How can you learn Korean? The best way to learn Korean online or on a mobile app. What you need to know about the Korean language

I started learning Korean a year before my first trip to South Korea. And here many people often ask this terribly embarrassing question to me: “Daria, how long have you been learning Korean?” People, why are you so cruel?!

I first started learning Korean in the fall of 2010. Yes, yes, I have been studying Korean for 7 years and still don’t speak it. All! Confessed! And like a stone from the soul. As a person who sincerely believes that, if desired, any language at an intermediate level can be learned in 6-12 months, it is painful for me to write about seven years. But in fact, we had some good times with the Korean language. I once even passed TOPIK level 2!

Difficulties in learning Korean

Korean language is very strange! I can be called a polyglot and with other (European languages) I have never experienced such difficulties as with the Korean language. What problems did I have? Difficulties in learning Korean:

1. Pronunciation. I still don’t understand all the sounds and I don’t always remember the 100 and one rules for reading Korean words.
2. Korean words are not remembered. I cannot easily reproduce them (except for memorized phrases), I cannot easily write them (even memorized phrases).
3. Sometimes I feel like there are more exceptions than rules in Korean grammar.
4. I perceive written texts more or less well, I can even write (if I remember how to spell a word), but the Korean spoken language is often just a set of sounds that are pleasant to the ear for me.
5. Once I stop studying Korean for at least a week, that’s it! I can start learning the alphabet again. It's horrible! I started learning the Korean alphabet about 10 times already. And I still haven’t learned it.

But all this does not stop me in my desire to someday learn the Korean language to some decent conversational level. For this reason, from time to time I and a group of enthusiasts launch the Korean Marathon (read more about what it is here). The next one will start tomorrow, so if you also want to learn Korean, then feel free to join to our VKontakte group.

Applications for learning Korean

1. 세종한국어어휘학습 (or Sejong Korean Vocabulary - Basic) The application is developed by the King Sejong Institute, which promotes the Korean language around the world. It is intended for beginner level and helps to gain vocabulary. What I especially like is the high-quality voice acting of words, phrases and sentences.
2. PopPopping Korean The application will help you get the correct Korean pronunciation. Suitable even for complete beginners, because the entire educational process is based on pictures. The continuation also includes Poppopping Korean–Conversation, in which simple dialogues on everyday topics are voiced.
   
3. An unofficial application of the most, in my opinion, interesting project dedicated to learning the Korean language - Talk to me in Korean Everything is in English, but you can collect a huge number of spoken phrases in Korean from the Koreans themselves for a variety of language levels. What I also like is the cultural references and funny videos.
   
4. Learn Korean 6000 Words from Fun Easy Learn The first of all applications translated into Russian. There are probably really 6000 words, but they are divided into normal semantic blocks and you can easily not learn what you consider unnecessary. The words are accompanied by pictures (as I like), the pronunciation is voiced by real people, and games of varying difficulty are used to memorize them. One of the nicest apps I've ever used.
   

Why learn Korean, since it is not as widespread as Chinese or Japanese? In fact, it is very important for those who want to go to study or work in South Korea.

This article is intended for persons over 18 years of age

Have you already turned 18?

How to learn Korean from scratch?

Learning Korean on your own is difficult to say the least. And the point here is not even the phonetic component (although it is also very important) - it is difficult to understand and sort out the very large abundance of hieroglyphs. Officially, there are only 24 letters in the Korean language, but there are also letter combinations (about 40) and more than 3,000 characters from Chinese. The result is a mass of combinations that are at least alien to European people.

To study at home you will need:

• textbook (phrase book) on the Korean language. Now there are many publications on sale that have audio dubbing of all the proposed words;
• table with alphabet, numbers, colors. You are unlikely to be able to buy a ready-made one, so you will have to do it yourself;
• audio recordings with basic words.

For beginners, it is very important to start learning the language from the basics - from the alphabet. Simply memorized phrases or words without this knowledge are dead, which means they are practically useless. If you have ever learned a foreign language, then you know that you need to start with the simplest. When learning at home, after studying all (or at least the basic) hieroglyphs, you can start learning colors and counting. It is also appropriate to memorize basic phrases:

• My name is;
• I came from;
• I'm...years old.

This is enough for a minimal tourist vocabulary to not get lost in South Korea. But if you want more - to work legally or study in this country, then you will have to work hard. The same can be said about a tour to North Korea - the language rules of these ideologically diametrical countries are absolutely the same.

How can you learn Korean quickly?

Let's start with the fact that in 15 minutes or 15 days you won't succeed - at best you can master a few of the most popular phrases. However, this applies to any language in the world - it takes time to learn it.

It is very difficult to say how long it will take to do this. It all depends on your individual abilities, as well as how much time you will spend on it daily. But in any case, learning even the alphabet and a few of the most “necessary” words will take at least a month. Plus - phonetics and grammar, because learning to read and write is also important. Therefore, if you want to significantly speed up your learning, you simply need special courses.

The advantages of this work:

• you will be taught by a person who at least knows how to teach and where to start. It is very good if the course is taught by a native speaker (one who speaks Korean as a native speaker);
• Group classes help you concentrate better;
• development of spoken language;
• the ability to learn from other people’s mistakes, as well as find your own.

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Is it difficult to learn Korean?

The main difficulty in learning the Korean language is caused by the abundance of hieroglyphs. Their combination is far from any European language, which means it is a priori difficult. Is it worth focusing on this? Of course not (provided that you really need this knowledge).

However, I repeat, you need to start with the basics. Do not rush to take on new vocabulary until you have fully learned and understood the previous material. Remember - without knowing the basic rules of reading and grammar, even memorizing a hundred phrases will not make you a language expert and will not help you master spoken language. You will simply know 100 phrases in Korean. Therefore, it is very important that your training is as complete and comprehensive as possible. This is precisely the main thing in the question of whether it is possible to master the Korean language.

Which language is better and easier to learn - Korean, Chinese or Japanese?

Many people are simply interested in the burning question - which is better, Chinese or Korean? Let's start with the fact that all three main eastern languages ​​are good in their own way. But what is easier to study is a completely rhetorical question. It all depends on what you want to get in the end. If you plan to work or study in these countries, then it is most logical to choose the language of the land where you are going. If you just want to touch on Oriental studies, the question is completely different. These languages, like all in their groups, have a lot in common, but they also have more than enough differences. It is traditionally believed that the simplest eastern language is Japanese. But this is a purely subjective opinion - for some, Chinese even looks rustic. Korean is a more unique language, because in addition to hieroglyphic writing, it contains sounds and letters that you also need to be able to connect.

e">Learning Korean

The process of learning the Korean language is quite long and troublesome. Therefore, if you just want to learn another language for self-development, it’s better to take some European one. Of course, knowing Korean is a rather exotic feature, but it is disproportionate to the efforts made.

So, when starting to learn Korean from scratch, you should remember:

• classes should be consistent and start with the basics;
• each lesson should consist of three blocks - studying hieroglyphs, listening to audio and video materials and writing;
• repetition and repetition again - otherwise within a week the carefully memorized hieroglyphs will simply disappear from your memory;
• classes should be constant, without long pauses and breaks.

I repeat, it will be very difficult to learn the Korean language on your own, so it is better to enroll in specialized courses for beginners. At the same time, no one will force you to go there all the time - take the necessary foundation for studying at home. The same applies to language courses for children - the basics are also taught there, with the expectation that all other knowledge will already be given by a teacher or tutor.

What can help when learning the Korean language?

Many people believe that a simple textbook is enough to learn any language. Yes, indeed, with it you can learn all the rules of reading, grammar and other subtleties of learning, but it is much better if you add various additional materials to it.

These can be bilingual books - this is when one story is told in several languages ​​at once. It is also worth paying attention to applications for learning language in a playful way. They usually complement the textbooks and program presented in it. These can be various games aimed at developing visual memory and, as a result, memorizing more hieroglyphs and words, colors, objects, numbers.

Various audio programs aimed at developing auditory memory and capturing sounds by ear are also very helpful.

It would also be a good idea to watch various films with subtitles. This way you will automatically note the most popular words and how they sound correctly. But remember, you still won’t be able to get the full amount of knowledge.

If you need a fairly in-depth study of a subject, then distance learning is what you need. This format of study is offered by many universities that specialize in Oriental studies. Typically, institutes provide sufficiently deep knowledge, which is enough for admission to a foreign educational institution. But it is worth noting that such lessons are quite expensive, which means that only those who are firmly focused on traveling abroad can use them.

If you already have a spoken and reading foundation of the Korean language, then the question of where to start is not so pressing - it is enough to develop and increase the knowledge acquired previously. Is this path difficult? Of course, yes, because the subject is difficult at any stage of study.

Whether to learn Korean or not is everyone’s personal choice, but if you are aiming for results, then it’s not enough to just buy a tutorial. You need to work daily and constantly!

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

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Instructions

Understand the logic

Before learning a language, you need to find its place in the language family, determine its closest relatives and the type of language. Yes, oddly enough, reading books on linguistics makes life much easier for people who study with a form of writing that is significantly different from their own. All beginners should know that the Korean language belongs to the Tungus-Manchu group of languages ​​of the Altai family. This is an agglutinative language, which means that the sentence is built according to the “subordination - object” scheme. That is, not “I am going to the store for food,” but “I am food because I am going to the store.” Verbs do not have a gender, but there are special conjugate endings in order to address friends, mother and father, as well as older people and high rank. It seems strange at first, but experts are confident that Korean is one of the easiest languages ​​to master.

Spin Attack

In order to learn any language, you should not only study theory, immerse yourself in grammar and build up your vocabulary, but also read, listen, write coherent texts and, of course, communicate. There are many free resources on the Internet to help lovers of the Korean language. So, for example, a resource http://www.lingq.com/ offers texts and podcasts in Korean for students of all levels - from beginner to advanced. The network user reads the text, listens to it at the same time, remembers the pronunciation of a native speaker and “links” new words. You can make cards from words, download them, upload them to your mobile phone or receive them by mail. Another educational network where you can learn Korean is livemocha.com. The free course includes more than fifty lessons: theory, test exercises, quizzes and two tasks that test native speakers - oral and written. Politeness and respect are the two pillars on which language learning in online educational networks is based.

Serious preparation

If a student studying the Korean language needs a certificate or confidence that the best teachers are teaching him, then it is worth enrolling in free Korean language courses at the Cultural Center of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea: http://russia.korean-culture.org/welcome.do You can also learn Korean for free at Won Gwan Language School http://www.wonkwang.ru/. There you can download free audio courses and purchase educational literature. In addition, Korean is studied in courses at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and at departments at RGSU, RGGU, MGIMO, ISAA and others. These educational institutions prepare professional students of Korean studies.

Do you want to watch Korean shows in the original and sing along to popular K-Pop groups? Or maybe you want to immigrate to South Korea or go to the DPRK (hardly, but anything is possible)? It's time to learn the language! It will be difficult, but it’s possible to master the basics in just 3-4 months. Let's talk about how to learn Korean for free and on your own at home in just 5 minutes a day.

What you need to know about the Korean language

Modern Korean was formed in 1443 and today it is spoken by more than 80 million people around the world. The alphabet consists of 14 consonants and 10 vowels, in addition to them there are 16 diphthongs and double consonants, giving a total of 40 hieroglyphs.

But don't relax: to make your life even more interesting, Koreans have carefully borrowed another 3,000 characters from the Chinese and use them as part of the Hanja dialect.

Fortunately, they are used mainly in names, religious treatises, business correspondence and classical literature. In North Korea, by the way, hanja is almost never used.

Korean is not at all similar to Indo-European languages, which is why it is especially difficult for Russian-speaking audiences to learn it. The main thing is motivation, which is determined by the goal. The goal will determine the training model and program.

Answer a simple question: why do you want to learn a language? If you want to sing along to Korean performers, just learn the alphabet, listen and translate the lyrics. If you want to communicate with Koreans or go to South Korea as a tourist, learn basic grammar and about 500 words. But for immigration, study and work, regular lessons with a native speaker will be required.

Motivation, program and training model

After setting a goal, start looking for motivation. How will you benefit from knowing the Korean language? You will be able to freely communicate with its native speakers at work or study, get a promotion at work, relax comfortably in Seoul, and so on. Identify specific benefits. Unfortunately, for most people asking such questions, the only motivation is to fall in love with K-Pop and popular artists. But the euphoria inspired by the music quickly breaks down due to complex grammar and even the writing of hieroglyphs. Therefore, it is important to determine substantive, even somewhat mercantile, benefits.

When motivation is found, proceed to choosing a training model and drawing up a program. You can achieve results only with regular classes and a plan that is correct from a pedagogical point of view.

Take as a basis the program compiled by language school teachers or textbook writers, then adapt it to suit you.

It is best to study at the same time 3-4 times a week and repeat the learned words and phrases daily - this can be easily done in 5 minutes using a mobile application.

The training model directly depends on its form. It could be:

1. Taking courses.
2. Self-study at home.
3. Learning a language with a tutor.
4. Studying in foreign schools.
5. Classes with native speakers.

It is better to choose the form of training depending on the goal you are pursuing. The Korean language is characterized by high complexity of pronunciation and grammar. It is almost impossible to learn it to a level worthy for immigration and work without classes with a tutor and long-term residence in South or North Korea. But you are quite capable of learning to read, write, understand song lyrics and watch TV shows with original dubbing.

TOP 5 services for learning Korean from scratch

Learning Korean on your own is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. But if you want to master the basic level and only later think about improving your speaking skills, use free training services. We've selected the best resources and mobile apps that can help.

Online Korean language tutorial with completely free functionality. There are several levels here - you can start from scratch or choose a course to continue learning. All site options are so simple that even a child can easily understand them. The material is well structured, built on the principle of “from simple to complex.” The service is perfect for learning the basics - the alphabet, basic grammar rules and creating an initial vocabulary.

Language courses in a classic format, which include theory in text and audio format, practice and additional materials. You will have to master 100 topics - from greetings and basic grammar to complex features of composing sentences, adverbs and vocabulary groups. The theory text is always complemented by an audio recording, which helps improve listening and speaking skills.

A convenient service, available both in the format of a mobile application and in a desktop version (for computers and laptops). Here you can learn dozens of languages, in particular Korean. An interesting option is the ability to ask a question to a native speaker. You can ask how to translate this or that phrase, how to correctly compose a sentence, how to choose the necessary words in accordance with your communication style, and so on.

The largest community for Korean language learners on the VKontakte social network. Thousands of materials are presented here - including grammar lessons, textbooks, speaking secrets, articles on phraseological units and speech patterns, fiction and much more. Additionally, you can communicate with people who are also learning the language and actively helping each other, sharing links to useful services, translating texts and speaking Korean.

How to train speaking

When you start learning a language on your own, the biggest challenge is acquiring speaking skills. It is for this reason that teachers recommend studying with a tutor or visiting countries where Korean is spoken. Otherwise, you can master hundreds of words and even learn grammar, but native speakers will still not be able to understand you during a normal conversation. If the issue of paying for training is fundamental, and you do not want to spend a single ruble on it, use the possibilities of the Internet.

5 ways to train speaking for free:

1. Communicate with native speakers - it is important to speak by voice using instant messengers, social networks, services and video chats.
2. Visiting countries where Korean is spoken means not only tourist trips, but also conferences, seminars, and volunteer events.
3. Compare your pronunciation with the speaker’s speech - to do this, say a phrase on record and compare the result with the pronunciation of a similar sentence by a native speaker.
4. Sing along with Korean performers - turn down your favorite song and sing, gradually you will begin to notice defects in your pronunciation, which you can correct.
5. Attend thematic clubs - if you live in a big city, then there probably are community meetings where native Korean speakers are invited.

It is possible that over time you will decide to seek the help of a tutor specifically to correct your oral speech.

Then you should give preference to teachers for whom Korean is their native language. Don’t forget about the opportunity to take short-term courses - even in a situation where you prefer to study on your own, they can be useful for working on mistakes. Don’t miss the opportunity to participate in free webinars that are so often conducted by volunteers and language schools.

In the process of self-study, you will probably form your own methodology. However, you should definitely listen to the advice of linguists, teachers and Koreans themselves. We have collected universal recommendations for you that are important to consider during the training process.

1. Start with the basics

First, you should learn the alphabet, then move on to greetings and introductions, then master the most common verbs and tourist phrases. Only after this can you begin an in-depth study of grammar and vocabulary.

2. Keep the tone in mind.

The Korean language has many nuances that are important to consider. Among them is the tone of address, according to which it is worth choosing certain words for communication in everyday life, in a business and respectful style.

3. Immerse yourself in the language environment

Start by changing the settings on your phone - set the language to Korean. You will definitely get confused, but then you will get used to it. Listen to Korean radio in the car, actively communicate with native speakers, try to watch any shows and even sporting events with Korean commentary.

4. Try to think in Korean

Every time you want to think about something, and even when you calculate the cost of purchases at the grocery store, try to do it using the language you are learning. Russian words and phrases, of course, will slip through, but the perception of Korean will become more natural.

5. Watch TV series

Turn on TV series in Korean dubbing with subtitles in Russian and watch them as often as possible. At the same time, do not cling to every incomprehensible word - try to grasp the meaning of certain phrases and the dialogue as a whole.

6. Use the words you have learned

Otherwise, the brain will quickly begin to forget them. Read literature in the original, write essays and letters, communicate in Korean on the Internet as much as possible. Regularly repeat the words you have already learned and make sentences with them.

7. Exercise regularly

It is better to spend 5-10 minutes studying every day than to learn a language once a week for 2 hours. The more frequent the lessons, the better. The faster you will master the basics and be able to move on to expanding your vocabulary.

8. Try to diversify your activities

If you constantly sit over textbooks, then over time there will be no trace of motivation left. Diversify classical lessons with communication, listening and translating songs, reading Korean media and literature, watching films and TV series.

9. Constantly work on your pronunciation

Compare your pronunciation with how the announcer reads a similar phrase, strive to achieve maximum compliance. Practice speaking while communicating with Koreans, attend language clubs, and take part in webinars.

10. Use the power of the Internet

Surround yourself with resources that will help you learn the language - install mobile applications, add learning services to your browser bookmarks, subscribe to thematic communities on social networks. Use them as often as possible.

Summary

Learning Korean at home is quite difficult. But if you are not planning to immigrate and work as a translator, then getting a basic level at home is quite possible. To do this, it is important to determine motivation, select the optimal program and ensure regular exercise - at least 3-4 times a week for at least 30 minutes.