If you are a Korean learner, you might already feel that studying Korean presents many difficulties. You would also know that the deeper you learn a language, the more challenging it is. Let's see what kind of difficulties we could face and discover some useful tips for learning Korean to overcome them.
Vocabulary & Grammar
Studying vocabulary and grammar is essential to learn a language. It is an inevitable step that you must take to learn a language because each language has its own characteristics. But, many language learners always have problems with studying vocabulary and grammar. It might be boring to study for some people or literally, it is hard to memorize for others.
Fortunately, there is no specific order to follow for Korean grammar. This means that whatever you say is understandable even if you don't say something in order such as "Subject - Verb - Object" in English. In this aspect, you can feel more comfortable even if you make mistakes. So, it helps you to learn Korean quickly and easily because of the flexibility compared to other languages. Please don't be shy to say something in Korean. Many Koreans would understand what you are trying to say. This approach can help you speak Korean more naturally.
One feature thing when learning Korean is the use of honorific sentence endings (the formal and informal way of speaking in Korean). It is common to see if you are into Asian languages. Korean also has cultural elements like honorific expressions, so understanding and using polite speech is important. Starting with the formal way is recommendable if you are a beginner.
Pronunciation & Intonation
This could be a complicated part from the beginning of learning Hangul (Korean alphabet). When a consonant and a vowel make a syllable with a batchim (final consonant), the syllable or word makes a different sound. For some people, it is a bit challenging to pronounce Korean words and sentences correctly. It happens because you also need to learn how the Korean alphabet interacts with each other when they form a word. They are not exactly pronounced as they are written and the sound is changed depending on the position of a consonant and a vowel.
The sound change is made to facilitate pronunciation in Korean. It's indeed hard to pronounce if you try to read Korean words and sentences as they are written. At first, it could take some time to get used to it, but once you figure out how to pronounce it, you can surely speak Korean like a native speaker. Even though it could be complicated, it is worth spending some time and effort for the future.
Watching Kdramas or movies could be helpful to see how Koreans pronounce words and sentences and to practice pronunciation and intonation. You will notice that you cannot understand some words and expressions even if you already learned them. It is because they also don't pronounce the words and expressions as they are written. Please listen carefully when you watch some dramas or movies and find out how they work systematically.
Hanja (Chinese characters) & Loanwords (Foreign language)
When you are studying Korean, you will see many hanja and loanwords are used in Korean. Especially, when you are familiar with Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, you might have seen many cases using hanja and loanwords. Even though it is useful to know for learning Korean, if it is your first time learning an Asian language, it could be another challenge for you. For a long time ago, Koreans have been using hanja and loanwords, so it feels more familiar and accessible for Koreans as it is.
For example :
Words with Hanja :
호랑이(tiger), 안녕(hello), 미안(sorry), 물론(of course), 포도(grape), etc.
Words with Loanwords :
택시(taxi), 스트레스(stress), 케익(cake), 멘토(metor), 커피(coffee), etc.
If you learn the loanwords, it will help you feel more comfortable using Korean words in daily conversation. And if you learn the hanja, it will help you get a higher level of proficiency in Korean. Hanja is good for those who want to pass a proficiency test like TOPIK or achieve an advanced level up to reading novels or newspapers.