In this segment of Korean Corner, we will be going through reading and writing in Hangeul! Korean uses what is known as a ‘honeycomb’ method; you read small units of letters from left to right and top to bottom.
For learning how to read the alphabet, try the following posts [Consonants, Vowels]
Let’s look at the word: 사람 (people/person) which has two distinct “chunks”; 사 and 람 . You go from left to right as well as top to bottom, so you would pronounce and read the letters in the following order- 사 ㄹㅏㅁ (s-a-r-a-m). This is true for every single word and sentence, so try quizzing yourself below, and the answers will be at the bottom of this article.
- 아니요
- 집안
- 그 책
- 한
- 안녕하세요
“But UnitedKpop, how do I figure out where to split letters into “chunks” when I’m writing?” I hear you ask. Although a lot of it comes down to recognition and simply learning how to spell, there are a few simple rules (with many exceptions) which can help!
- Unless at the start of the word, a vowel will often appear with a batchim as a new “chunk”.
- Unless needed for a particular sound, two consonants do not often together at the bottom of a “chunk”.
A great way to practice getting used to splits and implementing K-Pop into your learning is by printing off romaji versions of lyrics (Korean in the English alphabet) and then translating them into Hangeul. One website that offers Korean lyrics for you to use and then check is allkpoplyrics.com.
Next time, we will be returning with some more useful phrases!
ANSWERS:
- Aniyo
- Jip an
- Geu chek
- Han
- Annyeong Haseyo
