Start Here: Learn Korean & Explore Korea

Learn Korean you can use, and understand the everyday culture around it. All about Korea brings together beginner grammar, listening and speaking practice, and practical guides to life in Korea. Use this page to choose your next step instead of searching through posts by date.

Choose where to begin

I am new to Korean: start with lesson 1 below and work through the grammar lessons in order. You will see Korean examples with English explanations.
I want to speak more: choose a listening and speaking chapter, listen first, and then repeat a short section aloud.
I am visiting or living in Korea: use the everyday-life reading list below for situations such as buying a transport card, visiting a home, and ordering a meal.

Beginner Korean grammar: lessons 1–50

Here, N means a noun, such as 학생 (student) or 책 (book). You do not need to know every word before starting. Read each example aloud, complete the practice, and check the explanation of the answer. These lessons focus on short sentences you can adapt to your own situation.

1: N이에요/예요 — Introduce yourself and identify things.
2: N(이/가) 아니에요 — Say what something is not.
3: N (은/는) — Introduce a topic and make a simple contrast.
4: N이/가 — Identify who or what does something.
5: N도 — Say “also” or “too”.
6: N의 — Talk about whose thing it is.
7: N에 있어요/없어요 — Say where someone or something is.
8: N을/를 — Mark the object of an action.
9: N에 — Talk about a destination or a time.
10: N에서 — Say where an action happens.
11: A/V-지 않아요 — Make polite negative sentences.
12: N하고 N — Connect nouns with “and” or “with”.
13: A/V-(으)세요 — Ask or speak respectfully about someone.
14: V-고 싶어요 — Express what you want to do.
15: A/V-아/어 주세요 — Ask someone to do something for you.
16: N 개, 잔, 명, 분, 그릇, 인분 — Count objects, drinks, people, bowls, and servings.
17: V-(으)세요 — Give polite instructions and invitations.
18: N에게, N에 — Mark a recipient or destination.
19: N에 (시간) — Say when an event happens.
20: 몇 N — Ask about numbers and quantities.
21: N에 (단위/당) — Express a rate, frequency, or price per unit.
22: O시 O분 — Tell exact clock time using two number systems.
23: N부터 N까지, N에서 N까지 — Give a time or place range from start to finish.
24: V-고 있다 — Describe an action in progress.
25: A/V-아서/어서 — Connect a cause and result or related actions.
26: A/V-지만 — Contrast two facts or actions.
27: A/V-(으)ㄴ데/(으)는데 — Provide background or introduce a contrast.
28: A/V-(으)면 — Express an if/when condition.
29: A/V-(으)니까 — Give a reason for advice, requests, or suggestions.
30: V-고 — Connect two actions with “and”.
31: A/V-았/었어요 — Express a past action or state.
32: A/V-(으)ㄹ 거예요 — Express a future plan or prediction.
33: V-(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다 — Say what someone can or cannot do.
34: A-아지다/어지다 — Describe a change of state.
35: V-고 싶다 — Extend want-to expressions across tense and person.
36: V-(으)려고 해요 — Express an intention or plan.
37: V-(으)ㄴ 후에 — Say what happens after an action.
38: V-기 전에 — Say what happens before an action.
39: Regular conjugation 1. ㄹ elision — Learn when stem-final ㄹ disappears.
40: Regular conjugation 2. ㅡ elision — Learn how stem-final ㅡ changes before 아/어요.
41: Korean Irregular Conjugation 1: ㅂ — Learn the ㅂ irregular pattern and its exceptions.
42: Korean Irregular Conjugation 2: ㄷ — Learn when ㄷ changes to ㄹ.
43: Korean Irregular Conjugation 3: 르 — Practice forms such as 몰라요 and 불러요.
44: Korean Irregular Conjugation 4: ㅅ — Learn when final ㅅ disappears.
45: Korean Irregular Conjugation 5: ㅎ — Practice color and descriptive ㅎ forms.
46: Korean Pronunciation Rule 1: Liaison (연음) — Connect a final consonant to the following vowel.
47: Korean Pronunciation Rule 2: Tensification (경음화) — Recognize tense sounds in common words.
48: Korean Pronunciation Rule 3: Aspiration (격음화) — Learn how ㅎ creates aspirated sounds.
49: Korean Pronunciation Rule 4: Consonant Assimilation (자음동화) — Hear how neighboring consonants influence each other.
50: Korean Pronunciation Rule 5: Palatalization (구개음화) — Practice ㄷ/ㅌ changes before 이.

A 15-minute study routine

5 minutes: read one grammar explanation and its examples. Identify the noun and the ending or particle.
5 minutes: answer the practice questions before looking at the answers. Explain one choice aloud.
5 minutes: make three sentences of your own. Say them without reading, then change one word and say them again.

If Hangul is still unfamiliar, work on recognizing the letters alongside these lessons. Do not judge your speaking only by how quickly you can read. A short sentence you understand and can use is a useful first step.

Listening and speaking: chapters 1–12

These chapter pages collect the listening and speaking resources for Learn Korean by Speaking 1. If you use the book, open the chapter you are studying. If you are browsing independently, begin with Chapter 1 and use the instructions on each page.

Listen once for the situation. On the next listen, pause after a short phrase and repeat it. Finally, change a name, place, or item to make the phrase your own. Revisit a short section until you can say it comfortably.

Everyday Korea: read, understand, and try a phrase

Buying and using a Tmoney card — prepare for public transport and practice asking for a recharge.
Taking off your shoes indoors — understand the entrance area and ask what to do.
Responding to “Have you eaten?” — distinguish a friendly check-in from a meal invitation.
Age, relationships, and polite speech — begin a conversation without guessing how casually to speak.
Using a convenience store — ask about promotions, seating, and heating food.
Understanding food delivery — distinguish 배달, 포장, and 택배 and confirm where to collect an order.

Try one phrase from a guide in a short practice conversation. The culture articles describe common situations, while individual homes, businesses, and relationships can differ. Ask the person involved when the situation is unclear.

Keep exploring

Korean food · Korean music · Movies and dramas · Books from Majungmul Press

For word meanings and pronunciation, the National Institute of Korean Language’s Korean Basic Dictionary provides learner-oriented definitions and Korean–foreign language dictionaries. Use it to look up one unfamiliar word, then return to the sentence where you found it.