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Korean Language Information

Here you can get information on Korean language. It contains main Korean language features, such Korean Language Tools
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method is also described. Korean Dictionaries
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Language Information

Korean Writing System

The modern name for the Korean alphabet is Hangeul (or Hangul).
There are 24 letters in the Korean alphabet: 14 consonants and 10
vowels. The letters are combined together into syllable blocks.
The shapes of the consonants g/k, n, s, m and ng are graphical
representations of the speech organs used to pronounce them.
Other consonants were created by adding extra lines to the basic
shapes.
The shapes of the vowels are based on three elements: man (a
vertical line), earth (a horizontal line) and heaven (a dot). In
modern Hangeul the heavenly dot has mutated into a short line.
Spaces are placed between words, which can be made up of one or
more syllables.
The sounds of some consonants change depending on whether they
appear at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a syllable.
Korean can be written in vertical columns running from top to
bottom and right to left, or in horizontal lines running from left to
right.
The Hangeul alphabet
Consonants

The double consonants marked with * are pronounced fortis. There is

no symbol in IPA to indicate this.

Pronunciation
1. Consonants (자음)
Aspirated ones are with more puff of air than the plain ones. As for
tensed ones, you add more stricture, but without puff of air, when
letting out the sound.
ㄱ is similar to g as in god. ㅃ is similar to p as in spy.
ㄲ is similar to k as in sky. ㅍ is similar to p as in pool.
ㅋ is similar to k as in kill. ㅅ is similar to s as in
ㄷ is similar to d as in do. astronaut.
ㄸ is similar to t as in stop. ㅆ is similar to s as in suit.
ㅌ is similar to t as in two. ㅈ is similar to j as in jail.
ㄹ is similar to tt as in butter (not [t] but a flap ㅉ is similar to tz as
like a Spanish [r]), in a syllable initial position. in pretzel.
ㄹ is similar to l as in filling, in a syllable final ㅊ is similar to ch as
(받침) position. in charge.
ㅂ is similar to b as in bad. ㅎ is similar to h as in hat.
2. Vowels (모음)
ㅏ is similar to "Ah". ㅐ is similar to "add".
ㅑ is similar to "yard". ㅒ is similar to "yam".
ㅓ is similar to "cut". ㅔ is similar to " editor".
ㅕ is similar to "just" or "Eliot". ㅖ is similar to " yes".
ㅗ is similar to "order". ㅘ is similar to " Wow!" or "what".
ㅛ is similar to " Yoda". ㅙ is similar to "wagon".
ㅜ is similar to " Ungaro". ㅚ is similar to "Koeln".
ㅠ is similar to "you". ㅝ is similar to " one".
ㅡ is similar to "good" or "le chatau". ㅞ is similar to " weather".
ㅣ is similar to "easy". ㅟ is similar to "we" or "Oui!"

The symbol [’] is used to denote the tensed consonants ([p’], [t’], [c’],
[k’], and [s’]). The tensed stops are produced with a partially
constricted glottis and additional subglottal pressure.
[s] becomes palatalized as [ʃ] or [ɕ] before [j] or [i]. [h] becomes
labialized [ɸ] before [o] and [u] and palatalized [ç] before [j] or [i].
[p], [t], [c], and [k] become voiced [b], [d], [ɟ], and [ɡ] between
sonorant segments. [l] becomes alveolar flap [ɾ] between sonorant
segments, such as between two vowels.
Phonetic rules, mostly assimilation, transform the pronunciation of
some words. For example, Jonglo is pronounced as Jongno,
Hankukmal as Han-gungmal. Stop consonants are generally voiceless,
but lightly aspirated stops become voiced and unaspirated in
intervocalic position. For example, p -> b, t -> d, k -> g. Stops are
nasalized before a nasal. For example, p -> m (before m, n, or ng), t ->
n (before m, n, or ng), k -> ng (before m, n, or ng).
Honorifics and speech level
The relationship between a speaker or writer and his or her subject and
audience is paramount in Korean, and the grammar reflects this. The
relationship between speaker/writer and subject is reflected in
honorifics, while that between speaker/writer and audience is reflected
in speech level.
Honorifics
One way of using honorifics is to use special nouns in place of regular
nouns with "honorific" ones. More often, special nouns are used when
speaking about relatives. Thus, the speaker/writer may address his
own grandmother as halmeoni but refer to someone else's
grandmother as halmeonim. The m comes from the honorific suffix -
nim (님), which is affixed to many kinship terms to make them
honorific. All verbs can be converted into an honorific form by adding
the infix -si- (시, pronounced shi) after the stem and before the verb
ending. Thus, gada ("go") becomes gasida. A few verbs have special
honorific equivalents. Therefore gyesida is the honorific form of itda
("exist"). A few verbs have special humble forms, used when the
speaker is referring to him/herself in polite situations. Thus, deurida
and ollida for juda ("give"). Pronouns in Korean have their own set of
polite equivalents: thus, jeo is the humble form of na ("I"); jeoheui is
the humble form of uri ("we").
Speech levels
There are no fewer than 7 verb paradigms or speech levels in Korean,
and each level has its own unique set of verb endings which are used
to indicate the level of formality of a situation. Unlike honorifics
which are used to show respect towards a subject speech levels are
used to show respect towards a speaker's or writer's audience. The
names of the 7 levels are derived from the non-honorific imperative
form of the verb hada ("do") in each level, plus the suffix “che”,
which means "body." The highest 5 levels use final verb endings,
while the lowest 2 levels (haeyoche) and (haeche) use non-final
endings and are called banmal ("half-words") in Korean. (The
haeyoche in turn is formed by simply adding the non-final ending yo
(요) to the haeche form of the verb.)
Taken together, honorifics and speech levels form a system of 14 basic
verb stems. Here is a table giving the 7 levels, the present indicative
form of the verb hada (하다; "do" in English) in each level in both its
honorific and non-honorific forms, and the situations in which each
level is used.
Present Indicative of "hada" Level of
Speech Level When Used
Non-Honorific Honorific Formality
Extremely Traditionally used when addressing a
Hasoseoche hanaida hashinaida
formal and king, queen, or high official; now used
(하소서체) (하나이다) (하시나이다)
polite only in historical dramas and the Bible
Used commonly between strangers,
Hapshoche hamnida hashimnida Formal and
among male co-workers, by TV
(합쇼체) (합니다) (하십니다) polite
announcers, and to customers
Formal, of
Haoche hasho (하쇼), Only used nowadays among some older
hao (하오) neutral
(하오체) hashio (하시오) people
politeness
Formal, of Generally only used by some older
Hageche hane hashine
neutral people when addressing younger
(하게체) (하네) (하시네)
politeness people, friends, or relatives
Used to close friends, relatives of
Formal, of
similar age, or younger people; also
Haerache handa hashinda neutral
used almost universally in books,
(해라체) (한다) (하신다) politeness or
newspapers, and magazines; also used
impolite
in reported speech ("She said that...")
Used mainly between strangers,
haseyo (하세요)
especially those older or of equal age.
Haeyoche haeyo (common), Informal
Traditionally used more by women than
(해요체) (해요) hasheoyo (하셔 and polite
men, though in Seoul many men prefer
요) (rare)
this form to the Hapshoche (see above).
Used most often between close friends
hae (해) (in Informal, of
and relatives, and when addressing
Haeche speech), neutral
hasheo(하셔) younger people. It is never used
(해체) hayeo (하여) politeness or
between strangers unless the speaker
(in writing) impolite
wants to pick a fight.

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