Korean

1. The Korean Writing System: Hangul (한글)

Korean uses an alphabetic syllabary called Hangul, created in 1443 under King Sejong the Great. Hangul characters are grouped into syllabic blocks consisting of at least one consonant and one vowel.

  • Basic Consonants (14):

    • ㄱ (g/k), ㄴ (n), ㄷ (d/t), ㄹ (r/l), ㅁ (m), ㅂ (b/p), ㅅ (s), ㅇ (silent initially / ng finally), ㅈ (j), ㅊ (ch), ㅋ (k), ㅌ (t), ㅍ (p), ㅎ (h)

  • Double Consonants (5):

    • ㄲ (kk), ㄸ (tt), ㅃ (pp), ㅆ (ss), ㅉ (jj)

  • Basic Vowels (10):

    • ㅏ (a), ㅑ (ya), ㅓ (eo), ㅕ (yeo), ㅗ (o), ㅛ (yo), ㅜ (u), ㅠ (yu), ㅡ (eu), ㅣ (i)

  • Compound Vowels (11):

    • ㅐ (ae), ㅒ (yae), ㅔ (e), ㅖ (ye), ㅘ (wa), ㅙ (wae), ㅚ (oe), ㅝ (wo), ㅞ (we), ㅟ (wi), ㅢ (ui)

  • Syllable Structure:

    • Always begins with an initial consonant. If a syllable starts with a vowel sound, the silent consonant placeholder ㅇ is used (e.g., 아 = a).

    • The vowel follows immediately (written either to the right or beneath the consonant).

    • An optional final consonant or consonant cluster, called Batchim (받침), sits at the bottom (e.g., 한 = ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ).

2. Sentence Structure and Core Particles

  • Word Order:

    • Korean follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) sentence structure.

    • Example: 저는 사과를 먹어요 (Jeoneun sagwareul meogeoyo) = I (Subject) + apple (Object) + eat (Verb).

  • Grammatical Particles (조사): Particles attach directly to nouns to indicate their function:

    • Topic Markers (-은 / -는): Marks the main topic or sets a contrast (-은 after a consonant, -는 after a vowel).

    • Subject Markers (-이 / -가): Highlights the specific subject performing an action (-이 after a consonant, -가 after a vowel).

    • Object Markers (-을 / -를): Marks the direct object of an action verb (-을 after a consonant, -를 after a vowel).

    • Location Markers:

    • -에: Indicates static location ("at/in"), time, or destination ("to").

    • -에서: Indicates dynamic action happening at a location ("at/in") or point of origin ("from").

3. Speech Levels and Politeness

Korean verbs conjugate according to the relationship and formality level between the speaker and the listener:

  1. Informal Polite (해요체 - Haeyo-che):

    • Common in daily life between adults, polite yet conversational.

    • Ends in -아요 / -어요.

  2. Formal Polite (하십시오체 - Hapsipsio-che):

    • Used in professional contexts, public announcements, military, and formal business.

    • Ends in -ㅂ니다 / -습니다.

  3. Informal Casual (반말 - Banmal):

    • Used between close friends of the same age, to younger relatives, or children.

    • Drops the polite suffix -요 (e.g., 먹어 instead of 먹어요).

4. Basic Verb Conjugation (Present Tense)

To conjugate Korean verbs in the standard polite style (-아요 / -어요):

  1. Identify the verb stem by dropping the dictionary ending -다 (e.g., 가다 →\rightarrow 가; 먹다 →\rightarrow 먹).

  2. Apply vowel harmony rules based on the last vowel of the stem:

    • If the last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ, append -아요:

      • 가다 →\rightarrow 가 + 아요 →\rightarrow 가요 (contraction).

      • 보다 →\rightarrow 보 + 아요 →\rightarrow 봐요.

    • If the last vowel is not ㅏ or ㅗ, append -어요:

      • 먹다 →\rightarrow 먹 + 어요 →\rightarrow 먹어요.

      • 마시다 →\rightarrow 마시 + 어요 →\rightarrow 마셔요.

    • Verbs ending in 하다 conjugate to 해요:

      • 공부하다 (to study) →\rightarrow 공부해요.

5. Number Systems

Korean uses two distinct numbering systems:

  1. Sino-Korean Numbers (Derived from Chinese):

    • 일 (1), 이 (2), 삼 (3), 사 (4), 오 (5), 육 (6), 칠 (7), 팔 (8), 구 (9), 십 (10).

    • Used for: Dates, minutes, phone numbers, prices/currency, measurements.

  2. Native Korean Numbers:

    • 하나 (1), 둘 (2), 셋 (3), 넷 (4), 다섯 (5), 여섯 (6), 일곱 (7), 여덟 (8), 아홉 (9), 열 (10).

    • Used for: Counting items, counting people, hours (clock time), age.

    • Note: When followed by counters (개, 명, 살), numbers 1–4 drop their final sounds (하나 →\rightarrow 한, 둘 →\rightarrow 두, 셋 →\rightarrow 세, 넷 →\rightarrow 네).

6. Essential Expressions

  • 안녕하세요 (An-nyeong-ha-se-yo): Hello / Good day.

  • 감사합니다 (Gam-sa-ham-ni-da): Thank you.

  • 죄송합니다 (Joe-song-ham-ni-da): I am sorry.

  • 네 / 아니요 (Ne / A-ni-yo): Yes / No.

  • 어디예요? (Eo-di-ye-yo?): Where is it?

  • 얼마예요? (Eol-ma-ye-yo?): How much is it?


SOV

SOV stands for Subject-Object-Verb, which is the core word order in Korean. Here is how to understand and get comfortable with it: 1. Comparison to English: English uses SVO (Subject-Verb-Object), as in 'I (Subject) read (Verb) books (Object).' In Korean, the verb always moves to the very end: 'I (Subject) books (Object) read (Verb)' (저는 책을 읽어요). 2. The Verb Anchors the Sentence: In Korean, the final verb or adjective provides the conclusion, tense, and politeness level. Think of the sentence as building up context (who, where, what) before delivering the action at the end. 3. Particles Clarify the Roles: Because Korean attaches markers directly to words—such as Subject markers (-이 / -가) and Object markers (-을 / -를)—you can always tell who is doing what, even if elements before the verb shift slightly in emphasis. 4. Contextual Omission: Since the final verb and context make the meaning clear, speakers often omit the subject entirely when it is obvious, saying simply 'Books read' (책을 읽어요) or just 'Reading' (읽어요).