Learn Korean without a teacher
Korean is an East Asian language, its homeland being somewhere in Manchuria. It is the official and national language of both Koreas: North Korea and South Korea, with different standardised official forms used in each country. It is spoken by about 77 million people. It is a recognised minority language in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture and Changbai Korean Autonomous County of Jilin Province, China. It is also spoken in parts of Sakhalin, Russia and Central Asia.
Historical and modern linguists classify Korean as an Altaic language or a language isolate. This means that Korean language does not have any close relative. It, however, does have a few extinct relatives, which together with Korean itself and the Jeju language (spoken in the Jeju Province and considered somewhat distinct), form the Koreanic language family.
Korean is spoken by the Korean people in both South Korea and North Korea; it is also spoken by Koreans settled in many countries including the People’s Republic of China, the United States, Japan, and Russia.
Currently, Korean is the fourth most popular foreign language in China, following English, Japanese, and Russian.
Korean is gaining popularity worldwide as a foreign language and is being sought by many who are in search of career opportunities either directly making use of the Korean language skills or indirectly benefiting from the knowledge of the Korean language possessed by candidates taking up important roles in various areas such as multinational companies.
If you are looking forward to learning Korean as a foreign language, but don't have much time to spare from your busy schedule for learning a new language and attend classes with a teacher or Korean language expert, here are a few reliable ways that you can learn Korean on your own:
Dictionary for beginners
In a dictionary for beginners, Korean sounds and phonetics are given. Learners get acquainted with the Korean alphabet. They find translation and meanings of simple, single words.
Korean- to- Korean dictionary for levels above the basics
In Korean to Korean dictionaries, synonyms and antonyms of Korean words are given in Korean itself. This type of dictionary is useful for those individuals who already know how to read Korean.
Books for learning Korean
There are books available in various categories which help one learn Korean. These categories are Korean learning books for beginners, Korean for basic and intermediate levels, advanced Korean learning, Korean for travellers, Korean for business, etc.
Korean storybooks
Korean storybooks for kids are an excellent resource to learn the basic Korean vocabulary. Generally, story books for kids have pictures accompanying text, which make it easier for beginners to understand quickly what the words stand for.
Novels and/or poetries in Korean
Those having a keen interest in reading pieces of writing such as poetries or novels can develop vocabulary through these mediums, too.
Korean news channels
Korean news channels give viewers and /or the audience an idea about the diction that should be used in formal conversations or presentations. Tonality, voice modulation can also be learnt to a great extent via these mediums.
Newspapers, magazines, or journals printed in the Korean language
Korean Newspapers, Korean magazines, journals, etc. are some trustworthy sources of excellent Korean vocabulary. The language that is used for conveying any message through these platforms is worth learning and using in all types of communication to make speech impressive.
Blogs and articles on Korean learning
Many bloggers choose languages to write blogs and articles on. You can learn about the Korean language, concepts in it, Korean grammar, etc. from these blogs also.
Podcasts and educational videos by Korean language experts
Korean language experts upload podcasts or educational videos giving information about the Korean language. These videos are like a series of lessons.
Korean shows with subtitles
For those who are more interested in watching television than in reading books, one way of learning Korean is by watching Korean shows on television or Korean movies with subtitles, etc. Here too, learners get to watch videos and understand from the subtitles what a particular sentence or expression or phrase means.
Online Korean learning apps
Another useful resource to learn the Korean language on one’s own is online Korean learning apps. Here, short lessons, quizzes with scores, tests, etc. make learning interesting for users. These apps can be downloaded on smartphones and laptops, and are, generally, user-friendly. They do not even take up a huge portion of internet data on the phone.
Finally,
With the help of the above-mentioned methods, it is possible to learn Korean without a teacher. If one, however, wishes to master the language and be a fluent Korean speaker, one must look beyond self-learning alone. Self-learning does not guarantee perfection in the understanding of Korean grammar concepts or pronunciations by learners. To gain perfection or fluency in the Korean language, one must enrol for an excellent online Korean learning course.
Why an online course?
Because it has some advantages over an offline course:
- It saves one a lot of precious time that would be otherwise spent on commuting for attending classroom training.
- Also, one can save a significant monetary amount that would be required for travelling to attend a Korean learning class at a specific value.
- Moreover, an online Korean learning class can be taken at a timing convenient to a learner, and that too, from the safety and comfort of any premise.
- The only resources required here are a smartphone or laptop, stable internet connectivity, and enthusiasm to master the Korean language.
Still, thinking of going for self-study alone?
I guess, not!
There’s an amazing new way to learn Korean! Want to see what everyone’s talking about!