The Korean language is definitely not an easy one to learn, is it ? And if you’re like me at the beginning of my Korean learning journey, you’re probably looking for free resources to be able to study it.
As we all know… TTMIK turned from freemium to a paid subscription plan, which removed a lot of possibilities for korean learners. Some of us just don’t have the funds to be able to spend money on learning at all times, and I’m here to try to help you with that. Some really great free resources are available and will help you learn Korean.
Of course, spending money on learning it isn’t a bad idea at all! I encourage you to do so if you have the funds. But I also get that sometimes you don’t want to spend money right away. Or don’t have the opportunity to, or would just prefer learning it for free!
Free Resources to Learn Korean
1. King Sejong Institute Online Classes
King Sejong Institute Online Class is a resource that is continuously recommended by Korean learners, as it is well known amongst them. The King Sejong Institute is a known foundation created by the South Korean government to encourage people to learn Korean. With time, they made their courses available online, and for free. They range from beginner level to advanced, so you can really find something tailored to your level. Note: you might spend some time finding the right level for you at first.
The website is well done, and the classes as well. If you need to be guided through your study and studying on your own isn’t always easy, I would advise you to try learning Korean with King Sejong Institute.
You do need to register and at first, the process and understanding of the website might be a bit tedious, but once you’ve got the hang of it, it’s actually relatively easy.
2. How to Study Korean
How to Study Korean is definitely my favorite free resource. It is heavily focused on grammar, which I personally like. The website was created by someone like you and I, a Korean learner. With time of course, he became fluent and his wife has helped him be as thorough as possible through their explanations of Korean grammar.
Since his first language is not Korean, I believe he targets well the common issues we can encounter while studying Korean. If you’re not fond of grammar though, maybe other resources could work better for you.
But if you ever find yourself not understanding a grammar point when you study Korean, I would suggest you check “How to Study Korean”. It will definitely help you.
3. Quick Korean
Quick Korean is a widely known website and institution “The Cyber University of Korea”. They provide Korean classes for Korean learners to access learning resources for free on YouTube. The videos are really well made, and the teachers are cheerful. If you didn’t know about it so far, I really invite you to check them out.
If you’re willing to learn Hangul, for example, head to this video.
They provide videos from 1급 (beginner level in Korean) to 4급 (intermediate level in Korean), which should help you for a while if you’re just beginning your journey in Korean learning.
4. Youtube Channels
As you probably know, YouTube is a precious platform on which you can find tons of resources for free. Korean learning is one of them, and you can actually find probably much more than you would think.
As I already covered in my article, there are a lot of resources to improve your listening skills. But you can also find courses offered by Korean universities.
If you don’t know yet, most young people who come to South Korea go to universities to follow their intensive Korean learning classes. These classes are said to be intensive because they last for 4 hours each day, and the pace is quite fast. You’re also supposed to continue studying at home every day after your 4 hours of classes (which a lot of people don’t really do, and they still do great!).
Well, during COVID-19 mostly, these classes were filmed and the students could view them at their convenience.
Of course, these videos ended up on YouTube! And I found some channels and playlists that you can use to learn level 1, level 2, and level 3 (which is from beginner to early intermediate).
The videos are not 4 hours long, because they remove the time for free talking, exercises, and such things. So you will need to think about them yourself and make some time to do some talking and exercises on your own. This method is really nice if you need to be guided.
It is best to follow with the textbooks (which you will have to pay for), but you can also just watch the videos and take notes.
Based on HUFS
– Level 1 – HUFS (Hanguk University of Foreign Studies) – For Beginners in Korean
– Level 2 – HUFS (Hanguk University of Foreign Studies) – For Upper Beginners in Korean
– Level 3 – HUFS (Hanguk University of Foreign Studies) – For Lower Intermediate in Korean
Based on Sogang
Sogang is probably the most popular university amongst foreigners who want to learn Korean. First, it’s located near Hongdae (a young and vibrant area and probably the most popular one). Then, they’re said to be specialized in targeting the ability to speak, rather than focusing heavily on grammar.
– Korean Rumah Online Classes (YouTube playlist, from level 1 to 3, updated every day at the time of writing the article)
You will probably be able to find more as you search, but I believe these are good to start with.
YouTube is also full of other YouTube channels for people willing to teach Korean, and I really believe you can start and build a strong foundation through these resources. It might feel a bit more tedious than just buying a book, but when you’ll have found a channel that works for you and feels organized to you, it will be easier.
Other channels that are worth taking note of :
And of course, if you want to focus on your Korean listening skills, I’ve gathered other resources available on YouTube. You can read about here. If you know any other resources, feel free to share them with me. ♡ I would gladly add them to the articles.
Happy learning! ♡
