Top 12 Best Online Korean Courses
Recreating an authentic immersive Korean experience using online tools is entirely possible in today's high-tech era—if you know where to look. Depending on ... read more...your language level and the type of experience you seek, online programs can make a significant difference in your journey to learn Korean. So, without further ado, here are the best online Korean courses that will have you speaking like a native in no time!
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Enroll here:You can find several Korean courses on Udemy by searching for "Korean," and one in particular is worth considering. Korean Foundations ("Learn Korean! Start Speaking Korean Now!"), which is currently available for $74.99, has one lofty goal: to help you learn Korean without actually studying it. This online Korean course covers the basics of Korean communication and will have you conversant in no time if you don't like studying with books and prefer (virtual) human interaction. This clever video series guides you through the Korean language step by step, using mnemonic images and useful tips.
This solid introduction to Korean for beginners, comprised of 63 mini-lectures spread across five hours of video content, explains the structure of a Korean sentence, goes over basic pronunciation, essential words and expressions, as well as some cultural insights to build familiarity and comfort with the Korean language. Check out Udemy's other Korean learning options as well! Some are free, while others require payment. Whatever you're looking for in a course, you're sure to find something that interests you!
- Pros:
- Learn at your own pace
- Very beginner-friendly
- Choose to learn what you want
- Cons:
- Courses tend to be brief
- Limited scope of content
Best for: Quick and easy learning
Price: 12,99 $US
Certificate available: Yes
Rating: 4.8/5.0
Enroll here: udemy.com/course/learn-korean-speak-korean/
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Yonsei University, one of South Korea's most prestigious universities, offers a beginner's course in Korean on the ever-expanding Coursera platform. If you enjoy learning with an instructor and a class simulation, this course may be for you! The course is divided into five lessons and four units that cover fundamental concepts in reading, writing, speaking, and listening, as well as additional exercises to supplement your learning. You'll begin with the fundamentals of the Korean alphabet before progressing to basic Korean knowledge such as talking about the date and time, as well as everyday topics.
Overall, it is estimated that completing the entire course will take approximately 18 hours, depending on your work and study pace. Another advantage of the Coursera course is the availability of a forum where you can interact with fellow learners and moderators, allowing you to ask questions, get clarification, and practice certain concepts. You can also get a certificate of completion for $49, which would look great on your resume. This course is extremely popular, with thousands of students and hundreds of positive reviews, so don't wait too long to enroll if you're interested!
- Pros:
- Highly structured lesson plans
- Forum for questions and interaction
- Cons:
- Currently tailored to beginners only
- Somewhat brief and lacking in grammar teaching
Best for: Beginner-level education
Price: Free or $49 with a certificate
Certificate available: Yes (paid)Rating: 4.7/5.0
Enroll here: coursera.org/learn/learn-korean
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The King Sejong Institute is a well-known and well-respected institution that offers resources for learning Korean language and culture to anyone who is interested. While it is best known for its live classes held at its many centers, its online classes have recently gained popularity among international students. You have several options for online learning. You can enroll in an e-class hosted by the institute or its affiliates, apply for a time-limited course (and wait for approval), or self-study using the institute's many online resources. Beginner to advanced classes are available. Much of the information will be drawn from the King Sejong Institute's own textbooks. The length of the various classes varies, but the majority will last several weeks.
The institute offers Korean culture classes in addition to language classes. Topics include everyone's favorite K-pop music, the inner workings of Korean beauty products, taekwondo, and others. These will undoubtedly be enjoyable and flavorful additions to your language studies! The institute has traditionally held in-person classes in various locations, but it has recently gained popularity as an online learning resource. It’s possible that some free and some paid courses are available for learners—though you might need to reach out to the institute to get more specific information.
- Pros:
- Course variety
- Platform provides supplemental learning materials
- Cons:
- Some courses are not always available
- Website is somewhat hard to navigate
- Not much information about online courses
Best for: Accessible, global learning
Price: Free
Certificate available: YesRating: 4.5/5.0
Enroll here: iksi.or.kr/lms/main/main.do
- Pros:
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Hills Learning is a recognized Asian language center that provides online instruction. Despite being virtual, the system functions exactly like a real class. You'll be taught by a dedicated Korean teacher, and your classmates will join you in your studies. If you learn best in a classroom setting, this could be the course for you! Korean language classes are available at various levels, from beginner to advanced. Each class lasts eight weeks and consists of 90 minutes of instruction per week. The school intends to use Korean for approximately 90% of each lesson, which will keep you on your toes.
Knowing you have supportive classmates and a dedicated teacher can make a significant difference in your motivation to learn. Despite the fact that everything is virtual, Hills Learning's system strives to make the experience as close to an in-person classroom as possible. Classes are offered on a "semester" basis per month, so sign up as soon as possible.
- Pros:
- Provides a classroom-like experience
- Dedicated instructor
- Opportunities for getting feedback and assessments
- Cons:
- Limited spots
- Class schedule may not work for you
Best for: A classroom-like experience
Price: $335 to $379
Certificate available: NoRating: 4.5/5.0
Enroll here: hillslearning.com/classes/korean-lessons-online
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Loecsen offers a good introduction to the Korean language and helps you learn all the essential words and sentences right away, making it ideal if you're preparing for a trip or simply want to cover the basics quickly. What's not to like about a free site that uses Korean multimedia tools to help you memorize? By matching words with their Korean writing, drawings, and audio, Loecsen helps you quickly learn new words (and how to pronounce them correctly!) by using effective word association techniques.
There are 17 lesson themes ranging from common expressions, feelings, bar orders, and taxi driver directions to medical terms and getting in trouble. The site lists and explains useful words and everyday Korean expressions in English, Hangul, and Romanized Korean characters. The site also allows you to quiz yourself, so after your initial session, print out the list of words, review them in your spare time, and return to the site to test yourself! If you want to access new expressions without an internet connection, you can use the app to download the files directly to your phone.
- Pros:
- Great for learning essential travel words and phrases
- Synonyms provided for vocabulary
- Cons:
- Content is somewhat rote
- Korean language isn’t deeply analyzed
Best for: The traveler’s needs
Price: Free
Certificate available: NoRating: 4.5/5.0
Enroll here: loecsen.com/en/learn-korean
- Pros:
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Lexis Korea, a previous winner of educational achievement awards, now offers a virtual version of its on-campus Korean language course. These virtual classes, known as Untact courses, aim to help overseas learners quickly progress in the language. There are three Untact courses available right now: Untact Korean 25, Untact Korean 15, and Untact Weekend Korean. Untact Korean 25 is a full-time course in which students are expected to revise material between classes and complete homework.
Untact Korean 15 is a part-time but still intensive language course. It aims to improve your speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills quickly. While you must commit to four weeks of learning, you can choose which weeks you attend. Each week, courses are divided into themes, and you can choose which one to attend based on the topic being covered. Finally, Untact Weekend is a slower-paced, once-weekly version of the teachings for students who have a busy schedule. Each month has a different theme. The school is accommodating to students with varying time commitments, so if you're short on time but eager to learn Korean, give these courses a shot!
- Pros:
- Can join on any given week
- Caters to different time commitments
- Cons:
- Somewhat pricey
- Unenforced schedule
Best for: Weekly, thematic learning
Price: Roughly $52 to $174 weekly
Certificate available: YesRating: 4.5/5.0
Enroll here: lexiskorea.com
- Pros:
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Pimsleur is a popular language learning program. It adheres to its own tried-and-true learning method (created by Dr. Paul Pimsleur), which emphasizes spaced repetition and recall of information. Pimsleur levels include 30 30-minute Korean lessons that emphasize vocabulary, listening, and speaking skills. You'll learn the fundamentals of conversation and gain confidence in navigating everyday situations where speaking is expected. Pimsleur's Korean edition also includes an hour-long reading lesson that introduces you to the Korean alphabet.
Because they are all in audio format, you can easily put on your headphones and begin learning whenever and wherever you want. When what you're listening to is relentlessly repeated until it's drilled into your brain, it won't be easy to zone out. Pimsleur employs additional techniques to ensure that you are paying attention. These include mental imagery and nudges to have you repeat what you hear. There will also be times when you will be asked to recall words on the spot. Naturally, this can be difficult, but it does train your brain to be alert and responsive to your lessons. There are currently three levels of Pimsleur Korean courses available for purchase. Each one builds on the previous one, so if you're a beginner, it's best to go through them in order.
- Pros:
- Portable lessons
- Focus on pronunciation, core vocabulary and common conversation
- Use of an effective, consistent learning method
- Cons:
- No writing and few reading lessons
- Somewhat pricey
Best for: Audio-based learning
Price: $119.95 and up per course, monthly subscription also available
Certificate available: NoRating: 4.0/5.0
Enroll here: pimsleur.com/learn-korean/all-products
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This website has a strong curriculum and offers a variety of multimedia content for purchase to help you with your Korean learning experience. The site expertly covers all the essentials, from must-know words and idioms to simple grammar structures and essential phrases you'd hear (and use!) every day, divided into nine levels of 30 lessons each.
Each lesson is organized by topic and follows a step-by-step format, and it consists of an mp3 file or downloadable podcasts, as well as free supporting PDFs and practice exercises if you want to buy their textbooks. Talk to Me in Korean also sells nine different video courses on Vimeo, which you can buy individually or in bulk for $19.99 per program if your goal is to achieve conversational fluency.
- Pros:
- Extra lessons beyond the standard curriculum
- Supplemental study resources provided
- Cons:
- Basic plan lacks some of the more helpful content
Best for: Best value
Price: Free basic plan, $12.99 monthly plan, $93 yearly plan
Certificate available: YesRating: 4.0/5.0
Enroll here: talktomeinkorean.com
- Pros:
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FluentU teaches Korean through the use of media created by and for native speakers. This website and app converts authentic Korean clips such as commercials, cartoons, and music videos into language lessons. FluentU's videos help you improve your Korean listening and reading skills by including interactive subtitles that allow you to click on any unfamiliar word to get a definition, pronunciation audio, and example sentences. The video dictionary in the program will also show you a list of other videos that contain the word.
FluentU's personalized quizzes assess your understanding of terms from videos or your own custom vocabulary lists. Spaced repetition is used in the quizzes to adapt to your learning progress and determine which questions to ask next. The quizzes in the app also include speaking questions that use your device's speech recognition feature to allow you to practice your pronunciation.- Pros:
- Available as both a web-based course and an app (iOS and Android)
- Utilizes a variety of real Korean media, with many engaging topics and entertaining formats
- Uses mainstream content, making the material modern and applicable to everyday life
- Provides language learning tools to help you follow along with authentic videos and remember the vocabulary and
- phrases you learn from them
- Cons:
- No certificate currently available
- Expensive
Best for: Immersive, on-the-go-learning
Price: Free trial; paid subscriptions available
Certificate available: NoRating: 3.8/5.0
Enroll here: fluentu.com/korean/
- Pros:
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The Cyber University of Korea provides an informative course that teaches the fundamentals of Korean. Quick Korean has no strings attached—just sign up with your email address and you'll have free access to the entire course. The material is divided into four levels of difficulty. Level one teaches the fundamentals of communication. The higher levels build on that foundation, so by level four, you should be able to speak freely on a wide range of topics.
The Cyber University of Korea provides lecture videos in Korean with optional subtitles, so you can gain an advantage by practicing without looking at translations!Because much of the content is based on communication and is provided in a lecture style, learners tend to get a lot of pronunciation and listening practice with Quick Korean. These are valuable aspects of language learning, and since it won’t cost a thing, it’s worth a try!- Pros:
- Completely free, no strings attached
- Multi-language support
- Focuses on strengthening communication skills
- Cons:
- Supplemental self-study probably needed
- Somewhat lacking in grammar and vocabulary content
Best for: Listening practice
Price: Free
Certificate available: YesRating: 3.0/5.0
Enroll here: ctm.uca.edu.au/ordained-ministry/quick-korean/
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This online Korean course, offered by Hanyang University of International Education, is designed for beginners who want a solid foundation in the Korean language. It's hosted on the website Go! Go! Hanguk, which promotes international Korean language learning. The lessons (available in VOD format) are based on the institution's own elementary Korean textbook, and students are expected to be familiar with the Korean alphabet prior to signing up.
In addition to vocabulary and expressions, the Korean course emphasizes grammar so that you can break down and use correct sentence structure in your speech. Along the way, you can ask your instructor questions and interact with other students in the online community. The entire course lasts ten weeks, with lessons divided into five units. You can also choose to sign up for just the first three weeks. After that, you can decide whether you want to continue your education for the remaining seven weeks. On the FutureLearn website, Hanyang University also offers additional courses. They currently offer two introductory Korean classes, as well as a few others that focus on Korean culture.- Pros:
- Plenty of focus on grammar
- Ability to choose a shorter term
- Cons:
- Currently only for beginners
Best for: Intensive beginner lessons
Price: $240 for three weeks, $700 for 10 weeks
Certificate available: YesRating: N/A
Enroll here: gogohanguk.com/en/online-courses/online/online-hanyang-korean-course/
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Non-natives who want to do professional or licensed business in Korea must take the TOPIK test. It is given at various fluency levels and consists of reading, writing, and listening comprehension sections. TOPIK Guide provides one-on-one, session-based lessons tailored to your needs to make future test-takers feel less intimidated.
An instructor will create a custom curriculum for you based on your fluency level and what you want to learn or review. Your lessons, which will be taught in either English or simple Korean, will take place on a schedule that is determined by your availability via Skype or Google Hangouts. TOPIK Guide's tutoring system allows for a lot of customization, so it's definitely worth a shot if you're determined to take the test!
TOPIK Guide also includes a wealth of TOPIK-related study material, such as previous test iterations and quick guidelines for specific sections. They even have a self-study digital package for $29 or $78 that is a great supplemental study resource if you plan on taking the test soon.
- Pros:
- Private lessons at your convenience
- Choose what to learn
- Customized to individual learners
- Cons:
- Implies commitment to taking the TOPIK test (rather than just learning the language)
Best for: TOPIC-specific Private Lessons
Price: $19 per session
Certificate available: NoRating: N/A
Enroll here: topikguide.com/online-topik-classes-from-topik-guide/
- Pros: