Learn Korean Online: 10 Affordable Online Classes to Start Now

Reviewed by Angelique Geehan

There are about 76 million native Korean speakers across the globe. Korean is the dominant language in South Korea and North Korea; however, there are also large Korean-speaking populations in China, Japan, and the United States.

Learning Korean can provide a boost to your career, especially if you are interested in working in tourism, international relations, or translation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that demand for interpreters and translators will grow by 20% between 2019 and 2029 — this is about five times faster than the average projected growth rate across industries over this timespan.

Korean is also a great language to learn if you’re interested in a career in business or a technology career. South Korea houses a booming tech economy and several multinational companies, including Samsung, Hyundai, and LG. By learning Korean, you may be better able to communicate with South Korean business partners in the tech industry.

Finally, learning another language can improve your memory, boost your brain function, and expand your knowledge of the world. Whether you want to gain a richer understanding of your heritage or learn about a society and culture different from your own, studying Korean can broaden your cultural horizons.

How to Study Korean offers eight free learning units beginning with how to read Korean and progressing to upper-advanced grammar lessons. Each unit introduces students to 20-30 vocabulary words and includes grammar lessons to match a student’s competency level.

In addition to core study units, How to Study Korean also features workbooks with practice exercises, Hanja lessons, vocabulary lists, and listening practice.

If you’re a visual learner, you may enjoy Dom & Hyo’s Korean language study materials. Dom (an English as a second language instructor) and Hyo (his wife and a native Korean speaker) created this site for beginners who enjoy learning through colorful illustrations.

Although Dom & Hyo offers some paid content, the site features a lot of free material to get you started. Free infographics and articles cover subjects like basic Korean adverbs, Korean holidays, and the Korean names of 15 different colors.

Learn Langs offers a free, six-unit course on Hangul — the Korean alphabet. The site introduces students to the basics of Hangul. Each lesson covers four Korean letters and provides instructions on how to make characters. The site also provides links to recommended free and paid resources across the internet.

Judith Meyer, who established Learn Langs, also published an improved version of the course as a book. While she is no longer updating the Learn Langs site, students can still access its content.

90 Day Korean consists of four 90-day modules. The first module focuses on basic conversation skills, while the second module hones those skills so you can participate in more complex discussions. Module three covers Korean slang and helps students better understand Korean pop culture, and module four explores the complexities of Korean to further improve your speaking abilities.

If you need to learn Korean fast, the makers of 90 Day Korean say their course provides the quickest way to learn online.

Korean Class 101 helps students learn Korean using word lists, slideshows, and flashcards. Slowed-down audio allows students to catch every word in a lesson, and students can choose lessons based on their interests and goals.

Students who sign up for a premium subscription work with a Korean tutor who provides personalized feedback and customized learning options.

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