Lessons for English speakers

Learn to read Korean

A short, active path into reading Korean: take a syllable block apart, decode ten real words before the full alphabet, learn the sound changes automatic romanizers get wrong, and read a small story before opening your first book.

13 core sections · ≈ 36 min + 4 optional lookups · ≈ 57 min with everything

How sentences work

3 sections

First sentences: greeting someone, and the two words for “is”

≈ 3 min

What you'll learn

안녕하세요an-nyeong-ha-se-yo“hello” works at any hour, to anyone.
Goodbye is two words — one to the person leaving, another to the person staying.
A sentence ending in 요yo means a person is being spoken to; one ending in 다da is a book narrating.
Korean has two words for “is”: 이다i-da glues onto a noun for what a thing is; 있다it-tta stands alone for where it is.

Four things people genuinely say

English	Korean	When
hello	안녕하세요an-nyeong-ha-se-yo	any time, to anyone
hi	안녕an-nyeong	friends, children — and the animals in fables
goodbye	안녕히 가세요an-nyeong-hi ga-se-yo	“go in peace” — they are leaving
goodbye	안녕히 계세요an-nyeong-hi gye-se-yo	“stay in peace” — you are leaving

Which goodbye depends on who is walking away; both readings at the end turn on it.

이다 — for what a thing is — glues onto the end of a noun

미나mi-na“Mina”

미나다mi-na-da“is Mina”

after a vowel, only 다 is left

집jip“house”

집이다ji-bi-da“is a house”

after a consonant the full 이다 shows up — the ㅂ slides across, rule one

미나mi-na

미나예요mi-na-ye-yo“is Mina, spoken”

the spoken ending; after a consonant, 이에요: 집이에요ji-bi-e-yo

Tobi 토비는to-bi-neun is here 여기 있다yeo-gi it-tta.

토비는 여기 있다.

to-bi-neun yeo-gi it-tta

있다it-tta is the other is-word: a standalone verb — exists, is in a place. Nothing glues to 여기yeo-gi“here”. “What is it?” takes 이다 on a noun; “where is it?” takes 있다 alone at the end.

The people words a story leans on

English	Korean	Notes
I	나na	the plain one, used in stories; politely to a person it is 저jeo
we, our	우리u-ri	very common; the last reading turns on it
my	내nae	내 이름nae i-reum“my name”

Korean has pronouns and mostly leaves them out. 그geu“he” and 그녀geu-nyeo“she” are book words; in speech people say the name.

Both of these are complete sentences

나는 여기 있다na-neun yeo-gi it-tta

여기 있다yeo-gi it-tta“I am here”

Korean leaves the person out whenever it is obvious who is meant. A sentence with no subject is not broken — the subject was never needed. Ask who the last few sentences were about

Read the sentence before revealing it

내 이름은 미나다.
my name · Mina · is — the is-word is glued to the name.
Show answer +Hide answer −
nae i-reu-meun mi-na-da — “My name is Mina.”
토비는 집에 있다.
A place, so which of the two is-words ends it? And 집에 is rule one.
Show answer +Hide answer −
to-bi-neun ji-be it-tta — “Tobi is in the house.”
Somebody is walking away from you. Which goodbye do you say?
Show answer +Hide answer −
안녕히 가세요an-nyeong-hi ga-se-yo — “go in peace”, because they are the one going.