[Robert Fouser] Learning Korean and Chinese characters

Learning Korean continues to grow in popularity around the world, but the speed of growth may be slowing as the popularity of K-pop has plateaued. Universities in many countries have seen a decline in second language learning as part of a broader shift away from the humanities. Over time, this could result in a weakening of important institutional support for Korean classes.

According to the “2023 Duolingo Language Report,” an annual report produced by the popular language learning platform, Korean moved up one rank to displace Italian as the sixth most studied language in the world. Korean was the most popular language in one country, Mongolia, and ranked eighth in that category, down from the fifth in the 2022 report. Korean was the second-most popular language in six countries, ranking sixth, the same as in 2022. Among Asian languages in the 2023 report, Korean is the second most popular after Japanese but is more popular than Chinese, which ranked eighth.

Duolingo only measures the use of its platform for second language learning. Users vary widely, but almost all use it for self-study, either as a hobby or to augment the instruction they are receiving in a classroom somewhere. Many learners use other tools, such as YouTube videos and translation platforms, with or without a specialized language learning platform.

Today, learners of Korean have many more options than even 10 years ago, let alone the late 20th century. For years, paper coursebooks, usually written for use in a language program, and paper dictionaries for Korean students were the only tools available. When I first started learning Korean in 1983, I used coursebooks that were part of the language program I was enrolled in. I also used two dictionaries (Korean-English, English-Korean) published by Minjungseorim that were popular with Korean students at the time. In the early stages, I used a phrase book for travelers but soon outgrew it. Learner’s dictionaries and grammar reference books were not available in 1983 but began to appear as the number of learners grew in the 1990s.

Coursebooks are still used in Korean language programs, but dictionaries and reference books are now mostly digital. In the late 20th century, most learners of Korean were enrolled in a language program, either in their home country or South Korea. In the early 21st century, the balance began to shift toward self-study as internet resources became widely available and the Hallyu boom stimulated interest in learning Korean, mostly in Asia. Self-study continued to grow in the 2010s with the spread of K-pop around the world and the boom in smartphone apps.

Back in 1983, I used another dictionary published by Minjungseorim: A dictionary of Chinese characters, or “okpyeon” as they were commonly referred to at the time. By the intermediate level, the coursebook began to introduce Chinese characters, as did other coursebooks in other programs. Though the use of Chinese characters was on the decline at the time, they were considered important enough to include to teach learners of Korean. Reflecting this change, they began to disappear from coursebooks in the early 1990s and have since almost disappeared from teaching Korean as a second language.

For many learners of Korean, the uniqueness of Hangeul and the ease of learning is one of the most attractive things about learning Korean. With only 24 letters, it has adapted well to the digital age, particularly to social media on smartphones.

But do Chinese characters have any value for learners of Korean? For learners who aim to become researchers of Korean history or culture, Chinese characters are required to understand original documents up to the middle of the 20th century.

Only a tiny number of learners plan on academic careers in Korean history or culture. For the rest, Chinese characters offer one main advantage: They help expand vocabulary by drawing attention to units of meaning in words. This helps most with developing a receptive vocabulary for reading and listening because it helps learners figure out the meaning of new words. Being able to understand more raises confidence, which helps maintain a positive attitude toward learning.

Learning Chinese characters takes time and requires dedication, but it need not be burdensome. Learners can start with simple easy-to-memorize characters and then focus on characters that are common in word formation. Using materials developed for Korean school children is helpful. In the end, learners who stick with it will be rewarded with a larger, richer Korean vocabulary.

Robert J. Fouser

Robert J. Fouser, a former associate professor of Korean language education at Seoul National University, writes on Korea from Providence, Rhode Island. He can be reached at robertjfouser@gmail.com. The views expressed here are the writer’s own. -- Ed.