How to Start Learning Korean in 5 Weeks

You can learn Korean at home for free - the key is just knowing where to start! This free guide will set you up with a solid foundation in Korean in just 5 weeks. I'll break down the process week-by-week providing you with each weeks' study plan, goals, habit tracker, resources and worksheets. At the end you'll recieve a certificate of completion and some advice on where to go from here. Get started by downloading the free guide here - it is compatible on all devices. Feel free to use it digitally as it is fillable, or print and write on it if that's more your style! Keep reading for an overview of each week (and tips on the best ways to use guide!).

Week 1 - Basic Phrases

Feel free to follow along with the How to Start Learning Korean in 5 Weeks YouTube video above as you make your way through the guide!

The first week is all about getting familiar with the sounds of Korean. It's likely that the sounds of Korean are quite different to those of your native language, so spend this week getting used to hearing and saying them. This is the time to build your confidence in pronouncing essential Korean phrases.

This Week's Objectives & Resources:

Learn and master how to say a range of basic phrases including hello, thank you, goodbye, sorry.

Free Resources:

• Seemile Korean (YouTube Video)

Become familiar with the sounds of Korean.

Free Resources:

• OMG by NewJeans (YouTube Music Video)

• Blood Sweat and Tears by BTS (YouTube Music Video)

• As If It's Your Last by BLACKPINK (YouTube Music Video)

  
  
  
  

If you have a Netflix subscription, I recommend watching a K-drama! A few of my favourites are What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, True Beauty and Her Private Life.

Follow the study plan on page 6 of the free guide, which helps you navigate your way through these resources. If you prefer to make your own study plan, you can find blank planners on page 23.

Week 2 & 3 - Learn the Korean Alphabet (Hangul)

Learning a whole new alphabet can seem daunting, but as a native English speaker, I can promise you Hangul actually makes a lot more sense than the English alphabet! Where English has 26 letters, Hangul has even less with 24. Learning Hangul is the key to being able to achieve Korean proficiency. So please, do not use romanisation! While it may seem tempting, romanisation will only act as a barrier between you and your Korean language goals. My advice? Start straight away with Hangul and skip romanisation all together.

For more information about King Sejong and the origins of Hangul, read this awesome article by the Korean Cultural Centre!

This Week's Objectives & Resources:

Learn how to read and write Hangul.

Free Resources:

• Learn Korean with KoreanClass101.com (YouTube Playlist)

• Tammy Korean (YouTube Video)

• Talk To Me In Korean (YouTube Video)

• Lingodeer's Hangul101 (Website Article)

Follow the study plans on page 8 & 9 of the free guide and complete the Hangul writing practice worksheets on pages 10-13. Don't forget to fill out the habit tracker on page 4 as you go.

Week 4 - Vocabulary

It's time to build your Korean vocabulary! Let's start with some important nouns and verbs.

This Week's Objectives & Resources:

Learn how to read and write Korean nouns.

Learn how to read and write Korean verbs.

Understand the meaning of a range of vocabulary.

Free Resources:

• The Asian Belle (YouTube Video)

• K-Quizzes (YouTube Video)

A great free study tool for learning and memorising vocabulary is Quizlet. On Quizlet you can make digital study cards, do a range of vocabulary learning activities, practice tests, games and more.

Follow the study plan on page 15 of the free guide and complete the vocabulary noun worksheet and verb worksheet on pages 16 and 17 respectively. If there are any words you don't know, use Naver Online Korean-English Dictionary to help you.

Week 5 - Grammar

Korean sentence structure looks a bit different to English sentence structure. While English follows a Subject - Verb - Object word order, Korean follows a Subject - Object - Verb word order. Start with the resources for Korean sentence structure then work your way through the following grammar points; to be/not to be (이다), to exist/not exist (있다/없다), to have/not to have (있다/없다) and Korean verb conjugation in the informal polite present tense (아/어요). These grammar points take time to master, so don't worry if you don't understand them all by the end of this week. Just have a look at each and try to familiarise yourself with them. With time and practice, they'll become easy. You've got this!

This Week's Objectives & Resources:

Understand Korean sentence structure.

Free Resources:

• Lingodeer (Website)

• Talk To Me In Korean (YouTube Video)

  
  

Be able to say to be/not to be (이다).

Free Resources

• Learn Korean with KoreanClass101.com (YouTube Video)

  
  
  
  

Be able to say something exists/doesn't exist (있다/없다).

Free Resources

• Learn Korean with KoreanClass101.com (YouTube Video)

Be able to say someone has/doesn't have something (있다/없다).

Free Resources

• Practice Korean with erica (YouTube Video)

  
  
  
  

Learn how to conjugate Korean verbs in the informal polite present tense (아/어요).

Free Resources:

• Talk To Me In Korean (YouTube Video)

• Hailey_Your Korean Friend (YouTube Video)

Follow the study plan on page 19 of the free guide and complete the grammar conjugation worksheet on page 20. If there are any words you don't know, use Naver Online Korean-English Dictionary to help you.

Where do I go from here?

축하합니다! Congratulations on completing the How to Start Learning Korean in 5 Weeks guide! Don't forget to enter your name into the certificate of completion on page 22 in the free guide. Although this is just the beginning of your journey, you have already overcome the hardest part: starting.

So, where do you go from here?

A great place to start is this free resource: One Week of Korean Language Challenges! This article plans out a beginner Korean activity for each day of the week.

Looking for the best language study tool as you start your Korean language journey? The Ultimate Language Student Digital Journal is an invaluable study tool that will be with you all the way from beginner to advanced. This 80-page fillable & printable journal, carefully created by a language teacher, has everything for your language studies from vocabulary logs, habit trackers, assessment trackers, spelling practice, writing prompts, study routine templates and countless more.

Maybe self-studying through online resources (like the ones on Rach Learns Korean!) is the best path for you. For others, it may be joining a Korean class, signing up for an online course or going to South Korea! No matter what your journey looks like, you can find information, resources, study tips, motivation and support at @rachlearnskorean on TikTok, Instagram or YouTube. Here's a video to get you started.

Conclusion

There are 4 main steps to master the foundations of Korean, which can be done in 5 weeks; learning basic phrases, learning the Korean alphabet (Hangul), learning a range of Korean nouns and verbs and finally the introduction to the essential grammar points. After completing these steps, it is important to consider what the next step is for you in your Korean language journey.

Which steps did you find the easiest? Which ones were the most difficult for you? Let me know in the comments so I can make the best resources for you <3

Happy studying!