Overall it can be said that if we were to measure difficulty levels at a measure or if 10, Korean is 8/10.
The alphabets are the easiest 4/10, closely followed by Grammar and pronunciation, which’s about 6/10 each, and finally, the vocabulary that’s 10/10!!!!
Wow.. now that’s what’s contributing to its difficulty level!
For the beginner, most words sound unfamiliar. And that’s quite natural. And for those who are unaware, Korean and English do not have any cognates, ie. no words in common (apart from a few loan words like “computer” or “television”)
Now, if you already speak Chinese or Japanese, you have a 25% advantage over an average English speaker, because Korean has borrowed a number of loan words from Chinese, and they often happen to be the same ones that Japanese. This is still not the problem itself. The trouble starts as you start to gather vocabulary and you realise so many Korean words sounds just the same! And mind you they do not have characters as in Latin, it’s almost impossible to find a trick to learn them! Normally, students are suggested several tricks such as mnemonics to learn tough things but unfortunately, all such tricks fail here! So what to do?
An interesting way could be to learn whole sentences using a tool such as Glossika.
All is not rosy about Korean vocabulary:
If you are not a Chinese or Japanese speaker, almost every word is going to intimidate you.
And even if you speak these languages you only get a limited advantage!
Korean shares virtually no cognates with English and has very few loanwords!
(Konglish, the Korean English mix isn’t as helpful either)
In comparison to the Chinese language that usually on average utilizes two characters for a word, Korean words can get much longer, especially when particles are used along with words, to express formally; thus making it difficult to comprehend and grasp.
But it’s not stressful! Let’s see what’s easy!
Word pronunciations are easier than Chinese or Arabic.
All words are virtually made up of smaller words that actually add up to mean the main word, thereby using a translation method to mean the word itself. This makes it conceptually similar to Chinese, where the two words electric and brain, together with yield the main word computer. Similarly in Korean, some common base words are used with other words to yield different words. As an example 학교 (hak-kyo) that stands for school, and the word 학생 (hak-seng) that stands for student use same base word 학 hak.!
So, how should you learn Korean vocabulary? What should be your plan of action?
Since learning vocabulary is generally not the first thing beginners come across when they start learning a language it gives them some time to put their plans to the action!
Target learning vocabulary in the following 5 ways:
1.Practice LSRW (Listen, Speak, Read, Write) thoroughly
Listen to as many reliable online audio resources as you can find. Such as Korean KPop music, online audio, audiobooks etcetera to garner commonly spoken words in day to day life. Watch online movies, talk shows, YouTube videos, documentaries, videos and KDramas to listen and capture the accent, the mouth movements and the way the words are pronounced
Indulge in conversation with the Korean speakers. Find yourself a native Korean speaker to be able to practice speaking Korean with you could find one in and around your neighbourhood, if not, there are plenty of websites offering you conversation partners such as Hello Talk, Italki, Tandem etcetera.
Reading out Portuguese loudly in front of the mirror or to a pet or a plant is something everyone can try without fear or embarrassment. A supportive family adds on to your motivation, encouraging you to do better. Use shadowing technique to assist you in speech and accent
Reading magazines, simpler reading material online meant for beginners, children’s books, grammar rules in Korean would further enhance your vocabulary, as it introduces you to new words. Rcord these words in the context they are used. This will enable a learner to register the correct usage of the word and remember it henceforth. Understand the technicalities/grammar rules which direct how a particular word is to be used in different situations/ context, differently.
Keep a journal or a diary handy with you, at all times, so as to be able to capture all and any new word(s) or phrases that you come across from online audio or video source that you may be listening or watching while on your way to work or back from work. Look for phrases to add in your vocabulary rather than only the words. What I mean is: Look for relevant phrases that contain the word you learnt. So when you get familiar with the word ‘good’ or ‘morning’, I suggest you add phrases such as Good morning, Good morning to you, Isn’t it such a good morning? or What a good morning it is! in your vocabulary bank. It may also be useful to learn related words in clusters such as the word its synonyms and or antonyms. be over-ambitious and try learning complex words until you have a good hang of the language; for a very simple reason. Most of the conversations do not use such complicated words. Instead of day to day conversation utilizes the most simplistic of the words such as milk, dog, pen, paper, phone, etcetera.
2. Keep an English Korean Dictionary handy to refer to whenever needed.
3. Actively look to gather new words each day from multiple sources. Try to capture as many new words as possible that are commonly used in day to day conversations.
4. Try online resources such as SRS (flashcards) apps such as Anki and Memrise
5. Learn via an immersive technique. Label objects in your home with their respective names in the target language. Whenever you are comfortable, change the language of your devices to be able to see it every day and get pushed to learn as a way to understand.
