Feeling like starting Korean ahead of Hangeul Day on 9 October? Reading the title of a Korean song you like, writing your own name in Hangeul, greeting someone you’ve just met — any of those is a fine place to begin.
Hello, this is GANADA KOREAN Hongdae. Today we’d like to introduce a starting point for learning Hangeul, for foreign learners meeting Korean for the first time. Widening out from the sounds of consonants and vowels to letter combinations, familiar words and short sentences makes it much easier to set a study goal for the day.
When you first meet Hangeul, start with the sounds
At the start it helps to learn the shape of a letter and its sound together. Look at the consonants and vowels, listen to the sounds, and say them aloud yourself. Adding some writing by hand makes the shapes easier to remember too.
Rather than aiming to memorise every letter at once, focus on telling apart the few sounds you learned today. Recording your own voice briefly and listening back is another way to practise. If a sound feels unfamiliar, you can ask your teacher exactly which part differs.
When you copy letters by hand, write them large. Instead of filling several lines in tiny script, look closely at the shape of one letter and practise saying its sound. Use pronunciation written in your own alphabet as a reference at first, but gradually spend more time reading the Hangeul itself.
Put a consonant and a vowel together and read one syllable
Once consonants and vowels feel familiar, it’s time to see how letters are built. For example, ㄱ plus ㅏ makes ‘가’. Try attaching different vowels to the same consonant, or putting different consonants before the same vowel, and read how the sound changes.
Start with short syllables that have no final consonant, then widen the range to words with final consonants (batchim). As experience with combining and reading builds up, you can work through an unfamiliar word one syllable at a time. Doing writing and reading together gives you another chance to check the letters you’ve learned.
Once you’ve read a word, check what it means as well. Linking reading to meaning lays the groundwork for understanding sentences later. Making new combinations with letter cards you already know and then looking up whether they are real words can be an enjoyable exercise too.
Start with the words that are already in your life
For the next step, connect words to things familiar to you. Simple words like 나무 (tree) or 바다 (sea) work well, and so do the names of shops you visit often or foods you like.
When you make a vocabulary book, add a photo or a simple drawing rather than only the meaning. Reading menu names in a café or spotting letters you’ve learned on the street are good activities as well. Do note that in real words the spelling and the sound can differ, so check pronunciation with audio material or your teacher’s explanation.
Turn one word into your first sentence
Once you know a few words, you can make short sentences. Begin with expressions you’ll use soon, such as a sentence introducing your name or one saying what you like.
For example, “저는 안나예요” (I’m Anna), “저는 커피를 좋아해요” (I like coffee) — you put your own information inside a single sentence. As it becomes familiar, change what you like or ask a friend the same question. It’s practice for turning sentences you can read into sentences you can actually use in conversation.
How does learning Hangeul connect to Korean classes?
GANADA KOREAN guides complete beginners so they can start from the pronunciation of consonants and vowels. At the foundation stage of the regular course, you learn letters and pronunciation, basic vocabulary and sentence structure, then widen the scope to everyday conversation such as greetings and self-introductions.
Classes use our own New GANADA KOREAN series, along with workbooks and vocabulary books. You can check what you learned again in the textbook and review by writing it out yourself, which makes it easy to connect class time with study at home. If you have studied Korean before, a writing and speaking level test establishes your starting stage.
When you first come in for a consultation, tell us whether you have studied Korean before, along with what you can read or say right now. Whether you want to learn while living in Korea or pick up phrases you need while travelling is useful information too. Complete beginners can start from the basics without a level test, and we can tell you which classes are open and when during the consultation.
Finish the day with the letters you learned today
Review can start small and still be enough. Read again the three letters you learned today, write one word, and say one sentence. The next day, bring yesterday’s sentence to mind first and then add a new expression.
Noting down the date you studied and the sentence you became able to say is worth recommending too. As those records pile up, you can see not just how much you’ve memorised but what you can actually express. Recording a self-introduction and adding one learned expression at a time is another good method.
We hope Hangeul Day becomes a small reason to grow closer to Korean. At GANADA KOREAN Hongdae, we’re glad to advise even complete beginners on a starting point that matches their current level and goals. This autumn, go step by step — from the joy of reading your own name to the pleasure of telling your own story.
※ Reference: Morning regular class · Textbook introduction · FAQ
Sources : GANADA KOREAN, GANADA KOREAN Blog, GANADA KOREAN Naver Blog, Web Support Center Blog, Web Support Center Naver Blog
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