Korean for Beginners

I purchased the paperback edition from a local bookstore more than 4 years ago, but never progressed beyond using it to practice writing the hanguel characters. I did this off and on over the years. I liked that the (한글) characters were presented clearly with the proper stroke orders and directions. In the last few months, my interest in learning Korean has picked up. I went back and started reading the book all over again from scratch, progressing from chapter to chapter. I just finished a quick once-through the book, but am now going back and am studying for detail and retention. I intend to take copious notes at a mostly private website I recently started - to help me learn and organize what I learn. This will help me review and retain. I like the book's consistent use of romanization and its clear presentation of pronunciation "rules" (which I prefer to think of as "guidelines"). There is a lot of grammar that I glossed over the first time, which I plan to make more time for the second time around. For me, it is an excellent beginning textbook - it lays a great foundation. I will build upon what I learn from it, adding a little hanja along the way. (I have since purchased the Kindle edition from Amazon, but mostly use the paperback.)

I had already been learning Korean on my own for about 9 months when I purchased this and a few other physical textbooks to try. This was by far my favorite of the bunch. The text is incredibly easy to read and really entertaining without sacrificing effectiveness. At first, I found the author's attempts at humor to be a bit obnoxious, but I came to really appreciate it further into the text. I am, however, not certain how great of a resource this would be to a true beginner of Korean. This served my purposes perfectly, I wanted to reinforce the information I was getting in my online lessons and have it presented a different way. I think someone using this as their first resource however would be left really confused. The author, for example will use a lot of example sentences throughout the book without explaining all of the grammar within the sentences and essentially why that sentence means what the author is telling you it means. A lot of time he does a good job of explaining the points relevant to the current lesson, but I imagine someone would be confused in the early lessons when they've only been explained a fraction of the sentence. I also don't necessarily like the way vocab is introduced and I personally don't even consider the vocab in this book because of that. However, the ease of reading could greatly outweigh all of these points. A true beginner could possibly read through this, not necessarily to study strictly from, but to get a broad and simple introduction before tackling harder texts. Regardless, this is definitely a great resource and I'd highly recommend, but would also suggest that it's supplemented with other resources for sure.

This product although i'm only on chapter five is well worth the money!!! With this book and the help of my Korean friend to sound out the words which i could have done with the CD i have learned to read Korean and my vocabulary is growing!!!!!! The book is also not written in boring text but like a conversation. They have a dictionary in the back, a chart to help with vowels and constants in the front .. Pictures, interesting tid bits a CD and im just taking a guess since i haven't finished the whole book but i bet they cover all the bases . Right now they are even talking about parts of speech and how to identify them GREAT PRODUCT .. ONLY THING THAT I NOTICED WRONG was that the CD was missing 1-3 which is alot because it numbers off like 1.1 1.2 etc etc 1-3 sound bites were missing from the Cd which means i would not know how to pronounce those words for the time being (or would not be sure). this book is also written by a Korean who learned English and an american who learned Korean ..:) so they know what you will struggle on and try to address it in the book GOOD LUCK

I wanted to learn Korean because my Tae Kwon Do school is taking a trip there this summer, and though I probably won't be able to afford to go this year, they said they plan to take this trip again in two years, and by then, I should be able to save enough money to go. I figured I'd prepare anyway. I got this for the kindle (fire hdx) and though I only just started studying it, the book itself is excellent. It emphasizes grammar and pronunciation, which are extremely important I think. Yes, it is a little light on the vocabulary, but it gives you the tools to pick up more vocabulary more easily than if you were just winging it, because it helps you to develop an ear for the language. It also has no exercises, but that's why you actively study it rather than just reading it cover to cover. The only reason I am giving this four stars rather than five was because of the difficulty I had with the downloadable content. The downloadable content took three calls to mayday to deal with, and after the third call, I realized it cannot be accessed on the kindle, and only can be opened on a computer. I was hoping I could just press on links in the e-book and it would innitiate the audio or video, but that did not work. The link for the downloadable content is located at the end of the table of contents (only the third mayday guy was able to find it for me). Once accessed, it comes in a zip file. There is no way to open a zip file with the Kindle as of yet, according to the third mayday guy, who was most knowledgeable, plus, I've tried. Once opened on the computer, it did not run like a CD ROM. I believe this is because Some of the drivers were outdated and couldn't be found on the internet through the links were within the zip file. There is audio and video content in the zip file. There is a folder for audio files called "audio" and those files are in mp3 format and labeled so that they could be matched with their place in the book, just match them up as you read. They are also in order in the folder with where they are in the book. These files can be transferred via usb or email to your kindle as I'm sure the kindle can read MP3 files. The video content was much more of a challenge. Within the zip file, there is a video file called "FLV" which are video files in .flv format. Why they chose this format over mp4 or something more common is beyond me. None of the software or drivers on my computer were capable of running .flv files since all I had was Windows media player and Windows media player won't run .flv files. So I had to download a software that would run those files. I tried Real player, and it was a waste of my time and hard drive space, and though it worked to run the files, unless you pay $5.99 a month for a premium account with them, you are bombarded by constant ads and pop-ups, so I uninstalled it. Don't get it. I then went ahead and downloaded a software called Free video player. It was free like the name implies and it did not have adds, and most importantly, it ran the .flv files. I do not know if you transfer .flv files to your kindle. if the kindle will have the drivers necessary to read them, as I haven't tried and do not intend to, as I am comfortable enough accessing them on my computer. As for the quality of the downloadable content itself, It's pretty good. It matches up with the place they are in the book, and it pretty much does or says exactly what the book suggests it's going to say or do. The videos are actually very convenient once you can access them. The videos draw the characters for you as it pronounces them so it teaches you the correct way to write them if you are inclined to learn to write Korean. Korean seams pretty easy to learn since the Hangul is a phonographic script. If anyone has found a better way to use the downloadable content so it works like a real CD-ROM, let us know.

This is a great book for beginners. For a beginning student of Korean it would be very difficult to have any conversation with a Korean speaker, let alone UNDERSTAND anything other than greetings etc. Korean is a very difficult language and the verbal endings require experience and ample practice to comprehend and use. This book is a fun addition to any library of Korean Language books and offers a unique perspective due to its layout and delivery. For those moving beyond the beginning level, two things in addition to this book would be; 1) a live Korean speaker to help with pronunciation of the very different sounds of the Korean Language (This is very important to avoid the very easy bad pronunciation habits that will set in without a teacher). And 2). Comprehensive Korean grammar and vocabulary texts. The materials available in the US are not very good at all, and I would suggest some of the grammar and texts offered by Korean Textbook importers that have been written for foreign language learners of Korean by Korean Universities. Although some may be found on Amazon in scattered fashion, they are unjustifiably high priced. To avoid appearing to be an advertisement, I cannot name these, but these would be texts produced by the Korean Language departments of Korean Universities. Korean origen grammar texts are also useful. An internet search will allow you to find an importer with more reasonable fees.

I have a number of introductory and intermediate Korean textbooks, and this one is by far is the most engaging from the get-go. The concepts covered in this book are explained in a way that is easy to understand and the tone is sort of humorous and friendly. I don't think that one could fully master beginner Korean with this book alone, as it is a bit on the light side in terms of vocabulary building and practice exercises, but in concert with other more "academic" textbooks and a couple of workbooks it works well. I think this book offers a very good introductory overview, including sections on hangul and basic pronunciation, so if you're looking for somewhere to begin with your Korean studies this is a good choice and you can branch out from there.

Maybe I should not be writing a review yet since I have not actually finished the book. But I have been working my way through this book for the majority of this month and I have made it half way through chapter six and I am kind of struggling to continue. I am a total beginner with absolutely no knowledge of the Korean language before starting this and so far this book has not been very helpful. This book contains information that one definitely needs to know but the way it is presented, in my opinion, is for someone who already has some knowledge of the Korean language. Not a total beginner like myself (I am still trying to get the vowels and diphthong sounds memorized, which, without knowing the sounds I obviously can't pronounce words and therefore can't read). This book is definitely light-hearted. The author makes you feel like he is there with you in your learning journey and not just lecturing you. But with that being said, after I finish a chapter, I feel like my head is going to explode from information overload. The book is pretty fast paced in my opinion so that could have something to do with it. A topic or grammar point or rule of the language will be presented, then a few examples will be given, then we're off to the next topic. Even though it's a book and I can review pages as much as I want, I feel like I am not given enough time (or practice!) to soak everything in. Speaking of practice, there are no exercises to complete. Some people don't even like exercises and that's okay. This book might be for you then. But for me, I need practice and this book doesn't give it. Like I said before, this book has great information in it, I just think that this book will be better suited as a reference book; to quickly flip through to a grammar point or rule if you forgot it; or even a supplemental book to lessons one might already be taking or if you have a tutor. It's not a bad book, it's just not for me in this early stage of my Korean learning journey as a self-taught learner.

This book is an excellent guide to not only learning how to speak the language but also how to read and write Hangeul (Korean Alphabet) and to have an overview of what Korean culture is all about. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is eager to learn the basics of the Korean language. I'm proud to say that after I've read the first two chapters, I can already read and write the Korean Alphabet without looking at the book. I'm very excited to learn more from the upcoming chapters and I'm glad I found a good self-learning book that is straight forward and detailed.

J'ai acquis ce livre en Juin 2012, j'étais débutant en Coréen mais un an plus tard je suis à un niveau bien plus que raisonnable. J'ai lu ce livre dans son intégralité 4 fois (on ne pourra pas dire que je l'ai survolé): - 1ère fois, tout parait fun et intéressant, mais je n'ai quasiment rien retenu de très utile (débutant total) - 2ème fois, je comprends mieux et je retiens mieux le vocabulaire (débutant persévérant) - 3ème fois, je crois tout comprendre et je retiens tout (débutant commençant à apprendre sérieusement) - 4ème fois, je comprends tout et je savais tout des notions de vocabulaire et grammaire... mais uniquement grâce à une autre collection de livres que j'étudiais en parallèle! En effet, le manque de méthode de ce livre le rend très peu efficace. On apprend parfois sans comprendre avec seulement une poignée d'exemples pour illustrer les notions de cours, c'est très maigre. Le manque de rigueur sera très frustrant pour ceux qui veulent réellement comprendre des notions de langue, de plus le manque de texte en hangeul vous fera plus lire de l'anglais plutôt que de travailler le coréen. Il y a également le problème de la romanisation omniprésente qui vous ne encouragera pas à perfectionner votre lecture du hangeul. Au final l'atmosphère fun lui donne un air sympathique, mais il n'en reste pas moins un mauvais livre d'apprentissage. Tout n'est pas à jeter, car les leçons sont relativement pertinentes (même si elles sont trop courtes), les traductions très bonnes, mais manquent totalement d'efficacité sur un débutant (on se demandera alors à qui ce livre est destiné). Je recommande vivement n'importe quelle autre collection de livre d'apprentissage sérieux, en particulier les collections découpées en plusieurs niveaux (ex: débutant, intermédiaire, confirmé...), qui seront bien plus efficaces que celui-ci. Vous aurez cependant peut-être un peu de mal à visualiser toute la variété disponible sur Internet, si vous avez la chance d'aller en Corée, sachez que les grandes librairies sont très fournies dans ce type d'ouvrage. Le problème majeur de ce livre étant qu'il joue principalement sur la "mémorisation" (c'est à dire: enseigner, puis espérer de retenir la notion) alors que les livres de méthodes de langue jouent sur la "compréhension" (c'est à dire: comprendre pourquoi et comment utiliser la notion). Retenir une expression importante sera toujours utile, mais s'exprimer convenablement avec plus de 2 phrases apprises par coeur est définitivement "plus malin"! Je ne peux définitivement pas recommander ce livre à quiconque qui souhaite apprendre sérieusement le coréen.

This is not a textbook in the traditional sense of the word. If I were to propose a title for this book it would be "A Guided Tour of the Korean Language". It shows a very large part of the language in varying detail. For example it introduces, with examples, four levels of politeness in the verb (out of six or seven) and then for the rest of the book concentrates on one, honorific 1, the same level used in "annyeong haseyo". So you learn one level well, but at the same time know there is lots more, so you won't feel ambushed when you meet them later on in your studies. It briefly describes some 20 to 30 particles, but uses only a few; etc. The book does not cut corners or dumb things down; for one thing it gives the reader a solid basis in hangeul, the Korean alphabet; for another it covers most of the irregualr verbs. In line with the book's "guided tour" nature there are no exercises. There is, however, a CD, with a lady with a lovely voice, who pronounces almost all the Korean text in the book. (Why "almost", why stop there?) It teaches the reader about 500 words, which is not enough for a meaningful conversation, but is a very good start. I found it an excellent, easily accessible and certainly affordable pre-read for the Korean course I am going to start taking this autumn.

O livro é bem completinho, com as páginas de um papel bom para escrever e fazer anotações. Tem cd e material extra para download. Fiz bastantes pesquisas antes de escolher um livro para estudar o idioma e esse foi o que mais se encaixou nas minhas expectativas!

Para empezar a aprender es muy bueno!! trae desde los más esencial hasta temas más complicados, es mejor si lo complementas con algún otro libro de ejercicios, lo positivo es que vas aprendiendo a tu propio ritmo, lo recomiendo para los que estan interesados en el idioma.

Tutto perfetto e soprattutto velocissimo nella consegna e a prezzo molto basso. Ottimo venditore lo consiglio a tutti quelli intenzionati a spendere il meno possibile.