Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Thomas]

The following reviews are based on the books I used to study Korean. Over the course of 4 years I tried hard to learn Korean and use it in daily life. I took a Government test of Korean which ranked people into levels 1-6, with 1 being �basic�, 2 and 3 being �intermediate�, 4 being a mix of �intermediate and advanced�, 5 being �native�, 6 being �educated native�. Generally to get into a University in Korea, you need a level 4. I scored at level 2 at the end of my 2nd year and narrowly failed level 3 at the end of my third. These are some of the books I�d recommend�

Granted, I've been out of the country for a while but I came acorss my old books and figured someone might find the info useful...

Basic Level:
Korean Through English (Hollym, Seoul: 1993) book one (ISBN: 1-56591-015-x) or in a set with 3 tapes (ISBN: 1-56591-042-7) (other volumes available as well)
This set is pretty useful as far as introducing the alphabet (Hangeul) as well as basic vocab and sentence patterns. The content is fairly practical and makes for a nice starting point in learning Korean. Be careful though because most other sets or language books (beginner level) will cover the same material.

General Note: most books and sets tend to address the same material, generally just the alphabet and a few words in the first volume and a few more things in the rest. I would recommend any beginner book, just be careful not to buy more �beginner� books because they�ll all be the same. The sets listed below (Korean 1-6 and Korean Conversation 1-6) represent the only �serious� set I saw in Korea (and I looked a lot). The first volume in each set is geared towards a beginner who knows how to read and write in Korean and knows decent vocab. After volume 1 they get much tougher quickly. Not recommended for short time students but highly recommended for serious students with time, dedication and desire to learn the language (in conjunction with lots of practice).

Korean Conversation 1-6 (Korea University: 1991)
e.g. volume two�s ISBN is 897155004X
The publishing University: http://www.korea.ac.kr/
This set of books is made by the Korean Language and Culture Center (KLCC) (under the aegis of the Institute of Foreign Language Studies) and is probably the best set out there (especially along with the companion set listed below). �Conversation 1-6� starts off at a mid-basic level, fully expecting you to know how to read and write in Korean and have a decent basic vocab. Each book gets tougher, keeping a focus on conversational terms, vocab and grammar. By book 4, the material is �intermediate level� and by book 6 fairly advanced� enough so that combined with living in Korea and practicing the material you would be fairly proficient.


Korean 1-6 (Korea University: 1991)
This set is similar to the one above but delves deeper into grammar and usage, making it much tougher. Book 2 was getting into intermediate level already. After the first couple of books, the amount of English in the books drops dramatically and I would only recommend this set to devoted students with time and ability to study deeply and practice often.





Grammar
John H. Koo, Basic Sentence Patterns in Korean (for foreign students) (Samji Books, Seoul: 1996) ISBN: 89-7358-056-6
This is a good grammar book for students who can read/write Hangeul and have built up a decent vocabulary. This book provides examples of common grammatical patterns and gives examples of how to use them. There are sample dialogs for reading practice and translation activities to work on. Overall, a decent book for studying Korean at the beginning to intermediate stage.

Im Ho Bin, Hong Kyung Pyo, and Chang Suk In, Korean Grammar for International Learners (Yonsei University Press,Seoul: 1988) ISBN: 89-7141-290-9

This book is very well written and covers all the Korean grammar you will probably need to know (unless you get really advanced). It's clearly written, easy to access and has lots of examples and some fill-ins. It�s more of a �reference book� than a work book and in my opinion is essential for any study of Korean past beginner stage (and into intermediate and even advanced stages). Highly recommended.

Dictionaries and Phrasebooks
B.J. Jones, Korean Phrasebook for Travelers(Hollym,Seoul: 1987) ISBN: 0-930878-20-5
This is a pocket sized traveler�s phrase book organized into sections by subject. It covers a wide variety of topics with very little depth. It could be useful for a first time traveler but it�s not really a god resource for language study. Everything is in Hangeul and English though, making it easy to use on the spot. For the price, not bad.

Sang Oak Lee, Basic Korean Dictionary (Eng-Kor, Kor-Eng) (Hollym, Seoul: 1995) ISBN � 1-56591-076-1
This book wants to cover a lot of ground in its 436 small pages, namely be a dictionary for Eng-Kor, Kor-Eng, as well as introduce basic vocab, grammar, usage, and idioms. Unfortunately, it just doesn�t cover much. The dictionary is just about guaranteed to not have the word you want� but the usage notes are good. In my opinion, not worth the money.

Minjung Essence Korean-English Dictionary (Minjungseorim: 1992 edition)
As far as Korean-English dictionaries go, this one is pretty good. It�s thick but not �too big� (about 2500 pages). It has the Hanja (Chinese characters) for the words and various definitions and usages in English. Overall a pretty handy and fairly standard volume.

[mithridates]

That's a good post. Would you mind if I added it to this page?

(or you if you felt so inclined)

http://wiki.galbijim.com/List_of_Korean_textbooks

[Qinella]

Nice reviews. I am curious about the Korean Conversation set. Does it include CDs? Is the instruction written in English or Korean?

[Thomas]

[peachgaru]

Handbook of Korean Vocabulary (http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Korean-Vocabulary-Recognition-Comprehension/dp/0824818156/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-2616987-5538261?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179328350&sr=8-1) is wonderful for learning vocab...it groups words by their Chinese root. Makes memorization that much easier...

[eleveneleven]

i have a really good book called "making out in korean". It has a lot of useful phrases, and my korean friends love all of the funny (but useful!) slang in this book. i definitely reccommend it

[Tokki1]

That book got me into so much trouble it isn't even funny (Making Out in Korean) when I first came to Korea in 2001. I burned it.

It's extremely casual and even rude language that you would never use with anyone aside from very close Korean friends. Lol... I tried to pick up a woman with some of that slang and I almost got killed.

Kyobo's got a great selection. I'm a big fan of the 'Speaking Korean' series. There are 3 enormous textbooks. I'm still ploughing through book 2.

[BlaisePascal]

Actually, if the Speaking Korean series is by Francis Park, there are four books in the series.

The link that Mith posted is a page I created, an update to my post on this forum. Have been too busy to update it on Mith's site, so feel free to do so, Thomas!


BP

[Ginormousaurus]

[just because]

Some good recommendations. I want to check out the conversational korean series, haven't seen that one before....

[just because]

[hubba bubba]

I'm using "Korean for Foreigners 1" right now by Ganada Language Institute. Pretty basic with vocab and conversation, but good explanations about grammar issues. Comes with CDs I've never used. This is a good book for someone who can read/write the alphabet, knows some basic expressions, and wants to move into basic conversation.

[just because]

The ganada language book is great for learning how to write basic sentance structures.....

However it uses the highest form of jeondaemal in most of its sentances which is not really the way koreans speak....just keep that in mind.

[Qinella]

[sirfro]

I'm looking for recommendation on a recent Konglish dictionary (if one exists). As many words as possible used in modern Korean that are borrowed from English [or other languages] in a book would be totally useful since there are times I look up a word and try to use it in conversation, then I'm met with a confused look and a "Oh, we don't use that word. Just say *insert Konglish*"