learning korean

[yuh25]

hi, I've been teaching my self korean but i need someone to help me make sure ive got everything right.its hard trying to type korean on a english keyboard

can some please help me?

My msn is yuh25-(at)hotmail(dot)com (prevents spam)

all i know is

안녕=hi
노=no
영어= english

????
네=yes (friend on dj max) or 예(translator)

[Koko Ban]

노 is literally read as "no", but is it really the korean equivalent of no? maybe MaestroX can help us.

[m-robo]

Ahn nyong ha se yo!

[June.H]

"노" is not necessarily no, as it's just simply "No" in Korean.
"아니" is much more commonly used as "no" (pronounced "ah ni")

What do you need to know in Korean?

[yuh25]

I want to be able to read korean like I can read english. It would help in the online games of dj max. and Im learning another language so thats something to show off after the holidays.

[RESG]

My advice: Go to some classes / take courses online. I'd personally say Don't, as there aren't many things that make it worth (as opposed to japanese or so) but yeah online courses are probably your best shot. I hardly believe there are any books on learning it...

[June.H]

Learning to read Korean's a lot easier than you think. Korean has basic consonants and vowels (I'm assuming you're familiar with them, but just a re-hash):
Consonants:
ㄱ : Hard "G", similar to a "K" sound
ㄴ : "N"
ㄹ : "R" or "L" (see later)
ㅁ : "M"
ㅂ : "B"
ㅅ : "S"/"Sh" or "T" (if taken on the end of a character)
ㅇ : Silent or "-NG" (if taken on the end of a character)
ㅈ : "J"
ㅊ : "CH"
ㅌ : "T"
ㅋ : "K" (generally not used as often as "ㄱ")
ㅍ : "P"
ㅎ : "H" or "T" (if taken on the end of a character)

Vowels:
ㅏ : Ah
ㅑ : Yah
ㅓ : Uh
ㅕ : Yuh
ㅗ : Oh
ㅛ : Yo
ㅜ : Oo (or sometimes spelled U)
ㅠ : Yoo (or Yu/yoo/whatever)
ㅡ : Eu (this is a little weird to describe but generally romanized as such)
ㅣ : Ee (or sometimes spelled I)

Each "character" has at least one of each. Put them together and you have a "symbol" or "character" which are one syllable each.
Basic examples:
나무 - Nah Moo
가요 - Ga Yo
바보 - Ba Bo
무시로 - Mu Shi Ro

The trick for reading is knowing their pronunciation properties and depending on the placement of certain consonants or vowels in the character, they may take on another sound (or not).
Examples:
한글 - Han Geul (Generally speaking, "ㄹ" takes on a "R" sound if at the beginning of a character, but an "L" sound if at the end)
태권부리 - Tae Kwon Bu Ri (two consonants (or vowels in "Tae" for example) put together change the properties of both into a "combination sound" of sorts)
없어 - Ub Suh
떠나버려 - Ddu Nah Buh Ryuh (Double consonants stress that consonant a bit more)

There's your crash course, most basic guide to reading Korean.

The thing that trips most non-native speakers (or if you're unfamiliar with Japanese and some European languages) is the grammar and vocabulary (in which knowing Japanese or Chinese could be slightly advantageous since all three share a some similar words).

Reading speed comes with a lot of practice. Recognizing how words are pronounced is just simply familiarizing yourself with reading practice. There's no real shortcuts to do it because just like most languages, there's always exceptions. Writing characters out and often is also good practice (general rule of thumb with writing: left-to-right, up-to-down). One way I forced myself to read faster was finding K-pop songs I liked, finding the lyric sheet, and reading along, that way I knew what they were saying and when I went to karaoke with my buddies, I could sing it easily (I have to support the stereotype).

RESG: I'm not sure what you're getting at, you're saying learning Japanese is more worthwhile than learning Korean? There are books and courses, but just know there's many different teaching styles plus there's 2398472398432 different ways to romanize Korean. Find what works best for you. I would suggest more of a night class or having a Korean person teach you rather than an online course or a book (that really can't tell you if your pronunciation is way off or spot-on).

[DJ DJBLU-]

Learning to read may be moderately easy, but writing is a real bitch... or so i've heard

and you forgot ㄷ in the consonants.

[yuh25]

Originally Posted by June.H

I would suggest more of a night class or having a Korean person teach you rather than an online course or a book (that really can't tell you if your pronunciation is way off or spot-on).

yea but i dont think anyone in my area would know korean so im wondering if someone could teach me on MSN

[Kayin]

Originally Posted by yuh25

yea but i dont think anyone in my area would know korean so im wondering if someone could teach me on MSN

go to Smart.fm - The World's Sharpest Learning Tool.
Smart.fm is a site specifically made for those who wish to learn either foreign languages, or advance in their own, as in SAT words.

They have Korean up there, and though I'm taking a class for Japanese, I'm on there learning whatever I didn't learn in school.

The way it works is flash-card based, and its normally by default, long term memory studying, meaning as long as you dedicate some time from your day to learn whatever you wanna learn, in your case Korean, its going to make sure you do.

And best of all, its free! ^_^ I think it also teaches you how to type it, but eh, only if you really need help with it. Just register, search (like Korean 101 or Korean Alphabet), there should be a button that says, "Start" on the right hand corner, and what I use is !I Know!, that just opens up a separate window for you to study, and of course it keeps track of what you studied and when you studied.

[June.H]

Originally Posted by BLU-

Learning to read may be moderately easy, but writing is a real bitch... or so i've heard

and you forgot ㄷ in the consonants.

Oops haha I was in a bit of a rush, thanks =P

Writing isn't the problem IMO, it's spelling. A lot of words aren't spelled as they're sounded, so it kinda sucks. You have to know how a lot of words are spelled already.

[yuh25]

yea i found that out when I changed 안녕 to hi its not hi its annyeong or something like that

oh and im wondering about ㅃ, ㅉ, ㄸ, ㄲ, ㅆ, what are these??

[June.H]

Read back about double consonants.

annyeong is just a very informal greeting, can be used for hi or bye.

[yuh25]

im also wondering how can I find out what the korean word like 안녕 isnt hi is it its annyeong but i dont know what annyeong means in english also with 노 changes to no but no doesnt mean no in korean.

[June.H]

Can you please rewrite your sentence either with proper punctuation or grammar so it makes sense?