Introduction:
‘Korean Language’ – The official language of North and South Korea. A language that is spoken by over 79 million people all around the world. North and South Korea are not the only Korean–speaking countries in the world, there are other Korean Speaking Countries in the world like Japan, China, the US, and other parts of Asia.
The first thing that comes to mind when you hear the Korean language is K-pop, Korean drama, and Korean Web series. We all love Korean Dramas and K-pop, even though we may not understand the language completely.
Today we will learn about the history and origin of the Korean Language, the writing system, and many other interesting facts relating to the language.
Korean Language – Hangul:
The Korean Language is known as Hangul(한글). The 24 alphabets in the Korean language consist of 14 consonants and 10 vowels.
Korean Language dialects:
There are different dialects in the Korean language. The main difference in these dialects is between north and south Korean dialects. And another reason is different Korean–speaking regions, such as Jeju Islands.
The dialect used in South Korea is Seoul’s dialect, and the one used in North Korea is a mixture of Seoul and Pyeongyang’s region. A few more regional dialects are spoken and used throughout North and South Korea.
Among all these dialects, the most different is the one used in Jeju Island.
Korean Speaking Countries in the World:
The Korean language is spoken in many countries across the globe. A total of over 79 million people speak the Korean language in the world as their mother tongue.
https://www.worlddata.info/languages/korean.php
The Korean language, as we all know, is the official language in 2 countries – North Korea and South Korea
Let’s now take a look at a list to understand that the Korean language is spoken in which countries
• South Korea – 99% of the population speak the Korean language – Approximately 51,693,000 people
• North Korea – 99% of the population speak the Korean language – Approximately 25,946,000 people
• United States of America – 0.3% of the population speak the Korean language – Approximately 996,000 people
• Japan – 0.5% of the population speak the Korean language – Approximately 628,000 people
• Guam – 3.3% of the population speak the Korean language – Approximately 6,000 people
• Northern Mariana Islands – 6.2% of the population speak the Korean language – Approximately 3,000 people
These are the top Korean–speaking countries in the world. However, there are many people across the world in different countries who speak Korean. For example, the Korean language is spoken as a minority language in China and Russia.
With the love and craze for Korean drama, more people are learning the Korean language. Therefore, it is not possible to answer the question Korean language is spoken in how many countries.
A Brief History Of The Korean Language:
The Korean Language was created during the 15th century. The Korean language script is known as “Hangul.” Before this script was created, the Korean language consisted of Chinese alphabets and words.
King Sejong the Great wanted a different language for Koreans, a script that could be read and spoken easily by common people. As a result, in 1443, the Korean Language script “Hangul” was created.
The Korean Language writing system of South Korea is known as “Hangul.” And the writing system of North Korea is known as “Joseongeul”.
Since the creation of the Korean language, many ancient literature and scripts have been translated from Chinese into Korean.
The Korean Language has many different dialects. Originally it consisted of 28 alphabets but 4 alphabets were removed and now there are only 24 alphabets in the Korean Language.
List of Main Korean Speaking Countries in the world:
• South Korea
• North Korea
• Japan
• China
• USA
Korean Speaking regions in India:
• Tamil Nadu
• Delhi (NCR)
• Maharashtra
• Karnataka
• West Bengal
Korean Speaking regions in Europe:
• United Kingdom
• Poland
• Latvia
Korean speaking regions in North and South America:
• Canada
• Washington
• New York
• Los Angeles
• California
• Dallas – Texas
• Brazil
• Paraguay
• Argentina
Korean speaking regions in Asia-Oceanic:
• Indonesia
• Thailand
• Singapore
• Malaysia
• Vietnam
• Philippine
Korean Speaking regions in Africa:
• South Africa
• Libya
• Nigeria
• Kenya
• Ghana
• Uganda
• Rwanda
• Senegal
Facts about the Korean Language:
Now we will learn a few fun facts about the Korean language. Things you need to learn about the writing system, the history, etc.
https://takelessons.com/blog/surprising-facts-about-the-korean-language-z11
1) No Alphabet until the 15th century
As we know, the Korean language was created by King Sejong the great. He wanted to create a language, a writing system that would be easier to speak, read and write for common people. And therefore, in the 15th century, the first Korean alphabet was invented.
2) The language is influenced by the Chinese
As we read earlier, before the creation of the Korean language, the Koreans used the Chinese language. And many words and letters in the Korean language are similar to that of the Chinese.
3) Words Borrowed
Many of the Korean language words are borrowed from the Chinese language. Almost 60% of the Korean vocabulary has been borrowed from the Chinese language. In addition, Korean has borrowed words from other languages, such as Japanese and English.
4) The verbs in the sentence
The Korean language’s verbs always come at the end of the sentence. In short, the sentence would make no sense until it is finished
5) Singular and Plural nouns
There is sometimes a different word for singular and plural nouns in the Korean language. Like in English, we add ‘s’ generally. Book and Books. But in the Korean language, the context of the sentence often determines if the noun is singular or plural.
6) Counting systems
An interesting fact about counting is, can a language have more than one counting system? Yes. The Korean language has 2 counting systems. Native Korean and Sino-Korean. The Native Korean is used to count things, people, and animals. And the Sino-Korean is used to count money and days.
7) Traditional Korean and Modern Korean
There is a huge difference between traditional and modern Korean literature. For example, traditional Korean was written in a row, top to bottom, right to left, whereas modern Korean is written in Column, left to right, top to bottom.
Why Learn Korean?
There are several reasons why someone might want to learn Korean:
- Cultural Interest: Korea has a rich and unique cultural heritage, including music, food, and movies. Knowing the language can deepen someone’s understanding and appreciation of the culture.
- Career Opportunities: As the Korean economy grows, there is increasing demand for individuals who can speak the language in international business and trade.
- Personal Connections: For those with friends or family who speak Korean, learning the language can help strengthen relationships and facilitate communication.
- Travel: Korea is a popular destination, and knowing the language can make travel easier and more enjoyable.
- Intellectual Challenge: Korean is a complex and challenging language to learn, and the process of learning it can be a rewarding personal and intellectual experience.
Curiotory:
For everyone who wants to learn new and different languages, Curiotory is the best platform. At curiotory, you can learn different languages from expert faculty. Curiotory has native and foreign teachers. You can choose any language and any course. And curiotory offers courses for beginners as well at a very reasonable price.
Curiotory offers Korean language courses at basic and advanced levels. Check the official Curiotory website for more details and enjoy learning new languages.
Conclusion:
There you go, the history and the fun facts about the Korean Language. And with industrial development and globalization, Korean industries have been growing worldwide. Korea has been developing rapidly in technology, industry, and other sectors. Therefore, creating more employment opportunities.
And as a result, the number of people who can speak Korean has been increasing. Therefore, you should also take a step and learn the Korean language. This can help you explore more employment opportunities and develop your career. TOPIK is regarded as the best Korean language proficiency test, which can help you get a job or admission into any Korean university or any Korean company.
FAQs:
1) What are the Korean–speaking countries?
•North Korea and South Korea are the two countries with the majority Korean Speaking population Since it is the official language of the countries. Therefore, these two can be regarded as Korean–speaking countries in the world. Apart from these two countries, Korean is spoken as a minority language in Japan, China, Russia, US.
2) How many alphabets are there in the Korean language?
• There are 24 Alphabets in the Korean language writing system. Initially, there were 28, but later 4 alphabets were excluded/erased from the Korean language.
3) When was the Korean language invented?
• In the 15th Century, King Sejong the Great wanted to invent a different Alphabet for Koreans. A language for the common people and everyone in the region. In 1443, the first Korean alphabet was invented.
4) Is Hangul a Korean Dialect?
• No, Hangul or Hangeul is the Korean language’s writing system or alphabet system.
5) Is the Korean language similar to Chinese?
• The Chinese language influences the Korean language. Most of the Vocabulary in the Korean language has been borrowed from the Chinese language.