Books for Learning Korean (Self-Study)

[foreverJ]

I reccommend Rob's course: http://www.learnkoreanonline.net/freevids/
there are about 4 hours of video available for free

[Loki001]

What an excellent post. I also share your distain for Rosetta Stone, Integrated Korean and Pimsler.

I have found the spaced repetition program Anki most useful. I love that I can enter the vocabulary that I want to study. It's also so convenient, my home computer, work computer and my Iphone all sync the same deck with each other, so no matter where I am I can spend a few minutes studying whenever I have time. I have attached the deck I made which you need the program to use (there are of course a few errors, but I checked my native sources for most of the facts). You can download it from the like below and the best part is it's free.
http://ankisrs.net/

[britbu]

I would like to learn Korean while I'm in Korea.

What are some recommended Korean language self-studying materials?

[mikkilrod83]

You should try Active Korean which is published by Seoul National Univ.  It's got English and Korean in it and is pretty self-explanatory.  It's used at SNU in their Korean Language Insitute.

If you're more advanced, try Sogang Uni's textbooks.  However, those are completely in Korean even the directions, so good luck with that.

[valium kilmer]

I have some kind of cultural allowance at school, and as is the way, communication is pretty non-existent and when it is, doesn't seem to follow any logic similar to my own (not that my own is faultless, mind...)

However, it appears I have 100,000won to spend on Korean study text books before the end of the month (or basically Korean learning).  I had the same last semester - but that 100,000 went a long way and basically I have no other costs.  However, I will be going home in August, hopefully for only 1 year, and so wanted to carry on studying Korean - and since Korean language books aren't particularly easy to pick up back home, I thought I could arm myself with a few to take back.

I would say i'm probably low-intermediate - reading/listening comprehension is much better than speaking, and I'm currently working my way through the 가나다 Intermediate 2 book, having completed the 2 previous books.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a series of books for self study that I could pick up and run with back home.  I bought Sogang 3B roughly 7 months ago but put it to one side as I thought it was a little beyond my grasp, though now I think it would be ok. 

So at present I'm thinking of just stocking up with a few of the Sogang books and working my way through them - unless anyone has any recommendations....

땡규 in advance

[ssmit94]

I've used Survival Korean Beginners, and I'm currently using Survival Korean Vocabulary.  Honestly, they are a bit dry and a waste of money in my opinion.  Unless your the kind of person that enjoys memorizing words everyday. Then go for it, but I'd recommend getting someone to tutor you with a workbook.  I've found that to be the most effective way to retain korean words and grammar.  You can use any korean workbooks that korean elementary children use.  Obviously, you'd need someone that can read korean, if you decide to use those books.  Also, there is a workbook call Fast & Fun Korean which is pretty good, and you really wouldn't need a korean tutor with that book. 

[Eros]

Just go to a bookstore. There's a whole section of Korean language learning books and they're relatively inexpensive. Plus you can open the book and read through it and see if you like it or not. One of the great things about Korea is you can read a book in the store and then not buy it and nobody cares.

[tisliz]

"How to Learn Korean: Learn Korean With Pictures" It's a yellow book. The latter half of this book's title is in Korean, but it can be purchased for cheap from the Kyobo bookstore. It's especially good for visual learners, and introducing the major aspects of Korean grammar at the end of each section. Check it out!

[SpaceRook]

I've used Survival Korean Beginners, and I'm currently using Survival Korean Vocabulary.  Honestly, they are a bit dry and a waste of money in my opinion.  Unless your the kind of person that enjoys memorizing words everyday. Then go for it, but I'd recommend getting someone to tutor you with a workbook.  I've found that to be the most effective way to retain korean words and grammar.  You can use any korean workbooks that korean elementary children use.  Obviously, you'd need someone that can read korean, if you decide to use those books.  Also, there is a workbook call Fast & Fun Korean which is pretty good, and you really wouldn't need a korean tutor with that book.

I've found that learning vocabulary without context is a big waste of time.  I'll just forget it.  I try to get my vocabulary from real sources.  For example, I just started taking a yoga class.  I'm currently translating one of the yoga studio's pamphlets.  All the words are kind of related (breath, relax, muscles, joints, exercise, etc...), so I have a good context.  Plus, I have a real source to practice reading from.

I've done the whole "Oh, it would be cool to know the names of a bunch of jobs.....I'll study a list of those words" approach.  It just doesn't work for me.

[injuredeagle]

I found the books written by Seung-Eun Oh the best. They are clear and provide excellent real life contexts. Such as Korean Made Easy. They are great books http://koreanmadeeasyseries.blogspot.com/

I second this. It is a beginner level book but it does a great job at testing what you've learned and practicing writing. It has a nice layout and a good pace of learning. And it comes with a pocket phrase book and CD

[notanartist]

I used the University of Hawaii's KLEAR textbooks in the States before coming here: http://www.amazon.com/Integrated-Korean-Beginning-Textbook-Textbooks/dp/0824823427

They do have some university-specific vocabulary, but you can skip that and still follow the lesson.  The audio files are online, and the workbook provides more than enough practice.  Also, they only use hangul.  The only Romanization is in the introduction where they teach Hangul.

If anyone is near Goyang and wants to study together, send me a message!

[wong812]

Korean Grammar in Use. About the best I've seen and I've seen a few. Believe me.

You can buy at soulselection but you can check out the inside here!!!

http://www.yes24.com/24/goods/3718266

[ad589]

Thank you!  This is really helpful!

[CellarDoor]

Not Recommended:

Rosetta Stone: I learned colors, shapes, and to say things like, “The boy is jumping.”  This is after spending roughly 60 hours on it.  Not worth the money in my opinion.  Also, the lessons tend to run around an hour, and it’s hard for me to focus on them past the 30-45 minute mark. 

100% agree with that. Total waste of money for those considering.

Agreed.  Not happy with all the money spent on Rosetta Stone or the time lost or the burnout with trying to learn the language that developed.  I bought it a few months before I arrived, and I definitely regret the purchase.  I think Rosetta Stone actually made it harder for me to learn Korean once I got here, since the Rosetta Stone learning model made me feel like I'll never be able to speak the language even with investing hours or days of my life into it.  ...Not that I'm bitter.

I'll try to check out these suggestions though.  I'm trying to move through the negotiation/withdrawal phase of culture shock into adjustment/acceptance as quickly as possible. =\

I have been getting Rob's videos (mentioned above), but I hadn't opened a single one yet.  Maybe I'll go back and check them out after getting a good report.

[SpaceRook]

If you're more advanced, try Sogang Uni's textbooks.  However, those are completely in Korean even the directions, so good luck with that.

Almost all the directions are the same: "Write the correct word in the blank."  It's pretty self-explanatory even if you don't know Korean.  The quick-reference booklet has English explanations for all the grammar and vocab (at least for the levels I've seen, which is 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B) so it's definitely do-able if you're studying solo.  The student book is very much focused on dialogue.  It works best when used with a partner. 

However you decide to study, make reviews the main component of your studying.    I figured this out way too late.  I always wanted to learn new and exciting things, and would quickly move past the stuff I already "learned."  That was a mistake. 

[paulscott2410]

Hello
Its nice to read everyones comments about learning Korean.  I have been in Korea for 4 months now and I have been studying Korean in my own time and I am learning from my book, i guess I am lucky that I have one Korean friend who does help me when i have questions (which I have many).  But i find it ironic that I am in Korea and that in theory it should be easier to learn the language but most Korean people want  to learn English.  This can be so frustrating because my friends see me and they say can you help my friend learn English but to be honest out side of school I dont want to teach English, im here to learn as well, also to make life easier! Does everyone else find that is the same issue?  I really want to study at a hagwon or a university outside of teaching but I dont know any places.  The nearest big city to me is Daejeon.  Does anyone know if there are any places in Daejeon where I can study on the weekend?  Thanks for your help :-)
PS I am using the Darakwon's books, i also find them useful, the book i use most is called korean grammar in use.  Also I write a diary in Korean every day, i make many mistake because i dont study at uni, so a lot of what i write in Korean is with the English mentality or style, but I do feel that writing a diary is a great way to learn, because its a good way to repeat and practice and soon you remember many things, i also learn more vocab this way and the vocab i will remember more often.  Its quite time consuming at the moment writing a diary but in the future im sure it will take less time.  I would defintly recommend writing a diary!  Good luck with your Korean studies. Paul

[idontlikeyouinthatway]

of all the different books i have used "Hello Korea: 안녕하세요 한국어" by Ji Young Park and So Young Ryu is one of my favorites.  if i remember correctly it was only 15000 won or so

[Andrea152]

I would like to study the Korean language by myself. What is your favorite Korean language self-study book?

[Davey]

I would like to study the Korean language by myself. What is your favorite Korean language self-study book?

Merged the threads.

Please read my signature regarding searching.

Please read through the thread--there are a ton of recommendations, including free online sites.

[ruraljeolla]

When I was learning German, having pocket dictionaries readily accessible was helpful for gradually building up my vocabulary.

Eventually I had small pocket dictionaries in the bathroom, in my bedroom, in my shoulder bag.  Anytime I had a free moment, I could reach for a pocket dictionary and learn a few new words.  Only after several years did I finally get a large English/German-German/English dictionary with thorough coverage of words and usage.

I've been in Korea over a year and am finally putting effort into learning the language and will be looking for my first pocket dictionary (small;  not a regular-size dictionary).  I do not mean an electronic dictionary, but a real hard-copy for a something-I-can-hold-in-my-hands-and-flip-through-pages-at-my-leisure type of experience.

Any recommendations?