6 weeks into learning Korean and I’m getting into a nice groove with resources now. Until recently, I had zero Korean resources…well, unless you count a Pinterest board.

But now I’ve found so much more than that. And I’m ready to share.

Speaking of Hangeul…

There’s a few fun things I’ve found to refresh my Hangeul. My favoruites are…

Pop Popping Korean

This app is adorable! It’s designed for kids (at least I think it is) but it’s brilliant because as you tap and hold each letter to drag it to the correct spot, they keep making the sound of that letter and each letter wiggles around in your ‘grip’ in their own unique way.

Very cool.

Memrise

Naturally, seeing as both me and Shannon are mega Memrise fangirls, Memrise played its part in learning Hangeul (and still does when it comes to learning words and stuff)

This course is my favourite for Hangeul.

Coursera – First Step Korean

I loved the Hangeul section of this free Coursera course because it gave me a much more detailed explanation as to the history and meaning behind the letters.

This is the kind of stuff I love to learn when learning a language but if you just want the quick and dirty essentials, it may be a bit slow for you.

Google Translate

I wrote recently on the blog about ways to use Google Translate for language learning.

Well, I’ve been trying out the squiggle tool myself with my Korean Hangeul and basic words. It’s been useful to see where I’ve been going right and wrong.

Typing

One thing I really recommend to do from early on is to download a Korean keyboard for your device.

Learning to type in Korean is very different to other languages with similar alphabets to English.

Each letter has its own key but because Korean letters combine to form syllable ‘blocks’, you have to think ahead slightly.

It may sound weird but it really feels like learning to play a musical instrument!

Related: How I Taught Myself Hangeul in 2 Hours

Moving beyond Hangeul…

At some point, you’ll need more than the alphabet. Here are my favourites.

HelloTalk

Since adding Korean to the languages I’m learning on HelloTalk, I’ve had plenty of people get in touch to practise with.

I’ve even been brave enough to record a short audio introduction in Korean to send to people! And had good feedback! Yay!

Related: How to Guarantee a Response With Language Exchange

DramaFever

But more specifically, Boys Over Flowers.

I’d heard a lot about K-drama and K-pop and it was never a big reason for me to learn Korean but I’ve really enjoyed getting into Boys Over Flowers.

It keeps me company when I’m washing up AND I’ve learnt a lot from it.

DramaFever is proving brilliant reenforcement for the basic phrases said across different formalities.

Sometimes, I even sit for 10 minutes or so armed with my notebook and jot down all the words I can hear clearly. Even if I don’t know what they mean. It’s a much more enjoyable listening practise than the standard ‘where is the train station?’ dialogue.

Colloquial Korean Audio

Did you know that Colloquial released all the audio to their language kits for free on their website not too long ago? Pretty cool, huh?

I’ve downloaded the Korean audio and from time to time I listen to a short dialogue and repeat it or write down what I hear.

How to Study Korean

This website is the shizzle.

I knew from the start that there were a lot of websites out there dedicated to Korean (Talk to Me in Korean and Learn Korean.net to name just two) but this one has me hooked.

How to Study Korean lays everything out so clearly and talks to you like you’re a human, which is exactly what everyone wants from a language course, right?

Dom & Hyo

There’s nothing wrong with something cute to keep your interest when it comes to language learning. That’s why all my teaching resources are littered with pictures of sloths. Just kidding.

Seriously though, after discovering their awesome graphics on Pinterest over and over, I did some digging and found Dom + Hyo. They do an amazing job of making Korean cute and keeping it interesting and educational. Awesome.