98% of my Korean learning journey has been through self-study. When I first started, Korean wasn’t as popular as it is today, and there weren’t many people who had reached a proficient level. Now, many individuals have proven that self-studying Korean can be done efficiently. I’d like to share with you some of my favorite Korean learning books that helped me get started and took me a long on my journey.
Please don’t forget to check out the links. They could be pretty helpful, sometimes you can look through some pages on “Google Books” or “Amazon”. I will always include these links for you.
Book 01: Read & Speak Korean by Sunjeong Shin
Book 02: Survival Korean by Stephen Revere
Level: Beginner – IntermediateReview: The book Survival Korean by Stephen Revere is suitable for beginners aiming to reach an intermediate level. It’s well-structured and provides insightful information about Korean culture and customs. If you’re completely new to the Korean language, you can start here.
Book 03: College Korean by Michael C. Rogers, Clare You and Kyungnyun K. Richards
- Read sample on Amazon
- Buy & Read reviews on Amazon
Book 04: Intermediate College Korean by Clare You and Eunsu Cho
Review: I mentioned that some books tend to have a dry structure, this one would fall into that category. The material may seem a bit dry at first, but you’ll get used to it quickly. I really loved this book because it was both efficient and interesting to work with.
- Search inside the book on Amazon
- Buy & Read reviews on Amazon
Book 05: Yonsei Textbooks by Korean Language Institute, Yonsei University
Review: I’m not sure why this book has three different cover versions, but anyway, I’ve listed the ISBN numbers. Actually, I bought one by accident—I got “Vol. 3,” and I love it. It’s a bit dry, but I enjoy the texts. The structure is very clear, though I don’t do many of the exercises; I just love reading and collecting new grammar rules and vocabulary. I’m planning to buy the following editions as well.
– 한국어 Level 2, ISBN 8971413476
– 한국어 Level 3, ISBN 8971413581
– 한국어 Level 4, ISBN 8971413751
– 한국어 Level 5, ISBN 897141376X
– 한국어 Level 5, ISBN 8971413778
Online Learning Resources
Korean Dictionaries
Korean Learning Online
- talktomeinkorean.com
Level: Beginner – Advanced
Review: This resource surpasses traditional books for learning. It’s incredibly compact yet highly effective! I had heard about it for a long time, but it took me a while to give it a try. Once I started using TTMIK, I regretted not incorporating it into my studies sooner. - koreanclass101.com
Level: Beginner to Advanced
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I am providing an honest recommendation and review based on my personal use of these products and services. If you choose to purchase through the links provided, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
This post was first published in October 7, 2012 (9:43 UTC +0) and updated in September 16, 2024.