Looking for ways to learn Korean online for free?
Good news and bad news.
Bad news is… free isn’t always good quality.
But the good news is, there ARE some programs and websites that are good enough and offer free resources.
So, in this guide, you’ll discover some places where you can learn Korean online free. Apps. Audiobooks. Workbooks. Programs. Podcasts. Where you can learn words, phrases, grammar, reading, writing and much more. All are free or have some free and noteworthy aspect.
Korean Programs
1. KoreanClass101 is a learning program that teaches you Korean through bite-sized audio/video lessons.
You press play on a lesson and follow along.
In each lesson, you have Korean teachers teach you a basic conversation. First you hear it…
Then, the teachers translate every word. By the end, you understand it all. Lessons are just a few minutes long. And then…?
Then, you move on to the next one. Simple.
You learn more Korean conversations. You learn more words, phrases and grammar rules through these everyday conversations. And you end up speaking more Korean.
They have enough lessons to take you from Absolute Beginner to Advanced.
- What’s free?
- They release new audio/video lessons every week. All new lessons are free for 3 weeks. So, you can sit back and download lessons as they come out. But they do have paid plans.
Click here to visit KoreanClass101 and get a free account.
2. Duolingo is a quiz-based program/app.
So, while KoreanClass101 teaches you conversations, Duolingo focuses on word acquisition through quizzes. It’s another way to learn Korean online free.
The big benefit of Duolingo is that they also remind you to learn. So, if you want to stick with Korean, this is a good option.
Workbooks & Audiobooks
3. Korean Alphabet (Hangul) Workbook
The first thing you should learn with any language is the writing system. The Korean Alphabet is called Hangul. So, if you’re brand new, you’ll want to get this free printable workbook.
Just print it out and follow the exercises. simple.
4. Free Korean Beginner Audiobooks
These Audiobooks are supplied by Innovative Language.
You can see small collection of books at the link below. They’re mostly vocabulary and dialog based lessons.
https://www.innovativelanguage.com/products/seeall/Audio/Free/lang/26
Vocabulary
5. Anki Spaced Repetition Flashcards.
Anki is an online flashcard program that uses “spaced repetition” learning. What’s that? It means that it quizzes you and re-quizzes you on words so you don’t forget them.
See, you cab learn a word now but you will forget it soon.
Don’t worry, that’s normal.
What Anki (and all spaced repetition programs, flashcards and apps) does is, after you see a new word once, you will get it again some days later. Then, you’ll see it AGAIN some more days later. Why? So you don’t forget.
But if you get the word wrong, you’ll get quizzed on it in that same session until you get it right.
With Anki, you can find tons of free vocabulary card decks. So, it’s a good way to learn Korean words for free.
6. Word of the Day Email Lessons
Here’s another super simple way to learn Korean online free.
Word of the day.
Every day, you get an email with a new word. You check it. You review the word. You get the meaning. You now know a new word. Simple. And this takes a minute or less.
If you want to get more value out of this free tool, then write the words down in a notebook and review them.
One word a day may not be much but smart learners use small routines like this to make themselves consistent.
Click here to get the Korean Word of the Day.
Korean Word of the Day App
7. Learn Korean – Free Word Power App (iOS). This free app teaches you 100+ words, AND also includes a word of the day feature. This app is for Apple only.
8. Korean Word of the Day (Android). If you need an app for the Android device, then get this one.
Grammar
Learn-Korean is an article based website.
There, you can read lessons and learn grammar.
So, if you prefer to read over audio or video… or if you want a resource you can print, this will be good.
You can use it like a Korean textbook.
Other “Less Serious” Resources
Programs and grammar lessons aside, there are less serious ways to learn Korean online for free.
By less serious I mean that they’re fun. But fun resources may also not be the fastest ways to learn Korean online. Good for downtime and overall exposure. Not good for actual practicing, training and reviewing
9. YouTube
There are a boatload of Korean learning YouTube channels out there.
Here are just a few you can check out.
10. Podcasts
Podcasts are another great way to learn Korean online for free. Podcasts are the “radio” of the internet or digital age. They are very casual sources of learning and a lot of people listen at work or while commuting. It’s entertainment pretty much.
So, download the Podcasts app and search around.
The benefit of podcasts is that you can listen in your downtime, while you relax at home.
Very easy to take in.
But of course, unless you’re listening and writing things down, you won’t learn much just by listening alone.
The good news is that… Yes, you can learn Korean online free.
But as with all things in life, it all depends on you. You need to put in effort.
You can have a wonderful free resource and not use it. The result is, you won’t learn any Korean.
The downside of free material, as I wrote here, is that you don’t value it as much. But, if you paid $40 or $100 for a resource, you’d value it more… because you had to lose something (money) to gain it.
But, that doesn’t mean you can’t learn Korean online free.
You just need to put in effort. Cool?
So, pick at least one resource and use the hell out of it.
– The Main Lingua Junkie