Look up Korea on Google’s search engine, and you will find results filled with KPop achievements, news about its immense cosmetic industry, rich Korean culture, and giant tech companies like Samsung and Hyundai. That is more than enough to get you interested in the amazing people and their language. It is no wonder that Korea is increasingly becoming one of the most spoken languages in the world. With these in mind, there is no better time to learn interesting facts about the Korean language and a little about the culture.

Seven interesting facts about the Korean language

One of the first things you will notice while learning Korean is how closely connected the language is to their culture. You can tell a lot about people from learning how they talk. 

1.    The history of Hangul (King Sejong the Great)

The language has a unique writing system that was invented by King Sejong the Great in the Joseon Dynasty. Before then, Koreans wrote with Chinese characters (Hanja), which was difficult. That made a large part of the population illiterate. As a result, King Sejong came up with the Hangul system of writing, which was easier to learn. Hangul alphabets were made to mimic the position and shape of the mouth and tough while speaking the Korean language. 

2.    The sentence structure

Although Hangul is easier than Hanja, native English speakers still find Korean difficult to learn because of the differences in language structure. English sentences are usually arranged in this order – “Subject, verb, and object”, but Korean sentences are arranged “Subject, object, and verb”. Hence, it can take a while for English speakers to learn how to build a sentence together in Korean. 

3.    Honorifics

Korean culture values respect — respect for the elderly and people of higher social status. As a result, Koreans speak with Honorifics according to the status of whom they speak. There are seven levels of honorifics used according to the social class, relationship, and age of whomever you are addressing. This is why it is common for a Korean to ask your age at the first meeting, so that they may know how to talk to you. Therefore, Koreans expect the same level of respect and tend to be deeply offended when addressed inappropriately.

4.    Numbering system: 

Koreans make use of two numbering systems to count different things i.e., the native and the Sino Korean numbers. Sino Korean came from the Chinese numbering system. The trick here is not just to learn these numbering systems but also to know when to use them. For example, when describing time (year, days, minutes, etc.), you should use the Sino numbering system, but general counting makes use of the traditional Korean system.

5.    Merging words in a sentence

This language pattern is not only seen in the Korean language; French has it as well. It is common to fuse words together when forming a sentence. Therefore, making it hard to tell that they are two words originally. Therefore, people looking to learn the language have to spend a lot of time listening to it and get acquainted with such words.

6.    Romanized translations will be inaccurate

There are sounds in Korean language not found in the English language. Therefore, Romanizing Korean spelling will lead to flawed interpretation. English speakers often make the mistake of trying to start with Romanized translations. However, in this interview, a linguist gives first-hand advice on the need to learn Hangul and practice these pronunciations. Hence, it is advisable to learn Hangul while learning Korean.

7. Dialects

Korean is spoken all over South and North Korea. However, dialects have their nuances. These differences show up in honorifics, intonation, and vocabulary. As expected, after years apart, Southern and Northern Korean dialects are different, so proper translation has to take this into cognizance. 

These are just a few facts about the Korean language that makes it a fascinating language to learn. However, if you are looking to translate documents to Korean, you cannot afford to have basic knowledge of it. 

You must understand both the words and the culture to be able to express yourself. In fact, rumor has it that a Korean can tell a traditional speaker from a foreigner within the first minute of chatting. It is worthy to note that translations to Korean language require a professional that understands the language and the culture. At Translations in London, We have professionals that understand the Korean language and its local context, which allows us to provide accurate translations. Visit the website to get started.