Korean Keyboard

THE KOREAN KEYBOARD - page 4

... Practice and application ...

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

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

Actual Practice. Try typing out Korean words from any list you choose (see links for Learning Hangul & Korean at "The Korean Keyboard WWW Virtual Library"). Start out simple, with short words. Practice again and again on the same material to increase your accuracy and speed. At this stage, if you look at the keyboard while trying to type in Korean, you will see the Latin alphabet and it will screw you up. If you practice often enough without looking at the keyboard, eventually you should be able to drop the mnemonic devices and touch type without even thinking about the layout.

Applying Your Skills. After you feel comfortable with (or tired of) the list of simple words, try practicing text from other sources (web pages, textbooks, dictionaries, magazines, etc.). It's best if you use the same materials that you are using to study. For example, if you are in a formal class, practice typing vocabulary words or grammar patterns directly from your textbook. If you are studying on your own, practice re-typing materials found on the internet. Typing practice with your study materials should improve your skills both in typing and in actual use of the Korean language.

(There are on-screen Visual Keyboards available for Microsoft Office 2000 or Microsoft XP. The Visual Keyboard helps with typing practice in Korean and most other languages supported by Microsoft.)

FINAL NOTES

Using the methods presented in this website, I have successfully taught new students how to read and write Hangul characters, how to use mnemonic devices to fill in keyboard worksheets, then how to type in Korean. The whole process took less than a week, with only a few hours spent on learning each day. Also, I have received e-mails from people around the world who have used this website to learn Hangul or to turn their Hangul knowledge into typing abilities.

I personally don't have much time for practice. However, when I occasionally do need to type in Korean, I just refresh my memory of the mnemonic devices and jump right back into the Hangul keyboard. If I go a really long stretch without typing in Korean, then I print out a copy of the Korean Keyboard Layout (graphic on page 1 of this web site) and keep it near my computer as a training wheel for about 10 minutes until the mnemonic devices kick in again.

If you can learn to touch type in Korean, that's great!! However, not everybody has that ability. After all, some people reading this text still can't touch type in English, and many Koreans as well can't type in Korean. So, if you think you need the Hangul stickers on your own keyboard, or hard copy of the Korean keyboard layout permanently sitting nearby, then feel free to print out materials from this web site (or look through the links for other resources). Speed and efficiency are great, but the basic ability to communicate is even more important.

THE WORKSHEET

PAGE 5 - The final page in this web site provides a worksheet for practicing knowledge of the keyboard layout. Keep the mnemonic devices and keyboard patterns in mind when filling in the blank keys.

-- 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