Korean language

Korean is the native language for about 81 million people, mostly of Korean descent. It is the national language of both North Korea and South Korea. In the south, the language is called Hangugeo (South Korean: 한국어) and in the north, it is called Chosŏnŏ (North Korean: 조선어).

Since the early 2000s, Korean popular culture has spread around the world through globalization and cultural exports.

The Korean language uses the Hangul alphabet, which was created in the 15th century. This writing system is easy to learn and helps make reading and writing Korean simple for everyone. Korean is also spoken by smaller groups outside of Korea, such as in parts of China, like Jilin, Yanbian Prefecture, and Changbai County, as well as by Sakhalin Koreans in Russia and the Koryo-saram in Central Asia.

Modern Korean has special ways of speaking that show respect and describe relationships between people. This shows how important social respect is in Korean culture. Today, many people worldwide are interested in learning Korean because of its unique alphabet, rich culture, and growing influence.

History

Main article: History of Korean

Modern Korean comes from older forms called Middle Korean, Old Korean, and Proto-Koreanic. Experts think the Proto-Koreanic language began in an area called Manchuria. Over time, Korean speakers moved into the southern part of the Korean Peninsula around 300 BC.

Today, there are some differences between the Korean language used in North Korea and South Korea because the two countries are separate. But people from both countries can still understand each other’s versions of Korean quite well.

Writing systems

See also: Origin of Hangul

For many years, Korean writers used Chinese characters, called Hanja in Korean, for important documents. But these were hard for most people to learn. In the 15th century, King Sejong the Great created a new writing system called Hangul. It was easier to learn and helped many people read and write. Over time, Hangul became very popular, even though some leaders at first did not like it. Today, Hangul is the main way Koreans write their language, though Hanja is still used in special cases like newspapers and studies.

Names

The Korean language has different names in different places. In South Korea, it is often called hangugeo, which means "Korean language". People there might also say hangungmal, meaning "Korean speech", or urimal, which means "our language".

In North Korea, the language is usually called Joseoneo or Joseonmal, names that come from the historic Joseon period. In parts of China, people call the language Cháoyǔ for North Korean Korean and Hányǔ for South Korean Korean. All these names show the rich history and culture of the Korean people.

Main article: names for Korea

Classification

Korean is part of the Koreanic family, which also includes the Jeju language. Some experts believe Korean might be related to the bigger Altaic family, but this is not widely accepted today.

There are also ideas that Korean might be related to the Japanese language. Some words and grammar rules look alike, but many experts think these similarities happened because the two languages shared and borrowed words over time. For example, both Korean and Japanese have words that sound alike for things like hemp. Some researchers think that ancient languages spoken near the Korean Peninsula may have influenced Korean.

Phonology

Main article: Korean phonology

Korean words follow a special pattern: (C)(G)V(C). This means a word may start with a consonant, followed by a glide and a vowel, and can end with another consonant.

Korean has special sounds called "tensed consonants" like /p͈/, /t͈/, and /k͈/. These sounds are made with extra tension in the voice. Some sounds change when they are next to other sounds. For example, the sound /s/ can change before /j/ or /i/. Also, at the end of a syllable, /s/ often becomes /t/.

Vowels in Korean can sound different depending on where they are in a word or the sounds around them. Some vowel differences are not always clearly spoken, especially by younger speakers.

Grammar

Main article: Korean grammar

Korean is an agglutinative language. This means words are made by adding small parts together. Korean sentences usually start with the subject, then the object, and end with the verb. The verb is always needed, but the other words can change places.

How people speak Korean changes based on who they are talking to. When speaking to someone important, like an older person or a teacher, special words and endings are used to show respect. Korean has different levels of politeness, from very formal to very casual. These levels help show how close or respectful the speaker is to the person they are talking to.

Vocabulary

The Korean language has many words from its own roots. Many words about ideas come from Chinese. These are called Sino-Korean words. Some words also came from Mongolian and other languages. Recently, many words come from English.

In South Korea, there is a special dictionary called the Standard Korean Language Dictionary. It decides the official words to use. North Korea has its own dictionary too. Both countries use Sino-Korean words, but they choose words in different ways. Because English is common in South Korea, many English words have been added to Korean. This is called "Konglish." North Korea does not use as many foreign words.

Sino-Korean

Main article: Sino-Korean vocabulary

Sino-Korean words come from written Chinese or are made in Korea using Chinese characters. Korean has two sets of numbers, like English has "two" and "dual." Korean and Chinese are very different languages. All Sino-Korean words are single syllables. Korean words can have many syllables.

Western loanwords

See also: Konglish

Most loanwords in Korean come from English, especially today. Some also come from German and other Western languages, often through Japanese. Because English is common in South Korea, many English words are used in everyday Korean. This is called Konglish. North Korea does not use as many foreign words.

Gender

Korean does not have grammatical gender. Words do not change depending on whether they refer to a male or female. However, there are some differences in how men and women speak.

Women often use a softer tone and may add certain words to show politeness. Men might use more direct tones. These differences come from ideas about roles and behaviors in Korean society.

Writing system

Main articles: Hangul, Hanja, and Korean Braille

See also: Hangul consonant and vowel tables

Modern Korean uses a special alphabet called Hangul. In South Korea, it is also called Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea. Korean letters are grouped into blocks that show whole syllables. For example, the word "bibimbap" is written as three blocks.

Korean text has spaces between words and uses punctuation like Western styles. Older versions of Korean were written in columns, but today it is usually written in rows from left to right, like English.

Dialects

Main articles: Korean dialects and Koreanic languages

Korean has many local dialects, also called mal, saturi, or bangeon. The standard language in both South and North Korea is based on the dialect around Seoul, though North Korea now says its standard is based on the speech of Pyongyang. All Korean dialects are quite similar and can usually be understood by speakers of other dialects, though the dialect of Jeju Island is quite different and often considered a separate language.

One noticeable difference among dialects is the use of tone. For example, Seoul speakers use vowel length, while Gyeongsang speakers keep an old pitch accent from Middle Korean. Some dialects keep older sounds that have disappeared from the standard language, while others have new, innovative features. This shows that Korean dialects have a rich history and have mixed and changed over time.

North–South differences

Main article: North–South differences in the Korean language

The Korean language used in North Korea and South Korea has some small differences. Words might sound a little different or be spelled differently between the two countries.

There are also small differences in grammar and punctuation. North Korea uses special symbols for quoting, while South Korea uses quotation marks like in English. Some everyday words can have different meanings or uses in each country.

Geographic distribution

See also: Korean diaspora

Korean is spoken by the Korean people in South Korea and North Korea. It is also spoken by the Korean diaspora in many countries such as the People's Republic of China, the United States, Japan, and Russia. Korean is the official language of both South Korea and North Korea. It is also an official language in China's Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, along with Mandarin Chinese. Special institutions help support the Korean language, such as the National Institute of Korean Language in South Korea and the Language Institute of the Academy of Social Sciences in North Korea. The King Sejong Institute helps teach Korean around the world, with locations on many continents. The TOPIK Korea Institute also supports Korean language learning through universities and cultural centers globally.

Foreign language

Main article: Korean as a foreign language

For English speakers, Korean can be a bit hard to learn. But the alphabet, Hangul, is easy to learn. Schools like the Defense Language Institute say Korean is like Japanese, Chinese, and Arabic. These languages take about 64 weeks to learn well. This is longer than languages like Italian, French, or Spanish.

In the United States, most people who learned Korean used to have Korean family roots. But now, more people from all kinds of backgrounds are learning Korean. This is because South Korean music and TV shows have become very popular. There are two main tests to see how well someone speaks Korean: the Korean Language Ability Test (KLAT) and the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK). These tests help show how well people who are not native speakers can use the language.

Example text

From Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Korean (South Korean standard):

All human beings are born free and equal. They should treat each other with kindness and respect.

The Korean words show this idea clearly, saying that everyone deserves respect and fairness.