Beginner Korean Course Reference: Beginner Korean Course Lesson 1-100 Lesson 1: Course Introduction WHAT YOU’LL LEARN Read and write using the Korean alphabet (한글) Introducing yourself Expressing your likes and dislikes Asking questions Making requests Describing people, places, and things Giving explanations Talking about you or someone is doing Using time, numbers, and dates Essential Korean customs and culture Basic conversation about simple, common topics HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THIS COURSE (YouTube Link is on the front page.) Take notes while moving through every lesson. Pause and re-watch lessons as needed. After each lesson, practice the topics covered. Make your own sentences using the grammar and vocabulary. Don’t rush! Do one lesson at a time, or do several. Only do as many lessons as you can practice. Complete all lessons in order. If you already know a topic, skim the lesson (but don’t skip it). You might still learn something new. Lesson 2: Intro to 한글 한글 한글 means Korean (한) letters (글) and is the Korean alphabet. Created by 세종대왕 in 1446. Before 한글, most Koreans were illiterate. Wealthy people learned Chinese. Only a few hours to learn. AVOID ROMANIZATION!!!! VOWEL ㅏ CONSONAN SYLLABL T E CONSONAN SYLLABL T E ㄴ 다음 나 ㄱ 가 CONSONAN SYLLABL T E ㄷ 다 다음 HOW TO PRONOUNCE LETTERS Consonants have no sound without a vowel. Consonants and Vowels combine to form “Syllables.” Syllables are sounds made with one mouth movement. Syllables need at least one consonant and one vowel. WHAT IS “STROKE ORDER?” Left to Right Top to Bottom Important for reading and writing quickly. Incorrect stroke order can cause confusion. HOW DO “SYLLABLE BLOCKS” WORK? 6 types of Syllable Blocks, depending on the letters used. Left to Right Top to Bottom 1 Vertical Vowel: Consonant on Left, Vowel on Right. C V 나 뒤 LET’S PRACTICE! 가 나 다 Lesson 3: Learning 한글 Part 1 The First Letters CONSONAN SYLLABL T E CONSONAN SYLLABL T E CONSONAN SYLLABL T E CONSONAN SYLLABL T E ㄹ ㅂ 라 바 ㅁ ㅅ 마 사 CONSONAN SYLLABL T E ㅈ 자 CONSONAN SYLLABL T E ㅎ 하 LET’S PRACTICE! 라 마 바 사 자 하 Lesson 4: Learning 한글 Part 2 New Kinds of Syllables VOWEL ㅗ MORE SYLLABLE BLOCKS 1 Horizontal Vowel: Consonant on top, Vowel on Bottom. C V 고 LET’S PRACTICE! 가 나 다 라 마 바 사 자 하 고 노 도 로 모 보 소 조 호 CONSONAN SYLLABL SYLLABL T E E ㅇ 아 오 다음 MORE SYLLABLE BLOCKS 2 Consonants with Vertical Vowel 1st Consonant on Top Left, Vowel on Right, 2nd Consonant on Bottom. 2 Consonants with Horizontal Vowel 1st Consonant on Top, Vowel on Middle, 2nd Consonant on Bottom. C V C 간 C V C 곤 LET’S PRACTICE! 간 낟 밥 돌 삭 란 존 몸 합 다음 LET’S PRACTICE! 강 낭 당 랑 몽 방 앙 종 홍 상 Lesson 5: Learning 한글 Part 3 More Vowels VOWEL ㅓ VOWEL ㅡ SYLLABL E VOWEL 어 ㅜ SYLLABL E VOWEL 으 ㅣ SYLLABL E 우 SYLLABL E 이 LET’S PRACTICE! 거 누 드 리 믐 분 어 전 흥 실 VOWEL ㅔ VOWEL ㅑ SYLLABL E VOWEL 에 ㅐ SYLLABL E VOWEL 야 ㅕ SYLLABL E 애 SYLLABL E 여 VOWEL ㅛ VOWEL ㅖ SYLLABL E VOWEL 요 ㅠ SYLLABL E VOWEL 예 ㅒ SYLLABL E 유 SYLLABL E 얘 다음 LET’S PRACTICE! 개 냐 뎌 료 뮤 베 여 죠 휴 새 다음 LET’S PRACTICE! 예 얘 걔 혜 WHEN THE CONSONANT ㅅ MEETS THE Any time ㅣ ㅅ comes before the vowel sound ㅣ, it becomes pronounced ‘sh.’ SOUND This also applies to Diphthongs (taught later). 사 소 수 스 세 새 시 샤 셔 쇼 슈 셰 섀 Lesson 6: Learning 한글 Part 4 More Syllables BLENDING SYLLABLES The Consonant ㅇ has no sound at the start of a syllable. Therefore, any Consonant sound before it can flow through when pronounced. 한국 인 ‘한구 긴’ LET’S PRACTICE! 힘들 어 미국 운 힘드 리 미구 군 닫아 한국 어 사람 이 다다 한구 거 사라 미 LET’S PRACTICE! 영어 발음 달이 만이 영어 바름 다리 마니 MORE SYLLABLE BLOCKS 3 Consonants with Vertical Vowel 1st Consonant on Top Left, Vowel on Top Right, 2nd and 3rd Consonants on Bottom. 3 Consonants with Horizontal Vowel 1st Consonant on Top, Vowel on Middle, 2nd and 3rd Consonants on Bottom. C V C C 앉 C V C C 긁 LET’S PRACTICE! 앉아 긁어 삶이 밝이 값이 읽은 안자 글거 살미 발기 갑시 일근 HOW TO READ ㄹ When a syllable has two Consonants at the bottom… And when one of those is ㄹ… And when the following syllable does not start with ㅇ… Most of the time, the ㄹ is not pronounced. 삶 흙 읽 밟 옮겨 닭 여덟 삼 흑 익 밥 옴겨 닥 여덜 Lesson 7: Learning 한글 Part 5 Double and Strong Consonants CONSONAN SYLLABL T E CONSONAN SYLLABL T E CONSONAN SYLLABL T E CONSONAN SYLLABL T E ㄲ ㅃ 까 빠 ㄸ ㅆ 따 싸 다음 CONSONAN SYLLABL T E ㅉ 짜 다음 STROKE ORDER Double Consonants have the same stroke order, drawn twice. Double Consonants use the same amount of space as a regular consonant. ㄲ HOW TO PRONOUNCE DOUBLE CONSONANTS Double Consonants are made with the same sound as regular consonants, but by slightly tensing the mouth before pronouncing. Practice by pausing quickly before pronouncing a Double Consonant. 가 까 뒤 PRONUNCIATION TIPS It’s easier to practice Double Consonants inside of actual words, than on their own. Practice 아가 and 아까 instead of only 가 and 까. Hold up a tissue paper in front of your mouth when practicing. Regular Consonants: The tissue paper should move noticeably. Double Consonants: The tissue paper should not move noticeably. LET’S PRACTICE! 방 기 끼 달 딸 빵 쌀 잔 살 짠 CONSONAN SYLLABL T E CONSONAN SYLLABL T E CONSONAN SYLLABL T E CONSONAN SYLLABL T E ㅋ ㅍ 카 파 ㅌ ㅊ 타 차 다음 HOW TO PRONOUNCE STRONG CONSONANTS Strong Consonants are made with the same sound as regular consonants, but are pronounced with more force. 가 카 뒤 PRONUNCIATION TIPS Hold up a tissue paper in front of your mouth when practicing. Regular Consonants: The tissue paper should move noticeably. Double Consonants: The tissue paper should not move noticeably. Strong Consonants: The tissue paper should move more noticeably. LET’S PRACTICE! 가 까 카 LET’S PRACTICE! 다 따 타 LET’S PRACTICE! 바 빠 파 LET’S PRACTICE! 자 짜 차 REGULAR, DOUBLE, STRONG 불 ‘fire’ 뿔 ‘horns’ 풀 ‘grass’ or ‘glue’ LET’S PRACTICE! 갈비 따르 다 칩 공짜 친구 티나 바나 나 핑크 쓰다 진짜 꽁트 빨래 핸드 폰 순대 Lesson 8: Learning 한글 Part 6 Diphthongs WHAT IS A ‘DIPHTHONG?’ Diphthongs are two vowels combined into one. To pronounce, say both vowels (from Left to Right) quickly. For Stroke Order, write each vowel (from Left to Right) one at a time as usual. DIPHTHONG SYLLABL E DIPHTHONG SYLLABL E DIPHTHONG SYLLABL E DIPHTHONG SYLLABL E ㅢ ㅝ 의 워 ㅘ ㅟ 와 위 다음 DIPHTHONG SYLLABL E ㅙ 왜 DIPHTHONG SYLLABL E ㅚ 외 DIPHTHONG SYLLABL E ㅞ 웨 다음 ABOUT 의 의 is pronounced as expected. Other Consonants + ㅢ make the vowel sound ㅣinstead (most of the time). 의=의 희=히 뒤 LET’S PRACTICE! 왜 외 웨 의 과 뭐 휘 괘 쇠 궤 흰 좌 둬 귀 쇄 괴 훼 NAME OF THE LETTERS Take a Consonant and attach the vowel ㅣ… Then attach the syllable 으, followed by the same Consonant at the bottom. ㄴ=ㄴ+ㅣ+으+ㄴ(니은) *There are 3 irregulars, as marked. Vowels can be read using the Consonant ㅇ. ㅏ=ㅇ+ㅏ(아) For Double Consonants, add 쌍(‘couple’ or ‘pair’). ㄲ=쌍+끼역(쌍기역) ㄱ=기역* ㄴ=니은 ㄷ=디귿* ㄹ=리을 ㅁ=미음 ㅂ=비읍 ㅅ=시옷 ㅇ=이응 ㅈ=지읒 ㅊ=치읓 ㅋ=키읔 ㅌ=티읕 ㅍ=피읖 ㅎ=히읗 Lesson 9: Sound Change Rules For 한글 WHAT ARE SOUND CHANGE RULES? Sound change rules make 한글 easier, faster, and (often) possible to read. 맛이=마시, but 맛=? 맛 cannot be pronounced as-is. 맛 would become ‘MA-SH’ or ‘MAS’ (마스) – but this would be adding an extra vowel. 맛 is pronounced as 맏. 낮 cannot be pronounced as-is. 낮 would become ‘NAJ’ (나즈) – but this would be adding an extra vowel. 낮 is pronounced as 낟. TIPS FOR LEARNING SOUND CHANGE RULES Sound change rules make Korean easier, not harder. Most sound changes will occur naturally, without even memorizing them! You don’t need to stress about memorizing sound change rules… Be aware that they exist. Practice them as needed, and refer to them when you get stuck. Don’t let them hold you back from learning the rest of the language. Most native Korean speakers don’t have these rules memorized. You can verify any word’s pronunciation using a dictionary (such as Naver Dictionary). SOUND CHANGE RULE #1 PRONOUNCING THE BOTTOM When a syllable ends with a Consonant that cannot be pronounced as-is… ㅅ,ㅆ,ㅈ,ㅊ,ㅌ,ㅎ These Consonants become pronounced as the Consonant ㄷ. 맛=맏 밌=믿 갖=갇 및=믿 밭=받 낳=낟 This makes these syllables possible to pronounce. Other Consonants that can be pronounced as-is do not become pronounced as ㄷ. Only the following: ㄱ,ㄴ,ㄷ,ㄹ,ㅁ,ㅂ,ㅇ SOUND CHANGE RULE #2 PRONOUNCING ㄲ,ㅋ, AND ㅍ When a syllable ends with of the following Consonants… ㄲ,ㅋ,ㅍ These Consonants become pronounced as their regular versions. 겪=격 부엌=부억 잎=입 This makes these syllables possible to pronounce. This sound change rule would likely happen naturally without thinking about it. SOUND CHANGE RULE #3 BETWEEN TWO SYLLABLES When the 1st syllable end with any Consonant sound (besides ㅁ,ㄴ, or ㄹ)… Some examples: 학, 받, 백, 국, 벆, 먹, 핫, 있, 찾, 및, 뱉, 읗 And the 2nd syllable begins with any of the following 5 Consonants… ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ, ㅈ The syllable’s Consonant becomes pronounced as a Double Consonant. This sound change rule would likely happen naturally without thinking about it. 2nd 다음 SOUND CHANGE RULE #3 BETWEEN TWO SYLLABLES 학교=학꾜 받다=받따 었던= 얻떤 백보=백뽀 국수=국쑤 먹자=먹=짜 없다=업따 뒤 SOUND CHANGE RULE #4 PRONOUNCING ㅎ When ㅎ comes between two syllables and before ㅇ, the ㅎ sound disappears… 싫어=시러 많아=마나 좋아=조아 SOUND CHANGE RULE #4 PRONOUNCING ㅎ If a regular Consonant comes before or after ㅎ, it becomes pronounced as a Strong Consonant. 착하다=차가다 많다=만타 좋다=조타 어떻게=어떠케 잃다=일타 못하다=모타다 This sound change rule would likely happen naturally without thinking of it. SOUND CHANGE RULE #5 PRONOUNCING ㄹ When the 1st syllable ends with ㄹ… And the 2nd syllable begins with any of the following 5 Consonants… ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ, ㅈ The 2nd syllable’s Consonant usually becomes pronounced as a Double Consonant. YES NO 밀당=밀땅 일자리=일짜리 밀가루=밀까루 물가=물까 할게=할께 물고기=물꼬기 얼굴=얼굴 웰빙=웰빙 발바=발바 SOUND CHANGE RULE #6 PRONOUNCING ㅂ When the 1st syllable ends with the ㅂ sound… And the 2nd syllable begins with the Consonant ㄴ or ㅁ… The ㅂ becomes pronounced as ㅁ. 합니다=함니다 입냄새=임냄새 밥먹어=밤먹어 겁나=검나 접는=범는 잎모양=임모양 This sound change rule would likely happen naturally without thinking about it. SOUND CHANGE RULE #7 PRONOUNCING ㄱ When the 1st syllable ends with the ㄱ sound… And the 2nd syllable begins with the Consonant ㄴ or ㅁ… The ㄱ becomes pronounced as ㅇ. 한국밀=한궁밀 백만=뱅만 국물=궁물 묵 마르다=뭉 마르다 학년=항년 볶는=봉는 부엌문=부엉문 This sound change rule would likely happen naturally without thinking about it. SOUND CHANGE RULE #8 THE CONSONANT ㄴ When the 1st syllable ends with any of the following sounds (which all become ㄷ at the end of a syllable)… ㄷ, ㅅ, ㅈ, ㅎ And the 2nd syllable begins with Consonant ㄴ (or sometimes ㅁ)… The 1st Consonant becomes pronounced as ㄴ. 몇년=면년 맞나=만나 믿는=민는 닿는=단는 있나=인나 잇몸=인몸 This sound change rule would likely happen naturally without thinking about it. SOUND CHANGE RULE #9: MORE ㄹ CHANGES PART 1 When the 1st syllable ends with the ㅂ sound… And the 2nd syllable begins with the Consonant ㄹ… The ㅂ becomes pronounced ㅁ, and the ㄹ becomes pronounced as ㄴ. 합량=함냥 압력=암녁 십리=심니 합류=함뉴 합리=함니 SOUND CHANGE RULE #10: MORE ㄹ CHANGES PART 2 When the 1st syllable ends with the ㄱ sound… And the 2nd syllable begins with the Consonant ㄹ… The ㄱ becomes pronounced as ㅇ, and the ㄹ becomes pronounced as ㄴ. 백리=뱅니 막료=망뇨 복리=봉니 맥락=맹낙 식량=싱냥 SOUND CHANGE RULE #11: MORE ㄹ CHANGES PART 3 When the 1st syllable ends with the Consonant ㅇ or ㅁ… And the 2nd syllable begins with the Consonant ㄹ… The ㄹ becomes pronounced as ㄴ. 강릉=강능 탐라=탐나 음료=음뇨 담력=담녁 황률=황뉼 There is an exception… 장르=장르(‘genre’) This sound change rule would likely happen naturally without thinking about it. SOUND CHANGE RULE #12: MORE ㄹ CHANGES PART 4 When the Consonant ㄴ comes before or after the Consonant ㄹ… The ㄴ becomes pronounced as ㄹ. 월남=월람 혼란=홀란 발노=발로 신라=실라 일년=일련 만리=말리 스물 네 명=스물 레 명 SOUND CHANGE RULE #13 USING ㄷ AND ㅌ When the 1st syllable ends with the Consonant ㄷ or ㅌ… And the 2nd syllable contains the vowel sound ㅣ… The ㄷ becomes pronounced as ㅈ, and the ㅌ becomes pronounced as ㅊ. 맏이=마지 같이=가치 갇히다=가지다 굳이=구지 붙여=부쳐 SOUND CHANGE RULE #14 MORE SOUND CHANGES RULES There are several irregular words that do not follow these sound change rules… Learn those as you see them. 십육=심뉵 깻잎=깬닙 한자=한짜 감다=감따 여권=여꿘 조건=조껀 There are more sound change rules. These are the most commonly used rules. Lesson 10: Hello and Goodbye WELCOME TO KOREA! Korea split into two after the Korean War (1950 – 1953). Both sides speak Korean, but differently. Think American English vs British English. South Korea (한국) Population: 50+ million Capital: 서올 Language Spoken: 한국어 LET’S LEARN KOREAN! Korean sentence structure is Subject Object Verb (S.O.V.). English: ‘I eat pizza.’ Korean: ‘I pizza eat.’ Subject Object Verb Korean also uses nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, and more… If you’re not familiar with these terms, I’ll explain these as we go. ‘HELLO!’ To close friends the same age* as you or younger: 안녕 To anyone else: 안녕하세요 The way you speak can depend on who you’re speaking with or about. These are known as ‘Politeness Levels’ which we will talk about later. YOUR KOREAN AGE Everyone is born as already 1 year old. Everyone gains 1 year at the same time on January 1st. Birthdays are celebrated but do not mean you get older. How to calculate your Korean age: The Current Year - Your Birth Year +1 Korean Age ‘GOODBYE!’ To close friends the same age as you or younger: 안녕 To anyone else: 안녕히 가세요 ‘Go in peace!’ – to someone going somewhere 안녕히 계세요 ‘Stay in peace!’ – to someone staying CONVERSATION PRACTICE 민우: 안녕하세요! 선아: 아녕하세요! 민우: 안녛히 가세요! 선아: 안녛히 계세요! 민우: 안녕! 선아: 안녕! 민우: 안녕! 선아: 안녕! Lesson 11: Introducing Yourself HOW TO MEET SOMEONE Bow when meeting or seeing someone for the first time in a while. The deeper and longer the bow, the more respect is shown. Formal or business: Bow at about a 45˚ angle. Shaking hands is also acceptable while bowing. Hold your forearm with your left hand when shaking. Or to show extra respect, use both hands when shaking. Everyday interactions: Bow your head and body slightly. Friends: Do not show. ‘I AM…’ When meeting anyone for the first time: 저는...이예요 저는...예요 저는 comes from 저 (‘I’ or ‘me’) and 는, which we’ll cover in a later lesson. 이예요 and 예요 come from the verb 이다 meaning ‘to be.’ It works as an equal sign – ‘I equal…’ Use 이예요 after a Consonant, and 예요 after a Vowel. 예요 is pronounced as 에요. Although there are casual ways to say this (using 나는 instead of 저는), those ways can come across as too casual when meeting someone for the first time. In later lessons we’ll cover this concept in detail. For now, being polite is safer. ‘NICE TO MEET YOU!’ To people who look to be a similar as you or younger, in casual situations: 반가워요 To anyone else, in any other situation: 반갑습니다 [‘반갑씁니다’] 반가워요 and 반갑습니다 comes from the verb 반갑다, meaning ‘to be happy to see.’ They can be used either when you meet someone for the first time, or when you see someone after not seeing them for a long time. LET’S PRACTICE! Practice introducing yourself. Include the following in order: ‘Hello.’ ‘I am…’ ‘Nice to meet you.’ 안녕하세요! 저는 강덴버예요. 반갑습니다. ‘NICE TO MEET YOU TOO!’ To reply, simply repeat it back with ‘yes’ added in front: 네, 반가워요! To anyone else, in any other situation: 네, 반합습니다! 네 (which literally means ‘yes’) is also used together with phrases to mean ‘Alright.’ ‘Okay.’ or ‘I understand.’ 아니요 means ‘no.’ CONVERSATION PRACTICE 경희: 안녕하세요. 원빈: 네, 안녕하세요. 경희: 저는 경희예요. 원빈: 저는 원빈이예요. 경희: 반가워요. 원빈: 네, 반가워요. Later on… 경희: 안녕히 가세요. 원빈: 네, 안녕히 가세요. NOTES 저는 is often shortened to just 전 – the meaning is the same. 저는 = 전 You might hear 만나서 used before 반가워요 or 반갑습니다. Adding 만나서 is completely optional. 민나서 comes from 만나다 meaning ‘to meet,’ so it can only be added when meeting someone for the first time. You might find 처음 뵙겠습니다 taught as ‘Nice to meet you.’ This is a very formal phrase that is not commonly used. Instead of 저는, try using 제 이름은 (literally meaning ‘my name…’).