There's no single magic number, but consistent daily study is key; 30 minutes to 3 hours a day is a common recommendation, with many learners aiming for 1-2 hours for solid progress, while achieving high fluency might require 4-6+ hours daily, combining focused study with immersion like K-dramas, conversations, and apps to internalize grammar and vocabulary effectively.
If you spend 30 minutes to 1 hour a day studying Korean, you should be able to hold short conversations in the language 90 days after you start. To achieve this, you should focus on the most frequently used words in the language. We have a frequency list of 625 words in Korean you can start with.
Students spend much of their time, often between 12 to 16 hours per day, at school or at a special after-school academy called a hagwon. The school system is very test-focused and goal-oriented, urging students to concentrate on their results.
You can get functional survival Korean in 3 to 6 months with 30 minutes of daily practice. Learn Hangul, memorize 200-300 essential words and phrases, understand basic grammar. You'll be able to order food, ask for directions, and handle everyday conversations. That's maybe 100-200 hours of study total.
For most English speakers, reaching basic conversation level in Korean takes 3-6 months, becoming intermediate takes about 1-2 years, and achieving advanced fluency requires 2+ years of consistent effort.
Our conclusion is that Korean is easier to learn… but only just. As a beginner, we actually think it's easier to learn Japanese. Although learning Hiragana and Katakana can be a little challenging, pronunciation of Japanese is relatively simple and the grammar rules are not too complicated.
Korean uses two number systems, Sino-Korean (il, i, sam...) for dates, money, minutes, and Native Korean (hana, dul, set...) for general counting, age, and hours; 1-10 in Sino-Korean are 일 (il), 이 (i), 삼 (sam), 사 (sa), 오 (o), 육 (yuk), 칠 (chil), 팔 (pal), 구 (gu), 십 (sip), while in Native Korean they are 하나 (hana), 둘 (dul), 셋 (set), 넷 (net), 다섯 (daseot), 여섯 (yeoseot), 일곱 (ilgop), 여덟 (yeodeol), 아홉 (ahop), 열 (yeol).
The hardest part of learning Korean for a native English speaker is learning Hangul, the Korean script. A native English speaker who does not speak other languages might find the prospect of the Korean alphabet intimidating.
The most common Korean slang for "WTF" includes 헐 (Heol) for shock/disbelief, 뭐야? (Mwoya?) meaning "What is this?", and for stronger vulgarity, the abbreviation ㅅㅂ (S-B) for 씨발 (Ssi-bal), similar to the English f-word.
The way that the material is structured and the simple manner that it's explained make the language feel much less intimidating than I expected. Split up into four 90-day modules, 90 Day Korean can take you from not knowing any Korean and get you to a relatively high level. I highly recommend it!
South Korea's 52-hour work rule caps most employees' weekly working hours at 52, consisting of 40 standard hours plus 12 allowed overtime hours, aiming to reduce overwork, improve work-life balance, and boost productivity by ending excessively long workweeks previously common in the country. Implemented in phases for different company sizes, this law applies to a seven-day week, including weekends, and was a major revision to the Labor Standards Act, phasing in from 2018 to 2021 for most businesses.
The "3 date rule" in Korean dating refers to the common practice of establishing an official couple status (boyfriend/girlfriend) by the third date, moving from casual "talking" (sseom) to a defined relationship quickly, a faster pace than typical Western dating, allowing for deeper getting-to-know-you stages after becoming official, though it's becoming less strict with younger generations. It's about rapid commitment assessment, with the first few dates gauging chemistry before locking things down.
Students in grades 5-6 reported an sTST of 8.15±1.12 hours, those in grades 7-9 8.17±1.20 hours, and students in grades 10-12 6.87±1.40 hours.
How to learn Korean language
South Korea has been recognized globally for its academic excellence, validated by teachers, professors, tutors, and students, ranking 9th overall worldwide. Although students excel in their studies, their mental health has been pushed to extremes, leaving them on the brink of significant fatigue and exhaustion.
In English we can just write a letter multiple times to draw the sound out: "Heeeeeeey!" But it Korean it kind of looks awkward: "안녀여여여여영!" No one would really ever do that. So adding some ~~~ it gives the word a more drawn out sound, and makes it a little bit more friendlier.
What is "Otoke"? Otoke is the pronunciation of "how" in Korean, 어떻게 (eotteoke). Above, we have described how 어떻게 (eotteoke), one of the six ways to say "how" in Korean, can be used, as well as why it's the one you're most likely to already know.
It can be either, depending on the language and context: "Gaja" (가자) is the common Korean informal word for "Let's go," though pronounced closer to "Kaja" by many, while "Kaja" is used in some Slavic languages (like Slovenian) as a name or for "effort/work," and the Italian wine brand Gaja is pronounced "Gah-yah," not "Gaja," notes a YouTube video.
There's no single "number one" easiest language, as it depends on your native tongue, but for English speakers, Norwegian, Dutch, Afrikaans, Spanish, and Italian are consistently ranked as very easy due to similar Germanic roots (Norwegian, Dutch, Afrikaans) or shared Latin vocabulary (Spanish, Italian) with English, plus simple grammar and pronunciation. The truly easiest language is the one you're most motivated to learn and find engaging content in, as personal interest drives acquisition.
100 Most Common Korean Phrases and Words to Learn
Let's explore the 10 hardest languages for English speakers to learn, and the challenges they deliver:
“1004” comes from the Korean word “chun sa,” which means “angel.” “1004” is pronounced the same way!
Personal Customs Clearance Code (PCC) is a unique 13-digit number starting with the letter “P”. It is used instead of your Korean resident registration number when ordering products from abroad.