So, You Want to Learn Korean?

Welcome to the club! With the global rise of K-pop, captivating K-dramas, and delicious Korean food, more people than ever are diving into this beautiful and logical language.

But as a beginner, the path forward can seem foggy.

Where do you even begin?

Forget the overwhelm.

We've created a simple, actionable 30-day roadmap to take you from a complete novice to a confident beginner who can read, write, and form basic sentences.

Let’s get started!

Week 1: Master the Alphabet (한글 - Hangul)

Your first and most important mission is to learn Hangul.

Many beginners see the characters and assume it's as complex as Chinese or Japanese, but that's a common misconception.

Hangul is a true alphabet, created with a brilliant, scientific design that makes it incredibly easy to learn.

  • Days 1-2: Learn the 10 Basic Vowels. Focus on ㅏ, ㅓ, ㅗ, ㅜ, ㅡ, ㅣ, ㅐ, ㅔ, ㅚ, ㅟ.

Practice their sounds and how to write them.

  • Days 3-4: Learn the 14 Basic Consonants. Tackle ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅅ, ㅇ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅎ.

Many consonants' shapes are based on the shape your mouth makes when you pronounce them!

  • Days 5-7: Learn Syllable Blocks & Double Consonants. Now, combine them! Korean is written in syllable blocks.

Practice combining a consonant and a vowel (e.g., ㄱ + ㅏ = 가, pronounced 'ga').

Pro-Tip: Don't just stare at a chart.

To fast-track your memorization, upload a list of Hangul characters and their romanized sounds into StudyArcade.

The app will generate matching games and flashcard-style quizzes, making the learning process active and way more effective.

Week 2: Your First 50 Words & Basic Sentence Structure

With the alphabet under your belt, you can now start reading and learning vocabulary!

  • Focus on High-Frequency Words: Start with essential words you'll use daily.

  • Greetings: 안녕하세요 (Hello), 감사합니다 (Thank you), 네 (Yes), 아니요 (No).

  • People: 저 (I, formal), 사람 (person), 친구 (friend).

  • Common Nouns: 집 (house), 학교 (school), 물 (water).

  • Basic Verbs: 가다 (to go), 먹다 (to eat), 하다 (to do).

  • Understand Sentence Structure (SOV): Unlike English (Subject-Verb-Object), Korean follows a Subject-Object-Verb structure.

  • English: I eat bread.

  • Korean: 저는 빵을 먹어요. (I bread eat.)

Getting used to this will be your biggest challenge this week.

Practice by creating simple three-word sentences with your new vocabulary.

Week 3: Essential Grammar Particles

Particles are small markers attached to nouns that tell you their function in a sentence (e.g., who is the subject).

They are a core part of Korean grammar.

  • Topic Marker (은/는): Used to mark the topic of the sentence. 은 is used after a consonant, and 는 is used after a vowel. (e.g., 저는 학생입니다 - As for me, I am a student.)
  • Subject Marker (이/가): Used to mark the subject of the sentence. 이 is used after a consonant, and 가 is used after a vowel. (e.g., 학교가 커요 - The school is big.)

Learning when to use 은/는 versus 이/가 can be tricky.

Create example sentences in your notes and use StudyArcade to turn those notes into fill-in-the-blank games.

This interactive practice will help solidify the rules much faster than just reading them.

Week 4: Putting It All Together

It's time to connect the dots!

  • Practice Reading: Find simple Korean texts.

Children's stories or beginner-friendly webtoons are perfect for this.

Try to read them out loud to practice pronunciation.

  • Practice Listening: Listen to how native speakers use the words and grammar you've learned.

Watch short clips from K-dramas (with subtitles) or listen to beginner-level podcasts.

  • Speak! Don't be shy.

Say your practice sentences out loud.

The muscle memory from speaking is crucial for building fluency.

By the end of this week, you'll have a solid foundation.

You've learned the alphabet, core vocabulary, basic sentence structure, and essential grammar.

You're no longer at zero—you're officially on your Korean learning journey!

Ready to make studying fun? Download StudyArcade on the App Store and turn your notes into games.