of learning the Korean language. Not only do you get to see your favorite celebrities, you can also practise by simply watching. Educational videos, books and apps won’t teach you slang and other colloquial phrases that most Koreans use in everyday conversations. Plus, watching these shows and realizing you can already understand a few dialogues is a great way to motivate yourself to keep learning, so keep up the good work!

5. Practice with other people

Mastering a new language takes a lot of discipline and hard work. You might feel like quitting but learning Korean with someone will make you less likely to give up because there’s someone who’s got your back. As a bonus, being able to practice conversations in Korean will help both of you improve faster. As they say, two (or more) is better than one.

If you don’t have a friend who’s ready to learn a new language, visit online language learning communities to meet new people.

There you have it!

We wish you all the luck on your journey to being fluent in Korean or as they say in Korea, fighting! 

Did you find these steps helpful? Let us know and share this to someone who wants to learn Korean.