June 1, 2014
Hangeul 한글 (or Hangul as it is sometimes spelled) is the alphabet used for the Korean language. It is a scientifically based alphabet that is
regarded as genius. Created in the 15th
Century by King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty, Hangeul was originally composed
of 17 consonants and 11 vowels, however over time some were dropped. Now there are 14 consonants and 10
vowels. Many of the consonants are based
on the shape of the mouth as the sound is being produced.
Prior to King Sejong’s creation, the Korean people used
Chinese characters for the Korean language which proved to be an issue that
prompted a change. King Sejong loved his
people and worked hard to make their lives better. Since Chinese is so complex, many of the people
couldn’t read it. The King decided to
make an alphabet that was systematic and much easier to read.
Hence, Hangeul was created and for foreign teachers like
myself, it makes learning Korean a million times easier!
Prior to coming to Korea, I watched videos on YouTube from a
group called, “Busy Atom”. Simple type
that name into YouTube and up pops many terrific videos that explain each
consonant and vowel and how the words are constructed.
As you can see, many of the characters are basic lines,
circles, and curves. King Sejong considered these basic shapes elements of the
Earth. I used this exact chart to learn
the letters both before and after arriving in Korea. It may look a bit overwhelming at first, but
trust me, it gets A LOT easier.
So, before Korea I looked over the charts and watched the
videos. After arriving in Korea, I began
to put my knowledge into practice. I
would read everything and anything I could get my hands on or see. I would write down what I thought the sounds
were for the word and then double check using the chart. Over time I didn’t need to use the chart
anymore!
It is an amazing feeling to be able to read an Asian language. Yes, I don’t know most of what I am reading,
but the first step to learning the language is being able to read it. I was able to solidly read without any doubts
within my first month. Now, after over 3
months, I find reading some things amusing simply because a lot of it is in
English! This is most often found in
restaurants and café’s, where the names of coffees are oftentimes written in
Hangeul, but the same words as English.
It is amusing to work on slowly reading the Hangeul and it takes a
fraction of a second to put it all together and realize Ah Ha! It’s the same as English!
Here are some examples:
The part under G-3:
오 레 오 초콜 렛 스 무 디
It says: Oreo Chocolate Smoothie
I know it says it in
English as well, but look at the chart and sound it out. It’s pretty cool!
So, all in all, don’t be overwhelmed about learning
Hangeul. It is very easy and learning it
will not only make you feel like a superstar, it will also come in very handy
while living in Korea.
행복 한 학습!!
P.S. Here are some of the links I used in my research:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/CU/CU_EN_8_1_1_1.jsp
http://thinkzone.wlonk.com/Language/Korean.htm
I also learned about the history and structure from my visit to a museum about King Sejong located just outside of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul.
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