Korean Job Discussion Forums

[just because]

I learned before I came here(had some time to kill) and refined it in about a month. Now i would say I'm an intermediate reader(in understanding) and a pretty good speaker.
It is SOOOO easy. One of the positives of this country

[bucheon bum]

My first week here, I studied for a couple hours. After that I just would try to read every sign i saw on my way to work and downtown. After about 6 months, I became pretty decent.

On the other hand, I sound like a babo when i read korean words I don't know; my pronounciation is bloody awful.

[bucheon bum]

[hojucandy]

when i first decided to come to korea, i taught myself to read hangeul from a website in about two hours. so when i got here i could read everything fine - but didn't know what it meant. it is gradually starting to make sense.

[katydid]

Of course if you don't learn to read Hangeul (the easiest Asian character-based language by far), when someone asks you if you can, you won't get the "Oh woooow, really?" from them at all by saying no.
I had a student ask me last night...did the whole can you read hangeul, can you eat kimchi thing even though I KNOW she knows I've been here over a year. It always boggles my mind.
I guess when people go overseas, its natural to gravitate to groups you feel comfortable with, but to get by in daily life, you have to learn the language of the country you are living in, right? You can't always live in a bubble...

[kangnamdragon]

I good way to practice reading is to sing the slow songs at the no rae bong. (Or sing the fast songs if you are really good at reading.) I can sing the slow songs now, but when the singers rap, it's difficult.

[Blue Flower]

Well, i sort of can. I guess i'm just to lazy to totally learn, especially since i don't know what is says anyway, and i have real trouble deciphering the konglish into english. But then i never really go out alone anyway, and the other person usually can read it. i can figure out subway stops which is all i need really. I dont eat korean food.

[wormholes101]

[hojucandy]

[crazylemongirl]

I can read it reasonably well it's just the damn combination vowels that get me. All the wo, wa, eu, sounds etc. I learnt on the subway by reading the signs and listening to the anouncements.

CLG

[little mixed girl]

.....

[weatherman]

I can read it, but only understand basic daily coversational topics.

[whatthefunk]

Very easy. Im working on the Japanese alphabets now... Why do they have two of them!!?? There's something like a hundred letters all together not including the thousands of Chinese type characters that they use. Why can't they make it more simple so that us dumb foreigners can read them easier??

[peppermint]

My Korean is sufficient for me to be a world class brat. I can handle very basic conversation,get most of the things I want, give directions to taxi drivers and swear like a sailor.

[Zed]

It's listening to and speaking the double (ssang) letters that's my biggest problem. Sure I can hear the difference when someone slowly and exageratedly pronounces an example of one versus the other but at conversation speed I can't tell the difference.