The Korean Alphabet Song: 8 Resources for Learning the Basics

Eating paste.

Picking your nose.

Wearing a swimsuit over your clothes just because you can.

There are some things from your early childhood you’d probably rather not repeat.

However, there’s one early childhood highlight that you should do again: learning your ABCs. Or at least learning your ㄱㄴㄷs.

That’s because before you can read your favorite Korean drama scripts and start doing a Korean language exchange, you’ll need to at least know the basics, which means learning the alphabet.

And as every kindergarten graduate knows, the best way to learn the alphabet is with a catchy alphabet song.

Okay, it might not be quite as captivating as learning Korean with BTS, but if you’re trying to teach yourself Korean, learning an alphabet song is the perfect way to start.

Check out these eight resources for learning a Korean alphabet song and let your inner child shine!
 

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Why Learn a Korean Alphabet Song?

First of all, learning a Korean song is a fun way to learn the Korean alphabet. Just studying the alphabet until you have it down can get a little dull. But if you pair the alphabet with a fun tune (and maybe even a little dance), it will make learning the letters much more enjoyable and engaging.

Additionally, learning a Korean alphabet song can reinforce what you already know about the letters. Even if you’ve already learned the Korean alphabet, learning a song can reinforce what you already learned and make it harder to ever forget the Korean alphabet.

Knowing a Korean alphabet song can also help you remember alphabetical order. If you ever want to use a printed dictionary in Korean, it will help to know the order in which letters appear. Learning an alphabet song can help you remember this order.

Channel Your Inner Child with These 8 Korean Alphabet Songs

Songs are great learning tools. They’re memorable, and let’s face it, they’re fun!

Here are a few Korean alphabet songs to get you started.

“Learning Korean: B1A4 – ABC Song”

If you prefer K-pop to traditional children’s songs, “Learning Korean: B1A4 – ABC Song” is second to none.

This catchy tune is performed by Korean boy band B1A4, and boy, is it fun! The singers perform fun choreography alongside adorable, dancing cartoon characters.

Plus, the video offers Korean students all the subtitling they could want. It features Hangul, romanizations and English translations, so you can follow along with the song in whatever way is most convenient for you.

The one downside is that this song doesn’t actually feature the whole alphabet. Instead, it will just give you a taste of 10 letters. However, the catchy tune will make those letters difficult to forget, and you might even pick up a few words from the song.

“Korean Alphabet Song”

This version of the “Korean Alphabet Song” is more like the English-language alphabet song you’re already familiar with. In fact, like the English one, “Korean Alphabet Song” is even sung to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”

However, this video does more than present you with the alphabet song. As the song plays, the Korean alphabet and the romanization of the letters appear on the screen, making it easy to follow along.

And if you’re not yet ready for full Korean sentences, don’t worry! English lyrics give you a break from the Korean letters. For example, after seeing all the Korean vowels, you’ll hear the singer say, “I’m done with vowels” in English.

“가나다송 – Korean Alphabet Song”

While “가나다송 – Korean Alphabet Song” is the same basic song as the “Korean Alphabet Song” we mentioned above, the formatting offers some unique features.

First of all, “가나다송 – Korean Alphabet Song” first presents the song very slowly, giving you the opportunity to practice at a more comfortable pace. Then, the song is repeated with a faster tempo to help you practice what you learned.

Additionally, each individual Hangul character is highlighted as it’s sung, making it easy to directly link the letter to its pronunciation.

“Korean Language Learning: Ganada Song”

You might be sick of the tune already, but “Korean Language Learning: Ganada Song” is another great version of the Korean alphabet song.

In this version, each letter and the romanization appears on the screen as the presenter sings it. While it may be a little fast for new Korean students, this video also comes with a huge benefit that other videos don’t have. After the alphabet song, the video also explains a little about the history of Hangul, giving you valuable context.

“한글 가나다라노래 – Hangeul ga na da ra Song”

If you already understand some Korean but want to reinforce the alphabet, “한글 가나다라노래 – Hangeul ga na da ra Song” is a fun song that can help.

This animated video features audio and text entirely in Korean, so it isn’t ideal for complete beginners. However, more experienced Korean students will be able to use this video to not only reinforce letters, but also learn some words that begin with each letter.

I’m Coreano Spotify

Prefer the convenience of Spotify over YouTube videos? Well, luckily there’s a playlist dedicated to alphabet songs. Okay, it only contains three and one is in English, but that still gives you two songs you can listen to on the go through Spotify.

The songs on the list are multiple versions of the same basic song, which feature a different melody than the more well-known Korean alphabet song. However, the melody is super soothing, so you might even consider listening to this playlist to reinforce the Korean alphabet as you fall asleep.

Pair this playlist with a more energizing alphabet song for a multifaceted approach to learning the Korean alphabet through songs!

Global Language Network

This isn’t your standard alphabet song video. Rather than featuring animated characters or an array of subtitling options, this Facebook video is pretty simple. It simply shows you a teacher presenting a Korean alphabet song to a class full of foreign students.

This song focuses exclusively on key vowels, but it offers one very helpful feature: Each letter is accompanied by an arm movement to help you remember what the character looks like. And the song is first presented slowly, then repeated at increasing rates of speed, so it’s easy to use the video to build up your skills.

For greater ease, you might consider having the alphabet out and handy so you can read along.

“Korean Alphabet Song”

Like the Global Language Network video, this song was performed as a demonstration for a live class.

The presenter is particularly bubbly and energetic, so if you’re not enthused about learning the Korean alphabet yet, you’ll probably feel pretty excited by the end of the video.

This YouTube video teaches the vowels of the Korean alphabet. And like the Global Language Network video, there are plenty of great arm movements to help you remember the characters. This video is a bit more comprehensive than the Global Language Network video, and the presenter goes through the song several times. Each subsequent performance increases in speed, which is perfect for reinforcing what you’ve learned and improving as you go.

Again, you might want to look at the alphabet when you first start watching this video to give yourself a clearer idea of what each letter looks like.

It’s time to channel your elementary school self and start singing a Korean alphabet song. Just don’t fall back into any of your other kindergarten habits!
 

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)