Reading Korean can feel very challenging especially at the beginning when you have just familiarised yourself with the Korean alphabet. Just like with any other skill, your Korean reading will improve the more you practice it. We are able to read fast in English because our brain remembers the words as we have seen them thousands of times. Did you know that our brains are able to read mixed up words? It only needs the first and last letter to be in the correct place.
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sirll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Now, for those whose English language is not their first language and are not fluent in English this might be hard to read but I hope you understand my point. Therefore, the more we expose ourselves to Korean words, the faster we get at reading them because our brain will become more familiar with these words.
Here are few tips to practice your reading faster and the process more enjoyable.
If you haven’t yet, you need to learn Hangul first.
It might look intimidating at first, but it definitely isn’t as hard as it looks. According to King Sejong the Great (inventor of Hangul)…
“A wise man could acquaint himself with them before the morning was over; a stupid man could learn them in the space of ten days”
KING SEJONG THE GREAT
Well, maybe this is a bit harsh from King Sejong, but Hangul is definitely easier to learn than it looks!
You can check out our post that introduces all the letters and how to read them here.
Choose a reading material that is appropriate for your Korean level.
It shouldn’t be too easy that you are not learning anything new but it also shouldn’t be too difficult that it puts you off of studying. A lot of people are thinking that children’s books are a great way to start but actually these usually use a lot of language which is not commonly used in everyday Korean. Usually, books aimed at young adults are a good place to start.
The length of the text is important.
If you are just starting to read Korean, you don’t want to overwhelm yourself with a lengthy text if it takes you good few minutes to just read a paragraph. If you are a beginner, you can find a lot of short reading material on our Instagram page SKAPETOKOREA so go and check it out.
Choose a material that is of interest to you.
If you don’t like romance books, (although I doubt a lot of you reading this do not like romance books) there is no point of you choosing to read a romance book if you do not enjoy that type of genre. You need to find ways to make learning fun and enjoyable otherwise you are likely to practice for a couple of days or even weeks and then get bored of it. It is also a good idea to choose a book you are familiar with. For example, I was a huge Harry Potter fan when I was young and have read the Harry Potter books multiple times. I purchased the book in Korean and read it. Knowing the plot really helped me to understand what I was reading even if I didn’t understand every single word.
Skim through the material.
Do not try to understand every single word. Just understanding the context is good enough. The more you come across a certain word, the more you will begin to understand the meaning of it and how it is used. Writing down words that you do not know and translating it IS important but do not write down every single one as that is counter proactive. Just write down ones that you feel you should know or any that you see multiple times.
Make your own sentences.
For the words you have written down, try making your own sentences so that you use the word in few different contexts. You are making sentences that are relevant to you plus as the same time you are writing down the word with your own hand therefore creating more “links” in your brain that are connected to that particular word making it easier for your brain to remember.
Read out loud.
Reading out loud will help you to remember the words easier as you are using both, the reading and speaking senses. It will also help you to absorb new vocabulary faster. You will also find that over time, the words will come out smoother and your pronunciation is better plus it will build up your confidence when speaking to Korean native speakers because you would have already practiced speaking out loud.
Watch Korean dramas and movies with Korean subtitles.
If you have a Korean drama or a movie you have already seen but would like to re-watch it, then just put Korean subtitles on and try to keep up with the pace. You won’t be able to read everything quick enough but overtime you will get faster and faster. Since you have seen the drama or movie already you know what it is about so you can just focus on trying to keep up with reading the subtitles. Or you can use Viki Rakuten to put up both, English and Korean subtitles. Do not pause on everything but if there is a specific word or a phrase you would like to learn because you feel that is particularly helpful then pause, write it down and keep watching.
Read song lyrics.
There is a lot of videos on YouTube that have Korean song lyrics, watch it couple of times, try to sing along and the words will start becoming more and more familiar. When I find a new song I like, I watch it on YouTube with the Korean lyrics on repeat and then listen to it whenever I can (while going to work, on a walk or when cleaning). You have no idea how many words I have learned just through listening to Korean songs.