So you wanna learn Korean?

Integrated Korean by Young-Mee Cho et al

A few people have asked about Korean language resources. It always delights me to hear from non-Koreans interested in learning the language. I’m surprised at how popular Korean food has become and where I live – northern Toronto – there’s lots of Korean restaurants, including Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu, Joons, and The Owl of Minerva. K-pop and K-dramas have also become very popular. Several people in my Korean class wanted to learn the language so they could read song lyrics and watch TV shows and movies without relying on subtitles.

The textbook my Korean teacher recommended for our beginner-level class was Integrated Korean: Second Edition by Young-Mee Cho, Hyo Sang Lee, Carol Schulz, Ho-min Sohn, and Sung-Ock Sohn (University of Hawaii Press, 2010).

There are also many wonderful online resources. Youtube videos are especially helpful because you can hear how words and phrases should be pronounced.

Top 25 Must-Know Korean Phrases

Learn the Korean Alphabet Fast

Introduction to Perfect Korean Pronunciation

Korean Polly Lingual (excellent place to start!)

9 Tips for Learning Korean