Learn Korean

Korean is an exciting and challenging language to learn. There are currently 78 million people who speak Korean. It is the official language of South Korea where it is known as “Hangungmal” and North Korea where it is called “Chosŏnmal.” In addition, Korean is one of the two official languages of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in China.


Old Korean, the ancestor language of current Korean, began during the Three Kingdoms period in Korea which spanned fromt he 1st to the 10th century. Each kingdom had its own dialect but the domination of the Silla kingdom in the 7th century made its dialect prominent. Middle Korean existed from the 10th to 16th century and because of the proximity to the Goryeo Dynasty’s capital Korean was heavily influenced by the Gaeseong dialect. Modern Korean has existed since the 17th century although, with the division of Korea, North and South forms of the language have grown apart.


Study Korean Abroad!Initially, Old Korean was written using Chinese characters (hanja) in a writing system called Idu. This form of writing was reserved for the educated and ruling elite who appreciated being the only ones who could keep records and benefit from language. In 1446, at the behest of Sejong the Great, a new form of writing called Hangul was developed. King Sejong believed that since Korean was a fundamentally different language than Chinese it required a completely different writing system and one that was accessible to all. As an instructional document of the time claims: “A wise man can acquaint himself with them before the morning is over; a stupid man can learn them in the space of ten days.” Reassuring words for any potential students!


Studying Korean

Korean verbs are one of the most difficult things to learn in the language. Around each root verb there can be a prefix and then up to seven suffixes. While the the prefix indicates negation like the “in-” or “un-” prefixes of English, the suffixes can indicate valency, honorific, tense-aspect, formality, politeness, and indicate syntactic of pragmatic moods. This may take some time to learn but like their saying,“Weonsungido namueseo ddeoleojinda” (Even monkeys may fall from trees), the Koreans know that even experts may make mistakes.


The relationship between the speaker and their audience is of immense importance to the Korean language. When speaking to a superior special nouns and verb endings called honorifics were used to indicate your respect of their position. During Korea’s history with an elaborate caste and estate system these honorifics had an immediate social purpose. Nowadays, however, they are used to convey not social superiority so much as indicating a social and psychological difference. For example, honorifics are always used in communications with strangers or those who are considerably older. In modern times this has been changing, however, with younger Koreans speaking to their elder relatives in the mode originally reserved for equals as they feel this indicates the closeness of being family. Even though Korean is still developing, with application you can learn the pleasures of becoming fluent. Like the Korean saying will assure you: “Seodanggae sam nyeone pungweol eupneunda” (After three years at a village schoolhouse, even the dog can recite a poem)!