Korean at U of T

Korean is regarded as one of the Altaic languages along with Mongolian, Turkic, Manchu-Tungus, and Japanese.
Spoken by more than 70 million people, Korean is the eleventh most popular language in the world in terms of the number of native speakers. Although Korean language education for non-Koreans has not had a long history, the number of new learners has grown very rapidly as Korea has grown as an area of academic, economic, cultural, and political interest.
Korean’s grammar and phonetics are quite different from those of most European languages. The Korean language also has various interesting linguistic and cultural features such as multiple speech levels, honorific expressions, and different types of markers.
Most students agree that learning Korean is an enjoyable and fascinating experience. In the process of learning the Korean language, students will gain insight into many cultural, historical, anthropological aspects of Korean civilization.
The Korean language program at the University of Toronto is the oldest and most respected of its kind in Canada. It offers the greatest variety and largest number of courses related to Korean language education, from introductory courses for new learners to specialized reading courses for advanced learners.

How is the Korean language different from Chinese or Japanese?
The Korean language is a completely different language from the Chinese language in terms of sounds and sentence structure. However, a great number of Korean words have their origins in Chinese words or Chinese characters, just as many English words have their origins in Latin and other languages. At the same time, the Korean language also shares many common aspects with the Japanese language.
Is it difficult to learn how to write in Korean?
Koreans use the Hangul writing system which was created in the 15th Century by a thoughtful king. Intended specifically to be an egalitarian writing system accessible to the common person, the Hangul alphabet is known as one of the most efficient and scientific alphabets in the world. Because of the careful planning and organization behind its design, mastering this writing system is not a difficult task, and learning it can take as little as one day.
Do Koreans use Chinese characters?
Koreans did use Chinese characters for a long period of time until they invented their own writing system. Today, however, Koreans only use Chinese characters as an alternative method in limited instances in their lives. In contrast, the Japanese use Chinese characters as an indispensable part of their writing system.