Photo: Lunisaa, CC BY 4.0
Korean for Beginners: Your First Hour
A friendly, live first hour of Korean for complete beginners. You will see how the Korean alphabet, Hangul, builds syllables and read your first two words, then learn polite greetings, introduce yourself, count to ten and order at a café, and try it all out in a short role-play with other students. Every phrase comes with romanization, so you do not need to read Hangul yet.
After this hour you can
- Understand how Hangul letters build syllable blocks, and read 안녕하세요
- Greet people and say goodbye politely
- Introduce yourself and say where you are from
- Count from 1 to 10 for prices and phone numbers
- Order a drink, ask how much it is and pay
- Ask people to slow down or repeat when you get lost
- 0′–5′
Welcome
Know how the class works and what Korean sounds and looks like.
- 5′–13′
Hangul taster: how Korean is written
See how letters stack into syllable blocks and read 안녕하세요 and 감사합니다 block by block.
가
ga
say gah
the letter ㄱ (g/k) + the vowel ㅏ (a)
나
na
say nah
ㄴ (n) + ㅏ (a)
+ 6 more on your phrase sheet
- 13′–19′
Greetings and goodbyes
Greet people politely and say the right goodbye.
안녕하세요?
annyeonghaseyo?
say ahn-nyuhng-hah-seh-yoh?
Hello (polite)
안녕하십니까?
annyeonghasimnikka?
say ahn-nyuhng-hah-sheem-nee-kkah?
Hello (very formal)
+ 6 more on your phrase sheet
- 19′–27′
Introducing yourself
Say your name, where you are from and where you live, and say "nice to meet you".
저는 ___예요. / 저는 ___이에요.
jeoneun ___yeyo. / jeoneun ___ieyo.
say juh-neun ___yeh-yoh / juh-neun ___ee-eh-yoh
I'm ___.
이름이 뭐예요?
ireumi mwoyeyo?
say ee-reu-mee mwuh-yeh-yoh?
What is your name?
+ 6 more on your phrase sheet
- 27′–33′
Numbers 1 to 10
Count from 1 to 10 with the numbers used for prices and phone numbers.
일
il
say eel
one
이
i
say ee
two
+ 8 more on your phrase sheet
- 33′–41′
At the café
Order a drink, ask the price and pay.
저기요!
jeogiyo!
say juh-gee-yoh!
Excuse me! (to call staff)
___ 주세요.
___ juseyo.
say ___ joo-seh-yoh.
___, please. (Please give me ___.)
+ 7 more on your phrase sheet
- 41′–47′
Survival phrases
Say sorry, say you do not understand and ask people to slow down or repeat.
죄송합니다.
joesonghamnida.
say jweh-sohng-hahm-nee-dah.
I'm sorry. (polite)
미안해요.
mianhaeyo.
say mee-ahn-heh-yoh.
Sorry. (softer)
+ 7 more on your phrase sheet
- 47′–57′
Practice: at the café
Meet someone new and order at a café, using only Korean.
- 57′–60′
Recap and this week
Remember the key phrases and know what to practise this week.
Korean looks hard, but its alphabet, Hangul, was designed to be easy: there are 24 basic letters, and many people learn to sound out words in a few hours of practice. Grammar works very differently from English (the verb comes last) and how polite you are is built into the words, so today we use the polite forms you would use with people you have just met. Korean has no strong word stress: say the syllables evenly.
- Zoom on a computer, tablet or phone
- A microphone; headphones with a mic are best
- Somewhere you are happy to speak out loud
- Pen and paper, if you like. No Korean needed.
Do I need to know any of the language already?
No. Every class is for complete beginners. We start from hello, and everything is explained in English. If you already know a little, it will be a good warm-up, but it will feel easy.
What happens in the hour?
A short welcome, then the sounds (or, for Japanese and Korean, a first look at the writing), greetings, introducing yourself, numbers to ten, ordering at a café and the phrases that get you out of trouble. Then you practise in small breakout rooms and we finish with a recap. Each class page shows the hour minute by minute.
Will I have to speak?
Yes, that is the point, but gently. Most of the time the whole class repeats together with microphones on, so nobody is singled out. Near the end you practise in breakout rooms of 2 or 3. Your camera is up to you.
How big are the classes?
At most 12 people, so everyone gets to speak and ask questions.
How much is a class?
One class is one payment, and you see the price before you pay. Nothing renews and there is no subscription.
Can I cancel or move my class?
Yes. Write to support@bunevents.com at least 24 hours before the start and we will refund you in full or move you to another time, whichever you prefer.
