Where to learn Hangul - I'm a complete noob

[untmdsprt]

Hello all,

I'm wanting to start learning Korean, but I would like to learn the characters first. I'm currently learning Japanese, and started off learning the hirgana and katakana. I want to do the same with Korean. I know the benefits of properly learning a language is to get rid of all romanization ASAP.

Is there also a typing program that will help in learning where the characters are? I want the standard Korean keyboard layout to learn from in the beginning. I'd rather learn the correct and proper way instead of having to unlearn a bad habit.

Thanks for your time.

[queenice_Dsc410]

Hi, My name is Deja. I started learning the characters on www.learnkoreanlanguage.com. When you go to this site, on the left there are a list of pages you can go to. Click on Beginner Korean and scroll down. It taught me the individual characters and had quizes so that you can remember them. However, it does not have sound. You can come back to here and learn how to pronounce the words. Anyway, let me know if it was okay!

[matthew254]

this will get you started in the right direction: how to read and write Korean video

also, I came across a great reference chart on owBee's blog - Hanguel reference chart.

hope this helps!

[owbEe]

Thanks Matthew.

Actually I got the image from Life in Korea.

@untmdsprt
If you want, I made a list of sites where you can practice learning Hangeul in one of my blog posts. Here's a link: Tips on learning Hangeul.

And if you also need a keyboard layout, I also made one. Here's the link: Typing in Hangeul Part 2

Hope this helps. ^^

[manyakumi]

http://rki.kbs.co.kr/learn_korean/lessons/e_index.htm

They also have the sounds.

[untmdsprt]

Thanks all! I'll check out those links.

Here's another one I found:

http://www.koreaxin.com/HTML/Click_Korean.html

It looks promising for the beginner.

[owbEe]

I think it's just the compilation of the lessons from SNU. The original link is here: http://lei.snu.ac.kr/english/pages/SD00023_01.jsp

It's my favorite site for learning Korean but I'm only in lesson 5.

[untmdsprt]

It has a close up of someone's mouth as they're speaking the sounds. I LOVE this site!!!

Thanks all, this is going to get me started on learning Korean. All this should give me a solid foundation in which to learn.

[owbEe]

You're welcome. ^^ Enjoy!

[saranghae5]

[Okay, I'm new to this site, so don't judge me.]
If you're looking to learn how to READ Korean, I have no site suggestions because I couldn't find any! :/ How I learned was getting a copy of the Korean alphabet (with pronunciations, of course), and whipping it out everytime Korean text was in front of my face. (I learned how to read it in less than a year, and believe me, they're not kidding when they call it the easiest Asian language to learn.)
If you're looking to learn words and phrases, I have a couple sites for you:
*kosnet.go.kr
(My favorite at the moment. Has voice recordings to help with pronunciation.)
*http://english.gg.go.kr/korean/Learn_List.jsp
(Probably better if you're traveling.)
*Berlitz Language Books
(I love these things!!! They give you the Hangeul, the translation, and the romanization!)
*Subbed K-Pop Videos on YouTube
(I'm not kidding. Not only is the music catchy, but if you read the subs you can pick up words and learn them.)
Hope this helped a little.

[robleeteach]

I started learning Korean by taking an Elementary Korean I class at a local community college. I think KoreanClass101.com is great, but I wouldn't have been able to absorb as much and understand as much if I hadn't taken that class first.

I'm a big supporter of multiple learning methods. I don't think there's one perfect method. Also, each person has a different way of learning. I need simultaneous audible and visual cues to learn things.

101 is good for situational conversations. A structured class is good for the basics, grammar and such. I heard Rosetta Stone is good for learning vocab. And of course, Korean movies, or Korean dramas. With French, it helps me to watch English speaking films with French subtitles. I haven't been able to do this with Korean since I don't think any of the DVDs I own offer Korean subtitles.

What are other methods of learning that people find successful?

[untmdsprt]

I found a typing trainer app for Mac:

http://homepage.mac.com/typetrainer4mac/Menu1.html Download the one with the "a" in front.

This is great because it teaches the correct placement of Hangul. For Mac users you need to set your computer up to use Hangul2. Switch to it before loading the app so it will automatically use that keyboard.

Also it labels your fingers as 1-5 with 5 being your pinkies. This is better because you don't have to look at your fingers, and you're also not bothered with an English keyboard on the screen. I've printed the image that Hyunwoo put up on another post and will look at that once in awhile. Honestly though, you don't really need it because the app will buzz you if you make a mistake. You'll eventually learn where the characters are.

[untmdsprt]

It's nice this post is still here. I'm returning back to Korean after who knows how long. My browser is getting full of all these links again.