THE KOREAN KEYBOARD - page 2

... Using mnemonic devices to learn the keyboard ...

- PAGE 1 - PAGE 2 - PAGE 3 - PAGE 4 - Worksheet -

Links to other Korean resources -- at the bottom of this page.

TWO METHODS FOR USING THE KEYBOARD

      -- (1)  "Hunt & Peck Method" - This requires no memorization of any keyboard layout, English or Korean.  The "hunt & peck" method allows you to get started right away, but will cost time later if you plan on doing much work in the Korean language.  Just paste or write Hangul on the appropriate keys and search the keyboard for the Hangul character each time you want to type it out.  You can write or paste Korean characters on the keyboard on your own, or purchase a commercially produced set of keyboard stickers.  If you don't want to apply anything directly to the keys on your computer, then print out a copy of the Korean keyboard from this web page and keep it near your computer for handy reference.  (See Korean Keyboard links at "The Korean Keyboard WWW Virtual Library" for keyboard stickers & keyboard graphics).

      -- (2)  "Touch Typing" - The main reason this website was created.  Touch typing takes time to learn in the beginning, but is much faster and more efficient in the long run because it allows you to type text without looking at the keyboard.  As shown below (the next two graphics), the Hangul appearing on the Korean keyboard does not match phonetically with the keys on the standard English keyboard.  Therefore, it  takes some effort to make the mental switch to touch typing in Korean.  However, it is worth the effort.  The rest of this web site gives you the tools for learning how.

The keyboard above shows the layout of the Korean characters, Hangul, without any of the Latin alphabet.  The purpose of this web page is to teach you how to type without thinking about where the ABC's are located.  The dark lines on the keyboard graphic highlight the divisions on the keyboard - left half (consonants), right half (vowels) - and the long rectangles show correct finger placement.

The following graphic shows the Republic of Korea officially approved Romanization of Hangul.  The keyboard below matches the layout of the keyboard above.  Again, please note that the Korean keyboard layout does not match phonetically with the English keyboard.

The keyboard layouts in this website display the Korean "2 (du)-beol-shik" typing method.  This keyboard style is the most commonly accepted, and is also the easiest for non-Korean speakers to learn and use.  There is another keyboard input pattern known as "3 (sae)-beol-shik" that is faster for Korean speakers/users who are very accomplished at typing in Korean already.  However, the "3 (sae)-beol-shik" method is too difficult for non-Korean speakers trying to type in Korean for the first time.  Therefore, this website is devoted only to learning the Korean "2 (du)-beol-shik" typing method.

LEARNING TO TOUCH TYPE IN KOREAN

Since it is difficult to grasp the entire Korean keyboard layout in one sitting, you might need a systematic approach to learn it in chunks.  I taught myself to type in Korean by creating mnemonic devices - words or phrases that make memorization easier.

Memorize the mnemonic devices above, first the consonants (left hand keys), one row at a time - top row first, from left to right, then middle row and bottom row.  You can see which sounds are represented by looking at the letters that are underlined and in bold.  After the consonants, tackle the vowels (right hand) - top row first, left to right, then the remaining rows.  If the mnemonic devices above don't work for you, be creative and make your own words or phrases that correspond to the Korean keyboard.  Here are some alternatives.

            LEFT SIDE - CONSONANTS

                - B.J. Dogs à Budged Gas / Badged Geese / Beige Digs

                - Mining Red Hot à Moaning Red Head / Meaning Rose Hip / Mining Raw Hay / Manning Rehab

                - Cat Chip à Cut Chop / Kit Chap / Ket-chup

             RIGHT SIDE - VOWELS

                - Yoke Young Yacht’s Mast Head à Yoke Yum, Yard Flat Rent /

Yoke Young Yak Cat Head / Yo, Young Yak Flat Dead

                - Oh Run Mommy à Don’t Run On Me / Ovum Poppy / More Slug Sloppy

FINDING OTHER PATTERNS

           - PAGE 3 - Shows other patterns that might help you with the keyboard.

           - PAGE 4 - Provides suggestions for further practice and actual application of keyboard skills.

THE WORKSHEET

            - PAGE 5 - Start practicing your knowledge of the keyboard by printing worksheets and filling them out in pen or pencil.  This will show immediately where your strengths & weaknesses lie.  When you can flesh out a blank example keyboard four or five times in a row with no mistakes, go to a real keyboard and take your Korean language word processing software for a spin.

-- Korean Typing -- Korean Language Learning Books -- Other Books on Korea -- Korean Links in General --

- PAGE 1 - PAGE 2 - PAGE 3 - PAGE 4 - Worksheet -

If you have suggestions or questions....send e-mail to the keyboard@cjkboard.com

Last reviewed/updated March 11, 2006

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