Free resources to study Korean

When I first started self-studying foreign languages, the first language I picked was Korean. While I have put this study on hold, I am extremely grateful for beginning it, not only because of the skill that I have learnt, but also because it introduced me to a handful of useful apps and websites.

To make it easier for other language learners, here is a list of all the online tools that I have tried so far.

Duolingo

If you’ve been following me, you know that I’ve been using Duolingo for a while. This app allows you to practice daily by doing a variety of exercises, including listening comprehensions, guided and autonomous translations, and speaking exercises.

Its biggest pros are a large amount of free content and the frequent reminders that help you be accountable and build a habit, which is great for beginners or busy people.

On the other hand, its core approach is extremely repetitive, and you might get tired of it easily during stressful times. In the past, the reminders were rather pushy and even lowkey manipulative, which led to the birth of the Evil Duolingo Owl meme.

LingoDeer

Like I said in this article, LingoDeer is my favorite language learning app. It works similarly to Duolingo, but its exercises are more active and diversified. You get to practice by correcting sentences, grammar-centered exercises, listening comprehension, speaking exercises, exercises focused on word order, multiple-choice questions, flashcards, and so on.

Its biggest flaw is that, at some point, you have to pay a lot of money if you want access to the upper levels. The last time I checked, you had to pay only for the intermediate level, but now it seems that the paywall starts even sooner, at least for me.

Drops

Drops has a special place in my heart. It was the very first app I downloaded when I started learning Korean at the end of high school. I remember seeing it among my recommendations on the Google Play Store. It was a terrible moment for me because I was going through burnout, and the idea of starting a new language in summer really helped me cope and push through.

Disclaimer: I pushed through because I had no other choice and I had no idea of what was happening to me, but if you can choose, DON’T DO IT. Slow down as soon as you realize you’re burnt out, and, ideally, seek help. You’re going to be fine even at your new pace, I promise.

Besides this, since it was my very first self-studying method, I used it to study Hangul and it worked perfectly! After I mastered Hangul, I used it to learn vocabulary, and, later on, I paired it up with Duolingo or LingoDeer sometimes. During these times, I felt that I was retaining vocabulary a lot more solidly and easily.

Aside from being solely centered on vocabulary and the alphabet, its biggest flaw is a technical issue. When you first download it, it works completely fine, but as you progress, thus creating new data stored in the app, it gets progressively slower until you uninstall it.

Memrise

Similarly to Drops, Memrise is centered around vocabulary. You get to practice through a variety of methods, from flashcard-like recall to listening exercises, to writing exercises to pop quizzes.

Even though I just used it for a short time, I appreciated the fact that it was the app to choose the type of exercise for you, leaving you no other option. When we self-study a language, it might not be easy to assess our own levels, as we might overestimate or underestimate our actual skills. So, having the app do it for you is brilliant.

However, I personally found that the sped-up quizzes were making me too nervous, which is the main reason why I stopped using Memrise.

How to study Korean

How to study Korean is a free website where you can learn Korean grammar at any level for free.

If you’re a beginner and you can’t afford a grammar textbook, this is going to be your go-to resource to check out and study any grammar rule.

There are, however, two things to keep in mind: the first is that there is no Romanised transcription, so you’ll have to master Hangul to read the examples. Secondly, there are not many free practical exercises, so you may not retain much information and you can get bored easily.

Slowly

Slowly is an app based on the concept of having virtual pen pals. Much like other social media, you find people you share common interests with and send them a letter, hoping that they will reply.

This is an useful tool to practice your writing skills not only in Korean but also in other languages, according to how you set up your profile.

Its biggest downside is that it is not easy to build a habit around it since it might get several days for your pen pal to reply.

Korean Unnie on Youtube

This Youtube channel is run by a Native Korean speaker who gives tips and information about specific topics surrounding the Korean language, ranging from grammar to lexicon to language use.

Following her is great because it provides you with real-life examples of the Korean language in use, besides her useful explanations.

Since it’s a Youtube channel, its natural flaw is that you won’t get any feedback or evaluation from her, unless she explicitly says otherwise (last time I checked, she did not evaluate her subscribers).

Finding balance

These were the main resources I used to study Korean by myself. As you can see, none of these is perfect but, all things considered, their pros manage to outweigh their cons very easily.

Like many other things in life, the key is balance. Personally, I don’t recommend using all these materials at the same time, but instead, I suggest starting with one of these and, after you’ve built a habit, add a second resource that compensates for the first one’s flaws. Once you get used to them, you can implement a third one that you will use every now and then.

Do you study Korean? If so, did you know these materials or do you use different ones? Tell me in the comments. With that said, I wish you all a happy and productive learning!

You can read this article on Medium as well by clicking here.