*Updated May 20, 2021

As K-pop and other aspects of the Korean culture attracts more attention throughout the globe, the country’s unique and original language Korean is becoming more popular. 

Created in 1446 by King Sejong, the most beloved King in the Korean history, Hangul, the Korean alphabet, was designed specifically for then a highly illiterate population to give them the power of literacy.

But, not only is Hangul the easiest language to learn in the world, it is also the world’s largest language isolate, meaning it’s not influenced by any other countries’ alphabet systems. On top of its simplicity and originality, Hangul is also systematic and scientific for you can produce almost limitless number of characters by combining its 14 consonants and 10 vowels.

Whether you’re mesmerized by its linguistic uniqueness or simply hoping to sing along to one of BTS’ songs, there are many excellent online courses that you can take from the comfort of your home. 

Here is our handpicked list of free and affordable online courses on Korean that can get you speaking, listening, writing and reading Korean in just a few hours.

Korean Language Introductory Courses

1. First Step Korean

Offered by Yonsei University, one of the top colleges in South Korea, this course is designed for absolute beginners. This course consists of 5 lessons, covering skills like reading, writing, listening and speaking. Through different types of quizzes and role-plays, this course will prepare you for everyday conversations in Korean. 

• College credits: NO — Course Certificate only
• Price: FREE to audit, but there’s a fee to earn and buy a Course Certificate
• Financial aid or scholarships: YES
• Mobile learning: YES
• Self-paced learning: YES
• Flexible deadlines: YES
• Time needed for completion: Approximately 12 hours (5 weeks with 1-3 hours per week suggested)
• Languages: English with subtitles in English, French, Chinese (Simplified), Portuguese, Vietnamese, Russian, and Spanish 
• Vendor: Coursera

Note: Prices for all courses listed in this article are true on the date of publishing, but are subject to change.

2. Learn to Speak Korean 1

Also offered by Yonsei University, this course is designed for beginners, though previous familiarity with Hangul, the Korean alphabet, is preferred. Consisting of 6 lessons, this course covers vocabulary, grammar and conversational expressions through video clips, quizzes, and a workbook. Other than the recorded materials, lecture notes, workbooks and vocab lists, which come with English, Chinese and Japanese translations, are also provided. 

• College credits: NO — Course Certificate only
• Price: FREE to audit, but there’s a fee to earn and buy a Course Certificate
• Financial aid or scholarships: YES
• Mobile learning: YES
• Self-paced learning: YES
• Flexible deadlines: YES
• Time needed for completion: Approximately 14 hours (6 weeks with 2-4 hours per week suggested)
• Languages: English with subtitles in English, Chinese (Simplified), Vietnamese, Russian, Spanish, Hindi, and Japanese 
• Vendor: Coursera

3. Core Korean 1: Build Up Korean Foundations through Practice

One of the bestselling courses on Udemy, this language course has a success motto — learn less, practice more. Instead of bombarding a beginner with too many words, which won’t come into any use unless he knows how to use them fluently, the course teaches how to form fluent sentences with only a few selected words. Then, after each lecture, you will practice what you have learned with a Korean native instructor. If you’re happy with the instructors, you can take more advanced courses taught by them (see below). 

• College credits: NO — Certificate of Completion only 
• Price: $26.99 on sale ($129.99 regular price)
• Financial aid or scholarships: NO
• Mobile learning: YES
• Self-paced learning: YES
• Flexible deadlines: YES
• Time needed for completion: Approximately 11 hours 
• Languages: English with subtitles in English 
• Vendor: Udemy

4. Learn Korean for Beginners: The Ultimate 100-Lesson Course

Designed for beginners, this course guides you step by step through all the essential skills for learning the language, such as reading and writing. You will have access to 100 high-quality tutorial videos, lesson transcripts and vocabulary lists. Before the end of the course, you will learn how to write and pronounce Hangul and talk with natives. 

• College credits: NO — Certificate of Completion only 
• Price: $12.99 on sale ($29.99 regular price)
• Financial aid or scholarships: NO
• Mobile learning: YES
• Self-paced learning: YES
• Flexible deadlines: YES
• Time needed for completion: Approximately 5 hours, 30 minutes 
• Languages: English with subtitles in English 
• Vendor: Udemy

5. Learn Korean! Start Speaking Korean Now!

If you don’t learn well with books, this course is for you. Using sound and images, this course helps you better memorize vocabulary and sentence structures. Even if you don’t know how to read Hangul, this course focuses on helping you speak right away. Note that this course doesn’t cover any Hangul or writing in Korean. 

• College credits: NO — Certificate of Completion only 
• Price: $13.99 on sale ($74.99 regular price)
• Financial aid or scholarships: NO
• Mobile learning: YES
• Self-paced learning: YES
• Flexible deadlines: YES
• Time needed for completion: Approximately 5 hours
• Languages: English with subtitles in English 
• Vendor: Udemy

6. Read and Write Hangul: The Korean Alphabet

Focused on reading and writing Hangul, this course teaches absolute beginners how to write and pronounce the Korean alphabet. The course first starts with covering a brief history of Hangul and the basic structure of the language. Then, you will learn how to properly write and form full sentences. Finished in an hour, this course will allow you to test for yourself the widely known fact about Hangul that anyone could learn to read and write the alphabet system in a few hours. 

• College credits: NO — Certificate of Completion only 
• Price: $10.99 on sale ($19.99 regular price)
• Financial aid or scholarships: NO
• Mobile learning: YES
• Self-paced learning: YES
• Flexible deadlines: YES
• Time needed for completion: Approximately 43 minutes
• Languages: English with subtitles in English 
• Vendor: Udemy

7. Learn Korean Writing – Hana Hana Hangul

Focused solely on writing Hangul, this course guides you step by step through simple tasks, such as showing you the correct stroke order, helpful tricks for memorization and proper usage in common Korean words. Also finished in less than two hours, this course not only shows you the brevity of the time needed to read and write Hangul, but also is perfect for busy students. 

• College credits: NO — Certificate of Completion only 
• Price: $10.99 on sale ($19.99 regular price)
• Financial aid or scholarships: NO
• Mobile learning: YES
• Self-paced learning: YES
• Flexible deadlines: YES
• Time needed for completion: Approximately 1 hour, 30 minutes 
• Languages: English with subtitles in English
• Vendor: Udemy

8. Introduction to Korean

Offered by Hanyang University, South Korea, this course teaches not only on the Korean language, but its rich culture. You will learn how to write, speak and read Korean and go through activities related to Korean culture. Before the end of the course, you will be able to initiate and join in a casual conversation in Korean. The course is particularly useful for students interested in studying abroad in Korea. 

• College credits: NO — Certificate of Achievement only 
• Price: FREE — $79 for unlimited access to this course and a Certificate of Achievement, or $279.99 per year for unlimited access to all FutureLearn courses for a year and a Certificate of Achievement 
• Financial aid or scholarships: NO
• Mobile learning: YES
• Self-paced learning: YES
• Flexible deadlines: YES
• Time needed for completion: Approximately 18 hours (6 weeks of study with 3 hours per week suggested)
• Languages: English 
• Vendor: FutureLearn

Korean Language Intermediate Courses

9. Core Korean 2: Reinforce Your Korean Language Foundation

Focused on proper grammar and sentence structures, this course builds on the first course —  Core Korean 1: Build Up Korean Foundations through Practice — and teaches how to make use of the words you memorized for actual conversations. You will go through practice activities to understand and be able to speak grammatically correct sentences on your own. Note that this course is for students who are already familiar with the language and want more advanced lessons on Korean grammar and sentence structures. 

• College credits: NO — Certificate of Completion only 
• Price: $13.99 on sale ($129.99 regular price)
• Financial aid or scholarships: NO
• Mobile learning: YES
• Self-paced learning: YES
• Flexible deadlines: YES
• Time needed for completion: Approximately 18 hours, 30 minutes 
• Languages: English with subtitles in English
• Vendor: Udemy 

10. Introduction to Korean 2

Also offered by Hanyang University, South Korea, this course teaches on not only the language, but also the culture. You will learn how to not only use common expressions, but also structure sentences on your own. The course is particularly useful for students interested in studying abroad in Korea. Note that this course is a subsequent course to Introduction to Korean and requires previous knowledge of the language. 

• College credits: NO — Certificate of Achievement only 
• Price: FREE — $79 for unlimited access to this course and a Certificate of Achievement, or $279.99 per year for unlimited access to all FutureLearn courses for a year and a Certificate of Achievement
• Financial aid or scholarships: NO
• Mobile learning: YES
• Self-paced learning: YES
• Flexible deadlines: YES
• Time needed for completion: Approximately 18 hours (6 weeks of study with 3 hours per week suggested)
• Languages: English 
• Vendor: FutureLearn

Korean Language Advanced Courses

11. Core Korean 3: Advance to Intermediate Level

If you’re looking for more advanced level courses, this course is right for you. Similar to its pre-required courses, Core Korean 1 and Core Korean 2, this course teaches you how to make the best use of vocabulary by first mastering how to structure sentences on your own. Note that this course requires students to either take the first two courses first or be able to read Hangul to some degree. 

• College credits: NO — Certificate of Completion only 
• Price: $12.99 on sale ($109.99 regular price)
• Financial aid or scholarships: NO
• Mobile learning: YES
• Self-paced learning: YES
• Flexible deadlines: YES
• Time needed for completion: Approximately 16 hours 
• Languages: English with subtitles in English 
• Vendor: Udemy 

12. Core Korean 4: Complete Your Korean Language Foundation

Completing the four-part course series, this final course is for students who like to go extra. Built on top of concepts from previous courses, this course will cover advanced levels of grammar and sentence structure. Therefore, students are required, or at least highly recommended, to take the first three courses beforehand. 

• College credits: NO — Certificate of Completion only 
• Price: $12.99 on sale ($109.99 regular price)
• Financial aid or scholarships: NO
• Mobile learning: YES
• Self-paced learning: YES
• Flexible deadlines: YES
• Time needed for completion: Approximately 17 hours 
• Languages: English with subtitles in English 
• Vendor: Udemy

Korean Language Exam TOPIK Courses

13. TOPIK I – Complete Preparation Course

This course prepares you for TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean), an official exam often used for university admission and monitored by the Korean government. You will be guided step by step through the test format, question patterns and the basic skills in reading and writing required to score high on the exam. You will also have access to study materials, such as previous exams and lists of grammar and vocabulary. Note that this course is more focused on getting prepared for the test than learning the language in general.

• College credits: NO — Certificate of Completion only 
• Price: $29.99
• Financial aid or scholarships: NO
• Mobile learning: YES
• Self-paced learning: YES
• Flexible deadlines: YES
• Time needed for completion: Approximately 4 hours 
• Languages: English with subtitles in English 
• Vendor: Udemy 

14. Korean Grammar Crash Course (TOPIK Level 1&2)

Focused on the most important grammar concepts tested on TOPIK, this course offers a compact overview of grammar concepts, such as verb endings and connectors. Consisted of more than 50 tutorial videos, the course offers a detailed overview of each concept, followed by many example sentences in Korean and English. Note that this course is more focused on getting prepared for the test than learning the language in general.

• College credits: NO — Certificate of Completion only 
• Price: $19.99
• Financial aid or scholarships: NO
• Mobile learning: YES
• Self-paced learning: YES
• Flexible deadlines: YES
• Time needed for completion: Approximately 1 hour, 30 minutes 
• Languages: English with subtitles in English 
• Vendor: Udemy 

For more online courses, check TUN’s list of curated classes, or use the online classes search engine to find the best online courses in any subject.