안녕하세요! Nice to meet you!
You're fine on your own, too.
From Hangeul to speaking like a native
A free 1-year Korean course with four kind teachers. Learn 82 lessons in 21 languages, covering the history of Hangeul, the letters, pronunciation, beginner, intermediate and advanced grammar, and everyday conversation.
What is OpenHangul?
OpenHangul is a free lesson site made so that foreigners can learn Korean on their own. The lessons are organized into 6 levels with 82 lessons and a 1-year (52-week) plan, and pronunciation follows the Standard Pronunciation rules of the National Institute of Korean Language. We also guide you, level by level, to free textbooks from public institutions such as the National Institute of Korean Language and the King Sejong Institute.
Lessons by level
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The Story of Hangul
Why King Sejong created Hangul, how its letters were designed, and how it became the alphabet of Korea today.
Hangul First Steps
Read and write every Korean letter, build syllable blocks, and pronounce words the way Koreans really say them.
Beginner Korean
Greetings, numbers, polite present/past/future, particles and the everyday phrases you need to live and travel in Korea.
Intermediate Korean
Connect ideas with reasons, conditions and contrasts, describe things with modifiers, and master the honorific system.
Advanced Korean
Written and formal style, news language, Sino-Korean roots, proverbs and four-character idioms, subtle sentence endings.
Speak Like a Native
Reactions, casual speech, texting, slang abbreviations, sound-symbolic words and the social rules behind how Koreans talk.
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Meet the teachers
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Ms. Hana Age 34
Hangeul letters & pronunciation
“It's okay to take it slow. Learning just one letter today is plenty.”
Mr. Gaon Age 37
Grammar, vocabulary & TOPIK
“This part is easy to mix up. Shall we put the two sentences side by side and compare them?”
Professor Hangyeol Age 65
The history, culture and advanced expressions of Hangeul
“Long ago, King Sejong wished that every one of his people could learn easily. You can surely do it too.”
Narae Age 16
Everyday conversation & today's Korean
“I got confused in just the same way when I learned English! Let's practice together.”
1-year course at a glance
Weekly plan →- Month 1Learning the Hangeul letters
- Month 2Batchim and pronunciation
- Month 3First conversations
- Month 4Numbers, time & places
- Month 5Living in Korea
- Month 6Wrapping up beginner
- Month 7Reasons and conditions
- Month 8Intention and conjecture
- Month 9Honorifics and wrapping up intermediate
- Month 10Korean in writing and the news
- Month 11Proverbs and subtle endings
- Month 12Like a native speaker
Beauty and Warmth of Korea
A language holds the heart of its country. As you learn Korean, meet in photos the scenery and the warmth of the people you will encounter.
Free textbooks made by the government, too
Free textbooks and dictionaries released by public institutions, such as the NIKL Korean Teaching and Learning Center, Nuri-Sejong Institute, Study Korean, Korean for Everyone and EPS-TOPIK materials, organized by level.
Go to the free resource libraryFrequently asked questions
Is it really free?
Yes. All lessons, quizzes and the letter chart are free to use without signing up. The site's running costs are covered by ads.
Can I start without knowing any Hangeul?
Yes. Level 1, "First Steps in Hangeul," starts with vowels and consonants for people who know no letters at all. Every lesson has romanization and audio for pronunciation.
How is the 1-year course organized?
We spread the 82 lessons of the 6 levels over 52 weeks. With 1-2 lessons a week and 20-30 minutes a day, you can keep up, and the last week of months 3, 6, 9 and 12 is a review week.
In how many languages can I view it?
Korean and English, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino, Indonesian, Malay, Hindi, Bengali, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Russian and Turkish: 21 languages in all.
What is the pronunciation standard?
We follow the Standard Pronunciation rules of the National Institute of Korean Language (Seoul standard), and for words whose spelling and sound differ we also give the [actual pronunciation]. Romanization is shown automatically using the Revised Romanization of Korean.
Can I prepare for the TOPIK exam too?
The beginner course covers grammar and vocabulary at the level of TOPIK I (Levels 1-2), intermediate covers TOPIK II Levels 3-4, and advanced covers Levels 5-6. Check exam dates and registration on the official TOPIK website (www.topik.go.kr).
Are the teachers real people?
No. Hana, Gaon, Hangyeol and Narae are fictional characters created to help you learn, and their pictures were made with AI. The lesson content is written on the basis of standard grammar and pronunciation rules.