Vocabulary

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반가워요. bangawoyo It's good to see you.
피자 pija pizza
데이트 deiteu date
아이스크림 aiseukeurim ice cream

Lesson Notes

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Lesson Focus

Introduction to Korean



Why learn a new language?

There are countless reasons, but perhaps the biggest one of all, is that it could actually change your life! Learning a new language unlocks new pathways that are off limits to you now.   
There are certain things that you simply cannot do without having the technical or cultural skills that come from learning a new language.
Like working or living in another country!
Knowing another language provides you with greater job opportunities. It gives you the freedom to move to another country halfway around the world to earn a living, or better yet, build a career from it, rather than being stuck in one place.    
Language allows you to visit or live in places that you may never even have considered going, simply because that wasn't a possibility for you. Knowing another language simply gives you more options to choose from.
And learning a new language also helps you to be more open-minded and see the world from a new perspective.
Language and culture go hand in hand. The world is a big place, and by broadening your understanding of other cultures, it allows you to be more empathetic and understanding of the many different ways that people live their lives. With language, you're able to see and experience more, which helps you to grow as a person.   
Learning a new language also improves your memory.
Several studies have consistently shown that those who study another language have improved memory as opposed to those who didn't learn another language. Learning another language also keeps your brain healthy by significantly delaying the onset of Alzheimer's and dementia. This difference can be as much as 4 to 5 more years of quality life!   
And those are just some of the reasons you should learn another language. The list just goes on and on.

Why Korean?


Have you heard of 'Gangnam Style', the biggest hit song in 2012? The hit drama 'My Love from the Stars'? Or popular boybands BigBang or EXO? The one thing they all have in common, is that they're all part of Korean pop culture!
Korean pop culture is trending worldwide. KPop artists are performing to sold-out shows all over the world. Korean dramas and movies are being remade, not just in Asia, but in Western countries as well, such as the United States.   
KPop stars also influence the fashion industry, as the clothing and accessories worn by KPop singers and TV stars, tend to sell out instantly worldwide.
Learning Korean, then, will allow you to take in all that Korean pop culture has to offer.    
And contrary to popular belief, Korean is not a difficult language! Unlike some other Asian languages, which require you to learn thousands of characters, Korean characters, known as 'Hangul', acts more like an alphabet. So it's much easier to learn!
And did you know, that Korea is one of the highest ranked countries in terms of innovation?    
That's right. Korea is one of the most innovative countries in the world. It's also one of the largest economies in Asia. But did you also know that Korea is one of the easiest countries in the world to do business in?
Korea is one of the top ranking countries in the World Bank's 'Ease of Doing Business Index'. Meaning, it's very easy for foreign companies to do business in Korea.   
Knowing Korean opens up many business opportunities. Understanding the language, the business etiquette and work culture in Korea, is essential in achieivng success in the world of business. Often times, it could even make or break an important business deal. Knowing Korean will put you ahead of the pack.
   
How to get started


Well it's as simple as learning your first word in Korean and building up from there!
The good news though, is that you already know some Korean!    
피자, (pi-ja)
아이스크림, (a-i-seu-keu-rim)
데이트, (de-i-teu)
There are many English loan words that are used in Korean today. Even without teaching you any Korean, there's a good chance that you'll still recognize these Korean words.   

Let's teach you something that you might not know, but is very useful.
반가워요(ban-ga-wo-yo).
It means, "nice to meet you" in Korean.
What are these characters?   
That's the Korean 'alphabet' that we mentioned earlier, called 한글(hangul). And '반가워요(ban-ga-wo-yo)' is a good phrase to know, as it shows the various ways Hangul can be written–with a batchim, arranged horizontally from left to right, using a combination of two vowels, and arranged top to down.
You'll learn about the grammatical rules and the writing system eventually, but for now, let's focus on practicing this phrase!

반가워요(ban-ga-wo-yo)

Lesson Transcript

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Hello, and welcome to 'Introduction to Korean'.
My name is Alisha and I am joined by Jae.
Hi everyone!
I'm Jae!
In this series, you'll learn everything you need to know to get started learning Korean.
That's right!
And we're here to help guide you through your journey.
In this lesson, you'll learn why you should start learning a new language, why it should be Korean in particular, and how to get started.
Let's begin with the most obvious question, Why learn a new language?
Why learn a new language?
There are countless reasons, but perhaps the biggest one of all, is that it could actually change your life! Learning a new language unlocks new pathways that are off limits to you now.
There are certain things that you simply cannot do without having the technical or cultural skills that come from learning a new language.
Like working or living in another country!
Knowing another language provides you with greater job opportunities. It gives you the freedom to move to another country halfway around the world to earn a living, or better yet, build a career from it, rather than being stuck in one place.
Language allows you to visit or live in places that you may never even have considered going, simply because that wasn't a possibility for you. Knowing another language simply gives you more options to choose from.
And learning a new language also helps you to be more open-minded and see the world from a new perspective.
Language and culture go hand in hand. The world is a big place, and by broadening your understanding of other cultures, it allows you to be more empathetic and understanding of the many different ways that people live their lives. With language, you're able to see and experience more, which helps you to grow as a person.
Learning a new language also improves your memory.
Several studies have consistently shown that those who study another language have improved memory as opposed to those who didn't learn another language. Learning another language also keeps your brain healthy by significantly delaying the onset of Alzheimer's and dementia. This difference can be as much as 4 to 5 more years of quality life!
And those are just some of the reasons you should learn another language. The list just goes on and on.
Now you know the benefits of studying another language, but why should you learn Korean in particular?
Why Korean?
Have you heard of 'Gangnam Style', the biggest hit song in 2012? The hit drama 'My Love from the Stars'? Or popular boybands BigBang or EXO? The one thing they all have in common, is that they're all part of Korean pop culture!
Korean pop culture is trending worldwide. KPop artists are performing to sold-out shows all over the world. Korean dramas and movies are being remade, not just in Asia, but in Western countries as well, such as the United States.
KPop stars also influence the fashion industry, as the clothing and accessories worn by KPop singers and TV stars, tend to sell out instantly worldwide.
Learning Korean, then, will allow you to take in all that Korean pop culture has to offer.
And contrary to popular belief, Korean is not a difficult language! Unlike some other Asian languages, which require you to learn thousands of characters, Korean characters, known as 'Hangul', acts more like an alphabet. So it's much easier to learn!
And did you know, that Korea is one of the highest ranked countries in terms of innovation?
That's right. Korea is one of the most innovative countries in the world. It's also one of the largest economies in Asia. But did you also know that Korea is one of the easiest countries in the world to do business in?
Korea is one of the top ranking countries in the World Bank's 'Ease of Doing Business Index'. Meaning, it's very easy for foreign companies to do business in Korea.
Knowing Korean opens up many business opportunities. Understanding the language, the business etiquette and work culture in Korea, is essential in achieivng success in the world of business. Often times, it could even make or break an important business deal. Knowing Korean will put you ahead of the pack.
Okay then, we've talked about why you should start learning a language, and why you should start learning Korean, but how should they get started?
How to get started.
Well it's as simple as learning your first word in Korean and building up from there!
The good news though, is that you already know some Korean!
피자, (pi-ja)
아이스크림, (a-i-seu-keu-rim)
데이트, (de-i-teu)
There are many English loan words that are used in Korean today. Even without teaching you any Korean, there's a good chance that you'll still recognize these Korean words.
Let's teach you something that you might not know, but is very useful.
반가워요(ban-ga-wo-yo).
It means, "nice to meet you" in Korean.
That's a useful phrase. Can you explain a little bit about what these characters are though?
Sure. That's actually the Korean 'alphabet' that we mentioned earlier, called 한글(hangul). And '반가워요(ban-ga-wo-yo)' is a good phrase to know, as it shows the various ways Hangul can be written–with a batchim, arranged horizontally from left to right, using a combination of two vowels, and arranged top to down.
You'll learn about the grammatical rules and the writing system eventually, but for now, let's focus on practicing this phrase. Listen and repeat after___.
반가워요(ban-ga-wo-yo)
Now you try!
반가워요(ban-ga-wo-yo)
Your turn again!
반가워요(ban-ga-wo-yo)
Well done. Now you know how to say "nice to meet you" in Korean!
We've covered a lot of things already, so why don't we wrap up the first lesson and recap what we've learned.
In this lesson, you learned that studying another language has many benefits such as providing new job and business opportunities. Learning Korean will help you understand more about Korean pop-culture. And to say "nice to meet you" in Korean, it's...
반가워요(ban-ga-wo-yo)
In the next lesson, we're going to demystify Korean pronunciation by taking a look at the sounds of Korean, so be sure to watch the next video.
See you in the next lesson. Bye!
Bye~!