Korean Keyboard: Learn how to type on your phone, tablet, & computer

You may know how to type using an English keyboard, but learning the Korean keyboard is one of the best things you can do to learn the language. It’s also a lot of fun!

Once you achieve mastery in the art of typing in Korean, you can chat with friends online, send Korean letters through email, comment on websites, look up words in the dictionary, search Naver (a must-have app for anyone living in Korea) — and the list goes on!

We’ll show you everything you need to know about Korean typing.

Do you want a downloadable guide? We have a free PDF resource for you here:

5 Steps on how to use a Korean keyboard

Today we will progress through five steps in our journey toward becoming masters of typing on the Korean keyboard. If you haven’t yet learned the Korean letters, we recommend you do so before learning the skill of typing Korean.

It’ll be easier to type using a computer keyboard or online keyboard in the Korean language if you know the basic letter combination of the Korean alphabet. It’s fast and easy, so there is no reason not to start!

Let’s do this…

Step 1: Choosing the Korean Keyboard layout

The first step in our journey is to learn the keyboard layout. The creators were also masters of the mind and liked to keep things simple.

There are two widely known Korean keyboard layouts, known as 2-set and 3-set, respectively. Although there are other Korean keyboard layouts, these are the best known, and even then, the 2-set Korean keyboard layout is the most widely used by Korean speakers, so we’ll be focusing on that keyboard layout.

So now we can install the 2-set Korean keyboard layout on your computer. It’s available on both Windows and Mac, and we’ll go over how to install it. Before that, we’ll need to decide on the keyboard format you want to use.

Choose the Korean Keyboard that Works for You

Before you install the Korean keyboard software on your computer (or at least before you start typing confidently), you’ll need to decide.

Most English speakers probably didn’t buy their computers in Korea, so chances are the Korean characters are not written on the keyboard.

But not to worry. Practice helps, and soon, you’ll have a feel for where the keys are located on the keyboard. You’ll be able to type without looking in no time!

But in the beginning, it helps to have some assistance. It’s like training wheels on a bicycle — you can build up your confidence and get used to things, and then when you’re ready, take them off!

A few methods we’ve found helpful are using the following:

1) Keyboard stickers (Matte | Matte Vinyl | Transparent)

2) Keyboard cover (Macbookpro 2016-2019 |  Macbook Air 2018)

3) Korean keyboard (Mac | Windows)

4) Memorize the keys (mnemonic)

If you want, you can make your own stickers to stick on your keyboard, or you can purchase stickers from places like Amazon. 

Depending on your computer, you could also opt for a Korean keyboard cover (like this one from Amazon). This makes it much easier to switch back and forth when you’re not practicing Korean. Just make sure you find one that matches your computer keyboard.

When going the memorization route, we recommend a mnemonic! More on that technique later.

Regardless of how you choose to start (using stickers, a keyboard cover, or just memorizing the keyboard layout by heart), we’ll need to install the keyboard.

Installing the Korean Keyboard on your Computer

To get started, you’ll need to install the Korean keyboard on your computer.

If you’re on a Mac, follow these instructions:

1. System Settings

2. Keyboard → Text input → Input Sources

3. + → Korean → 2-Set Korean

For Windows, follow these instructions:

1. Control Panel

2. Change the keyboard or other input methods

3. Change keyboards

4. Add → Korean (Korea) → Microsoft IME

If the above methods don’t work for you, let us know in the comments below, and we’ll do our best to help!

Once the keyboard software is installed, you can use the built-in shortcuts for Windows or Mac to switch to the Korean keyboard.

Now that we have all the proper tools in place let’s learn the Korean keyboard layout.

Step 2: Learning the 2-Set Korean Keyboard Layout

With the 2-set Korean Keyboard installed, let’s orient ourselves with the letters. On the left are the consonants. Notice how all of the aspirated consonants are on the bottom row!

Conveniently, all the vowels are on the right! See them here in blue:But where are the missing vowels and the double consonants, you may ask? You’ve just got to believe, young one, and they will appear (or — just hold shift)! See what happens when you hold down the shift key. Cool! New characters! To make the rest of the vowel combinations, we will need to be creators. We have the building blocks, and we will need to construct them.

And to type Korean vowel letters on a Korean keyboard, we need to be familiar with the Korean alphabet. 

In the 90 Day Korean Inner Circle, there is a detailed lesson on Character Fundamentals. For now, just know that a vowel always follows a consonant in any syllable!

In need of a visual? Take a look for yourself. So, to create a syllable with a Korean keyboard, we need to type a minimum of two characters —  a consonant and then a vowel. That’s easy, right? Black plus blue. This creates a complete “letter” in Korean. Again, it’ll be easier to type Korean letters once you know the Korean alphabet. 

Becoming a good builder on a Korean keyboard is easy because the keyboard software does a lot of the work for us! It knows the character fundamentals shown above, so it ends syllables when they are complete and starts new syllables automatically.

Your job is just to type the characters in the correct order!

When the software is still “building” the character, you’ll see a line underneath.

Let’s say you want to write the word 주세요, a polite request meaning “please give.”

Here is what you would see on the screen while typing: See the black line underneath the characters? It shifts to the right as each syllable is completed. This indicates we are working on that syllable!

Never worry if what you see on the screen is not what you intended. As you can see above, when you continue typing, the software creates the correct syllables once the next character is added. It’s a big help!

Just remember to hold shift first to find the double consonants and two of the vowel combinations. To create the other vowel combinations, we just need to build them!

Here is where prior knowledge of the Korean alphabet comes in handy! Our Inner Circle lesson on Character Combinations goes into detail, but here’s the gist of it below. Type the vowel combinations in the same order to create them on your screen!

Just remember the placeholder. It’s your job to type it in; the keyboard doesn’t do that for you!

Got the basics of the keyboard letters down?

Let’s move on to the next Step and memorize the keyboard!

Step 3: Memorize the Korean Keyboard Layout

Even if you’ve elected to use a Keyboard with Korean characters on it (or stickers), you’ll be served immensely in your typing ventures by committing the layout to memory.

To do this, we recommend using mnemonics. These are associations using stories or images that you can use to remember.

Allow us to tell you a story.

The Pear Ninja Min Soo

There once was a boy named Min Soo who aspired to be a Pear Ninja!

Pear Ninjas were the highest-ranking ninjas in the ancient culinary arts.

His master, Yoo Jin, told him that in order to be a Pear Ninja, one had to complete three trials.

The first was a bungee jump. He encouraged Min Soo in this first trial:

Bungee Jump, Don’t Get Scared!

Yoo Jin was actually afraid of heights, so he had Min Soo wear an Action Camera to make sure he did it. He was scared, but Min Soo made the jump!

Then he was told by Yoo Jin that male Pear Ninjas had to have long hair:

Male Ninjas, Only Long Hair

Trial number two took him a whole year to complete.

After growing his hair, Min Soo was ready for trial number three. Yoo Jin told him:

Use Karate To Chop Pears

After years of practice, he was finally able to Chop Pears, and using his feet even!

He achieved his dream and became a Pear Ninja, preparing delicious pears from the shadows and living happily ever after.

Now, that’s a silly story, but it can help us to remember the placement of the consonants on the Korean keyboard!

In the story, there were three trials. Let’s put them together, shall we? Look at that; they rhyme!

The first letter of each word corresponds with the sound of the Korean character (except the O, which represents the placeholder character)!

Work your way from left to right! The first line of the rhyme corresponds with the top row of consonants on the keyboard. The second line corresponds with the second row of consonants, and the third line, the bottom row (see diagram below).

For the third line of the rhyme, the U is in brackets because it is actually to the right. On the keyboard, start on the fifth key over, then back to the first key to continue the rhyme. The fifth key is the vowel ㅠ, so it sounds like the letter U!

But if it’s easier, just remember the rhyme as follows and start on the left:

See the diagram below for simplification — just follow along with the rhyme and look at the numbers. Try to recall the association with just the letters.

1. B (ㅂ) 2. J (ㅈ) 3. D (ㄷ) 4. G (ㄱ) 5. S (ㅅ)

1. M (ㅁ) 2. N (ㄴ) 3. O (ㅇ) 4. L (ㄹ) 5. H (ㅎ)

1. U (ㅠ)  2. K (ㅋ) 3. T (ㅌ) 4. C (ㅊ) 5. P (ㅍ)

For the vowels, their placement on the keyboard is logical and thus easy to remember:The red lines indicate pairings. Notice how the vowels ㅛ⬌ㅗ,ㅕ⬌, ㅓand ㅑ⬌ㅏ are vertically paired while ㅠ ⬌ ㅜ  are paired horizontally.

Also, notice how the horizontal-based characters are on the left and bottom, while the vertical-based characters are on the right.

Picking up these patterns can help you locate the characters with precision and decrease your reliance on constantly looking at the keyboard for the next character. The best part of associations like this is that they’re highly customizable.

If you don’t like ours, you can create your own that’s easier to remember, so you’ll be typing Korean like a pro!

Step 4: Start Typing in Korean

Now that we’ve got the basics covered, it’s time to start typing!

A stepping stone to using this keyboard is to first get in some practice, and an online keyboard is a great way to do that.

This is especially valuable if you will be typing on a computer without the Korean characters written on it.

This option helps you get a feel for the layout of a standard Korean keyboard.

Here are some online keyboards we’ve found helpful, but feel free to use anyone that you wish.

We recommend numbers 1-3 because their layout is very similar to an actual Korean keyboard, so typing on them is much more realistic. Try them out for yourself!

Korean Online Keyboard # 1

Korean Online Keyboard # 2

Korean Online Keyboard # 3

Korean Online Keyboard # 4

Korean Online Keyboard # 5

Once you’ve got a feel for how things work, try some practice typing exercises. Type the keys written below the word, and it will automatically be created.

Korean Typing Practice

When you have your Korean keyboard set up on your device, you may start to type Korean letters on your computer keyboard. However, it may get challenging if you’re using an English computer keyboard. Using an online keyboard or virtual Korean keyboard may also pose the same challenge.

Take a look at the image in this section and observe the corresponding English letter of the Korean letters on an English computer keyboard. You may practice your Korean typing on your computer by familiarizing yourself with which Korean letters correspond to the English letters found on your computer keyboard.

That may help you improve your speed in typing words on the different types of Korean keyboards, such as an online keyboard or virtual keyboard.

Step 5: Practice Your Korean Typing

We’re down to the last step. At this point, you already know all the basics you need to help you type on a Korean keyboard. You have a Korean keyboard installed on your device with your preferred Korean keyboard layout.

You also know the fundamentals of typing Korean letters on your computer keyboard.

You can now practice typing the Korean words you learned on your computer keyboard.

The last step is simply to get lots of Korean keyboard practice. This is the real fun part!

Korean Keyboard with English

When you’re about to practice typing or writing Korean using a Korean keyboard, it’ll be a bit challenging as you won’t be able to type as fast as you normally do in English.

One thing you might want to consider is having a Korean keyboard with English letters. This will help you type quicker and switch from the English to the Korean keyboard more easily. This is possible as a Korean keyboard with English letters has a key in the computer keyboard that you need to click to do the switch for you.

Korean Keyboard Stickers

Another helpful way to practice typing or writing Korean on a Korean keyboard, especially an online Korean keyboard, is to use Korean keyboard stickers. If you don’t want to buy a separate computer keyboard for Korean, then using Korean keyboard stickers will be a good alternative for you. It’s cheaper than having a separate Korean keyboard with English letters.

How to Type in Korean

Learning how to type in Korean can come easy when you already know the Korean alphabet. Here’s a video you can watch to help you learn how to type in Korean on your phone, tablet, and computer.

Why Learn Korean Typing?

The skill of typing Korean has double the benefit since most newer phones have the ability to install full Korean keyboards.

You’ll put these exact same skills into use when texting! You’ll even get to better understand and use Korean emoticons.

But perhaps one of the biggest benefits to learning how to type is that it is one of the best ways we know of to help you get better at Korean. It connects you virtually to the world of Korean speakers and at that point, your options are limitless! 

From solidifying the basics of fitting characters together to learning new slang phrases, texting and typing in Korean will be a linchpin in your journey toward Korean fluency.

Korean Keyboard Practice

Get used to typing with the Korean keyboard, and eventually, it will become second nature. Facebook, forums, websites, messengers — the internet is now yours to explore!

When you’ve got a good handle on this, you can graduate to Korean texting. This is an absolute must-know topic for anyone who wants a social life in Korea. Even if you can’t write full Korean sentences, try simple greetings and common words you know.

Put this knowledge to good use and go have fun with it!

Wrap Up

Now, you can easily type Korean online, so leave us a comment below if you have any questions, or let us know what you’ll use your Korean typing skills for (in Korean if you’re up to the challenge). We’re excited to hear all about your plans for your new skills!