Appendix A. – Typing in Korean

 

In addition to being able to write in Korean, you may want to be able to type in Korean. While this book is not a complete guide on doing this, take a look at the image below which shows the layout of a typical Korean keyboard as a quick reference.

 

Switching your computer’s keyboard to Korean is something you can easily look up how to do online. I also recommend purchasing some 한글 stickers to put on your keyboard, as they’re inexpensive and can be helpful for becoming adjusted to the layout.

 

 

One thing you might notice right away is how the consonants are on the left of the keyboard, and vowels are on the right. In addition, the bottom row contains strong consonants.

 

Typing a syllable is done by typing the individual letters in order from left to right, and top to bottom, just as they would be pronounced. For example, 간 is made by first typing ㄱ, then ㅏ, and finally ㄴ (this corresponds to "r," "k," and "s" on the keyboard, so typing "rks" will become 간).

 

In order to type the letter on the top of the key, such as typing ㅃ instead of ㅂ (top left), hold down the Shift key. Switching between English and Korean input can be done using the right Alt key (or 한/영 key, if you have a Korean keyboard).

 

Diphthongs are created by typing two vowels – the first being the horizontal vowel, and the second being the vertical vowel. For example, ㅢ would be made by first typing ㅡ, followed by ㅣ.

 

Other than that, the rest should be self explanatory. While I don’t recommend learning to type until you’re able to write, once you’ve got the basics down, feel free to practice using a computer.