8 Korean AI Chatbots That Will Teach You Phrases Beyond “Annyeonghaseyo”
Chatbots are computer programs designed to interact with users and hold conversations as though they were real humans. These are often used on business websites to answer questions and provide basic customer service.
There are also chatbots used for entertainment purposes, which will teach you Korean through conversations.
So if you’re a Korean learner interested in improving your conversation skills and acquiring a BBF (“Best Bot Forever”), check out these eight Korean AI chatbots!
Contents
- 1. Eggbun
- 2. MondlyAR (from Mondly)
- 3. HelloBot
- 4. King Sejong Institute AI teacher (세종학당 AI 선생님)
- 5. Mirinae
- 6. MemBot (from Memrise)
- 7. Langotalk
- 8. ChatGPT
- Why Use a Korean Chatbot?
- And One More Thing...
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
1. Eggbun
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
Eggbun has a lot to offer Korean students, particularly beginners.
Need a Korean tutor you can carry with you everywhere (without getting a restraining order)? Eggbun’s app fits the bill. Want a step-by-step guide to conversational proficiency? Eggbun’s got that, too. Looking to familiarize yourself with Korean culture? You guessed it: Eggbun has you covered.
One of Eggbun’s most exciting and innovative features is its chatbot, Lanny. Don’t expect a conversation entirely in Korean, though: Lanny will often explain things and ask you questions in English.
Sometimes, you’ll be asked to provide Korean letters or words. Other times, you might even have to respond in English. That’s because Lanny is more like your tutor than your conversation partner. Like I said, Eggbun is designed for beginners, so you’re not going to be completely immersed in Korean just yet.
One thing’s for sure, though: having an adorable chatbot to help you get a handle on basic Korean is the cutest path towards fluency.
2. MondlyAR (from Mondly)
Price: Free
MondlyAR (Mondly Augmented Reality), brought to you by Mondly, is designed to be a “virtual language learning assistant.” Your conversations with it can help you practice conversation and improve your pronunciation and fluency.
One highlight of Mondly’s chatbot is that you actually get to practice speaking Korean and you’ll hear a reply that sounds like a real human voice. The chatbot will start a conversation, then you’ll see a couple of possible options that you can say in response.
Not sure how to pronounce something? Don’t worry! You can tap the word to hear its pronunciation. Once you’re ready to say the word yourself, hold down the microphone button and give it a try!
The chatbot will help you practice situations like greetings, eating at a restaurant, staying at a hotel, purchasing tickets, shopping, getting a taxi, making appointments and general conversation.
If you’re interested in more of what Mondly has to offer, check out this review.
3. HelloBot
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
Looking to use Korean like real Koreans? Check out HelloBot. This is an authentic bot intended for native Korean speakers.
HelloBot is a fortune-telling app featuring adorable animations that’ll keep you coming back for more.
To get your readings, all you have to do is type back and forth with the chatbot in Korean. Whatever the chatbot tells you, chances are you’ll see better Korean skills in your future!
4. King Sejong Institute AI teacher (세종학당 AI 선생님)
Price: Free
Brought to you by the King Sejong Institute (세종학당), which falls under the umbrella of South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, this app will feel like a native Korean speaking friend in your pocket (albeit much less creepy than what that phrase suggests).
If you’ve ever been on the student side of a language tutor-student relationship, you’ll know it often involves starting the lesson with a specific conversation topic. This app feels like that: just choose from any topic the app gives you and you can get all the practice you need writing and speaking (yes, speaking) in Korean.
I like how clean the interface looks, so you won’t be fumbling around tapping random buttons. Language learning already feels awkward at times—don’t pick an app that makes it hard to get past the home page!
5. Mirinae
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
I absolutely love this app! Unlike many chatbots, it won’t just respond to your inputs with what it “thinks” is an appropriate response and call it a day.
When you key in a sentence, Mirinae will actually break down that sentence into an entire Korean lesson by itself. You’ll get information on the grammatical rules used in the sentence, as well as explanations on conjugations and any idioms used, among other information.
And if that all sounds very dry, Mirinae has another thing up its sleeve (or the AI equivalent of a “sleeve,” anyway): K-Dramas! If you install the Mirinae extension on your browser and it’s running while you’re binging that high-stakes Korean movie on Netflix, it will pull information from that movie’s subtitles and generate a quick language lesson for you.
6. MemBot (from Memrise)
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
You probably already know that Memrise is a great flashcard app. But did you know it comes with a chatbot, too—namely, MemBot?
Just go to the “Communicate” tab of your app, pick your language combination and choose a chat topic. If you’re not sure what topic to start with, you can pick “Introduction to MemBot” first and get to know your new Korean AI chatbot partner.
What’s neat about this AI is that it will tailor language lessons to your level based on the patterns it detects from your inputs. That means you don’t have to worry about getting into conversations that are too easy or too difficult—MemBot will (try to) get it right just for you!
Also, if you want a better handle on what Memrise is all about, here’s a comprehensive review on the app.
7. Langotalk
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
Available on: iOS
If you don’t have trouble coming up with conversation topics, Langotalk may be the chatbot you’re looking for. You can chat with it about anything under the sun—like your favorite bands or K-pop groups, food, travel and more.
Of course, it doesn’t stop there. The AI will also correct your grammar if necessary. Whenever you encounter any new words or phrases, you can save it for later review. You can even test yourself and see just how much you’re progressing with your Korean lessons!
The only downside is that, as of this writing, it’s not available for Android users yet. But we hope that’ll change soon!
8. ChatGPT
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
By now, you’ve probably used ChatGPT at least once—whether it’s for crafting that perfect email to your boss or answering serious questions like “How do you build a magical potato?”
Jokes aside, if you’re working on your written Korean, you can use ChatGPT to, well, chat with you about everything. You can ask it anything related to Korean culture, language and history from before September 2021. (As of this writing, ChatGPT cannot give you any updated information on anything after that date, so if you’re hunting for post-2022 gossip on Korean celebrities, you’re out of luck.)
I personally recommend this one to more advanced Korean learners, though. I’ve noticed some inaccuracies in the data and translations it spews out at times—like mixing up information on East Asian cultures, for example. Those flaws aside, if you just want to have a little fun with a chatbot, ChatGPT can definitely step up to that.
Why Use a Korean Chatbot?
First, using a Korean chatbot is more interactive than many other learning activities. Since you’re required to read and/or listen and respond, you’re practicing multiple skills simultaneously. Text-based chatbots can even help you learn to read the Korean alphabet and give you some Korean typing practice.
Chatbots are also adaptive. The best learning methods adapt to your needs rather than requiring you to adapt to them. While you may not be holding a conversation with a real human being, the things you say affect how a bot responds or reacts—a lot like how quizzes on language learning programs like FluentU are customized according to what you’ve already learned.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Click here to check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
Another reason to use a Korean chatbot is that you can practice conversation skills. When it comes to language learning, conversation skills are important, since they’re the ones you’re most likely to use in real life. They can also be difficult to practice if you don’t already have a native Korean language exchange partner or tutor; luckily, chatbots can help you get this valuable practice and prepare you for whatever scenario you might encounter.
Finally, using a Korean chatbot can help you improve your skills minus the intimidation that comes with interacting with a human native speaker. After all, when you’re chatting with someone in person, you’re more likely to pick up on any nonverbal cues that suggest the other person may be judging your (lack of) language skills. Since chatbots aren’t designed to communicate nonverbal cues (and can’t laugh at you when you make mistakes), they allow you to practice conversation skills in a safe space.
So go ahead.
Enjoy a long talk with your favorite chatbot.
You might not have all the laughs and gossip you’d share with your best friend, but your best bot has your back when it comes to improving your Korean.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
And One More Thing...
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