Is it hard to learn Korean?

[dallas]

Some people say it is the easiest East Asian language to learn comparing to Japanese and Chinese. But still, I am not used to this type of word structures. What do you think about Korean? Is it hard?

[rossan]

Let’s break it down: compared to its East Asian language neighbors, Japanese and Chinese, Korean is often viewed as the less intimidating sibling. Here's why:

Alphabet: Korean has its own unique alphabet called Hangul, which is actually pretty logical and straightforward. Designed by King Sejong in the 15th century, it was specifically created to be easy to learn. You can comfortably learn Hangul in a few hours, and then reading Korean becomes a matter of practice. Unlike Japanese and Chinese, there’s no need to memorize thousands of characters!

Grammar and Sentence Structure: This is where things might get a bit tricky. Korean is an agglutinative language, meaning it sticks a lot of affixes onto a base word to change its meaning, which can be quite different from English. The grammar rules, like verb conjugations that reflect different levels of politeness and formality, can also be complex. But once you get the hang of the patterns, it starts to click.

Pronunciation: Korean pronunciation might be challenging at first due to some sounds that don't exist in English and the nuances in pronunciation that can change a word’s meaning. But with practice, your ear will tune in.

Vocabulary: If you know some Chinese, you might have a leg up since many Korean words are borrowed from Chinese. However, if you're starting from scratch, building up your Korean vocabulary will take some memorization and practice, like with any language.

Overall, while Korean has its complexities, it’s generally considered one of the more accessible East Asian languages for English speakers, especially in terms of writing.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

I studied a little korean as part of an east asia studies class in college. I will say the alphabet is definitely the easiest among the 4 main languages in east asia (mandarin, cantonese, japanese, and korean), it’s the most streamlined and makes the most sense to someone who’s never had to do a pictographic alphabet before. There are symbols that represent specific sounds so that even if you don’t know the word itself, you can at least guess its pronunciation much more easily than Japanese kanji, for example. As for the grammar structures and conjugations and actual translations, I have no idea, but the alphabet is probably to do with why it’s an easy language to learn.

[PrettyCrumblBb]

I learned their alphabet. I just know a few words because of Korean dramas.

I think the grammar might be hard since it's backwards to English.

[Oliverlogan263]

Honestly, learning any new language takes work! But from what I've heard, Korean isn't too bad compared to other Asian languages. A few thoughts:

- The writing system is pretty straightforward - it uses an alphabet so once you learn the letters, you can pronounce words. That's easier than Chinese characters I think.

- The grammar is simpler than Japanese. No weird verb conjugations or super formal/informal styles. Sentence structure is similar to English.

- Vocabulary wise, there are some familiar words from English since Korea adopted a lot due to American influence post-WW2.

- Pronunciation is pretty phonetic too once you learn the basic sounds. Not too many silent letters like in English.

That said, it will still take practice to get used to things like honorifics, nouns without gender/plurality, and maybe remembering unusual letters if coming from a Latin alphabet.

My advice would be don't get overwhelmed - go slow, focus on hiragana/vowels first. Use audio a lot. And immerse yourself however you can - shows, music, apps. It'll start to click! Just be patient and you'll pick it up.

Lemme know if you start learning - maybe we can practice together! Could be fun to try a new language. You've totally got this if you stick with it!

[NamerOfStars]

The big advantage of learning Korean is that its alphabet is actually an alphabet- the characters are LETTERS, not words (like Chinese) or both letters and words (like Japanese). Said alphabet was also made by one person over the course of a month or so, not slowly evolving naturally like the Hebrew, Roman, and Sanskrit ones (actually, IS that alphabet called "Sanskrit", or is that just the language? I'm not sure.).

[SeriouslyNotSerious]

Annyeong! 🫰 It's definitely the easiest East Asian language. I learned some Korean from watching KDramas, then widened my vocabulary by buying an English-Kor dictionary. The grammar and the alphabet were the trickiest part. To learn the Korean alphabet (Hangul) takes time too.. still learning it.

[strateguy632]

yes hard but letters were easy for me.

[jahaims]

Difficulty is subjective