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Korean

Free Korean course

Korean is spoken by about 80 million people in South and North Korea and worldwide. Every word is shown in the Korean alphabet (Hangul) with a Latin-letter spelling, so you can start before you can read it.

Below you'll find how the course works, what the levels mean and where everything is. If you'd rather start right away, chapter 1 assumes no Korean at all.

Start with chapter 1No sign-up needed.
Gwanghwamun, the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul
안녕하세요?Annyeonghaseyo? · Hello!

How the course works

The course takes you from your first words to everyday conversations with native speakers, in 48 chapters over four levels. Work through the chapters in order: each one builds on the words and grammar of the ones before.

  1. Listen

    A short dialogue from everyday life. Listen to it whole, then line by line, at normal or slow speed.

  2. Understand

    The new grammar and words, explained in plain English with examples you can play.

  3. Practise

    Exercises that tell you straight away if you're right, and sentences to say out loud.

  4. Check

    A five-question quiz. Finish the chapter to add its words to your review deck.

Time. A chapter takes about 30–45 minutes. You can stop after any step and come back later.

Remembering. The words from finished chapters come back in Review at growing intervals, just before you would forget them.

Your progress is saved in this browser. A free account keeps it safe and lets you continue on any device.

The four levels

The course has four levels of twelve chapters: Beginner, Elementary, Intermediate and Upper intermediate. Each one says what you'll be able to do when you finish it.

The codes in brackets, A1 to B2, are from the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), an international scale used by many schools, employers and language exams. You don't need to know it to use the course. Korean exams use their own scale (TOPIK, levels 1 to 6); here the levels simply describe what you can do at each stage.

Where should I start? If you're new to Korean, start with Beginner, chapter 1. If you already know some, take the beginner test: it shows which chapters you can skip, and each level has its own test.

Finding your way

The bar under the site's header takes you to every part of the Korean course, wherever you are:

Course →
This page, with every chapter in order. The list on the left of each chapter takes you to any other chapter.
Grammar →
33 short pages, one rule each, with tables and examples. Each chapter links to the pages it uses.
Verbs →
Full tables for 48 common verbs, in every tense the course teaches, with audio.
Vocabulary →
Every word the course teaches, level by level and topic by topic, with audio.
Phrasebook →
Ready-made phrases for 10 everyday situations, from greetings to emergencies.
Review →
Flashcards with the words of the chapters you've finished, and a passport with a stamp for each chapter.
Before you start
How the Korean alphabet works, letter by letter, with audio:

All chapters

Beginner (A1)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Introduce yourself, order food and drink, ask for directions and understand simple, slow speech.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Hello and goodbye안녕하세요Say hello and goodbye in Korean, give your name and nationality, say where you're from, and see how Hangul letters build syllables.
  2. Numbers and prices숫자와 가격Count with Sino-Korean numbers, ask and understand prices in won, ask for a discount and say phone numbers in Korean.
  3. At the café카페에서Order coffee and cake in Korean with 주세요, count cups and things with native numbers, and understand what café staff say.
  4. Getting around길 찾기Ask where places are in Korean, understand simple directions, and say what there is nearby with 있어요 and 없어요.
  5. Family and friends가족과 친구Talk about your family in Korean: brothers and sisters, “my” with 제 and 우리, having with 있어요, and saying and asking ages.
  6. My home우리 집Describe your home in Korean: rooms and furniture, where things are (on, next to, under), what they're like, and colours.
  7. My day하루 일과Describe your daily routine in Korean with the present tense -아요 / -어요, tell the time, and use 에 and 에서 for places.
  8. Food and shopping장보기Buy food at a Korean market: ask what there is, use counters for bags and bottles, say “and” with 하고, and ask for the total.
  9. Time and dates요일과 날짜Say the days of the week, months and dates in Korean, use today, tomorrow and next week, and book an appointment by phone.
  10. Likes and dislikes좋아요, 싫어요Say what you like and don't like in Korean with 좋아하다 and 좋아요, make sentences negative with 안, and talk about food.
  11. Hobbies and free time취미와 여가Talk about hobbies in Korean: say what you can and can't do, how often you do things, and invite someone or answer an invitation.
  12. Your first conversation첫 대화A longer conversation on a Korean train that brings together all of A1, plus how to address people without “you” and how to accept food.

Elementary (A2)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Handle shopping, travel and everyday errands, and talk about your work, your home and what you did last weekend.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Talking about the past어제 뭐 했어요?Say what you did at the weekend in Korean: the past tense -았어요 / -었어요, joining actions with -고, and words like last week and two days ago.
  2. Travel and hotels호텔에서Check in at a Korean hotel, say what you'd like with -고 싶어요, ask for help with -아 / -어 주세요 and understand the formal speech of hotel staff.
  3. At the doctor's병원에서Tell a Korean doctor what hurts and since when, understand advice with -(으)세요 and -지 마세요, and give reasons with -아서 / -어서.
  4. Home and housing집 구하기Look at flats to rent in Korea: rent, deposit and fees in 만 원, comparisons with 보다 and 제일, -지만 (but) and adjectives before nouns.
  5. Work and studies일과 공부Introduce yourself at work in the formal -ㅂ니다 / -습니다 style, talk about your studies and past jobs, and say how long you've done something.
  6. Weather and seasons날씨와 계절Talk about the weather and the seasons in Korean, make plans and guesses with -(으)ㄹ 거예요, and say “if” with -(으)면.
  7. Clothes and shopping옷 가게에서Exchange clothes in a Korean shop: ask to try things on with -아 / -어 봐도 돼요?, say what's happening now with -고 있어요, and name colours.
  8. Plans and invitations약속 잡기Make, accept and change plans with a close friend in casual Korean (반말): let's with -자, shall we with -(으)ㄹ까?, and saying no with -아서.
  9. Directions and transport교통과 길 안내Find your way on the Seoul subway: have to with -아야 돼요, you just need to with -(으)면 돼요, steps with -아서, and station announcements.
  10. Describing people어떤 사람이에요?Describe what people look like and what they're wearing in Korean, and show respect for older people with -(으)시- and honorific verbs like 계시다.
  11. Phone calls and messages전화와 메시지Make a phone call in Korean: ask for someone, leave a message, promise to call back with -(으)ㄹ게요, and say who you do things for with 한테, 께 and 드리다.
  12. A weekend away주말 여행Review A2 with two friends talking about a weekend in Yeosu: tell a story in the past, say what you've done with -아 / -어 봤어, and plan a trip in 반말.

Intermediate (B1)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Get by on your own when travelling, describe experiences and plans, and explain your opinions.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Stories and memories그때 그 시절Tell stories about the past in Korean: when (-(으)ㄹ 때), before and after, used to (-았/었었-), and polite past questions to older people.
  2. Opinions and reasons의견과 이유Give your opinion in Korean with -다고 생각하다, explain why with -아서, -(으)니까 and -기 때문에, and agree or disagree politely.
  3. News and current events뉴스와 시사Pass on news in Korean: reported statements, questions, suggestions and orders (-다고, -냐고, -자고, -라고, -대요), and the passive (열리다, 막히다).
  4. Feelings and relationships감정과 관계Talk about feelings in Korean: your own and other people's (-아/어하다), react with -겠다 and -네, and give a friend advice with -는 게 어때?
  5. Hopes and wishes희망과 꿈Talk about hopes and dreams in Korean: I hope (-았/었으면 좋겠다), supposing (-다면), he wants to (-고 싶어 하다) and polite requests.
  6. Solving problems문제 해결Explain a problem in Korean with -는데 and -밖에 안, say what broke or got lost (-아/어 버리다), and understand the offers staff make.
  7. Culture and traditions명절과 전통Talk about Chuseok and Seollal in Korean, describe things with noun modifiers (-는, -(으)ㄴ, -(으)ㄹ) and say what people say or usually do.
  8. Work and careers취업 면접Get through a job interview in Korean: formal 합니다체, humble 저희 and 말씀드리다, purpose (-(으)려고, -기 위해서), -게 되다 and -(으)ㄴ 적이 있다.
  9. Health and lifestyle건강한 생활Talk about habits and health in Korean: give advice (-는 게 좋겠어요, -도록 하세요), guess with 것 같다, and say who makes whom do what (-게 하다).
  10. Money and everyday services은행에서Open a bank account and send money home in Korean: -(으)려면 (to do…, you need), formal staff language, and big numbers from 만 to 억.
  11. Travel stories여행 이야기Tell a travel story in Korean: bad luck (-는 바람에), near misses (-(으)ㄹ 뻔했다), what you saw (-더라고), “if I had known…” and reactions of surprise.
  12. Review: telling your story제 이야기Review B1 Korean through a life story: past forms, -게 되다, -기 위해서, modifiers, reported speech, honorifics, the B1 linking endings and ㅅ verbs.

Upper intermediate (B2)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Hold normal conversations with native speakers, follow most films and news, and write clear, detailed texts.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Discussing and debating토론하기Argue your point in Korean: concede with -기는 하지만, -아도 and -더라도, structure an argument, use -잖아요 and interrupt politely.
  2. Work in depth회사 생활Work in Korean: the full honorific system with 께서, 드리다 and 여쭤보다, soft feedback, guesses with -나 보다 and deals with -는 대신에.
  3. Film, books and media영화와 책Talk about films and books in Korean: summarise a plot in the plain present, use -던, -다가 and -으면서, and give opinions with nuance.
  4. Science and technology과학과 기술Explain how something works in Korean: the passive with -되다, -받다 and -아지다, cause and effect, and “the more …, the more” with -ㄹ수록.
  5. Society and the environment사회와 환경Discuss problems and solutions in Korean: what would happen or would have happened (-ㄹ 텐데, -더라면), worries with -ㄹ까 봐, and “no choice but to”.
  6. Public life정치와 제도Report what officials said in Korean: full indirect speech, 달라고 vs 주라고, reporting verbs like 밝히다 and 주장하다, and the language of the news.
  7. Education and learning교육과 배움Talk about school, exams and regrets in Korean: I should have (-ㄹ걸, -었어야 했는데), let alone (-기는커녕) and as soon as (-자마자).
  8. Idioms and everyday speech관용어와 일상 표현Sound natural in Korean: body-part idioms, well-known proverbs, -거든요, fillers like 아무튼 and 있잖아, and the short forms of everyday speech.
  9. Humour and informal language유머와 반말Joke and tease in casual Korean: 반말 in depth, widely used slang like 대박 and 헐, texting shorthand, irony, and one request in four styles.
  10. Formal writing공식적인 글쓰기Write a formal email to an official: set phrases like 안녕하십니까, -고자 합니다 and -아 / -어 주시기 바랍니다, written connectors such as 그러나 and -(으)므로, and 한다체 for reports.
  11. Giving a presentation발표하기Present a project in formal Korean: signposting with 먼저 and 보시다시피, handling questions politely, and emphasis with 바로 and -(이)야말로.
  12. Final review마지막 복습Bring B2 together: catch up with a friend in 반말, switch to 합니다체 for a work call, and review regrets, indirect speech, concession and endings.