How long did it take you to learn Korean and is it hard?

When you decide to learn a new language or are just beginning to learn a new language two most important questions that you want to find answers for are how long will it take to learn the language and is it difficult. It is the same with Korean as well. If you go by the numbers of Foreign Service Institute, Korean is placed in category V which makes it an exceptionally difficult language to learn and needs 88 weeks or 2200 hours of study to learn the language. Now, there is no need to feel overwhelmed by these numbers because Korean is also placed among the easiest Asian languages to learn. The FSI difficulty levels are categorized for native English speakers.

Your native language – If you are a native English speaker, you might take longer to learn Korean when compared to someone who speaks Chinese or Japanese as their native language.

Your exposure to other languages – If you have been raised bilingual or multilingual, your experience learning Korean could be easier when compared to others who speak only one language. Also, your prior experience with learning a new language can be of great help in learning Korean as you are aware of your learning style and understand where you would need to put in extra effort and what is easy for you to pick up.

Learning resources that you choose – There are many people who claim to have learnt a language by watching movies, shows, and listening to audio in their target language. There are others who find learning from a teacher directly helps them pick up the nuances of a language easily. Also, if you are able to make use of multiple resources like apps, websites, YouTube videos and books along with your regular classes, the chances of learning Korean faster are higher.

The time that you spend learning and practising Korean – This is very important because you spend a limited amount of time in a class which could be online or a regular class. The time that you spend outside your class practising Korean will make a huge difference in the time it would take for you to learn Korean. It is always a good idea to schedule your learning on a daily basis so that you practice continuously and can quickly build up on whatever you have learnt already. Someone who spends an hour or two every day would learn Korean in a shorter span of time when compared to those who practice only on weekends.

Some people are naturally quick with new languages whereas others take time and need more practice. If you take time to learn things, you might need to put in some extra effort and time to learn Korean.

Though some languages are easy to learn whereas others take time, your practice, consistency and perseverance can help you pick Korean without much difficulty.