Hangeul in less than 2 hours?!!!

So you decided to learn Hangeul (Korean Alphabet)? Well, I can safely tell you that you are a genius!!

Okay, if you're a absolute beginner and confused whenever you see the Hangeul, it's totally fine. At first, I was startled, I was thinking in my head "What are these circles, lines and squares all about?" It was super weird and at some point I was not very much interested in Hangeul.

However, I got really curious on Hangeul especially because I watch Korean quiz shows and (funny) programmes and sometimes English subtitles are not available. Sad right? I know! So I thought of exploring what the 'Tetris' looking characters is all about. I asked many people online on how hard or easy Hangeul is and whether I will be able to learn it quickly. Honestly, I didn't expect people to say that Hangeul is the easiest alphabet to learn since it only consists of 24 characters.

I researched Hangeul and had a deeper look at the characters and thought "Hmmm...don't look too bad." I mean afterall, I managed to learn Hiragana which consists of approx 46 characters in 4 days so Hangeul shouldn't be too hard.

Then my journey into learning Hangeul begun....

Of course, you want to know the benefits of learning Hangeul, right?

Obviously everyone has their own reasons for choosing to learn a language and although I do not know your primary reason but I can at least share mine and others'; perhaps it's similar to yours.

I decided to learn Hangeul simply because I was astonished by how easy the alphabets are; very simple characters therefore it's effortless when writing, only 24 characters! Another reason is because I recently got interested in the funny Korean quiz shows and programmes and geniuenly wanted to be able to read the Korean words which often were not always subtitled.

Others who decided to learn Korean mainly because they are heavily into KPop and K-drama so that fascinated them to learn Hangeul and eventually be able to communicate in Korean.

So, you may have your own reason but I am sure we all can agree that it's out of interest or curiosity. :)

To sum this up, I'd say the 3 main factors that influenced me to learn Hangeul are:

1-Convenience; not time consuming and can be learnt in as little as 3 hours

2-Simplicity; Hangeul adopts very simple characters which aren't complicated when reading and writing

3-Curiosity; I definetly wanted to be able to read Korean whenever I watch their shows and wanted to test how linguistic I am too.

Still unsure? Hmmm....read on! ;)

There are tons and tons of resources available for you to be able to learn Hangeul but it's always tricky to distinguish the non-useful from the useful.

I had to go through different resources and find the right one for me. I tried various websites, watched youtube videos, listen to KPop and read the lyrics but still didn't help! Insane, right?

I do not regret going through the resources I mentioned because now I am able to understand which are not very useful to me. Plus, I can advise others like yourself and provide real feedback you could relate to.

You may be wondering why I didn't mention books. Well, to be honest, I am not into reading books because they just make my learning experience boring and dull. But that's just me, you could use books as a resource if you enjoy reading.

So if all these resources were not helpful, how did I learn Hangeul then? Alright, I'll share my little secret, which ironically wouldn't be one once you read on.

I am a visual person meaning that I learn best when I look at things and store them in my brain as images. I learn best when words are associated with pictures/photos and are very colourful. So, what I decided to do is search for a Hangeul application on the app store and I ended up downloading a few. A couple were not helpful but there was one that was perfectly great, I mean it still is! Then you never guess what happened!?? Yes! That magical app helped me learn Hangeul in 30-40 minutes!!! :D Seriously!! I have never had such an amazing feeling when accomplishing something especially my passion, languages!

So, my advise for you would be to try different resources such as websites, books, youtube videos, movies/dramas and music and by experimenting you will be the one to identify which one works best for you! If you're a visual leaner, like myself, I would suggest flash cards and applications built-in with sound and images.

Have a look at the links! ---->

I hope you have a slight idea of why you want to commit to learn Hanguel, the benefits, the resources and how to achieve learning it.

So it's time for action!

Here we go, first thing is first, ask yourself: "what resource/s I decided to use?" Okay then, whether your resource is a book, an app, a website or a combination of all of these just start with the most convenient first or one that is most practical for yourself. Got it? Let's go!

Now, get yourself a pen and a piece of paper and with whichever resource you're using, write the Hangeul characters down. Then, after you do that, go through the Hangeul again using your preferred resource. Once you feel you're somehow confident with say the 1st 10 Hangeuls, isolate the resource you're using and test yourself by covering the Romaji and look at the Hangeuls only. Are you able to identify the 'g'? the 'n'? and so on if you can't then keep going because you most probably know at least 2 or 3 from the 1st 10 Hangeuls. If you failed to identify the Hangeuls and how to read them, do not worry just go through them again. Still not working for say the 5th or 6th time? Hmm..I guess it's time for you to change the resource you're using and try a different one. Personally, I would suggest an app. ^^ However, if it's working, then well done and keep going, after all, there are only 24! ;)

I would like to point out something to you, do not stress yourself on writing the Hangeuls perfectly because it will come with time. Just focus on how they look and how they're written. Also, do not bother too much about the pronounciation because what we are trying to achieve first is memorising the Hangeuls and how to read them. Pronounciation will come on the next stage. Take it step by step, do not rush. :)

Well, I am glad that you have taken a rather brave step towards learning Hangeul and eventually progress further if that's what you really want.

I want you to understand that we all have different learning abilities because our brains work differently. So if you're doubting yourself about how learning Hangeul is impossible because you didn't achieve learning it in for example, 3 hours, you obviously need to be patient and tolerant. It's not true that everyone will learn at the same pace; personally it took me 30-40 minutes because I am able to learn it quicker than some people. It could take you less or more time depending on how much effort you put in, commitment and dedication.

My tip on learning languages, in this case Korean, is to stay motivated and enjoy every second of the learning process. I advice you establish a quiet and comfortable environment (not necessarily too comfortable that you end up falling asleep) where you will be able to focus well enough and grasp as much information as possible with limited to no distraction (if need be, lock your bedroom door). Another tip is listening to music; some people, myself included, find listening to their favourite music whilst studying contributes to more enjoyable and effective learning process. Also, give yourself breaks; have a snack, dance, sing and just do anything before you return to learning more Hangeul!

Learning a language is suppose to be fun, entertaining and interesting experience so do not hesitate to do whatever makes the entire learning process easy yet effective for yourself. I wish you the best of luck as you enter an exciting journey of learning Hangeul. Do not give up. You know you can do it! Fighting!! :D