🇰🇷Free learning path

The Korean Learning Path

A clear, free roadmap from your first Hangul syllable to confident fluency. Each stage tells you exactly what to study, gives you a free lesson and download, and points you to the Korean book that covers it where one exists, with romanization on every Korean word.

Start at A1 Grammar course · 8 units Reader's Room

The ladder:A1A2B1B2C1–C2

Step by step

Five stages, in order.

Don't know where you are? Start at A1 and move up only when each stage feels easy. Skipping ahead is the most common reason learners stall.

01A1

Absolute beginner

Learn to read Hangul, build your first polite sentences, and survive a first conversation.

≈ 6–10 weeks

By the end you can

Read any Hangul syllable block without romanization
Introduce yourself with the polite -요 (-yo) ending
Mark subjects and topics with 이/가 (i/ga) and 은/는 (eun/neun)
Order food and ask prices with 주세요 (juseyo) and 얼마예요? (eolmayeyo?)

What to study

Hangul: syllable blocks, batchim, and the first sound changes
Subject-object-verb word order and the particle system
The polite present tense -아요/어요 (-ayo/eoyo)
The two number systems and when each is used

Free for this stage

은/는 vs 이/가: Topic and Subject Particles, F…Language Learning Roadmap: A1 to B2

Full course for this stage

Korean Grammar Unlocked: Volume 1

Details

02A2

Advanced beginner

Talk about the past and future, count anything with counters, and stop translating word-for-word.

≈ 8–12 weeks

By the end you can

Tell a simple story in the past tense -았어요/었어요 (-asseoyo/eosseoyo)
Talk about plans with -(으)ㄹ 거예요 (-(eu)l geoyeyo)
Count objects with native numbers and counters like 개 (gae)
Hold short everyday conversations without freezing

What to study

Past tense: forming -았어요/었어요 correctly
Future and intention with -(으)ㄹ 거예요
Counters and the native number system in real use
Negation with 안 (an) and 못 (mot)

Free for this stage

은/는 vs 이/가: Topic and Subject Particles, F…Korean Honorifics for Beginners: When to U…Language Learning Roadmap: A1 to B2

Full course for this stage

Korean Grammar Unlocked: Volume 2

Details

03B1

Intermediate

Move past survival Korean into linked sentences, honorifics in real use, and natural flow.

≈ 3–5 months

By the end you can

Link ideas with -고 (-go), -아서/어서 (-aseo/eoseo), and -지만 (-jiman)
Use honorific verbs like 드시다 (deusida) with older speakers
Choose between 이/가 and 은/는 by feel in context
Follow most everyday spoken and written Korean

What to study

Connectors that turn short sentences into natural speech
The honorific system: verb forms and address
Topic vs subject particles in extended discourse
Nominalization with -는 것 (-neun geot)

Free for this stage

Korean Honorifics for Beginners: When to U…Language Learning Roadmap: A1 to B2

Full course for this stage

Korean Grammar Unlocked: Volume 2

Details

04B2

Upper intermediate

Leave textbook Korean behind: control speech levels, reported speech, and longer-form expression.

≈ 4–6 months

By the end you can

Report what others said with -다고 하다 (-dago hada)
Switch between 해요체 (haeyoche) and 합니다체 (hamnidache) on purpose
Argue a point and structure an extended explanation
Read articles and follow dramas without subtitles

What to study

Reported and indirect speech
Formal and written styles: 합니다체 (hamnidache)
Advanced connectors and nuance particles
Sophisticated tense and aspect choices in writing

Free for this stage

Language Learning Roadmap: A1 to B2

05C1–C2

Advanced

Refine and master: nuance, idiom, and the grammar that separates fluent from near-native.

Ongoing

By the end you can

Express fine shades of meaning and emotion
Use Sino-Korean vocabulary to unlock formal and academic registers
Understand idiom, regional variation, and cultural reference
Write and speak with deliberate, native-like style

What to study

Sino-Korean word building from hanja roots
Idiomatic and figurative language
Stylistic precision across speech levels
Polishing accuracy under real-time pressure

Free for this stage

Language Learning Roadmap: A1 to B2

Pocket reference

Korean you can use today.

No download, no sign-up. These are the building blocks you'll reach for from your very first conversation. Bookmark this page and come back to it.

Greetings & politeness

The phrases that open (and smooth) every interaction. Korean has two goodbyes; pick by who is leaving.

안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo)Hellopolite, all-purpose

감사합니다 (gamsahamnida)Thank you

죄송합니다 (joesonghamnida)I'm sorry

실례합니다 (sillyehamnida)Excuse me

네 (ne) · 아니요 (aniyo)Yes · No

잠시만요 (jamsimanyo)Just a moment

안녕히 가세요 (annyeonghi gaseyo)Goodbyesaid to the person leaving

안녕히 계세요 (annyeonghi gyeseyo)Goodbyesaid when you are the one leaving

Numbers: the two systems

Korean runs two number systems side by side. Sino-Korean handles dates, money, and minutes; native Korean handles ages, hours, and counting objects.

Sino 1–5일 (il) · 이 (i) · 삼 (sam) · 사 (sa) · 오 (o)

Sino 6–10육 (yuk) · 칠 (chil) · 팔 (pal) · 구 (gu) · 십 (sip)

Native 1–5하나 (hana) · 둘 (dul) · 셋 (set) · 넷 (net) · 다섯 (daseot)

Native 6–10여섯 (yeoseot) · 일곱 (ilgop) · 여덟 (yeodeol) · 아홉 (ahop) · 열 (yeol)

Sino is fordates, money, phone numbers, minutes

Native is forages, hours, and counting things with counters

Days & months

Days end in 요일 (yoil). Months are Sino-Korean numbers plus 월 (wol), with two spelling exceptions.

Days (Mon–Wed)월요일 (woryoil) · 화요일 (hwayoil) · 수요일 (suyoil)

Days (Thu–Sun)목요일 (mogyoil) · 금요일 (geumyoil) · 토요일 (toyoil) · 일요일 (iryoil)

Months1월 (irwol) · 2월 (iwol) · 3월 (samwol) … 12월 (sibiwol)number + 월

The two exceptionsJune is 유월 (yuwol) and October is 시월 (siwol)the number's final consonant drops

20 verbs you'll use daily

Learn these dictionary forms first. Korean verbs always end in -다 (-da); the endings you attach do the grammar.

이다 (ida) · 있다 (itda)to be · to exist / have

하다 (hada) · 되다 (doeda)to do · to become

가다 (gada) · 오다 (oda)to go · to come

먹다 (meokda) · 마시다 (masida)to eat · to drink

보다 (boda) · 듣다 (deutda) · 자다 (jada)to see/watch · to listen · to sleep

말하다 (malhada) · 알다 (alda) · 모르다 (moreuda)to speak · to know · to not know

주다 (juda) · 사다 (sada) · 만나다 (mannada)to give · to buy · to meet

좋아하다 (joahada) · 배우다 (baeuda) · 살다 (salda)to like · to learn · to live

Question words

The eight words that turn a statement into a question.

누구 (nugu)?Who?

뭐 (mwo)?What?무엇 (mueot) in formal style

언제 (eonje)?When?

어디 (eodi)?Where?

왜 (wae)?Why?

어떻게 (eotteoke)?How?

얼마나 (eolmana)?How much / many?

어느 (eoneu)?Which?

Survival phrases

Seven sentences that get you through a trip even before you've finished A1.

… 주세요 (juseyo)Please give me…

화장실이 어디예요? (hwajangsiri eodiyeyo?)Where is the bathroom?

얼마예요? (eolmayeyo?)How much is it?

모르겠어요 (moreugesseoyo)I don't know / I'm not sure

영어 하세요? (yeongeo haseyo?)Do you speak English?

천천히 말해 주세요 (cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo)Please speak slowly

계산서 주세요 (gyesanseo juseyo)The bill, please

Exclusive bonus material

The Reader's Room: Korean

Bonus material that goes deeper than the free lessons: quick references, the mistakes that trip up English speakers, a pronunciation cheat sheet, and a 90-day plan that ties the whole path together. Open to everyone for now.

Open access, for now

The two verbs everything depends on

이다 (ida, to be) and 있다 (itda, to exist or have) power identity, location, and possession. Memorise these polite forms cold before anything else.

학생이에요 (haksaengieyo)I am a student이에요 after a consonant

의사예요 (uisayeyo)I am a doctor예요 after a vowel

집에 있어요 (jibe isseoyo)I am at home

시간이 있어요 (sigani isseoyo)I have time

시간이 없어요 (sigani eopseoyo)I have no time없다 (eopda) is the negative of 있다

있었어요 (isseosseoyo)there was / I hadpast tense

12 mistakes English speakers make in Korean

Most early errors come from applying English word order or English sound habits. Catch these now and you'll sound a level higher immediately.

Putting the verb in the middle: Korean sentences end with the verb, always.
Skipping particles: 이/가 (i/ga), 은/는 (eun/neun), and 을/를 (eul/reul) carry the grammar English does with word order.
Translating 'you' directly: Korean mostly drops it and uses a name or title instead of 너 (neo) or 당신 (dangsin).
Using casual 반말 (banmal) with strangers: default to the polite -요 (-yo) ending until invited otherwise.
Reading romanization like English: eo is the u in up, and eu is an oo said with flat, spread lips.
Mixing the number systems: age takes native numbers, money and minutes take Sino-Korean.
Counting without counters: two apples is 사과 두 개 (sagwa du gae), with the counter 개.
Forgetting honorific verbs: with older people, 먹다 (meokda) becomes 드시다 (deusida).
Answering negative questions the English way: 네 (ne) agrees with the question, so 네 to 안 가요? (an gayo?) means you are indeed not going.
Ignoring batchim sound changes: 합니다 is pronounced hamnida, with an m.
Confusing 이다 (ida) and 있다 (itda): identity takes 이다, existence and possession take 있다.
Adding English-style stress: Korean syllables stay even, and the melody comes from the sentence, never the word.

Pronunciation quick-start

Hangul tells you almost exactly how a word sounds. The traps for English speakers are two unfamiliar vowels, the unreleased finals, and the three-way consonant contrast.

Korean pronunciation is regular once you can produce ㅓ and ㅡ and stop releasing final consonants. There is no stress accent; keep every syllable at the same weight.

ㅓ (eo)u as in up서울 (Seoul, seoul) starts with this sound

ㅡ (eu)flat-lipped “oo”spread your lips wide and say oo

batchim (final consonant)unreleased stop밥 (bap) ends with closed lips, no puff of air

ㄹ (r/l)tap r between vowels, l at the end사랑 (sarang) vs 물 (mul)

ㅂ · ㅍ · ㅃ familiesplain · aspirated · tensethree versions of each stop; aspiration does the work English voicing does

no stress accenteven syllablessentence intonation carries the melody, never word stress

Your first 90 days

A realistic plan that ties the free lessons, downloads, and books together. 20–30 minutes a day beats a weekend cram.

Days 1 to 10: Hangul. Learn the blocks, the batchim, and the first sound changes. Read everything out loud.
Days 11 to 30: Word order and the particles 이/가 (i/ga), 은/는 (eun/neun), 을/를 (eul/reul). Build 5 sentences a day. Start Korean Grammar Unlocked: Volume 1 (A1 to A2).
Days 31 to 55: The polite present tense -아요/어요 (-ayo/eoyo) and the two number systems. Read the free particles lesson.
Days 56 to 75: Past tense -았어요/었어요 (-asseoyo/eosseoyo) and counters. Narrate your day in the past every evening.
Days 76 to 90: Honorifics basics and the connectors -고 (-go) and -아서/어서 (-aseo/eoseo). Move into Korean Grammar Unlocked: Volume 2 (A2 to B1).

Free audio companion

Korean audio is on the roadmap

There is no Korean audio companion yet, and this page only links audio that actually exists. Until it lands, the free downloads and the Korean Study Desk lessons are the best way to keep moving.

Korean lessons on the Study Desk Free downloads

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Go deeper

The path is free. The books are the full course.

Every stage above maps to a Vega book with sequenced chapters, guided practice, and answer keys. Read a free sample before you decide.

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