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Do you need to study "Hanja" ideographic characters or is the Korean alphabet sufficient?
Home > Languages > Korean > FAQ > Characters

Korean is written using an alphabet ("Hangul") mixed with Chinese characters ("Hanja"). Basic material and many modern books are entirely written with Hangul, and there is quite a lot you can do if you do not know any characters.

To be fully litterate in Korean, however, you need to master at least 1800 Chinese characters. These are used everywhere, on street signs, in shops and most importantly, in all newspapers. Learning those characters considerably adds to the difficulty of vocabulary acquisition. Most learners do not bother with Hanja at first. Some people are content with speaking and reading basic material and never move on.



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