If you have no idea where to start with this sentence, would you believe me if I said you'd be able to read it in a matter of minutes? Now don't get me wrong, you may not know what it means, but you will be able to read it out loud with a little help from the following 4 sources.
The good news is, Hangeul* is one of the easiest alphabets to learn. Being relatively modern in the world of languages, its scientific approach and symbol relationships were well thought out. Many programs claim you can learn it in under an hour. Correct pronunciation will take practice, but you'll have the basics down and be reading and writing in no time.
Today's reviews are free online sources to learn to read and write Hangeul. We will be reviewing as follows:
- User Friendly
- Fast Track vs. In Depth
- Free vs. Fee
***Update*** At the time of this article, only a handful of sites were available. Now there are lots to choose from. Please share some of your favorites in the comments and we'll check them out.
I wasn't disappointed. Ryan Estrada created 8 frames of delightful webtoon that introduces the Korean Alphabet in an entertaining and easily understood way.
No matter what your goal is, this is a fast track, confidence building intro to reading and writing Hangeul.
Overall review: Very easy to use. In 15 minutes, you will have a wonderful intro to the Korean Alphabet and it's totally free. I recommend this as a first step for absolute beginners. It's just fun!
Hangeul was first introduced in 1446 bu t not commonly used until about 500 years later.
--Charm Lee's Beginner Korean Class - Hangeul Quick Facts
Due to the difficulty in reading Chinese characters, the literacy rate before Hangeul was a mere 5%. Now, the literacy rate in both North and South Korea stands at about 99%.
--Charm Lee's Beginner Korean Class - Hangeul Quick Facts
Overall review: The layout is typical Wiki format. It includes written instruction with audio samples. Click and go navigation. This is a free collaborative project. (Also on Wiki, encyclopedia coverage here.)
by Melodie Everson
Determined Korean Language Learner
** disclaimer - to those of you more advanced in Korean, this is an attempt of a level two dropout with the help of google translate to say "So, you want to learn Hangeul?". If you have a better translation, please submit in the comments. Thank you Park for the update!