Korean Job Discussion Forums

kiwiboy_nz_99 · Joined: 05 Jul 2003 Location: ...Enlightenment...

I'm always amazed when people say 2 days and stuff. Are you including the patchim, where consonants change sound depending on what comes after them when there are two consonants at the bottom of the unit, and how consonants change depending on the consonant that follows in next word? If so, I'm very impressed.

Paula May · Joined: 19 Jun 2003 Location: Daejon

I started learning at home before coming to Korea using sites that I found on the internet. I really like the one for Sogang, I found it to be quite useful. I can't remember how long it took to learn, but I am afraid that it took more then a week for me before I got it. Embarassed

Its fun being able to read the signs, but I wish that my Korean conversation progressed more then it had over the past year. If I am asked more complicated questions then what my name is or where I am from, I may be in trouble!

I hope this year to improve my conversation skills. Cool

paperbag princess · Joined: 07 Mar 2004 Location: veggie hell

i just learned this weekend. i can't beleive i didn't read it before, it's really easy. i mean, i'm no master, but i can read the buses now, so that's a big step. my friend wrote down the characters over some drinks and made me write them out, then another friend gave me a matrix (vowels on top, consanants down the side) to write out a bunch of times while saying the letters. i don't know why i didn't do it the first week!!! Very Happy

yangban · Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2004 7:36 pm Post subject:

For me, two hours. I made little flashcards and learned between classes I was teaching. It took longer to be able to read quickly. After a while, I was trained to draw my eye and read everything, which after a few hours out was exhausting. I think the Korean alphabet is easier to learn than the English alphabet. You guys have your work cut out for you!

Hollywoodaction · Joined: 02 Jul 2004

Being able to read Korean will make your life a lot easier while you're here. Takes about 30 minutes of so to understand the alphabet and two weeks to be comfortable with basic words. Like my ex-roommate used to say, it's pretty funny when you learn that the incomprehensible business signs that you've seen everyday on your way home are actually English.

little mixed girl · Joined: 11 Jun 2003 Location: shin hyesung's bed~

i work at a library, so i just checked out a korean language book & started to teach myself.
reading the lyrics while listened to k-pop songs, getting k-pop books and taking korean class also helped~
so maybe...a month total before i was more confident...
that's off & on studying mind u...

just because · Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Location: Changwon - 4964

Zenpickle · Joined: 06 Jan 2004 Location: Anyang -- Bisan

Two hours.

Learned it here:
http://www.langintro.com/kintro/

Still, I find that even though it's one of the most straightforwardly spelled languages (next to German, imho), the real pronunciation sometimes is quite different from how it's spelled. Sometimes I sit at the computer studying hangungmal, go outside to practice it, and still get these WTF? stares because I'm pronouncing chinaesoyo like a retarded hillbilly.

insamsaram · Joined: 16 Jul 2004

Are you talking about reading the alphabet or reading generally (e.g. books and articles etc...)?
As far as general reading comprehension--grammar, vocabulary, etc... I would think you could learn to read most basic writings with the help of a dictionary in a couple of years (In fact, when I get letters from Korean penpals or whatever, most of the grammar is rather basic and people tend to repeatedly use it rather than using a more literary style). Korean is really an easy language to read because of it's overall predictability and wonderfully logical structure. The grammar is not complicated though it is immense.
Then there are the idioms, proverbs/phrases, onomatopoeia, etc... this could take a lifetime to totally master depending on your idea of mastery.
Anyway, I have never had a single Korean course, nor have I been to Korea. But in a couple of years I have managed to make it to a low Intermediate level. I did have Chinese and Japanese courses in college, so that helped it to be a little less "foreign" initially.
You can of course do it much faster depending on the level of intensity. I tend to do it leisurely at work or at a cafe or bar and also tend to go over and over things completely as I go along rather than trying to constantly learn new things.
Just do it baby! Start today.