Are you fascinated by Korean culture and eager to learn the language like a native speaker, but traditional classes don’t fit your lifestyle? You’re in luck! Learning Korean has never been more accessible, thanks to a plethora of effective and free Korean Learning Apps available on both Android and Apple devices.
To save you valuable time and effort in navigating the app store jungle, we at learns.edu.vn have curated a list of the 10 best free Korean learning apps in 2024. Whether you’re a complete beginner taking your first steps into Hangul or an advanced learner aiming for fluency, there’s an app on this list for you. Let’s dive in and discover the perfect korean learning app to kickstart your Korean language journey!
Top Korean Learning Apps for Beginners
1. TenguGo Hangul (Apple Exclusive)
TenguGo Hangul is specifically designed for absolute beginners who are just starting to grapple with the Korean alphabet, Hangul. This app excels at illustrating Korean pronunciation through clear audio and engaging animated demonstrations of mouth and tongue movements.
While the app’s content is focused and limited to Hangul, its strength lies in its clarity. The animations are exceptionally well-crafted and easy to understand, and the cute monster theme adds a touch of fun to the learning process.
Image: TenguGo Hangul app interface showcasing animated pronunciation lessons for Korean alphabet.
The “Secrets of Hangeul” section, though seemingly placed as an additional feature, is a hidden gem. It provides valuable insights into the logical and scientific creation of Hangul, helping learners to grasp the underlying principles and solidify their understanding of the alphabet. While the “Rhythm Hangul” section might not resonate with all learners, the core Hangul lessons in TenguGo Hangul make it an excellent starting point for anyone wanting to master the Korean writing system.
Top Korean Learning Apps for Novice Learners
2. Learn Korean by Bravo Language (Apple & Android)
Learn Korean by Bravo Language, also known as Bravolol, is a phrasebook-style app perfect for novice learners who want to quickly build practical vocabulary and conversational phrases. This app neatly organizes essential Korean words and phrases into useful categories, ranging from everyday greetings to specific situations like “Romance” (with phrases like “Can I have your number?”) and “Shopping” (“What kind of colors do you have?”).
For each vocabulary item, you receive Hangul and Romanized spellings, accompanied by clear audio pronunciations. A particularly helpful feature is the option to slow down the audio, allowing you to carefully listen to nuanced sounds. You can also record your own voice and compare it to the native speaker audio, which is excellent for pronunciation practice.
Image: Learn Korean by Bravo Language app displaying vocabulary categories like Greetings and Basic Conversation.
Learn Korean by Bravo Language offers both free and paid versions. The free version provides a substantial amount of content, and you can unlock access to paid sections simply by watching brief five-second ads. The app is continuously updated with new categories and vocabulary. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter to stay informed about updates and new content. This app is a solid choice for building a practical Korean vocabulary base.
3. Mango Languages (Apple & Android)
Mango Languages takes a unique approach to korean language learning by focusing on practical phrases and real-life conversational skills. This app is heavily auditory, emphasizing listening and speaking through clear audio recordings of every phrase and prompts to repeat and record yourself.
Vocabulary and grammar are seamlessly integrated within thematic units centered around everyday scenarios like “getting around”, “asking opinions”, and other practical situations. This contextual learning helps you understand how Korean is actually used. Users appreciate the timer feature in lesson quizzes, which adds a fun, competitive element, and the ability to download lessons for offline access is incredibly convenient for learning on the go.
Image: Mango Languages Korean lesson interface showing interactive conversation practice.
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However, accessing Mango Languages typically requires a group subscription. They primarily offer their services to educational institutions like universities, public libraries, and community centers. The best way to access Mango Languages is to check with your local library or school system to see if they have a subscription. If they do, you can unlock access to over 70 languages, including Korean, making it a truly valuable resource if available to you.
Top Korean Learning Apps for All Levels
4. LingoDeer (Apple, Android, & Web)
LingoDeer stands out as a comprehensive and engaging korean learning app suitable for learners of all levels, from absolute beginners to intermediate students. It employs an innovative and fun learning methodology designed to get you speaking Korean from day one and progressively build your skills towards fluency.
LingoDeer’s lessons start with the fundamentals and follow a structured, building-block approach. This allows you to intuitively track your progress and feel a sense of accomplishment with each lesson completed. Unlike many apps that rely on random word lists, LingoDeer integrates vocabulary, sentence structures, and cultural insights organically into well-rounded lessons. This approach ensures you can immediately apply your new Korean skills in real-life situations.
Image: LingoDeer app icon, a cute and recognizable deer logo.
To maintain user engagement, LingoDeer offers a variety of lesson and quiz formats, keeping the learning process fresh and enjoyable. The achievement trophy system provides visual feedback on your progress and successes, adding an element of gamification to your studies. LingoDeer is a strong contender for a primary korean learning app due to its structured curriculum and engaging learning experience.
Image: LingoDeer app interfaces showcasing features like speaking practice and grammar lessons.
5. HelloTalk Language Exchange (Apple & Android)
HelloTalk Language Exchange takes a different approach by connecting you directly with native Korean speakers who are learning your native language. This app facilitates language exchange partnerships, enabling you to practice Korean with native speakers while helping them learn your language in return. For instance, an English speaker learning Korean would be paired with a Korean speaker learning English.
The concept is simple yet powerful, acting as a modern digital version of traditional pen pal programs. HelloTalk is incredibly convenient, as most people carry their phones throughout the day, making language practice easily accessible anytime, anywhere. The app is designed to be safe and non-committal, features that appeal to many users looking for flexible and low-pressure language learning opportunities.
Image: HelloTalk app interface demonstrating language exchange chat with translation features.
HelloTalk offers various tools to aid communication, including text chat, voice calls, and video calls. Built-in translation and correction tools help bridge communication gaps and facilitate learning from mistakes. While HelloTalk is primarily focused on language exchange, it provides invaluable real-world practice and exposure to authentic Korean communication, making it a fantastic supplement to other korean learning apps.
6. Memrise (Apple & Android)
Memrise is a powerful and intelligent flashcard system that utilizes spaced repetition and gamification to help you memorize Korean vocabulary and phrases effectively. Similar in function to Anki, Memrise also allows users to create and share their own flashcard decks. This vast user-generated content means you can find and download countless free vocabulary lessons covering a wide range of topics, from TOPIK exam preparation to native Korean slang and even vocabulary lists aligned with popular Korean university textbooks like Sogang and Yonsei.
Memrise employs diverse and engaging learning techniques within its vocabulary units, including mix-and-match games, auditory quizzes, spelling challenges, and definition prompts. This multi-sensory approach ensures that new words are reinforced and embedded in various parts of your memory.
Image: Memrise app interface showing a vocabulary review session with visual learning cues.
Adding a touch of playful motivation, a cute seedling emoticon appears during review sessions and gradually blossoms into a purple daisy as you master a word. This visual progress indicator provides positive reinforcement and encourages continued learning. Memrise is an excellent korean learning app for building a robust Korean vocabulary through fun and effective memorization techniques.
7. TOPIK One (Android Exclusive)
For learners specifically preparing for the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) exam, TOPIK One is an invaluable resource. This app provides a complete practice test based on a previous official TOPIK exam, divided into the former beginner, intermediate, and advanced test levels.
Within each level, you can practice the four sections of the TOPIK exam: Vocabulary and Grammar, Writing, Listening (requires downloading additional files), and Reading. The app interface closely mimics the actual TOPIK test format, allowing you to familiarize yourself with the question types and test structure. Simply clicking on the appropriate answers allows you to practice each section.
Image: TOPIK One app interface showing practice test sections for the Korean proficiency exam.
For learners who want more extensive practice, the app developer also offers reasonably priced separate TOPIK test apps for each of the three proficiency levels. These paid apps unlock access to 15 additional past TOPIK exams, providing ample practice material. Even the free TOPIK One app, with its single complete practice test, is a highly useful tool for anyone preparing for the TOPIK exam.
8. Dongsa (Android Exclusive)
Dongsa, which means “verb” in Korean, is a specialized korean learning app focused exclusively on Korean verb conjugations. This tool is a must-have for learners who want to master the complexities of Korean verb forms. Simply input the verb stem, and Dongsa will provide you with every conceivable conjugation, ranging from formal to informal, for regular, irregular, common, and less frequent verbs.
If you engage in Korean writing practice or are studying for exams that require precise verb conjugations in different contexts, Dongsa is an incredibly simple and handy app. It eliminates the need to manually look up conjugation rules and provides quick and accurate verb form references.
9. Learn Korean – Grammar (Android Exclusive)
Learn Korean – Grammar effectively condenses a comprehensive Korean grammar textbook into a convenient and smartphone-friendly application. Instead of overwhelming you with dense grammatical explanations, this app breaks down Korean grammar structures into bite-sized, relevant units. Each unit is named after its communicative function, such as “expressing contrast,” making grammar learning more practical and goal-oriented.
The app provides clear explanations of each grammar structure and its usage, followed by numerous practical sentence examples accompanied by audio pronunciations. Beyond grammar lessons, the app’s main page features various categories containing useful words, sentences, and expressions related to specific themes, further expanding your Korean vocabulary. The Quiz section allows you to test your knowledge and track your progress. Learn Korean – Grammar is a valuable tool for systematically building a solid understanding of Korean grammar.
Image: Learn Korean – Grammar app interfaces showing grammar explanations and example sentences.
10. Teuida: Learn & Speak Korean (Apple & Android)
Teuida: Learn & Speak Korean offers a refreshing and innovative approach to korean learning, particularly for beginners who want to develop speaking skills from the start. Unlike many apps that primarily focus on written content and offer minimal speaking practice, Teuida immerses you directly into interactive conversations and role-playing scenarios.
From the very first lesson, you are placed in different situations where you follow a script and practice speaking Korean. Teuida is designed to improve your Korean speaking skills and build your confidence in speaking. It simulates real-time conversations with virtual partners, removing the pressure and anxiety often associated with speaking to native Korean speakers directly. This allows you to practice speaking at your own pace in a stress-free environment.
Image: Teuida app interface showcasing interactive conversation-based learning.
While numerous other korean learning apps are available, the ten apps highlighted here are reliable, user-friendly, and offer significant value, often providing substantial free content before requiring in-app purchases or being entirely free. These apps are designed to complement Korean language studies, whether you are taking formal classes or learning independently in everyday settings.
The mobile app landscape for Korean language learning is richer than ever, with a wide array of Hangul-based offerings. Many of these apps require only a minimal time commitment per session, making it easier than ever to integrate Korean learning into your daily routine. If you’ve been putting off learning Korean, now is the perfect time to download an app and begin your language journey.
If you found this article helpful, please consider sharing it with others interested in korean learning apps! You can also explore our article on where to find Korean language classes and programs in Korea if you prefer a traditional classroom experience. And don’t forget to check out our video at the top of the page for six helpful tips on how to study Korean effectively on your own.
