Reading and writing Korean is surprisingly easier than many other languages. Since there is a limited number of characters you need to know, reading Korean is simple. However, understanding it is completely different. Since I grew up in Korea, I can read Korean at moderate speeds, but I will rarely understand what I am reading. This is because of my low vocabulary level in Korean and the lack of practice reading professional, presentational writing. After reading some business articles, I realized how complex Korean is and how hard it is to understand some of the structure and syntax of Korean. Especially with the highly specialized vocabulary that is used to describe certain things in the business world, I had a hard time understanding.
However, writing is much simpler than reading and understanding Korean. Similar to many other languages with alphabets, it is not difficult to write in Korean. There are certain times when I do get confused about which vowel to use, but even with the wrong vowel, most Korean speakers can understand what I was trying to say. There are different vowels that sound the same but have different meanings. These vowels can make it difficult for new or novice Korean speakers to write, but it can be acceptable for people who are just trying to get by. Overall, reading in Korean is easy but difficult to understand, and writing in Korean is easier to understand.
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