With the rise of Korean culture into the Western mainstream, people are wanting to expand their language barriers more than ever. Whether it's Korean food, music, shows, or skincare that sparked your desire to learn, don't feel too daunted by the prospect of a new language. Sejong the Great made Korean to be as logical as possible!
There are so many options when it comes to language learning books, so we've compiled a list of the 10 best ones we found. Everyone learns differently, so make sure you check out our buying guide for tips on choosing the right books for you. The best book we found was Talk To Me In Korean; this series has everything that a beginning language learner needs. Plus, the lessons are accessible in several formats, like Spotify and YouTube. Check out the rest of our list for more awesome options!
Quick List - Top Books To Learn Korean
George Trombley, Reed Bullen, Sunhee Bong
A Book With a Vocabulary-Focused Approach
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Table of Contents
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So you want to learn Korean, but it can be tricky to sort through all of the language books available. We’re here to help you find the best match for you. After all, everybody learns in different ways!
Think about why you want to learn Korean. Your goals will dictate what kind of resources you should look into. For example, if you want to learn business Korean, the vocabulary and sentence structures will be entirely different from conversational Korean.
In most cases, we suggest going with standard Korean language books. However, if you have specific goals within business, industry, religion, or media, standard Korean will not be as specific to your needs.
Many textbooks will have some vocabulary lists and grammar practice. However, if you learn best through practice, you may want books that provide more practice tests and quizzes.
Consider is whether the book is example-heavy or more technical. If you are new to Korean, examples tend to be better for overall comprehension and even cultural understanding. Examples can be illustrations or different fill-in-the-blank sentences.
If you are considering visiting or working in Korea, you should look for a book with cultural explanations. Culture is a big part of learning a language, and you need to know what is and isn't appropriate!
Many textbook companies now include supplemental materials, like workbooks, audiobooks, or video explanations. Consider how you learn best to help you decide what supplemental materials to look for. Some learning styles are visual, auditory, verbal, social, and solitary.
If you prefer visual instruction, you’ll do best with picture examples and lots of writing practice. When looking for a textbook, make sure there’s an abundance of photos and illustrations as well as any possible supplementary workbooks.
Some people learn best from listening. Certain textbooks come with heavy auditory features, like podcasts, conversation examples, CDs, or audiobooks.
A benefit of auditory lessons is that you can play parts of the lesson as many times as you need. If it’s included with your textbook, then it will always be available for you to refresh your memory!
Verbal learners tend to learn best by talking things out. If you’re someone who needs to discuss various aspects of a subject, look for textbooks that provide an online community of tutors or forums. Access to a Korean-learning community can definitely make a difference in your language progress, especially if you are self-learning.
If you learn best through collaboration and groups, then a helpful tactic may be to join Korean learning groups or gather friends to learn alongside you. Some textbooks offer an online learning community or speaking partners! You can also opt to create your own community.
Between speaking, grammar, listening, reading, and writing, language learning can become daunting. It may help to consider which part of the language you are strongest and weakest at. Try buying books specific to your needs and mastering one concept at a time.
Some textbook apps or companies may have tutors or programs for grading your speaking assignments. If you need tangible progress and feedback, this is a great feature to look for.
If grammar is especially difficult for you, try looking for books that are example-heavy. There are entire books dedicated to grammar as well, which are great if you need extra support.
Books with supplementary podcasts or CDs will allow you to practice your listening comprehension. If you have trouble with discerning words audibly, then listening practice will be especially important. This listening practice also tends to be spoken more slowly and concisely to increase comprehension.
Some books have passages and short stories for you to practice their reading. Reading comprehension is a great way to test your reading ability. While it is relatively easy to learn how to read Korea, testing comprehension is important for developing your ability to understand context.
Since language books often come in levels, the book's passages are already curated to your ability and should not go beyond what you can comprehend. If you find the content too easy or difficult, try a different level.
Long response questions are important for developing writing skills. When you have more freedom in what to write, your language ability truly shines through. If you like to write, a book with open-ended questions and intensive vocabulary lists will be important for developing that part of your language journey.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Talk To Me In Korean Talk To Me In Korean Level 1 | ![]() | An Essential Guide for Korean Self-Learners | |
2 | George Trombley, Reed Bullen, Sunhee Bong Korean From Zero! 1 | ![]() | A Book With a Vocabulary-Focused Approach | |
3 | Billy Go Korean Made Simple | ![]() | A Comprehensive Guide With Cultural Tidbits | |
4 | Lingo Mastery 2000 Most Common Korean Words in Context | ![]() | A Reference Book to Target Vocabulary | |
5 | Fandom Media Let's Speak Korean! | ![]() | A Beginner-Friendly Guide to Speaking | |
6 | Tuttle Publishing Korean Stories For Language Learners | ![]() | Folktales For Intermediate Learners | |
7 | University of Hawaii Press Integrated Korean: Beginning 2, 2nd Edition | ![]() | A College Textbook Approach to Learning | |
8 | Henry J. Amen IV, Kyubyong Park Korean For Beginners | ![]() | An Educational Tool With a Humorous Approach | |
9 | Tuttle Publishing Let's Learn Korean Kit | ![]() | A Visual-Based Kit For Learning Korean | |
10 | Big Hit Entertainment Learn! Korean with BTS Book Package | ![]() | BTS' Comprehensive Guide to Korean |
This series is regarded as the best Korean language learning series available. Level one focuses on conversation and speech. The book comes with review questions and exercises to maximize self-testing. They also have a Discord group, where you can find study buddies, ask questions, or talk about anything Korean!
There is supplementary audio to help with listening fluency and a downloadable workbook to help with writing. There are culture tips and recipes scattered throughout the books, creating a holistic guide to Korean. There are nine levels, and they also have a BTS-themed language book!
Many reviewers suggest learning Hangul first to make the content even more digestible. Overall, however, users enjoy the plethora of grammar examples. They especially like the clear explanations and the way that each lesson builds off of each other.
With over 600 vocabulary words and expressions, this book provides a tangible guide to the Korean language. The complementary workbook acts as a guide to obtaining full reading and writing proficiency.
This book provides a lot of example sentences and is chock-full of reading comprehension sections. It's ideal if you want to get a solid foundation of the language down and aren't worried about being able to speak as soon as possible. This book is in a series of three levels.
Users point out that the book itself has a lot of small errors and typos. On the other side, many readers love how beginner-friendly it is, unlike other texts that require some level of prior knowledge. They like using it in conjunction with other study tools.
This book takes a holistic approach to language learning. The lessons include cultural tidbits that help cultivate fluency and cultural understanding. There's plenty of vocab and practice sections, too. While this book is designed for newer Korean learners, there are notes for more advanced speakers. There is also audio to assist with listening practice.
Some reviewers note that this book is not for absolute beginners and want more lessons about the casual form. Overall, many users love the cultural insight. They also appreciate how this book breaks down the language through its easy-to-follow format and clear explanations!
Want a simple way to increase your fluency? Study the most common 2,000 words with this book! Do not mistake this book for a dictionary, however! It is geared towards Korean learners, providing example sentences and supplementary language tips.
This book makes an active effort to make you aware of the meanings of words in different contexts and the varying ways to use phrases.
Reviewers note that it's not for absolute beginners, and some wish it were a flashcard set instead of a book. However, many reviewers feel it's a good way to become fairly fluent, especially with the help of other texts. Users especially love the simple structure and sample sentences.
This book is specifically designed to train users' ears and tongues to the dips of the Korean language. This book focuses on casual speech and includes supplementary audio. It's divided into different topics and situations, such as "At School." Each chapter comes with romanization and grammar guide marks to assist with pronunciation.
Some users say this book helps with improving speaking quickly, but it's not as useful for understanding the language. Many users, however, love the romanization in the text and feel it does a great job of familiarizing new learners with the language.
Folktales are an integral part of Korean ideas and mannerisms. This book takes these historical stories and turns them into an inventive way to learn the language! It includes Korean and English versions of each story, which is a great way to compare the translations line by line. The book also comes with an audio disk.
Users note that this book is for people who already have an understanding of basic grammar structures. However, many love the uniqueness of this method and the way the stories progress from easy to hard.
This book takes college textbook lessons directly from the University of Hawaii, utilizing a more classic mode of learning. This series focuses more seriously on grammar and holistic language acquisition.
Just like when you study at school, each lesson includes model dialogues, narration, vocabulary, culture, grammar, usage, and English translation. There is an answer key available online to help ensure you're on the right path!
Some users complain about the disorganized structure and inaccuracy of the digital option. But, many users enjoy the structured college course approach and found it best when learning with someone else.
This book focuses on teaching in a lighthearted manner to take the anxiety out of language learning. The authors made this text to prepare people for visiting Korea, so there's a focus on building a solid knowledge base. There is a CD to help you with comprehension and mirroring, too.
Some users note that the CD doesn't work for them, and the text is not enough to be a sole resource for new learners. However, most users say the humor allows them to relax into their learning. They also like the helpful cultural tidbits and grammar explanations; the grammar points are broken down into more accessible language.
This kit uses images and visual tools to help you learn Korean. While this book is geared towards younger audiences, it's an excellent choice for visual learners! It comes with flashcards, an audio CD, games, songs, a learning guide, and a wall chart.
These methods are actually classic ways that parents in Korea use to teach their children how to speak. However, some reviewers had issues using the CD. A few others found a few grammatical errors in this kit.
However, reviewers note that this is a great starter kit for both children and adults. Many feel that they progressed super quickly thanks to this kit and appreciate the accessibility of the flashcards; some even take a few with them when they go out.
This book uses a storybook-like approach. It follows a fan, Bora, around as she explores Korea for the first time. The package comes with a speaking pen for pronunciation practice and Korean keyboard sheets to improve typing fluency. There are four books that start with basic Korean and progress to more advanced levels.
Many reviewers happily state that not only is this package colorful and exciting to learn from, but the wealth of supplementary tools makes it a complete Korean resource.
Want to learn some other languages too? Take a look are our favorite apps that can help you improve your skills even more!
No. 1: Talk To Me In Korean|Talk To Me In Korean Level 1
No. 2: George Trombley, Reed Bullen, Sunhee Bong|Korean From Zero! 1
No. 3: Billy Go|Korean Made Simple
No. 4: Lingo Mastery|2000 Most Common Korean Words in Context
No. 5: Fandom Media|Let's Speak Korean!
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