Learning Korean

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My kids’ passion for K-Pop recently sparked my own interest in Korean. Just last week, I began learning the Korean alphabet (Hangul) on Duolingo, and I’ve found myself fascinated by the language’s unique characteristics. While Korean characters might look similar to Chinese at first glance, they’re actually quite different – Korean uses an alphabetic system, whereas Chinese characters are pictographic. This alphabetic nature of Hangul makes Korean potentially easier to learn than Chinese, which helps explain why Koreans embraced this writing system. As a native Chinese speaker myself, I’m grateful I learned Chinese early – I imagine it would be quite challenging to pick up as a second language!

[Written by Gemini 2.0 Flash]

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Mnemonic devices for Hangul

Consonant Mnemonics:

• ㄱ (g/k):
  • “Gun”: Visualizing it as a gun’s shape.
  • “Angle”: It looks like an angle.
• ㄴ (n):
  • “Nose”: Resembles the side profile of a nose.
  • “Ladder”: It looks like one side of a ladder.
• ㄷ (d/t):
  • “Door”: Like a doorway.
  • “Degree”: Like a degree symbol.
• ㄹ (r/l):
  • “River”: The winding shape of a river.
  • “Ladder with extra steps” : an elaborated version of the ㄴ.
• ㅁ (m):
  • “Mouth”: A square representing a closed mouth.
  • “Map”: a square shape, like a map.
• ㅂ (b/p):
  • “Bucket”: Resembles a bucket.
  • “Box with a top”
• ㅅ (s):
  • “Split”: Looks like something splitting.
  • “Tooth”: the shape of a tooth.
• ㅇ (ng/silent):
  • “Ring”: A circle like a ring.
  • “Hole”: a empty hole.
• ㅈ (j/ch):
  • “Jaw”: Relate it to the jaw’s movement.
  • “A J with a hat”
• ㅊ (ch):
  • “Church” : the “ch” sound.
  • “A stronger J”
• ㅋ (k):
  • “Key” : the “k” sound.
  • “A more powerful G”
• ㅌ (t):
  • “Teeth” : the “t” sound.
  • “A more powerful D”
• ㅍ (p):
  • “Phone” : the “p” sound.
  • “A more powerful B”
• ㅎ (h):
  • “Hat” : the “h” sound.

Vowel Mnemonics:

• ㅏ (a):
  • “Ah”: The sound it makes.
  • “A person reaching”
• ㅑ (ya):
  • “Yah” : the sound it makes.
  • “Double reaching”
• ㅓ (eo):
  • “Uh”: A similar sound.
  • “A person leaning”
• ㅕ (yeo):
  • “Yeo” : the sound it makes.
  • “Double leaning”
• ㅗ (o):
  • “Oh”: The sound it makes.
  • “Outwards”
• ㅛ (yo):
  • “Yo” : the sound it makes.
  • “Double outwards”
• ㅜ (u):
  • “Oo”: Like in “boot.”
  • “Upwards”
• ㅠ (yu):
  • “You” : the sound it makes.
  • “Double upwards”
• ㅡ (eu):
  • “Eww”: A similar sound.
  • “Flat line”
• ㅣ (i):
  • “Ee”: Like in “tree.”
  • “A standing line”

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A Bit of History

1. History of Korean Settlement:

• Early Origins:
  • Archaeological and linguistic evidence suggests that the Korean Peninsula was settled by peoples migrating from Manchuria and Siberia.
  • Early settlements date back to the Paleolithic era, with evidence of continuous habitation through the Neolithic and Bronze Ages.
  • The earliest known kingdom, Gojoseon, emerged in the northern part of the peninsula.  
• The Three Kingdoms Period:
  • From around the 1st century BCE, the peninsula was dominated by three kingdoms: Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla.  
  • These kingdoms engaged in frequent warfare and cultural exchange, shaping the development of Korean culture and identity.  
  • Silla eventually unified the peninsula in the 7th century.
• Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties:
  • The Goryeo dynasty (918-1392) further consolidated Korean rule and fostered a flourishing culture.
  • The Joseon dynasty (1392-1897) emphasized Confucianism and established a centralized government.  
• Modern History:
  • The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw increasing foreign influence, culminating in Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945).
  • Following World War II, the Korean Peninsula was divided, leading to the Korean War (1950-1953) and the present-day division into North and South Korea.  
  • Immigration of Koreans to other countries has occured in multiple waves, with the first large wave occuring in the early 1900’s.  

2. The Korean Language:

• Linguistic Affiliation:
  • The Korean language’s precise linguistic classification is debated, but it is generally considered a language isolate or part of the Altaic language family.  
  • It has been significantly influenced by Chinese, particularly in its vocabulary.  
• Historical Development:
  • Early Korean likely shared similarities with other languages in the region.
  • The adoption of Chinese characters (Hanja) had a profound impact on the written language.
  • The Korean language has developed, and diverged between the north and south of the Korean Peninsula since the separation of those countries.  

3. The Invention of Hangul:

• King Sejong the Great:
  • In the 15th century, King Sejong the Great of the Joseon dynasty recognized the limitations of Hanja for the common people.
  • He commissioned the creation of a new writing system, Hangul, which was promulgated in 1446.  
• Design Principles:
  • Hangul is a featural alphabet, meaning that the shapes of the letters reflect the articulatory features of the sounds they represent.  
  • Consonants are based on the shape of the mouth and tongue during pronunciation, and vowels are based on combinations of dots representing heaven, earth, and man.
  • It is a highly systematic and logical writing system.
• Uniqueness and Design:
  • Hangul is often praised for its scientific design and ease of learning.
  • Its featural nature makes it exceptionally efficient in representing the sounds of spoken Korean.  
  • Unlike many other writing systems that evolved gradually, Hangul was deliberately created by a team of scholars with a clear understanding of phonetics.  
  • It is considered by many linguistic experts to be one of the most scientifically designed alphabets in the world.  
  • The way Hangul is written into syllabic blocks, also adds to the ease of reading.
  • The fact that the creator, and creation date of the alphabet are known, is also a very unique attribute of the Hangul alphabet.

In summary:

Korean history is marked by periods of cultural flourishing, political upheaval, and resilience. The Korean language, with its unique characteristics, has played a vital role in shaping Korean identity. The invention of Hangul stands as a testament to the ingenuity and foresight of King Sejong, providing the Korean people with a remarkably efficient and accessible writing system.