Patio_Furniture8’s Effortless Korean Curriculum

This curriculum provides the most straightforward and efficient way to learn Korean. No more guessing "what to do next?" or "where do I start?". Following this (by using the resources mentioned) can turn absolute beginners into conversational speakers. It's also relatively affordable as compared to other alternatives (like taking college classes). So without further ado, here is the Effortless Korean Curriculum:

PHASE 1: Learning 한글 (Hangul)

한글 (Hangul) is the Korean alphabet. You MUST learn it. Period. Youtube is great for this.

• Miss Vicky's video is the one I used to get me started.

• The Write-It Korean app helped a lot especially for learning proper stroke order. (IOS / Android)

• GO! Billy Korean even has a whole in-depth series on Hangul which is awesome!

You should also learn (or at least introduce yourself) to 받침 (Batchim). It's basically sound change rules. Ex: 막내 (mak-nae) is pronounced like 망내 (mang-nae) despite the ㄱ ending. You don't have to memorize Batchim because you'll learn it further as you hear more and more Korean during your studies anyways. These are many videos about Batchim by various YouTubers: Korean Class 101, Go! Billy Korean, Miss Vicky

PHASE 2: The Foundation

Requirements:

Can read 한글 (reading speed doesn't matter)

Understands basic 받침

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Grammar:

I highly recommend GO! Billy Korean's "Korean Made Simple" series. Start with book 1 and just go through each chapter and try to remember as much as you can. If you're having troubles, try re-reading it again the next day, but if it really doesn't stick then just move on. Billy's explanations are fairly straightforward and it's just a matter of hearing the grammar in action many, many times.

TTMIK is a good primary resource as well. I like their "Essential Korean Course" but I would skip the podcasts and just use the pdfs/books (unless you want to learn while driving, cooking, etc). They also have MANY, MANY YouTube videos about pretty much any Korean language related questions/topics/grammar.

The "Korean Grammar in Use" series is also a great grammar focused resource. Free Download Links: Beginner | Intermediate (Advanced is not necessary)

Vocabulary:

Personally, I believe that vocabulary is more important than grammar because there’s no point in learning intermediate to advanced level grammar when you can’t even understand the words being used in simple sentences. I use Anki for this. Evita's Anki Deck is what I found to be perfect for vocab building. HOWEVER, please do not just try to memorize the vocab using the flashcards alone. Here is what I call the "never forget" method that I use to learn vocab:

1. Write the Korean word(s) down (on a sheet of paper, preferably grid paper), then write the english translation beside it.

2. Draw a picture that relates to each new vocab word (you will have to be creative with some words)

3. Act out the word -or- point at the object(s) while you say the word. Ex: if the vocab word is 의자 then point at a chair and yell "의자!" multiple times. It might feel silly but it helps a lot.

4. For verbs, use this website to find how to conjugate it. Most verbs are pretty straightforward (like -하다), but some can be trickier. Learn all three tenses right from the get go (you'll notice that past tense usually uses endings like -었어요, while future tense usually uses -(ㄹ) 거예요/ 겠어요 endings.)

5. For pronunciation help, I either use this Text-to-speech website or Forvo

6. Look for example sentences with the vocab word to see how to use it in context. Naver is great for this.

In my experience, don't study more than 20 words per day on Anki. It's better to learn less words but they all stick, than many words but only some stick (Plus Anki revisions can get overwhelming really quickly). Also, you will probably pick up common words and phrases like 조금, 죄송합니다, 사랑해, 좋아요, during Immersion anyway (so everyday you're learning 10 words + any words you pick up during Immersion)

However, if you cannot use Anki, Memrise and Quizlet decks would also work! The most important thing is to have a set vocabulary list where you can take 10 words everyday and learn them thoroughly.

If you are interested, here is the full Evita Anki Deck as a word list!

Bonus: Here's an online Korean keyboard (Or just add a Korean Keyboard via your computer system settings)

Immersion:

This is the fun part! Watching subbed Kdramas, variety shows, etc. Listening to Kpop. These are all ways that you can immerse yourself in Korean. Immersing yourself through media helps you to get used to Korean phonetic sounds, to pick up new vocab and phrases, and most importantly, to enjoy language learning! As a challenge, you can also start playing video games (like Among Us) with native Korean people since video games tend to reuse the same vocab over and over again.

Watch:

How to 'Think' in the Language You're Learning! by TTMIK

How to write Hangul like a native by Lindie Botes

How to Learn a Language: INPUT (Why most methods don't work) by What I've Learned

Apps:

Do NOT use apps as a primary resource. Apps like Duolingo, LingoDeer, Drops, etc. are great supplemental resources that can help you learn vocabulary and expose yourself to more grammar. However, you should not rely on them heavily on your Korean Journey. They are great for when you are waiting in line, or doing business in the toilet, or basically when you just want a quick Korean lesson.

PHASE 3: INTERMEDIATE STAGE

Overview: Immersion. Immersion. Immersion. You should have a fairly solidly grasp on Korean grammar, as well as, enough vocabulary to allow you to follow and somewhat understand the main idea/plot of most native content.

Requirements:

Get through 1000 words in Evita's Anki Deck

Finished Korean Made Simple Book 2 (or finished TTMIK level 3; -or- Korean Grammar in Use Beginner)

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Grammar:

Through immersion, you will deepen your understanding of Korean grammar. Specifically, when and how it should be used. This will mostly be subconscious so not much extra study is needed. If you are confused about a certain grammar point, you can always look it up on google and you should be able to find what you're looking for.

Vocabulary:

Lessen the amount of Anki Evita Deck studying. Limit to only 10 cards a day. Now, you can make a new deck and write down any new sentences/phrases that you learned through immersion. See: "Sentence Mining Explained"

Reading:

Since you now have a decent sized vocabulary, you can start learning new words through reading! This can be children's books, manga, or even novels. Whatever floats your boat. Just make sure to find something that is within your comprehension level (understand most of it). If you have to look up every other word, you're reading the wrong book. On the other hand, if you're not finding ANY new words (unlikely), you're also reading the wrong book.

Immersion 1 (Media):

Target Language (TL) Subbed Media. You are now officially ready to tread the waters of TL subbed media. Yes, it will be confusing. Yes, you will not understand everything that is going on. However, you will pick up so many new words, phrases, mannerisms, etc. since you're no longer glued to the English subs that helped to entertain you. An extremely effective (but tedious) way to approach media is using the TL-Native Language-TL method of watching media:

1. Watch the video with subs in your target language. Try your best to understand as much as you can.

2. Rewatch the video with subs in your native language. This will allow you to see how much you really understood, and to help steer you towards the right direction.

3. Rewatch the video for the last time with subs in your target language again. You should now be able to understand even more of the video in your target language.

Make sentence cards, act scenes out, shadow their dialogue, etc. Do whatever you would like to enhance your immersion experience. The most important part is that your are enjoying the process!

Output (Language Exchange/Tutors)

Unless you're sleeping on money, chances are, tutors are not that affordable. However, this is the point in time which they are extremely valuable. You see, you have already learnt the fundamentals of Korean through free or cheap resources. With your fundamental skills, you can now converse at a very basic level. This is where tutors come in. Your tutor can (and should) be like a guided conversation partner. They can tell you things that you can improve on, things that sound unnatural, etc. They allow you to practice your speaking skills through a non judgemental / comfortable environment. They will also correct your pronunciation, grammar, etc. I do not recommend speaking or making sentences without a tutor to help you fix errors; doing so may make you learn bad habits or make you sound really unnatural. A great resource for finding tutors is iTalki. You can talk to them about your Korean goals (and your budget) so that you can have a more personalized learning experience.

You can also try out language exchange apps like HelloTalk. The experience with apps like this can vary, but in general, they are great for practicing (if you are lucky enough to find a good partner). My experience on this app has been...mediocre (too many people looking to make friends, but not wanting to actually learn the language). I recommend iTalki way more than HelloTalk, but if budget is a concern, feel free to give HelloTalk a try.

Tutors/language exchange partners will help you to smoothen out some of the rough patches in your Korean; they essentially help you develop a more native-like speech, so that you can avoid sounding like a textbook.

PHASE 4: Graduation

Requirements:

Finished Evita's Anki Deck

Read 100+ books

Conversed with 200+ Koreans

Watched/Listened to 1000+ hours of Korean media (News, Kdramas, Music, etc. | both subbed and unsubbed)

(Optional: travelled to Korea)

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Congratulations! You have reached the end of this program. At this point, you should be really comfortable with your Korean. You are now (or should be) "Conversational". Are you fluent? Probably not. But does that matter? No, not really. If you made it this far, it means that you really loved the language, so fluency isn't really the primary goal anymore. Learning Korean is now part of your lifestyle and as long as you continue learning new words, phrases, idioms, etc. I know that you will eventually get to the level that you want to be in Korean!

Continue strengthening your Korean skills through massive amounts of exposure, immersion, and comprehensible input. If you can, I would also strongly recommend visiting Korea so that you can experience the culture of the language that you learned (and, of course, to practice your Korean).

Final Tips

• Make learning Korean a daily habit.

• Relax, learning should be enjoyable.

• Don't be afraid to review or re-read grammar concepts if you forget, or if it still isn't clear.

• It's okay to make mistakes. What's important is that you learn from those mistakes and keep going.

• DO NOT SKIP steps. Follow the curriculum as best as you can to maximize its benefits.

I hope that this helped to guide, or motivate you, in your Korean learning journey!

Learning a language is like solving a 10,000 piece puzzle. Every grammar rule and every vocab word that you learn is like a piece in the puzzle connected. The more pieces you connect, the clearer the puzzle will be and the more that you'll understand. 영원히 화이팅!

This curriculum has been highly influenced by the Refold Method