Difference between revisions of "Getting started"

Welcome to the Korean Wiki Project, an online collaboration of materials dedicated to assist learners of all levels in the study of Korean. This page is designed to help new users get acquainted with the Wiki, including how to edit articles and where to begin your studies. If you are completely new to this language and have an interest in it, please see "Beginning Korean" below. For more general tasks, please read below:

• First you should enable the proper display of Korean character in your web browser. To do his, please see installing Korean. For other details about viewing the Wiki, please see "Viewing the Wiki" below.

• If you are new to Korean, you should start by learning the alphabet in the learn Hangeul section. If you have already learned how to read the Korean script, then you should start at Introduction to Korean. Please see "Beginning Korean" below for more information.

• If you are unfamiliar with the Mediawiki syntax used in the articles, see the help section to learn the basics. If you are here to edit and create articles, please also check the guidelines section before creating or modifying any articles. Not following the guidelines can ruin a wiki and also cause headaches to other editors who must constantly correct your mistakes. Please be considerate and take time to read the guidelines.

• If you are here to contribute to this wiki and are wondering how, please see the contributing section or "Your First Contributions" below.

One of the first and most important tasks in getting started with any Internet material is assuring the proper display of all page elements. Top in priority for the Korean Wiki Project is being able to read Korean. To test this, see this segment of text: "안녕하세요?" If you see question marks or a series of boxes, you must install Korean on your computer. To do so, please see the installing Korean help page. Many up-to-date browsers natively support the display of most popular languages but do so with only one fontset that is sometimes difficult to read. Therefore it is recommended that you install Korean to obtain more fonts for the proper display of all pages and for ease of reading.

Many pages utilize special formats to articulate concepts. Grammar pages, for example, can be quite confusing to read for new users. To remove this difficulty, please take some time to get acquainted with the format of these pages. ((NEED LINK TO PAGES EXPLAINING THE USE OF THESE ELEMENTS))

While this Wiki's main purpose is to aid in the study of Korean (as opposed to being your study of Korean), we have also prepared some material to assist the absolute beginner. Hopefully we can steer you in the direction of a successful approach to learning this language. For such users, we cannot stress enough the importance of learning Hangeul, the Korean alphabet. Knowing this script is the key to more accurate pronunciations and the ability to read. Romanizations, on the other hands, do just the opposite and are likely the worst route. Following the learning of Hangeul, you should learn some basic phrases and grammar to begin to build your understanding of Korean. While we have yet to provide such structured approaches, we hope to do so in the future. For additional pointers in beginning your study of Korean, please see the Introduction to Korean.

Recommendations:

Essential Comprehension If you are looking for helpful material to complement your efforts in learning Korean, you can find a number of articles here that seek to explain popular grammar concepts, expressions, and vocabulary. Users have also contributed quizzes to review these materials.

• Grammar
• Vocabulary
• Expressions
• Idioms
• Proverbs
• Quizzes

Writing If you are studying or simply curious about the writing systems used with the Korean language, you may be interested in the below pages. They provide explanations on what each means, how to write it, and its use in words.

• Hangeul
• Hanja

Extra Throughout the Wiki there are also numerous links to study aids and resources, including popular dictionaries and textbooks all found in the studying resources section. In addition to the structured approaches provided in these materials there is the "immersion" method, one so praised by Rosetta Stone as the most effective. While the truth in this being so effective is questionable, we do encourage similar supplements to your studies. Here on this Wiki we are gathering some media elements to assist learners in the same way, also featured on the studying resources page. Sections there cover:

• Books
• Language sites
• Software
• Media

In newer browsers, as you type in the search box it will automatically suggest articles that match what you have already typed (see the picture on the right).

After learning the basic syntax, you can start typing and have the search suggest help you find the article you might be looking for. There are also many redirects(explain redirect) on this wiki which should help you find your article easier.

Sample Text help contributing guidelines cheat sheet Grammar Grammar comparison Incomplete examples Hanja Chinese roots Hanja Slang proverbs Korean translation needed! Articles Visit a random page