“What language is spoken in Korea?” is one of the first questions to pop up out of curiosity when someone is learning about this “country.” However, most people do not realize that “Korea” is not a country itself, but rather a peninsular region comprising the Korean peninsula and numerous islands, such as the Jeju island. Since 1945, Korea has been divided into two independent countries that we know today as North Korea and South Korea.
In this short article, we will get to know more about the languages spoken in South Korea, officially named the Republic of Korea, as well as some interesting facts about them.
Korean – The official language of South Korea
The number one spot belongs to Korean, the native and official language of this country. The language places strong emphasis on hierarchy and courtesy in communication.
People use Korean honorifics, known as Jondaetmal, to show respect to individuals of older age or higher status, etc.
The most popular foreign languages
English
English is one of the most spoken languages all over the world, and South Korea is no exception. According to EF’s English Proficiency Index, South Korea ranks 5th out of 23 Asian countries in the survey.
Did you know that there is a distinct variation of English called “Konglish” in South Korea? By loaning and adapting English words into Korean, a unique Korean-style English is formed, and it is widely used in everyday communication.
Japanese
As an effect of the Japanese colonial period, the Japanese used to have significant influence on Korean culture. During the Japanese occupation, Koreans were forced to learn, teach, read, write, and speak Japanese so that the Korean core culture would be completely eradicated and assimilated. Today, about 27.5% percent of South Koreans have studied Japanese at some point, and Korean terms that were directly borrowed and derived from Japanese are still being commonly used.
Mandarin Chinese
The Chinese community makes up a large, may even be the largest, portion of foreign residents in South Korea. Moreover, about 14.8% of South Koreans study Chinese, which makes Chinese one of the most common languages in the country. Chinese is important in South Korea to a certain extent for economic values and the cultural, historical connections between the two countries.
Less common foreign languages
Despite not being as common as the other foreign languages, Spanish and German are taught in many South Korean high schools or universities as second languages. These two Western languages have limited use in daily life, being studied mostly for foreign career or academic opportunities. Nonetheless, the popularity of these foreign languages is expected to accelerate greatly in the next few years due to the continuing expansion of international business in South Korea.
Dreaming of traveling to South Korea? When applying for a Korea visa, if your documents are not in English or Korean, they are required to be translated into one of these two languages, then certified, and, in most cases, notarized.
Thao & Co. can help you with your visa application, thanks to our extensive experience in translating visa documents into 50+ languages.
Contact us for a detailed consultation and quotation!
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