Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Born In The USA]

I am moving to Korea in August, and want to learn a bit of the language before I go. I hope to learn a lot more once I get there and hear it everyday. I have printed out a "cheat sheet" with the Korean alphabet with the symbols and what romanized sound they make. I am trying to memorize those first. I've also learned a little online about how the syllables work and such. Basically I guess I am asking this: Are there any tips that you can offer for learning some of the language before going to Korea?

[Mariella713]

You can learn how to read and pronounce Korean super easy. Most people learn within 1-2 hours, so no need for tips on that.

I suggest getting some Korean textbooks and watching dramas so you can get used to the natural tones of the language. Try learning 10 words everyday to build your vocabulary. Don't be afraid of making mistakes. Practise practise practise at least 4-5 days per week. Maybe get a Korean penpal while you're at it too.

[kjane]

http://www.talktomeinkorean.com/

Fantastic website! Try their link "Read and Write Hangul" and "Lessons Level 1" The lessons have sound files and pdf's.

[SuzyQ2828]

There is also this awesome guy on youtube called "Busy Atom" who has many basic korean lessons you can learn with no experience at all. it helped me learn the basics before i got here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpLfnKRzRZc&feature=related this is one of the lessons! good luck

[InOtherWords]

I second the Busy Atom youtube guy. He's great. He cracks me up sometimes.

Byki is okay for learning some basic expressions. It's free...

However, Anki is a great language tool. It's a flash card program that uses algorithms and shows you the cards as frequently as necessary to remember. It apparently minimizes the time you spend learning/studying. It, too, asks for daily usage for effectiveness. There are tons of card decks that you can download.. Just download it and you'll see..

[jonpurdy]

Use lots of different learning materials. Learn from a book, use computer- or iPod-based flashcards, watch YouTube videos, take classes. Eventually (quickly or slowly) each method will become tiresome, boring, or ineffective. Keep switching it up. If you get bored of flashcards, watch more videos. Bored of that? Try another method. The key is to keep studying (daily if possible) and keep practicing. If you get too bored you will lose interest and fall behind so keep it interesting!

[HalfJapanese]

I conquer. Switch up the learning techniques instead of trying to keep on cramming b/c that is not always the efficient way to learn.

Methods I use:
1. Mp3 player filled with Korean Music (listening practice).
2. Learn interesting words (curse words, body parts, etc)
3. Sing along to songs with lyrics (reading and speaking practice).
4. Podcasts & Lessons from TalktoMeinKorean.com
5. Sognang University Free Lessons: http://korean.sogang.ac.kr/
6. Movies (listening; matching subtitles to words practice)
7. Listening to Podcasts while following along and reading the transcript.
8. Flashcards w/ Anki
9. Talking to and responding to oneself while creating a full conversation
10. Reading through Korean Language books.
11. Practice Hangul Typing at: http://jr.naver.com/typing/
12. Looking up words on the online dictionary: endic.naver.com
13. Korean Pr0n

Some these methods maybe a waste of time, but the important thing is to keep the studying interesting. Also, when listening, it's really important to concentrate on the pronunciations, otherwise it's not as beneficial.

[kardisa]

I came across a good intro site recently on subreddit:
http://www.braverobotkorean.com/

I ended up taking his media for the hangul characters and used it to make my own Anki deck. You can find it in the shared decks area of the Anki program.
Title: Korean Hangul (incl. audio)
http://ichi2.net/anki/