Learn Korean Online: The Best Online Korean Classes & Apps
Whether you want to learn Korean so you can understand more of what your favorite Korean idols are saying or because you plan to live in Korea, there are a ton of resources out there to help you. Learning Korean, at least at a basic level, makes it a lot easier to live in Korea or even just visit. Koreans are very proud of their language, even having a holiday called Hangul Day to celebrate. So, take part, learn some words, and have some fun.
With that in mind, here are some recommendations for the best websites to learn Korean, with resources from beginner level to people practicing for the TOPIK (Test Of Proficiency In Korean). The resources will also be a mix of paid and free options. Whether you’re learning basic Korean for a trip to Seoul or trying to make a life in Korea, here is where you should start.
Are you ready to learn Korean? From apps to websites for beginners and beyond, here is where to start:
- Where To Start: Learn To Read Hangul
- The Best Korean Courses Online
- Vocabulary Focused
- Practicing Your Korean: Korean Language Exchange
- Tips for Learning Korean
- More Korean Language Learning Posts You Might Like
- Frequently Asked Questions
(This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.)
Where To Start: Learn To Read Hangul
Korean uses a writing system called Hangul. The characters are different from the English alphabet. Invented in 1443 by King Sejong The Great, Hangul was created to be an easy-to-learn system to improve the overall literacy of the Korean citizens. Because of this, Hangul is fairly easy to learn and many people will tell you it only takes an hour to figure it out. To be clear, it’s pretty easy to learn what sounds the characters make and how to read Hangul… you won’t know what you’re reading though. But it’s a good first step.
It’s important to focus on listening while you learn since the sounds don’t always have 1:1 equivalents with English characters. This makes Romanized pronunciation guides a little unreliable so you really want to learn how to read the Hangul characters from the get-go.
TenguGo Hangul
- Easy to navigate
- Focused on reading and writing Hangul
This Korean learning app is designed with beginners in mind. It helps you get the proper pronunciation of the Korean alphabet. The free app uses animated demonstrations and audio to illustrate the correct position of your tongue and mouth to get the proper sound which is really useful. Learn the history and structure of Hangul through integrated lessons, quizzes, and flashcards.
GO! Billy Korean
- Good place to start
- Variety of resources
- Free Youtube channel
Billy is an American who’s been learning Korean since 2005 and can speak fluently, and wanted to help other people learn as well. You can use the playlist he has that goes over 14 videos that are each around 6 minutes long as a really good introduction to Hangul.
Or, if you want to speed run it, he also has all of them put together in one giant 90-minute video. I prefer to use the playlist so I can skip around easier, but it’s up to you.
- Website: Go Billy Korean
Drops
- Free app with a paid option
- Illustrations to help with memorization
- Best for lower to intermediate Korean learners
Obviously, you can’t just watch one 90-minute video and call it good, so it’s important to practice. For this, I used an app called Drops. Drops is free if you want to only practice for 5 minutes a day, but there’s also a paid version if you want to practice longer. Drops is nice because it says the characters and words out loud every time they come on screen so you can get used to how the characters are supposed to sound without relying on romanizations. This app is especially good for visual learners.
Your Korean Saem
- Native speaker
- Free youtube channel
There are a few Korean consonants that sound very similar to English-speaking ears, and it can be hard to hear the difference at first. For this, I recommend the Youtube channel Your Korean Saem. The woman who runs the channel, Saemul, is a native Korean speaker, and she’s done a fair amount of videos about the particularities in pronouncing consonants that might sound similar to non-native speakers.
For example, I always struggle with the difference between ㄱ, ㄲ, and ㅋ, and she has a good video about that. It’s important also to hear native speakers saying these characters, so that’s why I like this channel.
- Youtube Channel: Your Korean Saem
Forvo
- For for native pronunciation
- A lot of free material
If you want to practice pronunciation and hear native speakers, Forvo is a great option for that. The website features pronunciation guides to help you reach fluency. There is everything from common phrases and useful travel expressions. This is not a Korean exclusive site, but has a lot of languages and a large database of information. Check out all of the free material to help you with listening and speaking.
- Website: Forvo
The Best Korean Courses Online
While some people like to use more traditional Korean textbooks to learn Korean, there are a lot more online options now too. I suggest using a combination of both to get the most of out of your language learning journey. These are the best Korean classes online.
90 Day Korean
- Best overall Korean language course.
- Well structured and organized into modules.
- Offers private Korean coaches at reasonable prices.
90 Day Korean’s main pitch is that with their curriculum, you should be able to have a 3-minute conversation in Korean after 90 days. This is where we started learning Korean many many years ago. They have been and are a well-established program for Korean language learners.
They have 4 modules that all take an average of 90 days, but you can do them all at your own pace, faster or slower than that if you want. The modules are accessible by signing up for their membership. There are two membership tiers: The standard membership includes access to all of their modules, speaking classes, and a community forum of other members.
The VIP membership adds the opportunity to speak with a personal coach and to have them provide feedback on assignments.
- Website: Sign up for 90 Day Korean here.
Talk To Me In Korean
- Best for learning grammar
- A lot of free resources
- Engaging video lessons
Talk To Me In Korean is one of the most popular Korean-learning platforms out there. Started in 2009 by Hyunwoo Sun and Kyeongeun Choi as a Youtube channel and then expanded from there, Talk To Me In Korean has a full grammar curriculum both online and in a textbook form that spans 10 levels. They have other more specific videos on their website as well, with a paid option to access those.
All of their Youtube videos, podcasts, and basic lessons are free through, making them a great resource if you don’t want to spend a lot of money upfront. They even have a level test on their website you can take to see where you would be in their curriculum.
- Website: Talk To Me In Korean
Rosetta Stone
- Immersion style learning
- Classical style Korean lessons with a focus on speaking
- Focused tutoring and community groups available
Rosetta Stone is a well known language learning program around the world. Good for beginner to intermediate Korean learners, lessons include books, audio lessons, video lessons, and an app now too. Rosetta Stone focuses on learning through immersion so learners should learn through context in short focused lessons with native audio and rich imagery. You can choose if you want your audio to be male, female, or a child’s voice and you can customize the lessons to choose your focus whether it’s listening, writing, speaking, or reading.
- Website: Rosetta Stone
Lingodeer
- Paid membership
- Made by native speakers
- Games and flashcards
The best way to describe Lingodeer is that it’s like Duolingo, but for Asian languages. It was built by Korean speakers much like Talk To Me In Korean, so there’s a lot of extra information in each lesson about formalities and cultural context. Similar to 90 Day Korean, Lingodeer is paid for, but it’s a bit less expensive. Lingodeer has a website and an app with different games and methods of review.
- Website: Lingodeer
- For iPhone: Lingodeer App
- For Android: Lingodeer App
Glossika Korean
- Best for listening and pronunciation
- 7 Day free trial, then paid
Glossika Korean is a website that is focused on listening and pronunciation. They have flashcards with a sentences in Korean and English. You hear a native speaker say the sentence twice, and then you have the option to record yourself saying the sentence to compare. You can choose between full-practice mode which includes typing, dictation, listening, recall, and recording exercises or listening-only mode which includes listening and recording. The website gives you a 7-day free trial when you sign up, but then it is paid. It’s $31/month, but they do have a student discount for $14/month.
- Website: Glossika Korean
How To Study Korean
- Work your way through at your own pace
- More traditional textbook style
If you like studying in a more traditional textbook style, this is a fantastic resource. There are 7 units and each unit has 25 lessons and 3 quizzes so you can check your progress. Start from learning to read Korean and go through the basic grammar structures and all the way to more advanced Korean grammar structures. In addition to the lessons there are supplemental workbooks, Hanja lessons, themed lessons, vocabulary lists, and listening practice options for purchase.
- Website: How To Study Korean
King Sejong Institute Foundation
- Established by the Korean government
- Many free resources
- Apps and website
The King Sejong Insititute was founded in 2007 by the Korean government to promote the study of Korean around the world. It’s named after the creator of the Korean language, King Sejong The Great. The website has a lot of free resources to learn Korean with, from modules to ebooks and pdfs. They also have a couple of apps for different purposes: Beginner and Advanced Grammer, Vocabulary, and Conversation Practice.
- Website: King Sejong Institute Foundation
TOPIK One
- Ideal for TOPIK test prep
- For intermediate to advanced Korean learners
Geared to the learner who is already a bit comfortable with the Korean language, this app is for someone who is looking to prepare for the Test of Proficiency in Korean. The app has past test questions for beginners, intermediate, and advanced levels and is divided into sections including: writing, vocabulary, listening, reading, and grammar. There is an integrated dictionary to look up the meanings of the words that’s easy to use as well.
- For Android: TOPIK One
Vocabulary Focused
For Korean vocabulary, the best way to learn is just pure memorization. It might seem tedious, but it’s also the most effective. Luckily, there are some apps and websites that have game-ified this process a bit to make it feel less boring. The resources listed here all use a method of memorization called “spaced repetition”. With this method, new words are introduced and then not shown again until they are almost forgotten, and then reintroduced to give a bit of a boost. It’s like strength training for your memory.
Memrise
- Effective for vocabulary and phrase memorization
- Includes native pronunciation and photos
- Mostly free with a paid option
- Community learning aspect
Memrise is primarily a language learning company that has official vocabulary decks and a good review system. It’s not exclusive to learning Korean, but offers a lot of Korean sections. It not only shows the word or phrase you’re learning but also provides audio and sometimes images. These help you remember new words better.
Along with the official decks, there are also community-created ones. These have the benefit of vocab that other learners have found helpful, but they might not be the best because they weren’t vetted by Memrise. Memrise is mostly free, but paying for their premium edition will get you 3 new methods of review. You can mark words as difficult and only study those if you’re having a hard time with them, you can do purely listening practice, or you can practice by listening only to native speakers. This last one seems like it will be useful when you start learning more complicated phrases.
Anki Decks
- Completely customizable
- Totally free
- Community option
Anki is a very basic spaced repetition flashcard system. The program itself doesn’t come with any cards, but it does give you a lot of control to make your own deck. You can also download Anki decks that other people have made from their online forum. You can add pronunciation, photos, and other things that will help you remember words and phrases. This is a good option for people who like creating their own flashcards.
Website: Anki Decks
Practicing Korean: Korean Language Exchange
Hello Talk
- App that connects you with native speakers
- Free
- Best for intermediate to advanced language learners who want to practice speaking and listening
Hello Talk is an app that encourages language learners to talk to people that are native speakers of the language they are trying to learn. The app matches you with native speakers who are trying to learn the language that you’re native in, so you can help each other. On top of that, there are audio lessons in 10 languages. There is built-in translation and auto-correction available as well. Learn by using the language with these apps. Make friends with native Korean speakers. This app is specifically geared toward creating more social interaction.
Tandem
- Tutoring services offered
- Free
- Best for intermediate to advanced language learners who want to practice speaking and listening
Tandem is a popular resource for language exchange opportunities. Tandem has a slick modern design while HelloTalk, mentioned above, with a very similar service is more cartoony in design. If you’re interested in a language exchange, check out Tandem which focuses on social interaction and private messaging functions. There’s a lot of value to be found in their free version, but there’s also supplemental paid options to upgrade as well.
Discord Servers
- Free to download and sign up
- Meet other learners
- Friendly place to ask questions
Both Talk To Me In Korean and Go Billy Korean have servers on Discord, which is a social media app for various communities. Discord is free, so it’s a great way to meet other Korean learners, and both communities are really friendly. You can talk in Korean, ask questions, and some people host study groups.
Italki
- Best for one-on-one Korean instruction
- Instructors are native speakers or near-native speakers or professional licensed teachers.
- Affordable
Italki is a website and app where you can book a tutor to help your Korean. Out of all the resources on this list, this one is the best for 1-on-1 experience with an instructor. Italki allows you 3 trial classes at a reduced price to figure out who you like best, and then each instructor sets their own prices. You can filter instructors based on a couple of different factors like price range, whether they are native speakers, or whether they are certified language instructors. You can also see ratings and reviews for all the instructors to get an idea of how they teach.
- Website: iTalki
Tips for learning Korean
- Be consistent: Make a schedule and stick to it. Keeping a schedule is very motivating and after all, shelling out money for a class should also be a big reason for not wanting to miss classes.
- Keep notes: Physically writing down characters, words, sentences, and notes is necessary for any kind of learning. Print things clearly and read them back later.
- Find people to speak with: While there are a lot of learning resources online, the biggest way to really become conversational or fluent in Korean, is to speak Korean with someone.
More Korean Language Learning Posts You Might Like
With a lot of experience living in Korea, there is a lot we’ve learned here at The Soul of Seoul. Here are some more posts you might find interesting if you’re learning Korean.
- Friends: Wait, we aren’t friends?
- Learn why you can only be friends with people your same age in Korean.
- Fun Korean Phrases
- Some of our favorite Korean phrases are words to make you giggle.
- Have you eaten?
- Instead of ‘how are you?’, learn why Koreans ask ‘Have you eaten?’
- Onomatopoeia & Mimetic Words in Korean
- Where are you from?
- Hospital Hysterics
- Learn what happens when you think you know but you have no idea.
Frequently Asked Questions
Would I benefit from an online Korean class?
There is so much to see and do in Korea or learn from Korean dramas and music but the first step to all of that is learning Korean. Not only does learning Korean, even basic phrases and learning to read Hangul help whether you’re a tourist or a resident, but it makes everything that much easier.
How much do online Korean classes usually cost?
It varies greatly on the type of program you’re paying for but can range from about $10.00 to $50.00 a month. If you’re paying for a full-fledged course with live instruction, it could be $200 or more. The self-study programs cost much less, but they’re usually on a monthly basis. Although, there are plenty of free resources you can use so it won’t cost a great fortune to study and learn Korean.
How can I choose the best online Korean course?
The best Korean course depends on each person. I prefer Talk To Me In Korean’s curriculum the best, and Hallie enjoyed 90 Day Korean when she was studying. There are a lot of options. I would recommend trying the ones that are free or have trials to get a feel of how they teach and see if you find that it would be effective for you. It also depends on the level of formality you want to be learning. Lingodeer will teach you the most formal Korean first, and then the causal stuff later, while Memrise seems to teach you the casual stuff that you’re most likely to hear in conversation with your peers first.
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