The Best Books To Study Korean

So you’re ready to jump in and start studying Korean. You’ve celebrated Hangul Day in Korea and think the language is for you. There are a lot of great online Korean courses to choose from, but just as important are books. Finding high-quality Korean learning resources can be daunting but there are more and more out there as Korean dramas and K-pop spread worldwide. Good textbooks for learning give you a good foundation for language so get ready to study Korean grammar, how to construct Korean sentences, and more with the best books to study Korean.

Are you ready to start learning Korean? Here’s where to start:

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The Best Korean Textbook Series

There are some fantastic Korean language learning series out there provided by well-known Korean universities and companies that are devoted to language learning. Textbooks might seem like an old-fashioned way to learn, but they’re still utilized for a reason. Here are the best books to learn Korean with.

Talk To Me In Korean

Best for beginners
Designed to get you speaking and listening from the beginning
Less focus on grammar and reading

Talk To Me In Korean is a popular online program with a lot of online resources, but they also have a great textbook series. The focus of their textbooks is to get you speaking from the get-go and focuses a bit less on grammar or learning to read. There is a lot of audio that accompanies the books to get you speaking and listening though.

Where To Buy: Buy the Talk To Me In Korean textbook series on Amazon.

Yonsei Korean

Focused on essential Korean grammar and vocabulary
Well-rounded series for speaking, reading, sentence structure, and writing

Originally developed and created by the Korean Language Institute at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea considered one of the top universities in the country, these books aim for well-rounded language learning. The books target speaking, reading, sentence structure, and writing skills.

These books also provide Korean cultural insight where relevant as well. These books are well suited to a learner that also has a tutor as they are geared to a classroom environment. There are a lot of grammar concepts covered and new vocabulary to jump start your Korean language learning journey.

Where To Buy: You can find the whole Yonsei Korean Series on Amazon.

Korean Made Easy

Based on the Korean Language Proficiency Test
Covers common Korean words and grammar concepts

This series was put together by an author of Sogang University, another great university in Seoul, Korea, textbooks. A great choice for beginners, this series is focused on and based on the Korean Language Proficiency Test (KLPT) making it a great companion for study if you’re preparing for the exam.

Where To Buy: You can buy the Korean Made Easy series here on Amazon.

Korean Grammar In Use

Best for intermediate students interested in focusing on grammar
Very detailed and focused on structures and sentence construction

If you want to focus on Korean grammar, this is the series to look into. The grammar is in depth but provided in a way that you’ll be able to understand the structures and constructions easily. This isn’t a book that’s for beginners so keep that in mind. You’ll want to have a basic understanding of Korean and vocabulary and be able to read Hangul before you jump into this book.

Where To Buy: You can buy Korean Grammar In Use on Amazon.

Sogang Korean

Focused on Korean speaking
Best used with a Korean tutor or with a small group

This is a popular series best used with a tutor. There are 12 levels to be used in conjunction with workbooks so there is lot to practice and unpack with this Korean study series. This would be a difficult series to use if you don’t have a tutor or someone who speaks Korean to speak with so keep that in mind. This is a good series if you are serious about learning Korean and want to cover speaking, listening, and reading.

Where To Buy: Buy the Sogang Korean Series on Amazon.

Go! Billy Korean: Korean Made Simple

A lot of extra resources and supplements online and their website as well
Easy to follow and great quality for price

Go! Billy Korean started out as a YouTube channel that embraced their approach and delved into language learning products and they are gaining in popularity year on year. They have an easy to follow system with the basic grammar covered as well as reading and if you use their other online tools, you can get speaking and listening in too. There’s a lot of explanation which is good for learners that want in-depth knowledge on topics.

Where To Buy: You can find the Go! Billy Korean Series Korean Made Simple on Amazon.

Korean Study Books With A Different Approach

Not all books are laid out the same way and some have different goals in mind. While textbooks were great for me, raising a bilingual Korean and English speaking daughter, I realized how differently we access and learn language. I even wrote two bilingual books for her: The Sun and the Moon Story and The Thunderous Hello. If you’re looking into helping a child learn Korean, I recommend focusing more on stories which are more immersive and play on their creative wonder better.

If you’re a bit older though, check out these great Korean language learning supplements. Whether you want to learn more vocabulary for a good foundation for speaking Korean or you want to learn more historical culture through Korean folktales, there are some great options out there.

2000 Essential Korean Words

Focused on improving and expanding Korean vocabulary

Want to expand your Korean vocabulary? This is the Korean textbook for you. The book contains a lot of words that don’t easily translate into English but are used often in Korean conversation. You’ll built a solid foundation of vocabulary with this awesome book.

Where To Buy: Get 2000 Essential Korean Words on Amazon.

2000 Essential Korean Words: How To study Korean

500 Basic Korean Verbs

Useful for understanding Korean verb conjugations
Example sentences helping to demonstrate the verbs

If you studied French in high school like I did, you’ll recognize this book which is all of the verb conjugations you could want or need. The book covers 500 of the basic Korean verbs, as the title suggests and is really useful if you’ve gotten into studying Korean but want to dive more into how Korean verbs are conjugated.

Where To Buy: You can buy 500 Korean Verbs on Amazon.

500 Basic Korean Verbs: How to study Korean

Once Upon A Time In Korea

Great for beginners that want something fun and colorful
Adds Korean culture to language learning

Once Upon A Time In Korea is structured like a textbook but each unit is centered around a different Korean folktale. The book is fun and colorful and great for beginning learners that maybe don’t like regular textbooks. This book provides some great Korean culture background what with the folktales with language too.

Where To Buy: You can find Once Upon A Time in Korea on Amazon.

Once Upon A Time In Korea: how to study Korean

Korean Stories For Language Learners

Great for beginners that want a cultural perspective
In Hangul and English side by side

Similar to the book mentioned above, this book approaches Korean language learning through Korean stories. Gain Korean culture insight through 42 traditional folktales. The stories are supplemented with vocabulary lists, discussion questions, speaking and writing activities and interesting cultural notes about the stories. This is a great bilingual reader for beginners and intermediate students.

Where To Buy: You can buy Korean Stories For Language Learners on Amazon.

Korean Stories For Language Learners: Study Korean

Korean Slang: As Much As A Rat’s Tail

Good for an intermediate learner

One of my favorite supplemental books, this is a great book if you want to add in some Korean slang to your Korean language repertoire. You’ll need to have a basic understanding of Korean sentences and their structure and be able to read Hangul without romanizations, but this book is good for a more intermediate learner.

Where To Buy: You can find Korean Slang: As Much As A Rat’s Tail on Amazon

Let’s Speak Korean

Get a lot of vocab and expressions quickly
A more natural immersive style of learning grammar

A ton of expressions and phrases quickly is what you’ll get with this book. This book seeks to teach beginners 1400 new Korean expressions with a pronunciation guide. This book isn’t so much focused on grammar structure but there are grammar guidance marks which help readers pick up some grammar in a more immersive natural way. There are audio tracks available for download with this one as well.

Where To Buy: You can find Korean Slang: As Much As A Rat’s Tail on Amazon.

The Kpop Dictionary

Best for the Kpop lover
Lighthearted way to study Korean slang

If you’ve been a K-pop fan for awhile or that’s how you’ve been introduced to the language, then you’ll probably be interested in this book. The Kpop Dictionary is perfect for Korean language learner who loves to listen to, you guessed it, Korean pop music. Even if you’re not a huge fan, using music to learn a language has been shown to be a very effective method. There are 500 modern Korean slang words that you’ll hear in music and while there’s no grammar instruction in this book, the dialogues are interesting and fun.

Where To Buy: You can find The Kpop Dictionary on Amazon.

Tips For Studying Korean With Textbooks

Don’t Change It Up: Once you’ve chosen a series, it’s best to stick with it. The series’ mentioned above have all been laid out in specific ways and they don’t all start with the same lessons but cover the same material they have just created different roadmaps to get there. Add supplements if you start to get overwhelmed or bored and need something different or add in a Korean drama perhaps. But stick to the series you choose.
Know Your Goal: It’s important to know what you want out of studying Korean. Are you looking to focus on speaking to make your trip to Korea or life as a resident in Korea easier? Are you trying to study for the TOPIK? Figure out what your goal is from the beginning which will help you greatly focus on what the best Korea textbooks are for you.

FAQ

Do I need a Korean tutor?

At some point, you definitely need to get a Korean tutor or be in a class if you ask me especially if you want to improve your speaking skills. I was able to study on my own for a good amount of time and pick up a lot of grammar and vocabulary but it wasn’t until I had a teacher for a couple hours, four days a week for a few months that I really started to excel.

Some of the textbooks mentioned above are better when used with a tutor or in a small group of Korean language learners and I’ve tried to make that clear where possible. But you can most definitely get started in learning Korean without a tutor.

What books can I use to study for the TOPIK?

The TOPIK, or the Test of Proficiency in Korean, is a whole different beast. If you’re trying to study for that very official test used to test a non-native’s level of Korean, you’ll want to very specifically study for it using past TOPIK tests and guides.

Where can I buy Korean study books?

You can get all of the books mentioned above on Amazon and I’ve included those links where available. If you’re already in Korea, you can also find a lot of them at your local Kyobo Bookstore or on the Kyobo Bookstore website as well.

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