Starting a language can seem overwhelming, but if we take the process step by step, we can overcome this scary moment. I’ve written about why you should learn an East Asian language before. Also, if you need some tips on self-studying a language, I have a blog post about that, which you can read if you need some more general help about self-studying. If you have chosen to go down the path of learning the beautiful language of Korea, here are some resources that can help a Korean beginner.
Learn to read and write
The most basic step is to learn to read and write. Other sources will not cater to English speakers, so you might as well get this step done first. I promise it is not difficult. I’ve made a YouTube video about the perfection of the Korean writing system, which I recommend you watch. I can’t stress enough that learning Hangeul is so easy. When I learned it on a whim during summer vacation 2013–I kid you not–I learned the writing system from zero to mastery in three hours. Since then, even more resources have appeared on the internet. In fact, I’m a bit jealous that Learn Korean with Go! Billy made a 90 minute video covering everything you need to know to be literate.
Get the Naver Korean dictionary
Of course, there are plenty of Korean-English dictionaries that work fine, but I always have preferred Naver. Even when I try to experiment with new ones, I always go back to Naver. The UI is good, the search is well optimized even if you misspell a word or use the wrong keyboard, and each word entry has lots of information to check if you are using the right word. Among that information are example sentences, hanja, and pictures.
You can get the Naver dictionary on the Google Play store and the App Store.
Get the Papago translator
Papago is the AI translator owned by Naver. The reason I recommend it is because of the quality of its translations. Of course, you will be learning the language, but translators are useful tools on that road to acquisition. Many of us already have Google Translate on our phones, but I recommend Papago for Korean specifically because their translations are optimized for Korean to English translations. In my opinion, the quality and speed of its translations surpass that of Google Translate when it comes to the Korean language. In addition to the standard text translator, you can speak into the app and translate images. I think it should be on the phone of every Korean beginner.
You can get the Papago translator on the Google Play store and the App Store.
talktomeinkorean.com
I think every Korean beginner will encounter this website in their studies. I think I learned 80% of my grammar from this website when I was learning the basics. TTMIK is a website that offers an enormous amount of Korean knowledge for free or for a fee. It’s actually amazing that the essential Korean courses and the PDF notes that go along with them are completely free.
It’s hard to comprehend how generous the TTMIK team is. This is like not needing to pay for your car’s engine, but you can pay for the radio if you want. They provide some premium content if you want to pay, but it’s not necessary for a Korean beginner. I do recommend it, however, because I cannot help but want to support them after seeing how generous they have continued being since I learned with them heavily in 2014.
Duolingo
Duolingo does not need any explanation. Every language learner probably has experience with this app, and it has a Korean course, which may be useful for people who like the Duolingo format. Although Duolingo has some issues related to the utility of lessons and the clunky way they introduce concepts, it is more than enough to get some knowledge that can help a Korean beginner navigate materials made for upper beginners or early intermediate learners.
Get yourself a textbook
Although talktomeinkorean.com might be enough for the Korean learner who wants things to be as cheap as possible, that is not enough for a lot of people. Many people prefer paper books, and there is value in having online and offline sources. Obviously, anything from the TTMIK bookstore is gold for any Korean beginner. There are some other particular books I recommend.
Korean Made Simple: A beginner’s guide to learning the Korean language
This is the most approachable book that I am recommending. It is really made simple and has plenty of explanations that do not get too confusing with linguistic jargon. I love the complicated textbooks, but maybe that is not good for a Korean beginner.
Korean Made Easy for Beginners
This one is similar to the previous one in terms of being approachable and simplified for absolute beginners.
Korean Grammar for International Learners
This one goes a little deeper and has less cute things to look at, but it still works for beginners.
Ewha Korean. 1-1
This is also a little deeper for people who want some good explanations.
JUST START LEARNING
The process of collecting resources might actually be the way a lot of people procrastinate. I noticed myself doing this on tumblr. I reblog resources for languages and sleep calmly because I feel I accomplished something in my target language. However, you need to actually use these sources to improve your Korean. The most important thing you need to do if you are a Korean beginner is to actually use the sources I just recommended. It is not enough to just download these and feel you accomplished something for the day. Actually learn one grammar point and then relax. Open the book that just came in the mail. Listen to a TTMIK podcast. Anything is better than nothing, and doing nothing is worse than anything.
Good luck in your Korean studies! 화이팅!!! You can do it!
