The Ultimate Beginner's Resource Thread

Updated July 23, 2020

New to learning Korean? Recently started, but need some more resources? This list is for you. All of these resources are geared toward beginning level learners. All recommendations in this thread have been selected based on reviews and suggestions by active subreddit members (intermediate level and above). The goal of the list is to curate the best, most accurate, organized, and clear resources for beginners, and as such does not contain every single resource for learning Korean. If you'd like to make a suggestion for a resource that has been recommended in this subreddit, please send me a PM.

"I'm brand new. Where do I start?"

First learn Hangul (the Korean alphabet), and avoid using "romanization" (reading/writing Korean with the English alphabet). Most books and online courses in this list also include Hangul lessons. Here and here are two examples.

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"I've learned 한글 already. I want some free online lessons."

Talk To Me In Korean Largest, most popular site for all levels

How to Study Korean Blog style, detailed lessons by a non-native

First Step Korean Yonsei University's full online curriculum

King Sejong Institute Various online courses taught in Korean

Sogang Korean Program Sogang University's online curriculum - outdated and requires IE with Compatibility View

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"I want free video courses."

Talk To Me In Korean Most popular Korean language videos

GO! Billy Korean Non-native Korean teacher

seemile Korean Classroom style lessons

Prof. Yoon's Korean Language Class Lessons follow the 'Integrated Korean' book series

Quick Korean Lessons taught completely in Korean

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"I want a textbook or written materials."

Korean Grammar in Use Popular detailed textbook for beginning grammar

Korean Made Simple Self-study Korean textbook by GO! Billy Korean

Sogang Korean Sogang University's textbook series

Basic Korean: A Grammar and Workbook Workbook focusing on basic grammar and vocabulary

Integrated Korean Popular textbook series for in-class usage

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"I want an online dictionary."

Naver Dictionary Has nearly everything, including example sentences and pronunciation

Daum Dictionary Slightly less information than Naver dictionary, but easier to use

National Institute of Korean Language Popular alternative, built for Korean language learners

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"I want some more study tools (apps, programs, tutors, other sites, etc.).

Anki Free program (paid on iOS) for making and reviewing flashcards

Memrise Site for making, reviewing, and sharing flash card decks

Italki Web site for finding online paid tutors

Study TOPIK Prepare for the TOPIK exam with previous years' tests

Some popular free chatting programs/sites for meeting and practicing with native Koreans are HelloTalk, Tandem, Interpals, and Conversation Exchange.

Also check out our subreddit's community Wiki page for more info and resources.