How different is Korean?

Here’s this week’s tip on Korean language and customs:

Q:
I’m moving to South Korea in a few months, and I’m wondering about the language spoken there.

I lived in Japan for three years and visited China many times, and so I can communicate fairly well in Japanese and Chinese. I can read and write very basic Chinese characters.

I was told that the Korean language is similar to Japanese and Chinese, but my question is, can I get around in Korea using Japanese and Chinese?

A:
The Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages share a number of Chinese characters, which help define the meanings of some words in various situations. There also are similarities in the pronunciation of certain words. By writing down Chinese characters, one can make oneself understood in all three countries but only to a very limited extent, as the actual usage of characters differs from country to country.

In Korea, because of the Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945, many Japanese words, such as bento (lunch box), ippai (a lot) and karaoke (singing box), are still used daily.

The best way to get around the country and meet people is to learn Korean, a unique language spoken by 75 million people around the world.