Study Tips to

Learn Korean
Faster
A step-by-step guide

BY KOREAN MORNING
Korean Teacher
Hello and Welcome!
This guide is designed to be helpful for those who know nothing
about Korean, as well as for those who are already studying
Korean.

For those who have never tried studying Korean before, if you
follow the steps introduced in this guide, you'll be able to learn
Korean more quickly and easily.

And for those who are already studying Korean but have lost their
way and don't know what to do next, this guide will help you avoid
wasting any more time.

This guide also includes useful tools and common mistakes to

watch out for, so I hope you'll read it from start to finish!
HOW TO START
Korean for Beginngers

Part 1. Hangeul (Korean Alphabet)

If you don't know anything about Korean,

you need to start with Hangeul!

Hangeul is the Korean writing system.

It has a total of five steps.

1. Basic vowels
2. Basic consonants
3. Compound vowels
4. Double consonants
5. Final consonants

Now, let's see how to read them.

Hangeul is not difficult. You can learn it
and read within an hour!
1. Basic vowels
There are 10 vowels in Korean.

ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅗ
a ya eo yeo o

ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ ㅣ
yo u yu eu i

2. Basic consonants
There are 14 consonants in Korean.

ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ
g n d l m b s

ㅇ ㅈ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ
ø j ch k t p h
3. Compound vowels
Compound vowels are made by combining two basic
vowels. There are 11 vowels in Korean.

ㅐ ㅔ ㅒ ㅖ ㅢ ㅟ
e ae ye yae ui wi

ㅘ ㅝ ㅚ ㅙ ㅞ
wa wə we wae we

4. Double consonants
There are 5 double consonants in Korean.

ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ
gg dd bb ss jj

5. Final consonants
There is no new consonant.
It consists of basic & double consonants.

ㄴ ㅁ ㅇ ㄹ ㅂㅍ
n m ng l p

ㄱㅋㄲ ㄷㅌㅎㅅㅆㅈㅊ
k t
Part 2. How to Read Hangeul
In Korean, each letter is one syllable.

❷ basic vowel

한글
❶
basic consonant

❸ final consonant
You can read a letter left to right, and top to botton!

한 is combined with ❶ㅎ(h) + ❷ㅏ(a) + ❸ㄴ(n).

So it's h+a+n=han(한).

글 is combined with ❶ㄱ(g) + ❷ㅡ(eu) + ❸ㄹ(l).

So it's g+eu+l=geul(글).

Yeah! Now you can read Hangeul. Let's practice more!

a n yeo h a s e
ø

안녕하세요n ng
ø

yo

안(a+n) 녕(n+yeo+ng) 하(h+a) 세(s+e) 요(yo)

Now you can say 'Hello!' in Korean. 안녕하세요🙌
Part 3. How to Make a Sentence
Korean has a different sentence order from English.
This is the basic sentence structure.

Subject(S) + Object(O) + Verb(V)

After Subject and Object, you need to put the particle.

For example, 'I eat bread' in Korean:

I bread eat

저는 빵을 먹어요
S Topic
particle
O Object
particle
V

You can also add Place(P) or Time(T) in the sentence.

I morning house bread eat

저는 아침에 집에서 빵을 먹어요

S Topic T Time P Place O Object V
particle particle particle particle
Now that you know how to read Hangul and
how sentences are structured!

Next, I'll tell you what and where to start

studying.

Korean has various grammar rules. Depending

on your Korean level, shall we check which
grammar you should study?

CHECKLIST #LEVEL 1

예요/이에요 에/에서 (place particle)

은/는 (topic particle) 에 (time particle)
이/가 (subject particle) Sino-Korean number

있어요/없어요 Native Korean number

V/A -아/어요 (present) 았 었어요 (past)

V/A - /

을/를 (object particle) V/A -(으)ㄹ 거예요 (future)

 CHECKLIST #LEVEL 2
하고 으로
( )
-(으)세요 -에서 -까지(place)
안 V/A -(으)려고 하다
ㅂ irregular rule -고
-고 싶다 -(으)ㄴ 후에
-(으)ㄹ까요? 보다
무슨 -지만
못 V/A -어/아야 되다
-(으)러 가다/오다 -기 전에
도 -(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다
-아/어서 -고 있다
A -(으)ㄴ 에게/한테
V/A -습니다/ㅂ니다 -(으)니까

CHECKLIST #LEVEL 3
이 라고 하다
( ) 으면
-( )
V -는 ㅅ irregular rule
-거나, (이)나 -는데/(으)ㄴ데
–(으)ㄹ까요? -아/어 보다
마다 -는/(으)ㄴ(으)ㄹ 것 같다
-(으)ㄹ 때 -는 게 어때요?
-기로 하다 ㅎ irregular rule
에다가 -(으)면 좋겠다
-기가 좋다 -(우)ㄴ 적이 있다
-지 않다, -지 못하다 동안
-(으)면서 -아/어 보다
-지요? V -(으)ㄴ
 CHECKLIST #LEVEL 4
으 ㄹ래요?
-( ) 에게서,한테서,께
-(으)ㄹ게요 -(으)니까
에서부터 -는데/(으)ㄴ데
-(으)ㄹ 밖에
-(으)시- -기 때문에
에게만,에게도 -는데요/(으)ㄴ데요
-다가 -는/(으)ㄴ편이다
-아/어 주다 -게
-네요 -아/어도
-지 말다 에는,에서는
-아도/어도 되다 처럼
-(으)면 안 되다 -게 되다

CHECKLIST #LEVEL 5
니 자
- ?,- 으ㄴ지
-( )
-아/어 보이다 -자고 하다
-는다고/ㄴ다고/다고 하다 -기 위해서
-나/(으)ㄴ가 보다 -아야겠다/어야겠다
-(으)ㄹ까 하다 -아지다/어지다
-지만 않으면 -는/(으)ㄴ 대신에
-고 나서 -도록 하다
-(으)ㄹ 테니까 -아야/어야
-아/어 보니까 -다 보면
-(으)려면 -더라고요
-잖아요 -는다/ㄴ다/다
-(으)려다가 -(으)라고 하다
 CHECKLIST #LEVEL 6
-아도/어도 아 어 가지고
- /
-아/어 드리다 -는다거나/ㄴ다거나
-(으)ㄹ까 봐 -느라고
-(으)ㄹ 텐데 -기는요
-거든요 -는/(으)ㄴ 모양이다
-는구나/구나 같이
-아/어 놓다 -던데요
-(으)ㄴ 다음에 -았더니/었더니
-자마자 -아/어 가다
-아/어 버리다 -아/어 두다
-았었/었었- -기는 하다
-(으)ㄹ걸 그랬다 -는 중이다

CHECKLIST #LEVEL 7
-는다면/ㄴ다면/다면 으 ㄹ 뻔하다
-( )
-았으면/었으면 하다 아무 N(이)나
-(으)ㄹ 만하다 -는/(으)ㄴ/(으)ㄹ 듯이
-던데 피동(-이-,-히-,-리-,-기-)
-는대요/ㄴ대요/대요 -지 않아요?
-냬요,-(으)래요,-재요 얼마나 -는다고요
(으)로 인해서 -더니
-(으)면서 -는/(으)ㄴ 것이다
-냐면 (으)로서
-기가 쉽다,어렵다 에 대해서
-(으)ㄹ 뿐만 아니라 -(으)며
-게 하다 -고자 하다
 CHECKLIST #LEVEL 8
는 으 ㄴ 데다가
- /( ) -는 데에
-든지 -다 보니
-는/(으)ㄴ/(으)ㄹ 줄 알다 -는다는/ㄴ다는/다는 점에서
-던 -(으)ㄴ 결과
-(으)ㄹ까-(으)ㄹ까 -(으)ㄹ수록
-지 그래요? -(으)나
-았어야/었어야 했는데 -는다고/ㄴ다고/다고 생각하다
-았을/었을 텐데 -는/(으)ㄴ 거 아닐까 하다
에 비해서 -지 않을까 싶다
-아야지/어야지 -기보다는
-는지/(으)ㄴ지 알다,모르다 -는다니/ㄴ다니/다니
-는다면서요? -기를 바라다

These are lists designed by dividing levels based

on difficulty and frequency.

However, please don't make an effort to learn all

grammar!

The order of the grammar list is not very

important.

Just think about what you want to say now and

study the necessary grammar for it! 💡
 WHERE & HOW?
6 Useful Tools

1. NAVER English Dictionary

When searching for unfamiliar words in Korean, it's better to

use Naver English Dictionary rather than Google. Naver
Dictionary is the website most Koreans use.

Especially, you can see example sentences tailored to three

different levels, and since the example sentences are natural,
you can verify how the word is used in various contexts.

Visit Website >>

2. Papago

This is a website used for translating English into

Korean or vice versa. Papago is also a translation
service developed in Korea, making it particularly
strong in Korean translation.

When you write a sentence, it is immediately

translated into Korean, and meanings of individual
words are provided as well. You can even listen to the
natural pronunciation, which is helpful for
pronunciation practice.

Visit Website >>

3. Youglish - for Korean

This is a website when you want to know how

Korean expressions are used in different situations,
along with the appropriate tone or pronunciation.

It provides all the YouTube videos where these

Korean expressions are spoken, and you can also see
the subtitles.

Give it a try if you really want to practice natural tone

and pronunciation!

Visit Website >>

4. 두루책방 (Free Audio Book)

I recommend this website to learners who want to

study Korean listening and reading.

You can listen to audio recorded by voice actors while

reading books. You can choose books from level 1~6.
And you can also select topics you're interested in
from various categories.

Additionally, you can download content as PDF files.

Visit Website >>

5. Google : [ ] + grammar

Have you all checked the checklist I provided earlier ? Then,

how should you study those grammars?

You can study each of them through Google. If you search

for '[grammar you want to learn] + grammar', you'll find
useful sites with detailed explanations in English.

I will introduce a few websites that provide well-explained

grammar explanations in English, so please take a look!

https://www.topikguide.com/category/topik-grammar/
https://sayhikorean.blogspot.com/
https://www.koreantopik.com/p/topik-grammar-related-
contents.html
6. HiNative

This website is useful when you encounter confusing

parts while studying Korean. You can ask questions.
But many learners have asked similar questions
before, so you can easily find the answers by
searching.

These answers are provided by native speakers, so

you can believe the answers. Additionally, you can
also request proofreading after writing your text.

Visit Website >>

NATIVE'S TIPS!
3 Common Mistakes

1. Formal? vs Informal? 🤨
While you might hear informal language frequently
in movies and dramas, in reality, it's not used much
in daily life, especially not in workplaces.

When you meet someone for the first time, you

usually use formal language. If you feel you've
become quite close to that person later, you or that
person might ask, ' 말 놓을까요?' (Shall we switch to
informal language?) However, if no one suggests it,
even after knowing each other for years, you might
continue using formal language.

Using informal language makes Koreans feel like

you've truly become close. That's why if you want
to quickly become friends with someone,
suggesting informal language could be a good
idea!
2. You? 당신? 😯
In Korean, when using formal language, we don't use the
word 'you.' When using informal language, we use the
너
word ' ' (neo).

So, how do Koreans refer to 'you'? First, we find words

to replace 'you.' If we know the person's name, we use '~
씨' (~ssi). In close relationships, we use 언니 (unni), 오빠
(oppa), 누나 (nuna), 형 (hyeong), and more.

But what if we're not close and don't know the name? In
that case, we simply don't use 'you.' In situations where
it's necessary to address someone, we might occasionally
use 사장님 (sajangnim), 선생님 (seonsaengnim), or 저기요
(jeogiyo).

However, since Korean can function without using 'you,'

99% of conversations are possible without it!
3. He/she? 그/그녀? 🤔
Many learners, when trying to translate 'he'
그
or 'she' from English to Korean, use ' '
(geu) or ' 그녀' (geunyeo). In reality, these
words are expressions you can only find in
literature or poetry; Koreans never use them
in daily life.

So, how do Koreans refer to 'he' or 'she'?

We either omit 'he/she' or keep repeating
the person's name. For example, if you
want to say "I met Mina and she was
beautiful." in Korean, you would say, " 미나씨
를 만났는데, (미나씨는) 아름다웠어요." (I met
Mina, and (Mina) was beautiful.)

If you don't know the person's name, you

그 사람" (geu saram) for
can typically say "
'person' or "그 여자/남자" (geu yeoja/namja)
for 'she/he.'
Thank you!
Has my guidebook been helpful in
your Korean learning journey?
I hope that the information I've
provided has made studying Korean
easier and more efficient for you.

I'd love to hear your stories! 😀

Why are you learning Korean, and
what parts of Korean learning are
challenging for you?

Feel free to send your stories to kummmorning@gmail.com

anytime. Your stories and feedback will guide me in creating
more practical content going forward 💡
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