Let's Learn Hangeul! ~ Exploring Korean Language

Kdrama and kpop became widely known not just by locals but also by foreigners. After being exposed to them, foreigners also became familiar with the culture and the language. Some even want to learn the language to minimize looking at the subtitles or translations. Based from experience, learning a new language is difficult especially if you do not know how to start. So if you are interested in learning Korean from scratch, you are on the right place to start!

BASIC RULE: DO NOT DEPEND ON ROMANIZATION, LEARN THE ALPHABET! LEARN HANGEUL!

First step to learn Korean Language is to learn the most basic and that is the Korean Alphabet known as Hangeul. It is created by King Sejong during Joseon Dynasty.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO LEARN HANGEUL?

Why do I want to emphasize that you should learn the Hangeul? It is because Koreans use Hangeul and not the Romanized letters. If you want to be serious about studying Korean, you should also be aware that most of the pronunciations are not supported by Romanization so there is a higher possibility with pronunciation mistakes. Romanization can also limit the progress of learning Korean since learning materials are usually in Hangeul. So if you are serious about studying Korean, it is best to study the Hangeul first.

Note: In introducing Hangeul, we will use the Romanized letters to portray the sound of each letters but I will limit the use of Romanized letters as the lessons progresses. There will also be audio provided to guide you with the proper pronunciations.

THE BASIC VOWELS:

BASIC VOWELS AND DOUBLE VOWELS VIDEO

Please play this audio while reading the character and pronouncing the sound below.

Let's practice one more time and repeat after each letter is said.

ㅏ, ㅑ, ㅓ, ㅕ, ㅗ, ㅛ, ㅜ, ㅠ, ㅡ, ㅣ

엉클뱅 - 원숭이 (performed by 조권 of 2AM)

THE DOUBLE VOWELS:

Please play this audio while reading the character and pronouncing the sound below.

Let's practice one more time and repeat after each letter is said.

ㅔ, ㅐ, ㅖ, ㅒ, ㅘ, ㅙ, ㅚ, ㅝ, ㅞ, ㅟ, ㅢ

THE CONSONANTS:

Please play this audio while reading the character and pronouncing the sound below.

Let's practice one more time and repeat after each letter is said.

ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅅ, ㅇ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅎ

THE DOUBLE CONSONANTS:

Please play this audio while reading the character and pronouncing the sound below.

Note: ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅉ -> cannot appear as final consonant

Let's practice one more time and repeat after each letter is said.

ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CONSONANTS WITH SIMILAR SOUNDS?

SYLLABLE STRUCTURE

1.) VOWEL

If the syllables are only composed of vowel, ㅇ is placed in front of the vowel, having no sound.
Example:

Please play this audio while reading the characters below.

아, 어, 오, 우, 으, 이

2.) CONSONANT - VOWEL

Please play this audio while reading the characters below.

가, 너, 도, 무, 비, 수, 차, 코, 표, 해

3.) VOWEL - CONSONANT

Please play this audio while reading the characters below.

역, 안, 엄, 울, 입, 앙, 앞

4.) CONSONANT - VOWEL - CONSONANT

Please play this audio while reading the characters below.

산, 물, 강, 봄, 꽃, 끝

Through this lesson, we were able to learn the Korean Alphabet called Hangeul. We learned about the correct pronunciation of every vowel, double vowel, consonant and double consonant. Aside from that, we were also able to differentiate the pronunciations of similar consonants. And finally, we also learned about the different syllable structure to form a word.

You are now ready to officially start your Korean Language studying journey since you've already learned the Hangeul. Enjoy!

<<READ MORE ABOUT KOREAN LANGUAGE RELATED POST>>

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