Korean vs Chinese: Which Language Should You Learn?
Dec 25, 2022
- Author: David Hong
- Editor: Good Job Korean team
Korean vs Chinese: Pros and Cons for learning each language
I lived in both United States and China throughout my teenager. So, I could learn both English and Chinese and am currently teaching Korean in English as a native Korean.
With this background, I would like to provide the pros and cons of each language based on my experience. I am sure this article will help you to find out which language suits you by providing a better understanding of Korean and Chinese.
Introduction of Korean and Chinese
Korean
Nowadays, according to the popularity of K-pop and Korean culture has increased more and more people are interested in learning Korean.
First of all, We can’t talk about the Korean language without the Korean character ‘Hangul’. It is the only language character in the world that people know the origin of it.
The character of Korean is called ‘Hangul’ and it is created by king Sejong in the year 1443. The reason why king Sejong created ‘Hangul’ is to let all people read and write. So, no matter their social status, all people in Korea could learn how to read and write. This shows that ‘Hangul’ was easy to learn for everyone.
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Korean is now used in both South Korea and North Korea. There are vocabulary differences between South and North Korean, but they share the same language. However, in this article, Korean refers to Korean used in South Korea.
Chinese
The Chinese characters are called ‘Hanzi’, one of the earliest written languages. There are approximately 47,000 characters in the standard national dictionary. However, only 3,500 basic characters are enough for 90% of the communication.
In Chinese, there are lots of ways to speak and write the language. Taiwan and Hong Kong all use language based on ‘Hanzi’, but pronounced and written differently from Mandarin Chinese. In Taiwan, they pronounce the same as Mandarin Chinese but they write in the traditional way. In Hong Kong, people also write in the traditional way and pronounce it in Cantonese which sounds quite different from Mandarin. They all are Chinese, but differ from the region.
I lived in Hang Zhou when I was little. So, I learned simplified letters and Mandarin Chinese. Since this article is based on my experience, the Chinese that I am referring in this article is Mandarin Chinese and simplified letters.
The level of learning difficulty
Korean
The Korean letter ‘Hangul’ is a phonogram just like the English alphabet. Phonogram is a group of letters that share the same letter combination associated with a sound. So, just by learning ‘Hangul’, you can read and write.
However, it is a whole different story when it comes to grammar rules. The grammar rule of Korean is relatively complex, especially for English speakers.
Firstly, the general word order is completely opposite. In English, Subject + Verb + Object is the general word order, however, the general word order in Korean is Subject+ Object + Verb.
-Word order in Korean and English
English: I LOVE YOU
(Subject) (Verb) (Object)
Korean: 나는(I) 너를(you) 사랑해(love)
[naneun neoreul saranghe]
(Subject) (Object) (Verb)
Secondly, Korean has more than 400 conjugations for verbs, whereas English has few. Conjugation is a variation of verbs such as ‘do – does- did’ in English. Conjugation in Korean could present not only tenses but also nuance, politeness, indicating conjunction, etc. Learning Korean grammar including this unfamiliar concept would be challenging for English speakers.
-Conjugation in Korean and English
English
eat- eats – ate – eaten
Korean
먹다: to eat
먹어요: (I) eat
먹을 거예요: I will eat
먹어서: because I eat
먹으면: if I eat
먹는데: I am eating but..
.
tons more..!
(the number of basic conjugations is 40, and the total number of conjugations is 400)
Chinese
Learning the Chinese character ‘Hanzi’ itself is way more difficult than learning ‘Hangul’. It is because when you are trying to memorize vocabulary, you have to memorize four things: Chinese characters, Pinyin(the romanization system for Chinese), intonation, and meaning. Moreover, Chinese characters are tabular characters, so it is not easy to read and write, unlike Korean or English. In short, the entry barrier is high.
However, when it comes to grammar rules like tenses and the structure of the sentence are similar or even simpler than English. So, it is relatively easy compared to Korean. Chinese word order is the same as English (S+V+O) and there is no such thing as conjugation. Even some grammar is simpler than in English
-Word order in Chinese and English
English: I LOVE YOU
(Subject) (Verb) (Object)
Chinese: 我 爱 你
【wǒ ài nǐ】
(Subject) (Verb) (Object)
- Tenses in Chinese and English
I will use a future tense sentence to explain how simple Chinese grammar is!
English future tense:
I will go to school tomorrow.
I am going to go
I will be going to
Chinese future tense: 我 明天 去 学校 （I tomorrow go school）
【 wǒ míngtiān qù xuéxiào】
Unlike English, Chinese have no future tense variation for verbs. Instead, you just add a future time word such as tomorrow, next week, or next year, etc.
Overall opinion
Korean is relatively easy to read and speak in a short period from the moment you started and you won’t forget how to read and write Korean as Hangul is very simple. However, it takes time to use various grammar rules perfectly.
On the other hand, the Chinese language has relatively simple grammar for beginners. However, memorizing the characters and tones is very challenging and you must keep on memorizing them.
Which Language is Better for your Career?
Korean
There are many global companies in Korea. However, I think Korean companies are not as open to foreign workers as Chinese companies yet. They generally prefer Korean people who can speak a different language to foreigners who can speak Korean.
Commonly, foreigners from English-speaking countries can work as English teachers in English Hakwon (a private institution). Visa qualification and teaching experience are required for English teachers in order to work at Hakwon, but they normally don’t require Korean skills.
Your Korean skill can matter if you were to take the positions offered by Korean companies that try to enter the global market. These days, the entertainment area(k-pop, k-drama) and cosmetics area(k-beauty) are getting bigger and bigger globally, so there seem to be more openings for foreign workers than in the past. (I have some foreign friends who work in those industries in Korea as a foreigner)
Chinese
China has the most population in the world and is one of the countries that have exported the most. This means Chinese companies have many overseas branch offices where you can apply.
Furthermore, even if you won’t be hired by a Chinese company, there will still be a high chance to use Chinese skills while building your career. Many companies outsource the manufacturing process to Chinese factories and import and export tons of products from and to China every year.
The companies cooperating with Chinese companies will be wanting a candidate who can speak Chinese. Therefore, learning Chinese would give you a variety of employment opportunities.
Overall opinion
In my opinion, It differs from the situation and your goal. If you want to work in the field of Korean entertainment and cosmetics kind of field in Korea, I recommend you study Korean. However, if you vaguely want to learn a new language for your future career, learning Chinese will give you more diverse opportunities.
Learning accessibility: Sources to learn Korean and Chinese
Korean
As people’s interest in Korea has increased a lot in the past few years. Many online courses and materials to learn Korean has come out. There are various educational sources at different prices. You can just simply enroll in online courses like Good Job Korean. You can even start an online personal tutor at Amazingtalker or Preply
Learn Hangul for free at Good Job Korean
Chinese
Chinese has always been one of the most popular languages. It is spoken more than any other language in the world and there are plenty of sources that you can utilize. There is more diversity of book materials that you can utilize compare to Korean studying material. Moreover, there might be more offline lectures around you.
Overall opinion
There are plenty of online and offline materials for both Korean and Chinese. So, materials to learn either Korean or Chinese should be enough. However, there might be more book materials and offline lectures for Chinese.
- Author: David Hong
- Editor: Good Job Korean team
