Korean Made Easy
By Chris Backe
3.5/5
()
About this ebook
Whether you're teaching English in Korea, starting a corporate job, or serving as a soldier, knowing a bit of Korean will make your life in Korea that much more awesome - guaranteed.
Hi, I'm Chris Backe (rhymes with hockey). When I moved to Korea, I wasn't sure I'd ever pick up Korean.
Why?
Every book that taught you Korean did the same thing: they spent about five seconds on the basic parts of the language, then jumped right into full phrases and lecturing about boring points of grammar. Did you really enjoy conjugating verbs in high school?
Yawn.
Chapters are broken down into simple, easy-to-digest chunks - less thinking required!
Sure, I ended up learning Korean - and I realized you will never need to know the phrase 'I am wearing a green sweater', so why learn it? You will need 'Where is the bathroom?' and 'One beer, please!', so you'll learn those two.
Learn the Korean you're actually going to use while in Korea.
We're going to use words and phrases, not dialogues. We'll pair up the words and phrases you're going to use, show you what it looks like in Korean, then show you how to say it in simple English syllables. It's as simple as that.
This e-book is not a dictionary or quick-study book for tourists - it's written specifically for people coming to or living in Korea.
You'll start with hangeul, the Korean alphabet. You'll learn the letters, how to put them together to make syllables, and how to make sounds with them. We'll look at some real world examples – a hint that there are thousands of English words secretly disguised as Korean words. Later on, we'll talk about everything from Korean alcohol to getting off the beaten path.
So what else are we going to talk about?
- Getting the pronunciation right - the locals are picky about this.
- About formalities and honorifics - a big deal in this Confucian-based society.
- Getting to know people - everyone from co-workers to your students
- The holidays Korea really celebrates - including the ones you won't find on most calendars
- Eating - with a special section for vegetarians and those with allergies
- Korean alcohol - some of the most potent stuff around
- Curses - the words and phrases that'll make the old people blush
- Handling your students (if you're an English teacher)
- Talking to your boss and co-workers (using the formal tense)
- Traveling around Korea - how to read the maps, get help, and get around without a guidebook
- What to say when you feel like crap
- Korean expressions and slang - stuff some locals have never heard from a foreigner's mouth.
And plenty more.
Version 6.0 was updated January 2020, and plays nice with any modern device (some older e-book reader device won't display Korean characters, though)
IMPORTANT: the audio track is not embedded in the e-book file. Instead, head to https://is.gd/kmeaudio2 for MP3 tracks to go with the book. Load them up on your MP3 player or device and hit play - there's at least one track per chapter.
Read more from Chris Backe
3 Days in Istanbul Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings3 Days in Amsterdam Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Becoming a Digital Nomad - 2023 edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/53 Days in Bogota Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/53 Days in Lima Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKorean for Tourists Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings3 Days in Toronto Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings3 Days in Zagreb Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings3 Days in Seoul Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings3 Days in Chiang Mai Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOffbeat Thailand Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings48 Daytrip Destinations From Seoul Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings3 Days in Bangkok Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings3 Days in Tallinn Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings3 Days in Seattle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings3 Days in Quito Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOffbeat Korea Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings3 Days in Medellin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/53 Days in Bucharest Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings7 Days in Central Thailand Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings5 Days in Laos Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat the Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Introduction to Thailand Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTime Disaster! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings7 Days in Northern Thailand Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings3 Days in Vientiane Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Korean Made Easy
Related ebooks
Korean for Beginners: Mastering Conversational Korean (Includes Free Online Audio) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Basic Korean: Learn to Speak Korean in 19 Easy Lessons (Companion Online Audio and Dictionary) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Elementary Korean Second Edition: (Downloadable Audio Included) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Practical Korean: Speak Korean Quickly and Effortlessly (Revised with Audio Recordings & Dictionary) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Conversational Korean Dialogues: Over 100 Korean Conversations and Short Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLearn Korean Through K-Dramas Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Essential Korean Phrasebook & Dictionary: Speak Korean with Confidence! Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5How To Learn Korean Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Korean Short Stories for Beginners: 20 Captivating Short Stories to Learn Korean & Grow Your Vocabulary the Fun Way! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWriting Conversational Korean: 200 Korean Writing Prompts Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ask a Korean Dude: An Authoritative and Irreverent Guide to the Korea Experience Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Learning Korean: A Language Guide for Beginners: Learn to Speak, Read and Write Korean Quickly! (Free Online Audio & Flash Cards) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Speak KPOP: Mastering the Most Popular Korean Words from K-POP and Talking Like a Real Fan Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn Korean Through K-Dramas 2: A Glance at Issues in Korean Society Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKPOP 101: Korean Pop Explained Step By Step To Kpop Fans Worldwide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Doing Business in Korea: An Expanded Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Chinese Writing: The 178 Most Common Characters from New HSK 1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Japanese for Fun: A Practical Approach to Learning Japanese Quickly (Downloadable Audio Included) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Easy Japanese: Learn to Speak Japanese Quickly! (With Dictionary, Manga Comics and Audio downloads Included) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5100 Thai Words to Start Speaking Thai Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Japanese for Beginners: Learning Conversational Japanese - Second Edition (Includes Online Audio) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Essential Korean Idioms: 300 Idioms to upgrade your Korean Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hangeul: Korea's unique Alphabet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Survival Korean Crash Course: Student Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Survival Korean: How to Communicate without Fuss or Fear Instantly! (A Korean Language Phrasebook) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Read and Speak Korean for Beginners, Third Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Foreign Language Studies For You
Spanish For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dirty Spanish Workbook: 101 Fun Exercises Filled with Slang, Sex and Swearing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFluent in 3 Months: How Anyone at Any Age Can Learn to Speak Any Language from Anywhere in the World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Spanish Grammar: a QuickStudy Laminated Reference Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Everything Spanish Practice Book: Hands-on Techniques to Improve Your Speaking And Writing Skills Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Learn Spanish: Flash Cards for Beginners Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yiddishkeit: Jewish Vernacular & the New Land Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Everything Essential Spanish Book: All You Need to Learn Spanish in No Time Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Everything French Grammar Book: All the Rules You Need to Master Français Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses, Premium Fourth Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5French All-in-One For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Everything Spanish Phrase Book: A Quick Reference for Any Situation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Everything Spanish Grammar Book: All The Rules You Need To Master Espanol Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Latin Vocabulary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Learn Spanish In A Hurry: Grasp the Basics of Espanol Pronto! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn French In A Hurry: Grasp the Basics of Francais Tout De Suite Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Best Little Grammar Workbook Ever! Use Alone or with Its Companion Book, The Best Little Grammar Book Ever! Second Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMastering Spanish Words: Increase Your Vocabulary with Over 3000 Spanish Words in Context Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5True Alien Seduction: Outing the Flames of Passion Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I Love to Help Me encanta ayudar (Spanish Children's Book): English Spanish Bilingual Collection Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Learn Spanish: A beginner's guide to learning basic Spanish fast, including useful common words and phrases! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Everything Spanish Verb Book: A Handy Reference For Mastering Verb Conjugation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Learn Italian in a Hurry: Grasp the Basics of Italian Rapidamente! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar: Fourth Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Love My Mom Amo a mi mama (Bilingual Spanish Kids book): English Spanish Bilingual Collection Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn Hebrew The Fun & Easy Way: The Hebrew Alphabet – a picture book for Hebrew language learners Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ultimate Spanish 101 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related categories
Reviews for Korean Made Easy
4 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Korean Made Easy - Chris Backe
Other itineraries in the Worthy Go series
Cities: Amsterdam, Bangkok, Bogota, Bucharest, Budapest, Chiang Mai, Istanbul, Lima, Medellin, Quito, Seattle, Seoul, Tallinn, Toronto, Vientiane, Zagreb
Countries / regions: Laos, Central Thailand, Northern Thailand, South Korea
More info at worthygo.com.
Other guidebooks by Chris Backe
48 Daytrip Destinations From Seoul
Becoming a Digital Nomad
An Introduction to Thailand
Korean for Tourists
Korean Made Easy
Offbeat Korea
Offbeat Thailand
What the Florida
Introduction
● Coming to Korea?
● Want to teach English in Korea?
● Want to do business in Korea?
● Want to really understand the way the locals think?
● Want to chat with a cute / handsome Korean at the club?
● Want to do more than just order a beer?
Along with languages like Arabic, Cantonese, and Mandarin, Korean is considered one of the hardest languages for a native English speaker to learn by the US Department of State. Whether you're coming to Korea as an English teacher, a businessperson, a soldier, or something else altogether, it’s time to learn Korean.
But I HATE learning languages! you might be saying. I understand that — it takes too long, there's too much to learn, or whatever. Here, you’re learning the words and phrases you’ll actually use. This e-book will highlight literally thousands of words and phrases you're definitely going to use in Korea. Everything from ordering a beer to telling the doctor where it hurts is here — and logically organized to help you find things later on. This e-book is not a dictionary — it's designed specifically for people coming to Korea or wanting to learn words you’ll actually use. No BS. No fluff. No messing around with conjugating verbs (shudder!) or trying to remember obscure words (meh). A few cultural tips along the way are here to give the language some context, of course.
There are five sections in the book — each written with the aim of being easy to read. Fully one-fifth of the book is dedicated to learning the Korean alphabet and how it's put together — something most other books breeze through on the way to teaching grammar or fancy sentences. Take your time through each section, and move on to the next when you feel you’re ready. The last section is dedicated to Korean grammar, and is saved for last intentionally — I want you to gain some confidence and practice before jumping into that.
If you're coming as a tourist, you'll probably find my other book, Korean for Tourists, more helpful. It's a pared-down version of this book and doesn't aim to be as comprehensive.
Download the audio guides!
Go to https://is.gd/koreanmadeeasy for a direct download of the MP3's in a ZIP file. Each audio file corresponds with a specific chapter.
Disclaimer
Although the author has made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at publication time (© January 2020), the author does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.
Be aware that traveling in a foreign country has inherent risks, and seemingly anything can change overnight. Places may close, admission fees may rise, drivers will drive crazy, and public transportation routes can be altered. Stay aware of your surroundings, employ street smarts and common sense, and in general be suspicious of locals that approach you speaking English.
Unless otherwise noted, all material in this book is the legal property of the author and may not be reprinted or republished without the author's express written consent, with the exception of short quotes for academic or review purposes.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Download the audio guides!
Section 1 — getting started with hangeul
The good news about Korean
Some examples of how the blocks look
Chapter 1 — the consonants
Chapter 1a — The doubled / tensed consonants
Chapter 2 — Time for the vowels!
Chapter 2a — Combination vowels: 1 + 1 = 2
Chapter 3 — Consonant + vowel = syllable!
Chapter 3a — the A-Z of hangeul
Chapter 4 — About padchims — the final consonant sound (받침)
The slideover
Chapter 5 — Let’s make some Korean syllables with padchims
Chapter 5a — the double padchim — wait, what?
Chapter 5b — Sounds Korean doesn’t have
Chapter 6 — Some real world examples
Chapter 7 — Advanced pronunciation rules
Chapter 7a — One final note regarding pronunciation
Chapter 8 — A little note about your Korean computer
Section 1 review!
Section 2 — more of the basics
Chapter 9 — The five Korean phrases you HAVE to know
Chapter 10 — About formalities and honorifics
Chapter 10a — The four honorific forms you'll actually use
Chapter 10b — Informal and formal questions and answers
Chapter 11 — Numbers in the Korean universe
Chapter 12 — Numbers: the alternative, Chinese universe
Chapter 13 — About fractions (분수, bun-su)
Chapter 14 — About decimals (소수, so-su)
Chapter 15 — Dates and times
Chapter 15a — Example time!
Chapter 16 — A few more survival phrases
Chapter 17 — Showing up
Chapter 18 — Leaving
Chapter 19 — Yes and no
Chapter 20 — Basics — rapid-fire round 1
Chapter 21 — Basics — rapid-fire round 2
People you know:
Chapter 22 — Show me the MONEY!
Section 2 review!
Section 3 — meeting people and enjoying life
Chapter 23 — Nice to meet you!
Chapter 23a — Countries and cities
Chapter 23b — More getting to know you
Chapter 23c — What do you do for a living?
Chapter 23d — Relationship statuses
Chapter 24 — Educational background
Chapter 24a — Blood type
Chapter 24b — Getting more casual
Chapter 25 — Religion
Chapter 26 — Zodiac signs (eastern)
Chapter 26a — Zodiac signs (Western)
Chapter 27 — People you'll meet
Chapter 27a — the twists of gender and age
Chapter 28 — Moving in
Chapter 28a — What to ask the realtor
Chapter 28b — Things found around the house
Chapter 28c — In the kitchen
Chapter 28d — In the bathroom
Chapter 29 — Going shopping
Chapter 29a — More about clothes
Chapter 29b — More about sizes and shopping expressions
Chapter 30 — Four distinct seasons — and plenty more holidays
Chapter 30a — Korean holidays
Chapter 31 — Talking about the weather
Chapter 32 — Around town
Chapter 32a — Movies and genres!
Chapter 33 — Sports and sporting events
Chapter 34 — When it’s time to eat
Chapter 34a — Restaurant questions and requests
Chapter 34b — Pattern recognition
Chapter 35 — Ordering delivery
Chapter 35a — Getting groceries
Chapter 36 — So, what to eat?
Chapter 36a — Common Korean food vocabulary
Chapter 37 — Vegetarians and people with allergies
Chapter 37a — Special notes
Chapter 38 — Enjoying adult beverages: Korean style
Chapter 38a — Know your beverages!
Chapter 38b — What to say while you’re drinking
Chapter 38c — How to get other people to buy your drinks
Chapter 39 — LGBT slang
Section 3 review!
Section 4 — Traveling and life in Korea
Chapter 40 — Planes, trains, automobiles, and buses
Chapter 40a — More about trains
Chapter 40b — If you’re lost...
Chapter 40c — About the T-Money Card / smart traffic cards
Chapter 41 — About bus tickets and terminals
Chapter 42 — About train tickets and stations
Chapter 43 — Taxis
Chapter 43a — Talking to the taxi driver
Chapter 43b — Help, my taxi driver sucks!
Chapter 44 — Hotels, or where to sleep while traveling
Chapter 44a — A quick note on ‘love motels’
Chapter 45 — Places, people! Know where to go
Chapter 45a — Provinces
Chapter 46 — After you arrive...
Chapter 47 — Korean addresses
Chapter 47a — who ya gonna call?
Chapter 47b — Korean area codes
Chapter 48 — How are you feeling?
Chapter 49 — Describing people
Chapter 50 — When you feel like crap (or, at the pharmacy)
Chapter 50a — Things you might need at the pharmacy
Chapter 51 — Visiting the doctor
Chapter 52 — Getting a haircut
Chapter 53 — While you’re at the club — OR — socializing with good-looking people:
Chapter 53a — Getting personal
Chapter 54 — Getting down to business
Chapter 55 — About Korean job titles
Chapter 55a — Job titles, part 2
Chapter 56 — Checking out the jjimjilbang
Chapter 56a — FAQ about the jjimjilbang
Chapter 57 — Taking charge in the classroom
Chapter 57a — more about the classroom and supplies
Chapter 57b — Students you may have
Chapter 58 — Curses! — or — dealing with old people
Chapter 59 — Emergencies!
Chapter 60 — Korean expressions
Chapter 61 — Korean slang (속어, sok-eo)
Chapter 62 — About hanja
Section 4 review
Section 5 — Korean grammar
Chapter 63 — A closer look at Korean grammar
Chapter 64 — Topics and subjects: 는,은, 가 and 이
Chapter 65 — Objects: 를 and 을
Chapter 66 — Where are ya, and what are ya doing? Using 에 and 에서
Chapter 67 — And theeeennn...?
Chapter 68 — Conjunction junction: what’s your function?
Chapter 69 — Nouns — the easy part
Chapter 70 — Verbs — the required part
Chapter 71 — Adjectives — the descriptive part
Chapter 72 — It’s mine! No, it’s MINE!
Chapter 73 — Past tense
Chapter 74 — Future tense
Finally, the progressives!
Chapter 75 — This, that, and over there — 이, 그, and 저
Chapter 76 — A mixed bag of grammar points
Chapter 77 — What's next
Appendix A — Answers
Section 1 review answers
Section 2 review answers
Section 3 review answers
Section 4 review answers
Appendix B — Sizing chart
About Chris
Other books
Other titles by Chris Backe
Section 1 — getting started with hangeul
The good news about Korean
Let’s get one thing straight. I am not a professional Korean teacher, nor do I have any plans to be. That means I’m not going to throw any fancy language terms like ‘fricative’ or ‘nasal consonant’ at you, so relax. We’re going to use plain language — simple enough for a ten-year-old to understand. Also, this is NOT a dictionary; it’s a collection of several hundred words and phrases that will come in handy during your time in Korea. Whether you’re a tourist, coming to Korea for business, or becoming an English teacher, there’s something to help everyone.
The good news about learning Korean is two-fold: it’s phonetic, so a given letter will sound the same 98% of the time. Second, it was intentionally designed to be easy to learn. Go back to the early 15th century and the days of King Sejong. The average Korean couldn’t read the hanja, or the Chinese symbols the the elite (and literate) people used. In his infinite wisdom, Sejong got his people working on an alphabet that could be learned in a matter of hours. I’m serious here — you can start reading Korean words after 2-3 hours of study. You may not know what it means, but you can read any Korean you see, anywhere in the world.
There’s a bonus built in here: literally thousands of Korean words sound similar or identical to the English words you already know. The word for ‘Coca-Cola’ is 코카-콜라, or ‘Ko-ka-kol-la’. Learning how to read the Korean alphabet means being able to read English words you already know.
To go from the Korean alphabet to the English alphabet, we need to do something called transliteration. (That's the longest word in this book, I swear.) Transliteration is when we convert from one alphabet (such as Cyrillic, Greek, or Korean) to another language's alphabet (such as the Latin-based system you're reading right now). When a Korean sees the letter ㅏ, they make a sound like the 'a' in 'father'. Therefore, the letter ㅏ gets transliterated as 'a' and is (theoretically) pronounced the same in either language — ‘ah’. We'll always transliterate sounds, not letters. In English, the letter 'i' can be pronounced like 'ee', 'ah-ee', or 'ih'; in Korean, there's a different way of writing each of these sounds — as you transliterate, sound it out slowly as you go!
The system of transliteration you’ll see in this e-book is called Revised Romanization, and was established by the Korean government in 2000. It’s not a perfect system, but it’s the official system of transliterating Korean by the United States and other Western countries. It’s better compared to the