Learn Korean
When learning the language on your own, use as many different online resources as you possibly can.
You need to first start off by learning Hangul (the alphabet and writing system). Believe me, this is the absolute EASIEST part of learning Korean. Hangul is famous for being an insanely easy writing system to learn. I recommend watching the video “Learn Hangul in 90 Minutes with GO! Billy Korean”. He is really good at teaching Hangul and explaining everything about it (even the correct way to write the letters).
NEVER use romanizations. They will only confuse you later on. Learning Hangul is an absolute must, and it cannot be skipped if you truly want to reach a fluent level in 1 month. There is no way around it and there is no short-cut by using romanizations
Next, you need to start on learning grammar. Now, grammar and speaking go hand-in-hand (you need one to learn the other), and this is where the hard part starts. HIGHLY recommend utilizing the MULTIBHASI. https://classes.multibhashi.com/courses/live-Russian-classes-online
It is available on the website and in mobile apps. Everything is taught in a certain order to ensure that you don’t learn something too advanced too quickly (to ensure you don’t confuse yourself, basically). It goes from the basic of the basic—to the advanced of the advanced.
Some tips to learn:
- Try downloading and printing off different kinds of worksheets to help improve your Korean reading and writing.
- Don’t forget to watch YouTube videos in Korean as it will help improve your comprehension and listening skills as well. Try not to rely on Kpop songs too much, though, as oftentimes they use slang-Korean which is never really used in actual real-life conversation. You can watch YT videos, listen to other podcasts, watch movies or TV shows, etc. Be sure to repeat the Korean words and phrases you hear OUTLOUD.
- SPEAK: This is the only way you’ll improve your own speaking skills in the language because an integral part of language learning is SPEAKING. You can do this in many ways (even when learning the language on your own), like repeating everything you hear in the lessons out loud! Any time you learn new vocabulary, speak it out loud! Talk to yourself in Korean! Narrate what you’re doing in Korean! If you’re having trouble pronouncing it, then watch pronunciation videos over and over and over again until you’re as close as absolutely possible to how it sounds. You can only be truly fluent if you can speak!
- Download a language exchange app where you can speak/message people who are fluent in Korean, and they can help correct your mistakes.
- Most of all: study. You won’t get anywhere if you don’t consistently study every day.
- NEVER use romanizations. They will only confuse you later on. Learning Hangul is an absolute must, and it cannot be skipped if you truly want to reach a fluent level in 1 month. There is no way around it and there is no shortcut by using romanizations.
Practice, Practice, Practice!! – You need to practice the language that you are learning on a regular basis in order to improve. Preferably with native speakers of the language that you are learning! Luckily, it is quite easy to meet Korean speakers online a lot of the time. Starting to develop all four skills ( Reading, Writing, Speaking, & Listening) in the language.Also, the 5th skill or learning Culture is also important, especially for a language like Korean, which is intertwined in the culture. Without knowing the culture it is virtually impossible to speak to someone correctly without offending them, as it is important to use the right politeness level in your sentence depending if you are speaking to your boss, a friend, or a child. Constant Practice and reinforcement. In order to learn a language well and quickly, you must continue to use it. Find a language exchange partner, either in real life, or online to practice with. Also, keeping an online journal in Korean will help you improve your writing skills too.
In order to learn these skills, it is important to equip yourself with a good resource, I recommend getting your hands on a good series of textbooks. Find motivation; social motivators work best; don’t personally believe in immersion. On the other hand, consistency is one of the biggest factors when learning a language. Every day, a little bit will get you much farther than a few hours of your day once a week by the end of the three-month program. They are all very useful and wonderful languages, but you may want to think about their practicalities before you decisively choose one, because it will be a new skill that may affect the rest of your life.
