Best Ways to Learn Korean

What’s the best way to learn Korean? You might be surprised to find out that Korean is actually the easiest northeast Asian language to learn. It has consistent pronunciation rules and a simple writing system. Its levels of formality and honorific language will take some getting used to, but mastering Korean is an achievable goal for most people.

But where do you start? With so many resources and methods, choosing the right one for you can be overwhelming. Well, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. Read on to discover the best ways to learn Korean and how Busuu can help you achieve your goals.

Discover the best ways to learn Korean

Create an easy-to-stick-to study habit

Busuu gives you the tools to make a sustainable study habit you can stick to. Busuu’s bite-sized lessons and videos are designed for busy people with busy lives – no more skipping lessons because you don’t have time. You can see real progress with as little as five minutes per day.

Master Korean in a worldwide community

Join a worldwide community of language learners, and you’ll never be short of people to practice Korean with. Busuu’s online community has millions of members. Get help and support from native Korean speakers. And find people to connect and communicate with.

Take your language learning on the go

The Busuu app lets you study Korean wherever and whenever you want – got five minutes to kill on the train? You can squeeze a lesson in. Waiting for the kids to leave school? You can review some vocabulary. Busuu gives you all the Korean resources you need – right there in your pocket.

What are the best ways to learn Korean?

Here are five of the best ways to learn Korean.

1) Use an app

Consistency is key. I know this is a boring phrase, but it’s true. Learning Korean will take lots of regular study and practice over a long time. It isn’t glamorous or exciting, but being consistent is the most important thing when learning a language. Using a language learning app makes it easy for you to be consistent. It’s also probably the best way to learn Korean at home.

The Busuu app is a convenient and accessible app with advanced language learning features. Busuu’s bite-sized lessons and videos slot into your busy schedule. You can access advanced features (more on these later) on the move. The Busuu app gives you the tools you need to progress in Korean – no matter how much or how little time you can commit to studying.

2) Learn Hangeul

Hangeul (or Hangul) is the Korean alphabet. Learning this should be your top priority. It’s a phonetic alphabet. So, if you learn it, you’ll be able to read and pronounce any new Korean words you come across. Unlike Japanese and Chinese, there are relatively few characters in Hangeul – just 40 possible characters compared to thousands. 

On the Busuu Premium Hangeul course, you can master the alphabet in just a few hours. And you’ll give yourself the perfect foundation on which to build your Korean skills and knowledge.

3) Consume Korean content

Receiving language input (hearing or reading a language) is one of the keys to learning a language. And there’s no better source of input than authentic Korean content. Over the last few years, the popularity of K-pop and K-drama has exploded. This is fantastic for language learners because it means there’s no shortage of authentic content for you to consume.

The Busuu Premium K-drama course teaches you – through Korean drama – how to use formal and informal language to express your feelings and how to use loanwords. 

4) Join a community

You’re learning Korean so you can communicate with other Korean speakers. But where can you find people to practice with? If you’re lucky, there’ll be some local language exchange groups. For most people though, that won’t be an option. Luckily, there are millions of language learners – including native Korean speakers – in Busuu’s online, worldwide community for you to connect and communicate with. 

The support and feedback you get in the Busuu Community will help you, too. Let’s be honest. Learning a new language is difficult. It takes a long time. Your Korean progress might slow down sometimes as you hit obstacles, like getting stuck with some grammar, not remembering some words, or being confused by Korean’s formality and honorifics. 

Having a support network helps you clear these obstacles. Korean speakers in the Busuu Community are happy to give you feedback and support you through tough times so your Korean skills keep progressing.

5) Use spaced repetition

Spaced repetition is a proven way to learn a new language. Here’s how it works. You review, or repeat, the words and grammar you learn with spaces of time in between. For example, you could simply review new words every three weeks. Another effective way to do this is by increasing the time between subsequent reviews. For example:

1. Learn a new word.

2. Review the word 1 day later.

3. Review the word again 7 days later.

4. Review the word again 14 days later.

5. Review the word again 20 days later.

6. Review the word again 35 days later.

Doing this manually, with notebooks or flashcards, is possible. But it takes quite a bit of organization. You need to carefully note which words you reviewed and when. 

When you use Busuu, this is an automatic process. Busuu’s algorithms know what things you’ve studied and remind you when it’s time to review them. The time between reviews gradually gets longer. And your performance on reviews directly influences the length of time between them. When you answer a review question correctly, that word or grammar will be reviewed less frequently. But if you answer incorrectly, the algorithm reminds you to review that language more frequently.

Why Busuu is the best app for learning Korean:

1. Learn the Korean basics

Busuu Premium’s Complete Korean course teaches you the basics and is the best way to learn Korean language for beginners. It covers topics such as basic vocabulary, the polite level of formality, and adjectives to describe people. This course gives you a solid foundation to keep building your Korean skills. 

2. Get a personalized Korean learning experience

Busuu uses advanced learning tools to personalize your Korean learning. Busuu’s spaced repetition algorithms help you memorize words and learn grammar. You get reminders to review language at exactly the right time to stop you from forgetting. And best of all, this is automatic. You don’t need to organize or worry about when to study what. Let Busuu take care of that.

3. Join a worldwide community of language learners

What’s the point of learning a language? To communicate! Busuu helps you connect with other language learners to support each other.

In the Busuu community, there are millions of language learners – including native Korean speakers – looking for people to connect with. Share your speaking and writing and get feedback from native Korean speakers. They’ll give you tips about speaking, pronunciation and writing. Master Korean as part of a supportive and thriving community.

What are the benefits of learning Korean?

Here are the top three reasons you should learn Korean.

1) Boost your confidence

Making progress in a new language is a huge achievement – an achievement you should be proud of. The sense of accomplishment you get from making progress greatly boosts your confidence. That first time you successfully order samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly) in your local Korean restaurant will motivate you to learn more. This might sound like a small achievement. But for a new language learner, this is a huge achievement that will increase your confidence when communicating.

2) Access Korean culture

Learning Korean means you can listen to K-pop or watch K-drama and understand what’s going on. Sure, you could listen to translations or read the subtitles. But you might be missing out on nuances from the original versions. Imagine how much fun it would be to listen to the Korean versions of BLACKPINK songs and understand the lyrics, or watch Squid Game without subtitles. 

3) Keep your brain in good condition

Learning Korean is a challenge. The grammar structures are unique, and the honorifics are tricky. Don’t be put off, though! By engaging your brain in challenging activities like this, you keep it healthy. When you learn a language, your memory improves, your attention span increases, and you delay cognitive decline and dementia.

Basic Korean phrases

The table below has 15 basic Korean phrases that you’ll encounter in Busuu’s Complete Korean course. These are all common words and phrases that you’ll use in everyday life. Memorize and start using them today.

15 basic Korean phrases you need to know