Whether you’re already learning Korean or only just thinking about starting the journey, one question has likely popped up in your mind by now: “How long does it take to learn Korean?”

It’s understandably an important question for you to ask. After all, it influences your decision on whether to learn Korean or not. Like with many other languages, Korean is good to learn if you want to visit or live in South Korea. It’s also great if you are interested in K-Pop, K-Dramas, Korean movies, or Korean culture.

But on the flip side, it’s an entirely new alphabet, and the language is mostly only spoken in Korea. So is it worth the time investment?

All great points! We’re going to tell you what you need to know about how long it takes to learn Korean so you can make your decision.

Let’s get to it!

Factors that affect the speed with which you can learn the Korean language

Below we have separated into different sections some of the different factors that affect how quickly you can learn Korean. These are also relative to just how fluent in Korean you want to become!

1. Your native language

Depending on what your native language is, learning Korean might be just a little bit easier or a little bit tougher for you. For example, it is thought that Korean is especially difficult for native English speakers to learn.

 

Meanwhile, for Japanese, Chinese and Arabic speakers Korean can be an easy language to learn – far easier than English would be to learn, for example.

Don’t worry, though! Your native language may slow you down a little bit, but it isn’t an obstacle you cannot overcome!

2. Your previous language learning experience

You’re especially at advantage with learning a new language if you were raised as bilingual. Having developed fluency with more than one language as a child has made you naturally easily adjustable to new languages.

 

Aside from that, other previous experience with learning languages helps as well. One reason for this is because your other language learning experience will have helped you develop a good learning habits, which will get you started quicker with Korean as well.

Your brain will have already adjusted to the type of learning that studying a new language follows. Thus you’ll have an easier time learning Korean as well. This is especially so if you’re adept at learning new languages!

3. The learning methods you are using

Learning Korean in a classroom setting is the best way to get clear information on grammar structures. It also will give you a well-thought out plan to follow for learning vocabulary.

However, if you aren’t learning, practicing or applying the Korean you learned in situations outside of the classroom, then your progress will be slower. Instead of just focusing on getting the minimal homework done, try actively watching Korean TV shows and movies, practice through apps or language exchanges, and use eBooks and Korean learning websites.

If you have the chance, then traveling to Korea to attend language school is the absolute quickest way to learn Korean.

4. How much of your time you are dedicating to learning Korean

The more time you spend each day studying Korean, the quicker you can grow your fluency. Your time dedication is also connected to your general language learning ability and learning methods in use. So use these tools together if you want to measure how long it might take you to learn Korean at your desired level.

5. Your attitude and motivation towards learning Korean

It’s no secret that these two are the key to unlocking your language learning potential. Having a positive attitude towards learning Korean can help you keep highly motivated. And your motivation is what keeps you studying, day after day, even through the days where you’re feeling frustrated because you are working on some challenging new grammar.

How long does it take to learn Korean?

Next, let’s go over how much each step of learning Korean approximately takes. Since learning something new depends on the person and the factors mentioned above, it’s difficult to give a specific numeral timeline.

However, we will give you some ballpark estimates for how long it takes to learn Korean. Then you can adjust for your own situation.

Learning the Korean Alphabet – 60-90 minutes

With our Hangeul lesson, you will learn the alphabet as quickly as 60 to 90 minutes! This will teach you the basics of the alphabet so you can read most words. You will be able to start sounding out words, phrases, and sentences right away.

You’ll want to get a solid handle on Hangeul, so plan to spend another 30 minutes per day for the first week on it. Flashcards such as Anki are great for this. By the end of the first week, you’ll have a strong command of the Korean alphabet.

Next you can dive into learning vocabulary, grammar and sentences.

Have a 3 minute Korean conversation – 90 days

If you spend about 1 hour per day studying Korean, you should be able to have a 3 minute conversation in the first 90 days. In order to do this, make sure you pick the right materials and focus on the parts of the language that will give you the best results.

In other words, you want to focus on the Korean words, grammar, and phrases that are used most often. In other words, follow the 80/20 rule of focusing on the 20% of the language that will give you 80% of the results. Skip the speciality words and the extra formality for later.

This is exactly the way our Inner Circle online structured Korean language program is designed. There are many excellent resources out there, just make sure you pick one that will support you hitting your goals on your desired timeline.

Conversational Fluency – 6-12 months

You should be able have conversational fluency in less than a year. Again, you want to follow the parts of the language that are used most often. By the time you are able to have a 3 minute conversation in Korean, you can start to direct your focus of your studies.

For example, if you want to talk to Korean in-laws, then you’ll want to use more honorifics. If you’re talking with friends, you can put more slang into your vocabulary. And if you’re a Korean drama fan, then you’ll want to focus on listening in everyday conversation so you can watch K-Dramas without subtitles.

You could define conversational fluency as roughly being at an intermediate level. However, it all depends on your goals, and what kind of Korean language skills that are most important to you.

The Fastest Way to Learn Korean

The quickest way to learn Korean is to be around the language as much as possible. There are many ways to accomplish this, so we’ll give you some suggestions.

One option is to move to Korea and attend a language school here. In these language schools, if you start from the bottom, you will typically study through 6 levels, with 4 levels a year. In total that would take you a year and a half from the basics to graduating the program. Each level lasts for 10 weeks and includes 20 hours of classes per week. By our calculation that makes 1200 hours in total. That hour estimate does not include homework and time spent outside of class practicing your skills.

A second option is to learn Korean online. You could do this by joining an online Korean language learning program. Alternatively, you can create your own program with various online resources.

In either case, you can use the 1200 hours in total as a basis for how long it takes to learn Korean at a high intermediate level. How many hours a week are you prepared to study? When you know your weekly amount, you can have an estimation for reaching the milestone of Korean fluency!

We hope this was helpful. Let us know how far you are with your Korean studies in the comments below!

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