In this article, we’ll be talking about the best apps to learn Korean and apps you need for everyday life in Korea. These apps help students who want to learn Korean or travelers who want to get around South Korea and explore Korean culture. These free Korean learning apps will make your life in Korea simpler and more manageable.
Some of these Korean language learning apps are only in Hangul. If you want to use the apps, you don’t need to learn the Korean language, but it will help you get the basics. It’s easy to learn Korean, starting with the alphabet. Start learning to speak like Korean native speakers now! Here’s a PDF guide to learn in about 90 minutes.
Below is a free PDF guide that you can download and take with you:
Contents
What is the best app to learn Korean?
There are plenty of options that you can choose from, so instead of just one great app, we have listed several of them down below. After all, learning Korean is now easier and much more accessible, especially with Korean language apps.
Not long ago, if you wanted to learn a language, you must enroll in a very expensive language school or even travel to a different country. However, times have changed. Everything is digital these days, including education and learning the language. So, how do you learn Korean with apps? It’s as simple as choosing the right Korean learning app for you. Let’s get to it!
Different Korean Apps
There are some apps that can help you learn Korean for free, but a lot of them have a subscription fee or one-time fee. That’s why it’s important to know your goals, so you know what kind of apps you’re going to get or buy.
Whatever your goals are, it’s best to know them first before making your first download. That’s probably going to save you a lot of money or memory on your device!
Best Apps to Learn Korean
You may be looking for Korean apps that can improve your Korean speaking skills. Maybe you need apps that can help you with Korean grammar. Maybe you’re looking for a friend who is fluent in Korean to practice your listening skills. Whatever your goals are, we’ve compiled some great Korean Learning Apps below. You can install these Korean Learning apps from the App Store or Google Play.
Naver Webtoons (네이버 웹툰)
A good tip in language learning, including learning Korean, is to look for a way to learn the language while having fun at the same time. This is one of the apps for learning Korean that can be extra fun since you’ll be reading a webtoon or digital comics. It’s a great app for learning Korean.
This is a fun way to practice reading in Korean. You can search for the most popular comic books and get notifications from your favorite comics in real time! There are so many categories to choose from; you’ll be spending hours reading in this app.
Reading and listening are the fastest ways to learn a language and improve your Korean vocabulary, grammar, and phrase learning. By choosing fun material for you (like manhwa), you’re sure to enjoy your language studies and will be encouraged to study more.
Naver Dictionary (네이버 사전)
Anyone into language learning knows that a good dictionary is one of the most important tools for students who want to learn a language properly. Naver is one of the must-have Korean learning apps.
Naver Dictionary is one of the best Korean dictionaries out there. It gives you accurate translations and usage examples of Korean words and will show multiple definitions of words along with Hanja. It is convenient when you find a Korean word that you don’t know.
It’s handy when you’re learning Korean because it gives you many usage examples. This allows you to see how the word is used to tell if it is used formally or casually. This app is excellent for improving your Korean vocabulary. If you’re a Korean language learner, you should definitely add this to your list of must-have Korean language mobile apps.
Top Tip: If you want to know how to conjugate an irregular verb, type it into this app and look through the usage examples. You can learn more about Korean verbs here.
Memrise
Not strictly a Korean app, but Memrise is very useful if you are in Korea. Memrise helps you learn a new language and Korean vocabulary words quickly while you are on the bus or subway, meaning that you can dedicate your study time to practice Korean.
Anki is another app you can use to learn new vocabulary, but Memrise is slightly easier to use on a smartphone. Like Anki, it uses a spaced repetition system to learn new words effectively, allowing you to learn more words in a shorter amount of time. It’s one of the most helpful language apps available today.
If you want to learn helpful Korean words and Korean phrases that you can add to your vocabulary list, you can check our complete guide here.
Ling App
Ling App is a language learning platform that teaches you the Korean language in the easiest way possible. You can learn daily life words and phrases to be ready to speak Korean from day one.
Featuring comprehensive Korean lesson plans, interactive lessons, games and activities, and even an AI chatbot to converse with, you can collect banana points as you advance through fun, bite-sized lessons. You can even add the newest widget to your home screen as a daily reminder to learn!”
90DayKorean
Learn the Korean language fast using 90 Day Korean’s fun and easy method. This language learning app focuses on practical Korean, so you’ll be able to have a 3-minute conversation in Korean in the first 90 days if you follow their structured program and easy-to-navigate lessons.
With this easy Korean course, you can progress at your own pace and study from your favorite device anywhere you have an internet connection. Get instant grammar lessons that work! With self-paced courses complete with audio clips, fun illustrations, and a great community, 90 Day Korean gives you an effective way to learn Korean.
Have Korean questions? 90 Day Korean provides coaching support for its members, so you’ll always have someone to ask if you’re stuck in your lessons, may it be pronunciation, alphabet, or grammar rules and lessons.
If you’re tired of browsing through a lot of Korean lessons, check out this course. You’re sure to improve your speaking and listening skills, Korean writing skills, and reading skills with 90 Day Korean!
Anki
Many Korean learners and language learners know that flashcards are a must-have when it comes to memorizing words and sounds. AnkiMobile is an innovative and fun approach to help you speak Korean or just memorize topics.
It helps you remember things (like word associations) quickly and more efficiently. This app (free version) supports images and audio recordings, so you’ll have a variety to choose from to help you retain information.
Many online language programs offer their students their own vocabulary decks that they have pre-made to help students with their language studies, so you should have this on your smartphone when you decide to study a language.
YouTube
You might already be watching YouTube videos, but did you know it’s also helpful in learning Korean? There are different YouTube channels dedicated to helping students learn Korean in a fun way. The 90 Day Korean YouTube channel is one of them!
If you’d like to know how to utilize this website best, we have a separate article for it here.
Korean Apps for Chatting
These apps are great for chatting with Koreans and making friends.
HelloTalk
HelloTalk is one of the language learning apps for finding language exchange partners around the world.
Language exchange apps like HelloTalk allow the user to chat, share audio, and make new friends worldwide while learning different languages, including Korean. It’s a great way to learn conversational Korean. Have conversations with native speakers to help with conversational fluency.
If you’re interested to learn Korean, you can find language partners who are going to help you improve your Korean language skills. Unlike other social networking sites, it is also easier to remain anonymous. While uploading a profile picture is needed, it is such a tiny thumbnail that it is not focused.
KakaoTalk (카카오 톡)
If you don’t have KakaoTalk on your phone, then you might as well not even have a phone. This Korean messaging app is so widespread that even your sixty-year-old boss will send you messages over KakaoTalk rather than regular texts.
This app is definitely already part of Korean culture! This is basically the Korean version of whatever messaging app you have on your phone right now.
Many clubs and classes also use its group chatting feature, so if you want to stay in the know, you should make sure that you have KakaoTalk. That way, you can join the group chats. Sending pictures and videos over KakaoTalk is also extremely easy as it has a built-in camera function (along with a map function, voice recording function, etc.).
If you persuade your family in your home country to download it, you can message them easily and for free using KakaoTalk and send them pictures of what you’re doing. As a bonus, you can also use KakaoTalk Friends to help you express your emotions!
MEEF – Make Global Friends
If you’re looking for a Korean app for meeting Korean friends when you visit Korea, doing a cultural exchange, or you’re just looking for someone to chat with from another country, MEEF might be the app for you. MEEF has plenty of subscribers from Korea and all over the world who are looking for international friends.
You can feel free to share your interests, culture, and language with other subscribers. Meeting other people online can be a scary experience sometimes, but MEEF makes sure to monitor user reports regularly so their members can feel safe.
Korean Apps for Everyday Life in Korea
If you’re living in Korea, these apps are very helpful in making your life in Korea a lot smoother.
Yogiyo (요기요)
If you want to order food but are too lazy or shy to call up a restaurant, then you can use Yogiyo and order food in just a few clicks. Korean food, Chinese food, or American Food, you name it, they have it!
Restaurants are divided into categories like “chicken,” “noodles,” “pizza,” etc., to make finding the food you want easy. When you order food, you can choose how you would like to pay (cash or card), and afterward, you can review the service.
KakaoBus
If you happen to be in Korea and need an easy and fast way to get around, taking the bus should be for you. If you’re a foreigner, you might find that the Korean bus system is quite complicated. However, with Kakaobus, riding a bus might make it a little bit easier.
With real-time bus arrival information in 57 Korean regions, you’ll never have to miss your ride. Meeting up with friends? You can use Kakaobus to tell them your estimated time of arrival via Kakaotalk.
KakaoMetro – Subway Navigation
Several Korean apps help people navigate the subway, so it is best to download them and delete the ones you don’t like until you find one that suits you. KakaoMetro is an app that we recommend because its interface is similar to other Kakao Apps.
It also tells you the carriage’s nearest exit and bus information near the exit. It also boasts of being the fastest and easiest way to move around the subway. Like Kakobus, you can also share your location with your friends and arrival time using Kakaotalk.
KakaoTV (카카오TV)
If you’re looking for entertainment, KakaoTV is a good app to pass the time. Kakao TV is an OTT streaming television, personal internet broadcasting, and video player service. It’s a good app for watching live-streaming and on-demand videos. Kakao TV integrates with Kakaotalk making video sharing easier.
Wrap up
These are some of the more useful apps that will help you learn Korean vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, or the language in general. They are also extremely helpful for getting around Korea and understanding Korean culture better. If you’d like to explore other Korean learning methods, we have an article for the best Korean textbooks here.
When it comes to learning Korean, some Korean learners find it easier to learn with Korean tutors. We also have a full article to help you look for a Korean tutor here, in case you need one.
Which Korean language app do you find the most helpful? Please share them with us in the comments below!
Thank you for the many free resources. My goal is to store Hangul into my long term memory, so I really appreciate everything here.
You’re welcome, Lauren. ^^ Glad to know you’re committed to learning Hangeul. Thanks for your kind words!
I love this list of apps for learning Korean! I’m currently learning the language and these apps are really helpful.
Great, thanks for your kind words and for sharing! ^^ If you want a resource guide for learning Korean, you can check our article called Learn Korean Online: How-To Guide for Language Study, which you can follow. You can also check our blog and visit our YouTube channel for articles and videos with great Korean content.
Thit’s so useful thank you so much! ^^
Awesome, thanks for your comment! ^^ If you want to have more Korean lessons, you can also check our blog and visit our YouTube channel for articles and videos with great Korean content.
Wow so much hiding in here, great info thank you for sharing
Sure, it’s our pleasure. We’re glad that it has been valuable to you. ^^
I will definitely download these
gamsahabnida
Great! Sounds like a plan. ^^