The following are the best resources for this dive, broken down by beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
We have tested each one and recommend them.
This Korean Resource Handbook Below
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Korean - Resources
The following are the best resources for this dive, broken down by beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
We have tested each one and recommend them.
Resources
BD's Korean Fluency Project
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The Korean Fluency Project is a program of Break Diving (this website). We all work together to improve our foreign language skills in hundreds of languages. Visit www.breakdiving.org for more information about our not-for-profit corporate mission, and then visit breakdiving.io to join our inspiring worldwide community! We look forward to meeting you.
Category: Other Apps & Websites
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Clozemaster
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Clozemaster helps you to learn language in context. According to Clozemaster, learning a language through mass exposure to vocabulary in context is one of the best ways to build proficiency. The site/app uses well-structured fill-in-the-blanks and spaced repetition to ensure you retain new words.
Category: Self-Study
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Conjuguemos
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Even though it sounds like this is a Spanish language learning site, it actually is coded for many languages, including Korean. Conjuguemos helps you learn and practice conjugations through fun activities and games.
Category: Other Apps & Websites
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
Cyber University of Korea: Quick Korean
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It is taught all in Korean, so you can get a lot of listening practice, but it lacks grammar practice.
Category: Schools
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
Daum Blogs
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On this blog, you'll be able to find something that interests you and get an understanding of how Koreans might write or speak.
Category: Other Apps & Websites
Skill Levels:
- Advanced
Daum Webtoons
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Webtoons are a popular form of entertainment in Korea for all ages. It's a more lighthearted way to learn Korean. Keep in mind that webtoons are designed more for mobile than desktop.
Category: Video
Skill Levels:
- Advanced
Duolingo
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Duolingo is a popular language-learning platform that includes both a website and a mobile app. It offers over 94 different language courses, including Korean. Duolingo teaches the basics of Korean, including some basic vocabulary and grammar. However, there is no way you will truly learn a language through Duolingo. It is best used as an introduction to a language and as a refresher to keep your skills up and to potentially build some new vocabulary. Note: their podcast on Apple Podcasts is excellent!
Category: Self-Study
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
FluentU
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FluentU is a video learning site that helps you learn through real video conversations, similar to Yabla. Try it for 14 days free (as of this review).
Category: Self-Study
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Forvo
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Forvo is a fascinating tool that shows how words are pronounced in various foreign languages. Just type the word you’re looking for into the Forvo search bar, and voilà, you’ll hear it spoken by multiple native speakers. This is excellent for pronunciation. Note: it will take you a few minutes to figure out how the tool works, but it's worth spending a few minutes to master how it works.
Category: Other Apps & Websites
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Glossika
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Glossika improves your fluency through a highly repetitive ‘listen and repeat’ approach. It uses an adaptive learning algorithm and structured content to help you improve. Definitely not a conventional course but you’ll be amazed at how effective it is at improving your fluency if you use it daily.
Category: Self-Study
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Hello Talk
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Hello Talk links you together with language partners to help you practice your Korean skills. Worth taking a look at.
Category: Other Apps & Websites
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
How to Study Korean
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If you prefer more reading and writing versus listening, this would be a good resource to use. With each lesson, they introduce you to new vocabulary before thoroughly explaining a grammar point. They then provide multiple sample sentences for situations to help you practice it.
Category: Other Apps & Websites
Skill Levels:
- Intermediate
- Advanced
iLanguages
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A website that will teach you the basics of Korean vocabulary, phrases, grammar with audio, flashcards, and quizzes. The site provides Korean writing with English translation along with the Korean pronunciation that can help you learn the foundation of Korean.
Category: Self-Study
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
Integrated Korean Series
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The book includes lots of examples of grammar points with some good cultural context and authentic materials within lessons, but some may think it's boring with an academic approach.
Category: Textbooks
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Internet Polyglot
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Internet Polyglot is an awesome site that offers a huge variety of free games to help you improve your Korean vocabulary.
Category: Other Apps & Websites
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
KoreanClass101
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This is a popular Korean course that includes downloadable podcast-styled lessons, videos, grammar explanations, and a vocabulary database and dictionary. Premium members gain access to PDF lessons, grammar reviews, dialogue audio, and interactive learning.
Category: Self-Study
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Korean From Zero
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This is a good site to learn the very basics of Korean.
Category: Other Apps & Websites
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
Korean Grammar for International Learners
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The book is comprehensive and covers most grammar points you’ll need, and each grammar point is packed with example sentences. Reading the examples really helps the reader to understand the point and see how it’s used.
Category: Textbooks
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Download PDF for FREE
Korean Grammar in Use
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It's a very good reference book with exercises for beginner grammar.
Category: Textbooks
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
Language Drops
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Language Drops is a language-learning website/app with a colorful layout that's a lot of fun. Teaching solely vocabulary (which is unique in itself), Drops starts with basic vocab and expands to offer highly advanced vocab beyond the scope of most other courses and books. For example: spaceship, garlic, riot police, and political coup. Note: unless you pay, you are limited to 5 minutes per day. If you can afford it, upgrade to the lifetime plan. Or, just be sure to do your 5 minutes every single day.
Category: Self-Study
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Language Learning with Netflix
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This is a Chrome extension that allows you to learn Korean by watching movies or shows on Netflix. It displays two sets of subtitles: one in your native language and the other in a language of your choice. Keep in mind that you do need a Netflix subscription in order to use this resource.
Category: Video
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
LingoDeer
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LingoDeer is similar to Duolingo. Some say that they prefer LingoDeer to Duolingo, so if you don't like Duolingo, give this a try.
Category: Self-Study
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
LingoDeer
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Phone App (www.lingodeer.com). Many say that they prefer LingoDeer to DuoLingo. Give it a try!
Category: Self-Study
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
LingQ
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LingQ is similar to Yabla. They describe the service as surrounding yourself with meaningful input that matters to you. You can start at an easy level and work your way up. It features a range of entertaining materials, such as YouTube videos, news broadcasts, blog posts, and Netflix shows. You can choose the topics that interest you and build your language lessons around subjects that will keep you motivated.
Category: Self-Study
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
Living Language
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Living Language offers a very comprehensive course of self study, through both online courses and self-study textbooks. You can sign up online, or buy the self-study textbooks and audio on Amazon or at Barnes & Noble bookstores. Each set comes with three textbooks: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
Category: Self-Study
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Lyrics Gaps
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Lyrics Gaps lets you learn languages through music by filling in the gaps of your favorite songs. Similar to Lyrics Training, but not as cleanly presented.
Category: Self-Study
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Mango Languages
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Mango Languages helps you to study foreign language by adapting to how you learn using smart technology. Compare your own recordings with those of native speakers. Mango also gives tips on Korean culture.
Category: Self-Study
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Memrise
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A language-learning website/app that uses repetition and proven memory techniques to help you learn faster. Good for getting started and learning vocabulary. They also offer native speaker videos which are often pretty cool.
Category: Self-Study
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
Michel Thomas Korean
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Michel Thomas Korean is an audio course with a variety of levels to which you can commit. In some ways, it is similar to Pimsleur in that it is all audio. Many language learners like the Michel Thomas approach. Helpful for developing your ear in the language.
Category: Audio
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
Mondly
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Mondly lets you learn Korean through matching games and fill in the blank activities. The first few lessons are free.
Category: Self-Study
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
My Korean 1
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Introduction to modern Korean with everyday situations. The book is composed of three situation dialogues, grammar explanations, and various activities—such as role-plays, listening, and writing. It also features summarize fundamental grammar, conjugation, and writing points.
Category: Textbooks
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
Download PDF for FREE
My Korean 2
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Introduction to modern Korean with everyday situations. The book is composed of three situation dialogues, grammar explanations, and various activities—such as role-plays, listening, and writing. It also features summarize fundamental grammar, conjugation, and writing points.
Category: Textbooks
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Download PDF for FREE
Naver Blogs
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In the blog, you'll be able to find something that interests you and get an understanding of how Koreans might write or speak.
Category: Other Apps & Websites
Skill Levels:
- Advanced
Naver Webtoons
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Webtoons are a popular form of entertainment in Korea for all ages, it's a more lighthearted way to learn Korean. Keep in mind that webtoons are designed more for mobile than desktop.
Category: Video
Skill Levels:
- Advanced
Pimsleur
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Pimsleur is a good option if you want to listen to complete audio or focus on learning conversational Korean. You’ll hear a series of phrases that get broken down and repeated to you slowly. You then repeat and participate in conversations. It's perfect for learning on the go, and the app even has a driving mode so you can learn while commuting without looking at the screen. The downsides are that the lessons can feel slow sometimes, and there are no books or grammar.
Category: Self-Study
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Project Gutenberg
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Project Gutenberg is an online library of over 60,000 free electronic books. This link will take you to a list of openly accessible Korean books.
Category: Other Books & Resources
Skill Levels:
- Advanced
Rocket Languages
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Rocket Korean doesn’t follow a "cookie-cutter" approach. It's designed to get you using your new language quickly, correctly, and confidently with audio and written content for all levels.
Category: Self-Study
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Rosetta Stone
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Rosetta Stone is a language-learning website/app that’s widely known and respected, but sometimes criticized because it only teaches you with pictures, when you could more quickly learn by having them just tell you that it's an apple using your native language. It features a TruAccent speech recognition program that helps you work on pronunciation. Keep in mind that the program does require payment.
Category: Self-Study
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
Talk to Me in Korean
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This podcast is taught by native Korean speakers who understand how to break down difficult grammar points. It’s mainly a podcast, but each lesson comes with a PDF of the lesson as well (or you can buy the workbooks in a bundle).
Category: Other Apps & Websites
Skill Levels:
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Udemy
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Udemy is an online learning platform with video courses on a variety of subjects, including Korean. This link will take you to the top Korean courses on Udemy, although some of the results require payment.
Category: Self-Study
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
WordReference
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WordReference is a dictionary used to translate between different languages (including Korean) accurately. Each word has a variety of translations based on the context.
Category: Other Apps & Websites
Skill Levels:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Korean - Resources
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