6 Reasons why Learning Korean Language is Difficult | TOPIK GUIDE - The Complete Guide to TOPIK Test (2024)

FAQs

Why is Korean a difficult language to learn? ›

Korean is not written in the Latin alphabet but has its own characters that don't make much sense to people outside Korea. It seems complicated because the letters are grouped in syllables, which are combinations of two, three, or sometimes four letters.

The hardest part of learning Korean for a native English speaker is learning Hangul, the Korean script. A native English speaker who does not speak other languages might find the prospect of the Korean alphabet intimidating.

1. Mandarin Chinese. Interestingly, the hardest language to learn is also the most widely spoken native language in the world.

Our conclusion is that Korean is easier to learn… but only just. As a beginner, we actually think it's easier to learn Japanese. Although learning Hiragana and Katakana can be a little challenging, pronunciation of Japanese is relatively simple and the grammar rules are not too complicated.

Life in Korea is sometimes challenging. Personal space is almost non-existent, especially on public transportation.

When considering writing, pronunciation, and grammar, the easiest writing system is Japanese, followed by Chinese, and thirdly Korean. The easiest language to pronounce is first, Chinese secondly is Korean while thirdly comes Japanese.

Compared to other Asian languages, Korean is not that hard to learn. The Korean alphabet, Hangul, is relatively easy to memorize, with only 14 consonants and 10 vowels. On the other hand, Japanese has three separate alphabets, and some characters can mean specific terms or words!

TOPIK Basics

Level 6 is the highest one and “grants” you the right to say you're damn good at Korean. TOPIK I has two sections: Reading and Listening. TOPIK II has one more: Writing. Each section grants you a maximum of 100 points.

The test can be pretty tricky and stressful, especially the listening portion. Perhaps you may not want to study hard for it to test yourself. You can also check out NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION(NIIED) for more information on TOPIK. Need to know more about Korean tests?

If you want to study in Korean, you will need to a minimum score Level 3 on the Test of Proficiency in Korean(TOPIK). You will need to test at least TOPIK Level 4 by the time you graduate from a Korean-language program.

What is the 3 hardest language to learn? ›

The 3 hardest languages to learn include Mandarin, Arabic, and Russian. However, with the right strategies, overcoming these obstacles and succeeding in international markets is possible. One critical method is to invest in language training for yourself and your team.

The top 10 hardest languages in the world include Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Finnish, Hungarian, Icelandic, Georgian, and Navajo. These languages are renowned for their intricate grammar systems, complex writing systems, and significant differences from English.

Is Korean hard to learn for English speakers? Learning a language that involves a new writing system and sentence structure (such as Korean) can be challenging for a native English speaker. However, if you set yourself up with the right materials with a learning method you enjoy, it becomes easy.

I think easier to learn is Korean, the most hardest thing in Korean language is writing, if you haven't experienced learning an asian language it would be hard for you. And grammar is very easy, much much easier than russian.

Since you speak English, Spanish is much easier to learn. Since you use the same letters in English as in Spanish, learning the alphabet is just adding some accents here and there. Much of your first year learning Korean will most likely have to deal with just figuring out the letters and writing them out.