#hsingnotes

So you know how to type in Korean. Now what? How do you get good at it? 

One of my students in my Beginner Korean class just picked up some stickers for her keyboard to practice typing Korean on her computer, and asked me how do you get used to the placement of all the 한글 characters? They seem to be in places that make no sense.

The answer is: Practice, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

Well, just like when we all learned to type our native languages, it just takes familiarity and practice of making your fingers learn where the characters are, but that can be really difficult when we don’t use a second language very often.

So here’s some FREE tools and websites that can help you practice touch typing and memorizing the Korean keyboard layout.

Here are some tools to help you with that:

TaDak TaDak

A Korean website to help kids practice typing, TaDak TaDak is an onomatopoeia for the sound keys make when you type (타닥타닥). This site rocks! It has so many different exercises for practicing typing Korean and it’s freeeeeee.

Individual 한글 Placement - Helps you to memorize the layout of the keyboard

Word Practice - like flashcards! You see a picture and the matching word in Korean and type it. 

Under 낱말연습 tab, you can practice with 우리낱말 for user-submitted flashcards. Accuracy not ensured though because a lot of these are submitted by kids lol

Sentence Practice - You can practice your 띄어쓰기 here and get a feedback on your typing speed (타자속도) and accuracy (정확도)

Hard Mode TaDak Games

If you want to really suffer or you’re an advanced learned, try these TaDak games on for size.

Dictation: You listen to the recording, type what the speaker says and get scored on your results. I have never gotten 100% ㅠㅠ

Puzzle: Guess the 2-3 character words from the 한글 provided. You’ll get a lot of practice furiously typing and wracking your brain for vocabulary that fit the possible combinations.

I’m sure we all felt like (or still feel like, in my case) children when it comes to learning Korean; my advice is to just lean into it. Don’t be taken aback by using tools for kids.

Yes, I am a child. Please teach me and don’t be mad at me because I don’t know anything and I’m trying my best.

Hangul Attack

GO! Billy Korean provides amazing resources for Korean learning, and one of those is Hangul Attack, a completely free game to practice Korean typing.

You type the 한글 as they fall from the sky; if you make a mistake, a meteor will fall down. You can shoot meteors down with your space bar. Any characters or meteors that hit the ground drain your life points.

Visit Billy’s website to download and install the game for your computer.

TypeRacer

Increase your typing speed while racing against others - publicly or privately.

You can either enter a typing race against random online opponents, practice on your own or race your friends. Great tool for those of us with a competitive streak cough cough

Try it out here!

Typing Tests

I’m sure we’ve all taken one or two typing tests for our native languages at some point or another, so it shouldn’t surprise you that there are options for Korean typing tests. Here’s just a few that give you text to type and measure your speed and accuracy.

Typing.Works (make sure to set it to “Native”)

10FastFingers 

If anyone else has great resources they’d like to add, please reblog! 

Learning how to read and write Korean is one thing, but typing can seem like a whole nother beast. It doesn’t have to be scary or hard though. Here’s a quick guide on how to get started and how to type in Korean!

Help! I Don’t Have a Korean Keyboard! Where Do I Start?

Not a problem! You have lots of options.

Install the Korean keyboard to your computer’s operating system or mobile phone

Use online keyboard websites (even Google Translate has one)

Branah

Gate2Home

VKBoard

Free Online Writing

Buy pre-made stickers with 한글 on them and stick them on your keyboard

DIY 한글 stickers with something like transparent tape and sharpie and cover your keys

Buy a silicone cover that fits your keyboard

Print out a layout of the 한글 keyboard and put it somewhere you can look at it while you type

Ultimately, you’re going to want to memorize the locations of the 한글 characters by heart because it will make it easier and faster to touch type, but it’s totally okay to start out with the tools you need to succeed.

How to Type in Korean

As we probably know, Korean words are made up of consonants and vowels. On Korean keyboards, the consonants are all on the left hand side, with the vowels on the right. To double the consonant, making a 쌍 character, hold down the shift key. However, only the ㅔ and ㅐ characters can be doubled with the shift key into ㅖ and ㅒ because ㅠㅕㅛ all have their own dedicated keys.

To type Korean words, we start with the starting consonant on the left side, then type the vowel on the right side and an ending consonant 받침 if there is one. Just like creating words when writing, the pattern is the same: CV, CVC or CVCC.

Spaces are only needed for 띄어쓰기, or spacing between words for legibility. Otherwise, you can just type all the way through; Korean keyboards are able to automatically figure out where one word ends and the next begins.

Examples:

ㅂㅏㅇ (qkd) --> 방

ㅇㅣㄹㄱㅇㅓㅇㅛ  (dlrfdjdy)--> 읽어요

ㅎㅏㄴㄱㅜㄱㅇㅓ  ㄱㅗㅇㅂㅜㅎㅐㅇㅛ (rksrnrdj rhdqngody) --> 한국어 공부해요

Tip: The typing pattern for Korean words will always start left side-right side so get in the habit of that rhythm! Of course the rhythm will change depending on the 한글 in your words — sometimes it’ll go left-right-left-left-right-left if you’re typing a word like 안녕, or left-right-left-left-left-right-left for 닭발 — but you’ll always start on the left and then go to the right.

90 Day Korean has a great guide on how to type in Korean, so check that out here for more info.

For free games and tools that can help you memorize the layout and learn to touch type Korean, check out my post here.

I wanted to do a post on my actual favorite thing to learn in Korean - PUNS.

This is one of the most famous (and cheesy) Korean puns. And I LOVE IT.

바나나 먹으면 나한테 바나나?

or, in its proper spelling/grammar: 바나나를 먹으면 나한테 반하나?

Breaking down the parts:

바나나 - banana

먹다 - eat

-(으)면 - if (sometimes, when)

나 - me (casual)

한테 - to/from (in this case, to)

반하다 - to fall for, to fall in love with

-나(요)? - interrogative ending

If you eat a banana, will you fall in love with me?

This pun works because 반하나 and 바나나 are pronounced exactly the same.

It’s ridiculously cheesy and simple AND super well-known. It’s on merch and advertisements everywhere, and I’ve personally heard my kids tell this pun a bunch of times.

A lot of Koreans tend to cringe at this pun partially because it’s overused, but I laugh every time. Idk what it is about puns in foreign languages but they’re like 10x funnier to me than puns in English.

♡ MY WEEK IN KOREAN #7

I've been super out of commission this week because I've been ridiculously sick... so I apologize for being a bit late. Even if my body's been giving out on me, my brain and my learning hasn't??

Here's this week in Korean.

N O U N S

변명 - excuse, justification

변명하다 - to make an excuse

변명을 늘어놓다 - to keep making excuses

허언 - lie, falsehood

환자 - patient, sufferer

암 환자 - cancer patient

유언 - will, testament

유언을 남기다  - to leave a will

막바지 - the end, last-minute

이건 영화의 막바지야 - this is the end of the movie

막바지에 가는 휴가 - a last-minute holiday

여름이 막바지에 이르렀다. - it's the end of summer

조각상 - statue

다짐 - promise, resolution ( more formal than 약속)

그녀는 친척들을 더 자주 방문하기로 다짐했다 She made a resolution to visit her relatives more often.

참사 - disaster, tragedy

모발 -hair (seems to refer to individual hairs vs all hair, which is usually just 머리 or 머리카락)

A D V E R B S

여하튼 - in any case, anyhow

변함없이 - steadily, without change

심지어 ….. 까지 - even so far as to ….. 

어느덧 - in no time, without even knowing it

겨울 방학도 어느덧 지나가 버렸다 - winter vacation passed by without even knowing it. 

similar to last week's 어느새 !!!

다소 - somewhat

그녀는 다소 피곤해 보였다 - the girl looked somewhat tired

V E R B S

절제하다 - to restrain, moderate, control

빚을 지다 - to fall into debt, to owe sb.

어이없다 - to be outlandish, dumbfounded, ridiculous (NOT used as an adjective in front of nouns)

어이없어서 말이 다 안 나온다  I'm so dumbfounded I'm lost for words.

그것은 어이없는 짓이다 That's quite ludicrous.

찢어지다 - to tear (physically) or to tear (metaphorically, i.e. heart)

소매가 찢어졌네요  Your sleeve has torn.

슬픔으로 가슴이 찢어질 듯하다 My heart tears with grieft

획득하다 - to win, acquire

권리를 획득하다 - acquire rights

올림픽에서 금메달을 획득하다 - win a gold medal at the Olympics

쟁취하다 - to win, gain

승리를 쟁취하다  - to win a victory

독립을 쟁취하다 - to gain one's independence

꾸미다 - to decorate, adorn

꽃으로 방을 꾸미다 - to decorate a room with flowers

선살하다 - to present, grant

여러분께 노래 한 곡 선사하겠습니다 - I'd like to present everyone with a song.

그녀에게 잊지못할 추억을 선사하기 - presenting her with a memory she can't forget

돌입하다  - to begin, start

다이어트를 돌입하다 - to start a diet

작업에 돌입하기 - starting work

개최되다 / 개최하다 - to host, hold 

모임은 호텔에서 개최되었다  The meeting was held at a hotel

한국은 1988년에 서울에서 하계 올림픽을 개최했다 Korea hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

A D J E C T I V E S  

진지하다  - serious, earnest

너무 진지하다 - too serious

뒤집어쓰다 - to be covered

이불을 뒤집어쓰다 - to be covered in a blanket

밋밋하다 - to be flat (physically or emotionally)

쇼가 너무 밋밋했다 The show was very lackluster.

그녀는 가슴이 밋밋하다 Her chest is flat.

밋밋하고 특색 없는 시골 풍경 flat and featureless views of the countryside

진잔하다 - calm, still

E X P R E S S I O N S

마찬가지 - just the same as, just like

그녀는 아틀랜타에서 일하고 그녀의 오빠도 마찬가지이다. She works in Atlanta and her brother does the same.

♡ MY WEEK IN KOREAN #5

First post-TOPIK week in Korean post~ 

I’m also using this as my Day 2 of the 100 Days of Languages challenge - to learn 10 (+) new vocab words, since I learned a bunch of these today in Korean class.

N O U N S

형편  - circumstances (often, financial circumstances at home)

봉사 - service

봉사 가격 - sacrifice price - the price at which a seller is selling something just to get it out

봉사 활동 - volunteer work

기부 - donation

홍보 - marketing

명물 - specialty (a thing), something an area is known for

폭설 - heavy snow

폭설 지역 - area of high snowfall 

특성 - characteristic, quality, trait

ADJ + 특성:

개인적 특성 - individual characteristic

인간의 특성 - human trait

중요한 특성 - important characteristic

A D V E R B S

종종 - sometimes, now and then 

당당히 - confidently, grandly

전혀 - not at all, utterly, not in the least (usually used negatively)

그것은 나와 전혀 상관 없는 일이다. I have nothing to do with it.

V E R B S

다가가다 - to approach, get close (both physically and emotionally)

인기를 끌다 - to gain popularity

마비된다 - be paralyzed, go numb

A D J E C T I V E S  

한심하다 - pathetic

거만하다 - haughty, stuck-up

올바르다 - right, proper, correct

활기차다 - lively, energetic

E X P R E S S I O N S

♡ MY WEEK IN KOREAN #6

I finished my Korean class~!!!!!!!! The exam was hard as heck and looked more like pre-2016 TOPIK II than anything I learned in class ;; but it’s over and I’m so happy to be finished!!

Here’s this week in Korean.

N O U N S

냉소 - cynicism, lit. cold smile

냉소적인 - cynical

냉소 시각 - cynical point of view

냉소를 띠고 있다 - wearing a cold smile (OPPOSITE: 미소를 띠고 있다 - wearing a smile)

생존 - survival 

존재 - existence

참을성 - patience

참을성이 있다 - to have patience

참을성이 기르다 - to grow one’s patience

유혹 - temptation

유혹하다 - to tempt

유혹에 빠지다 - to fall into temptation

유혹에 넘어가다 - to give in to temptation

안부 - news, tidings, inquiries after sb.

안부를 묻다 - to ask after somebody

~이/가 안부 전해하다 - ~says hi, ~sends her regards

~에게 안부 전해 주세요 - please tell ~ I said hello

A D V E R B S

일단 - first, for now

심지어 - even, what’s worse

심지어 ..... 까지 - even so far as to ..... 

어느새 - in no time, without even knowing it

어느새 한국어를 그렇게 배웠니? - how did you learn Korean in no time like that?

V E R B S

재수하다 - to study hard for another year for the college entrance exam (either after failing to get into college the first time or choosing not to take the exam in your senior year)

칭찬하다 - to compliment, to commend

A D J E C T I V E S  

여유롭다 - relaxed, easy-going, leisurely

E X P R E S S I O N S

덧 - a prefix to verbs that “adds”/”makes extra” (더’s) what follows

덧붙이다 - to add onto something (most often usage, often verbally), to paste on a wall

덧칠하다 - to paint over

덧입다 - to wear something over something else

덧나다 - to get infected, to make worse

덧니 - snaggletooth (more teeth)

덧버선 - outer socks

덧신 - outer shoes (shoes over your shoes)

Today’s grammar point: 만큼

Super useful grammar point, and I can confirm this guy appears on the TOPIK II all over (albeit used in more complicated ways)

It means just as much as / like.

It’s comparable to 처럼, but as highlighted in the example above -- it does differ slightly in that 만큼 is used in terms of quantity and 처럼 is used in terms of mannerism. In other words, 만큼 answers the question 얼마나? while 처럼 answers the question 어떻게?

돼지만큼 먹어요. (eating as much as a pig in amount)

돼지처럼 먹어요. (eating like a pig in mannerism)

A common answer to the question “how much do you love me?” is “to the moon and back” in English, right? Well, there’s a Korean equivalent!

나를 얼마나 사랑해요? (how much do you love me?)

하늘만큼 땅만큼 사랑해요~ (As much as the sky, as much as the ground)

Some additional examples of how to use 만큼 in my notes above!

Causative verbs - 사동사 - are verbs that describe making or letting somebody do something (not of their own free will.) Here is a list of some causative verbs and their meanings, with the original action verb in parentheses.