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How long does it take to learn Korean?

The short answer

The US Foreign Service Institute puts Korean in its hardest group for English speakers, at about 88 weeks (2,200 class hours) of full-time training for professional ability. Your first wins arrive much sooner: Hangul in days, simple everyday lines in your first months, and easy dramas with Korean subtitles after steady daily practice.

Honest stages

Days: read Hangul slowly.
First months: common words and polite phrases, catching lines in dramas and songs.
Around a year of daily practice: simple conversations, easy content with gaps.
Several years: comfortable conversation and most media.

These vary hugely with daily time and how much Korean you hear. Nobody honest can promise a date.

What shortens the road

Daily practice, even short.
Lots of listening to content you love.
Sentences in context and a review deck.
A reason: a person, a group, a trip.

“When you've got a real reason, you turn into something else. You find every way in.”Languy · from a recorded lesson

Questions people also ask

Can I learn Korean in 6 months?

In 6 months of daily practice you can read Hangul easily, know many everyday words and follow simple speech. Full fluency takes longer.

Is Korean harder than Japanese?

They are in the same US government difficulty group. Korean's alphabet is quicker; Japanese has kanji. Choose by what you love.

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