Should I learn Spanish or Korean?

Let’s start by knowing the two languages first!

Spanish, Español, is a Romance language (Indo-European family) written in the Latin script, with approximately 543 million speakers, 471 of whom speak it as a first language, while the remainder speaks it as their second, besides those who speak Spanish as a foreign language. 

The language is known today as Spanish is derived from a dialect of spoken Latin, which was brought to the Iberian Peninsula by the Romans during the Second Punic War, beginning in 218 BC, and that evolved in central parts of the Iberian Peninsula after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century. Spanish was brought to colonies under the Spanish colonial empire, most notably to the Americas, and today it stands tall as an official language of 20 countries, as well as an official language of numerous international organizations, including the United Nations!

Spanish is spoken in Spain and 22 other countries including Andorra, Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, the USA and Venezuela. In the early Estimated Spanish speakers in 21st century (both using as a first language and as a second language) are as follows, in order of numerical importance: Mexico, 110 million; Colombia, 41 million; Argentina, about 40 million; Spain, more than 38 million; Venezuela, some 27 million; Peru, 26 million; Chile, more than 16 million; Ecuador, more than 14 million; Cuba, some 11 million; Guatemala, almost 10 million; Bolivia, more than 8 million; the Dominican Republic, more than 8 million; El Salvador, some 6 million; Honduras, 6 million; Nicaragua, almost 6 million; Paraguay, more than 4 million; Costa Rica, about 4 million; Puerto Rico, more than 3 million; Uruguay, more than 3 million; Panama, 3 million; Equatorial Guinea, 627,000 (mostly second language). There are 100,000 to 200,000 speakers of Judeo-Spanish (Ladino), mostly in Israel.

On the other hand, Korean, Hangugeo in South Korean; and Chosŏnmal in North Korean, written in Hanguel, is an East Asian language (Altaic/Koreanic language family) spoken by about 82 million people. 

Modern Korean, the language we now know, is an honorific language that evolved around the 15th century, in order from Middle Korean, Old Korean, and finally the Original –  Proto-Koreanic language, that believed to have its linguistic homeland somewhere in Manchuria. A study suggests that the proto-Koreans, already present in northern Korea, expanded into the southern part of the Korean Peninsula at around 300 BC and coexisted or merged with the descendants of the homogeneous Japonic Mumun cultivators (or assimilated them); both had an influence on each other and a later founder effect diminished the internal variety of both language families leading to the evolution of a  single language during the unification of the sixth to the fourteenth century. Due to the ambiguity of the relationship between Korean and other languages, it is believed to be a member of the Altaic family or language isolate. Together with Korean and the Jeju language (spoken in the Jeju Province and considered somewhat distinct) form the Koreanic language family. Grammatically Korean is very similar to Japanese and about 70% of its vocabulary comes from Chinese. It is the official and national language of both Koreas: North Korea and South Korea, with different standardized official forms used in each country, also recognised as a minority language in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture and Changbai Korean Autonomous County of Jilin Province, China. It is also spoken in parts of Sakhalin, Russia and Central Asia.

Besides the Korean peninsula, there are many native Korean speakers living abroad. The regions with the biggest Korean populations are in the United States, China, Japan, Canada, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Russia, Australia, and Kazakhstan, 

of whom 51.6 million live in South Korea, 25.6 million in North Korea, more than 2.7 million in China, approximately 2 million in the United States, and about 800,000 in Japan.

While Chinese writing has been known in Korea for over 2,000 years, it was used widely during the Chinese occupation of northern Korea from 108 BC to 313 AD. By the 5th century AD, the Koreans were writing in Classical Chinese – the earliest known example of this dates from 414 AD. However, due to the differences between Chinese and Korean, Chinese characters could not adequately denote Korean speech, and, only the elite could afford the time necessary to study Chinese. So King Sejong (1397-1450) the fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty, commissioned the invention of a phonetic script both more efficient and more accessible to the common people. 

Later three different systems were devised to write Korean with Chinese characters: Hyangchal (향찰/鄕札), Gukyeol (구결/口訣) and Idu (이두/吏讀). 

I recommend you learn Spanish if:

You intend to do business or seek employment with Spanish or Latin American firms. Spanish will strengthen your resume and improve your career prospects. The Latin American market now has the purchasing power of $1.5 trillion, according to Forbes, which makes Spanish speakers more valuable than ever to corporations. Know that, Spanish is the mother tongue of more than 543 million people around the globe, which equates to approximately 7.6 per cent of the world’s population. A recent report published by the British Council ranked Spanish as the most important second language for British citizens to learn, placing it ahead of French, Arabic and Mandarin. 

You wish to keep ahead of the competition and work in Spanish speaking countries. Knowledge of a second language can be an extremely valuable asset to employers and employees alike. Modern businesses are always keen to have staff members who can help them with international trade and the Spanish language is especially valuable in the current climate.

You seek the possibility of studying in a Spanish-based academic institution.

You aspire to be in the Americas for any reason, business or professional, for the short or long term. In the United States alone there are over 50 million people who speak Spanish as their native or second language. It is estimated that the Latino population of the United States will reach close to 130 million by the year 2060 and that this will make the U.S. the largest Spanish speaking country in the world, overtaking Mexico in the process and further increasing the language’s global standing.

You are a budding historian, cultural anthropologist, linguist, archaeologist, and are specializing in Hispanic heritage, culture, language, prehistoric ruins respectively, Spanish is a great addition to your repertoire and the destination Spain a great addition to your bucket travel list!

You are a thorough traveller and you are planning to travel to destinations like Spain, Mexico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. In general, those without the ability to speak the language will need to stick to tourist areas, which often means missing out on entire aspects of a country’s culture! Learning Spanish will offer you one of the most enriching experiences you can ever have.

You want to enjoy quality entertainment and crave for a significantly enhanced experience of Spanish movies, telenovelas such as like ‘El Mariachi’, ‘The Motorcycle Diaries’ to ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’, ‘[Rec]’, and many more that have been produced in past 30 years, especially those, that have not been provided with subtitles. Spanish language skills making Hispanic music more accessible!

You are a philologist, you will add a feather to your cap, with Spanish literature that ranks amongst the best in the world! 

You have an undying love and humongous appetite for knowledge especially learning new languages. Spanish is fairly straightforward for an English speaker to pick up, as long as you are willing to put the effort in. It does not require students to learn a completely new alphabet and there is less emphasis on tone than many of the Asian languages, such as Korean. Learning Spanish also helps open doors to learn other Romance languages. 

I recommend you learn Korean if:

You want to work in a recession-free economy. South Korean economy has been recognized by financial organizations, such as the International Monetary Fund, for its resilience against various economic crises, citing low state debt, and high fiscal reserves that can quickly be mobilized to address any expected financial emergencies. Financial organizations like the World Bank have described Korea as one of the fastest-growing major economies of the next generation along with BRIC and Indonesia. South Korea was one of the few developed countries that were able to avoid a recession during the global financial crisis, and its economic growth rate reached 6.2% in 2010, a sharp recovery from economic growth rates of 2.3% in 2008 and 0.2% in 2009 when the global financial crisis hit.

You seek employment with Korean firms and companies. Korean will strengthen your resume and improve your career prospects in countries such as South Korea, US, Japan, Canada, Russia, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Australia, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Brazil, etc. Thus, Learning Korean can not only connect you to 82 million people worldwide but your ability to speak good Korean could get you hired if a company has to pick one between nearly equal options.

You are focused on Korean markets and intend to do business with them. The economy of South Korea is a highly developed mixed economy dominated by family-owned conglomerates called chaebols. It is the 4th largest GDP in Asia and the 10th largest in the world. then, of course, you need to learn the language of that market. It’s the only way not only to do business with these countries but also to find friends there and create close and long-lasting relationships. South Korea remained one of Asia’s most productive economies and is ranked the 7th largest export economy globally. Through extensive technology development and the advent of the internet, globalization has resulted in the integration of world economies and thus, many South Korean multinationals are finding their way into the World market opening several avenues of employment.

You seek the possibility of studying in a Korean-based academic institution.

You aspire to be in Korean speaking countries such as South Korea, US, Japan, Canada, Russia, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Australia, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Brazil, etc for any reason, business or professional, for the short or long term. According to the recent research report by South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are roughly 2.7 million speakers in China, 51.6 million in South Korea, approximately 2 million in the United States, and about 800,000 in Japan with sizable populations in Canada, Russia, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Australia, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Brazil, etc. 

You are a budding historian, cultural anthropologist, linguist, archaeologist, interested in Asian Studies specializing in Korean heritage, culture, language, prehistoric ruins respectively, then Korean is the way to go!

You are a thorough traveller and you are planning to travel to South Korea. South Korea has been becoming a popular destination for tourists in recent years with the number of travellers to South Korea increasing every year. In general, those without the ability to speak Korean will need to stick to tourist areas, which often means missing out on entire aspects of a country’s culture! Learning Korean will offer you one of the most enriching experiences you can ever have.

You want to enjoy quality entertainment and crave a significantly enhanced experience of Korean movies, K-Drama, and K-pop songs, TV shows, online games and interviews of your choice. Hallyu has swept the world for the past few years. Many Korean celebrities, singers, and groups like BTS, Wanna One, EXO, TWICE, SHINee, AoA, Blue Velvet, Big Bang, Girls Generation are quickly gaining popularity.

You are a philologist, you will add a feather to your cap, with literature written in an honorific that ranks amongst the best in the world! 

You have an undying love and humongous appetite for knowledge especially learning new languages. Korean Hangul is very simple to understand. It also exposes you to catch up quickly with other areas of the Korean language and culture, bringing us to the hallmark of it all; the Hallyu phenomenon! Korean may look intimidating to English speakers due to its script but with time, learners realise, it’s not as tricky a language as they perceived. Learning Korean also helps open doors to learn other Asian languages such as Japanese and Chinese. 

Multiple studies, including one from the University of Ghent in Belgium, show that acquiring a second language can help to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease and can postpone dementia symptoms. A similar study from the University of California, San Diego, found a correlation between language proficiency and the extent of the delay. It also helps you relieve yourself of stress, fear, anxiety, and any obsessive-compulsive disorder!

The easiest way to decide which language to choose between Spanish and Korean is to figure out where you want to be. Broadly, if you want to be in America and Europe, Spanish is the natural first choice, however, if you want to be in the South-East Asian region Korean it is then! The benefits are endless. 

However, the benefits do not end there. Psychologists Ellen Bialystok and Michelle Martin-Rhee conducted a study that found that bilingual children were better at problem-solving activities than monolingual kids. This is in line with repeated evidence that suggests learning a new language improves overall cognitive function.

There’s an amazing new way to learn Korean or Spanish whatever you desire! Want to see what everyone’s talking about!

Click here for Korean.

Click here for Spanish.