{"id":79744,"date":"2024-02-14T09:36:09","date_gmt":"2024-02-14T14:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-korean\/"},"modified":"2025-03-10T20:08:49","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T00:08:49","slug":"how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-korean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-korean\/","title":{"rendered":"Does It Really Take 2200 Hours to Learn Korean?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>According to the FSI (Foreign Service Institute), it takes an estimated <strong>88 weeks or 2200 hours to reach professional working proficiency in Korean<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>However, you can\u2019t exactly provide calculations for something as complex as learning a language. So in this guide I will explain some of the factors that will affect how long it takes for each person to learn Korean.<\/p>\n<p>[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>How Long Does It Take to Learn Korean?<\/h2>\n<p>According to the FSI (Foreign Service Institute), Korean is considered a <strong>Category V language<\/strong>, marking it as \u201csuper hard\u201d for English speakers to acquire.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s estimated that it would take <strong>approximately 88 weeks or 2200 hours to reach professional working proficiency<\/strong>, a level in which you would be comfortable in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/korean-conversation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">daily conversations<\/a> and basic business contexts.<\/p>\n<p>Following these calculations, we can make some very rough estimates. It may take around:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>~200+ hours to reach beginner level<\/li>\n<li>~800+ hours to reach intermediate level<\/li>\n<li>~1600+ hours to reach an advanced level<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But, there are a few factors that will affect how long it takes each individual to learn Koran.<\/p>\n<h2>Factors that Affect How Long It Takes to Learn Korean<\/h2>\n<h3>How you organize your study time<\/h3>\n<p>Simply put, <strong>more time spent studying will boost your Korean language acquisition<\/strong>. However, as the saying goes, <strong>quality over quantity<\/strong>!<\/p>\n<p>Just because a learner spends 20 hours a week studying Korean doesn\u2019t mean they will be closer to fluency than a learner who spends only 5 hours weekly.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important you consider how you spend your time. Organize your study sessions so that it best suits you and your schedule. Think:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How many days of the week will you include Korean study?<\/li>\n<li>Will you study in the morning, afternoon or evening?<\/li>\n<li>Should you split the time into hours-long chunks, or spread them out throughout the day in 30-minute periods?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"YSYDYUmoom\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/how-to-learn-korean-fast\/\">How to Learn Korean Fast [20 Tips]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;How to Learn Korean Fast [20 Tips]&#8221; &#8212; FluentU\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/how-to-learn-korean-fast\/embed\/#?secret=X6NH2YfJTE#?secret=YSYDYUmoom\" data-secret=\"YSYDYUmoom\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Your motivation and discipline<\/h3>\n<p>Of course, if you\u2019re super pumped to learn Korean, that <strong>enthusiasm will certainly help you to learn faster and harder<\/strong>. But you can\u2019t always depend on motivation as the fuel for your language studies. If that\u2019s the case, you\u2019ll likely have more \u201coff\u201d days than \u201con\u201d days.<\/p>\n<p>Along with your motivation and inspiration, you should <strong>focus on the power of discipline<\/strong>. Be firm and consistent with your studies, even if you don\u2019t feel like doing them for the moment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Try to establish reasonable deadlines beforehand<\/strong>: for example, you may say you\u2019d like to become comfortable with the Korean alphabet in one week, familiarize yourself with a certain conjugation within two weeks and so forth.<\/p>\n<h3>Your experience with language learning<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s generally accepted that <strong>if you\u2019ve never learned another language before, then Korean can be more difficult to grasp at first<\/strong>. This is the case for any other foreign language.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Those who have never learned a second language may need more time to get accustomed to the existence of linguistic differences and learn to steadily break away from the one language they\u2019re comfortable with.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, <strong>a multilingual person may already come prepared to \u201cshatter the rules\u201d<\/strong> and know that not everything can have a direct translation to his or her native language. Some things they picked up from other languages can be applied to the next language they learn.<\/p>\n<p>But don&#8217;t be discouraged if you don&#8217;t have much experience learning a foreign language! There&#8217;s a first time for everything and Korean is an excellent choice as a second language.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>Your choice of learning methods<\/h3>\n<p>Again, quality over quantity! Learning Korean is tough work, so it\u2019s important to <strong>pick the right learning style that fits you<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a number of questions you should ask yourself:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Do you prefer learning through visual, auditory or reading\/writing means?<\/li>\n<li>Do you like to learn by yourself or with a group of other students?<\/li>\n<li>What kind of physical space best suits your study preferences? A room in your home? An actual classroom?<\/li>\n<li>Would you like physical or digital study tools?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Studying in a manner that doesn\u2019t suit you can slow down your progress and stifle your motivation. <strong>Make the process of studying invigorating and comfortable<\/strong>, so that you can address the actual linguistic challenges more than the technical ones.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"8J9UOXBJg7\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/korean-listening-practice-2\/\">The 15 Best Resources for Korean Listening Practice<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;The 15 Best Resources for Korean Listening Practice&#8221; &#8212; FluentU\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/korean-listening-practice-2\/embed\/#?secret=kFPpfEgyuF#?secret=8J9UOXBJg7\" data-secret=\"8J9UOXBJg7\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Study materials and resources you use<\/h3>\n<p>I also encourage you to <strong>diversify your learning resources<\/strong>, as opposed to just sticking with the same study tools. Don\u2019t be afraid to experiment with different materials\u2013doing so can make for more productive language learning!<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t just depend on textbooks and classes. <strong>Using native Korean content as study material will quicken your learning speed and abilities<\/strong>. This includes material such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/easy-korean-songs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">K-pop songs<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/korean-drama\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">K-dramas<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/korean-movies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Korean films<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/korean-for-food\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Korean foods<\/a>, Korean books and so forth.<\/p>\n<p>Content that&#8217;s originally created for native Korean speakers will:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Show the language used in context<\/li>\n<li>Provide more natural and authentic use of the language<\/li>\n<li>Give hints of cultural aspects behind the language<\/li>\n<li>Teach in a more interactive, inclusive manner that can stimulate your learning and interest<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>By immersing yourself in all things Korean, language practice will become an everyday, casual matter.\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"icd1mBDF2G\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/learn-korean-immersion\/\">11 Ways to Get Korean Immersion at Home<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;11 Ways to Get Korean Immersion at Home&#8221; &#8212; FluentU\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/learn-korean-immersion\/embed\/#?secret=zFXTS5u7xk#?secret=icd1mBDF2G\" data-secret=\"icd1mBDF2G\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>One tool that is great for this, especially when you&#8217;re just starting out, is the language learning program <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/korean\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FluentU<\/a>. <p><strong>FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<p>You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/fluentu-learn-language-videos\/id917892175\">the iOS app<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.fluentflix.fluentu&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US\">Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p><i><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/korean\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/NativeAd-Korean.jpg\" alt=\"FluentU Ad\" \/>\r\n  <p style=\"text-align: center\">\r\n    <button class=\"btn-blue\" style=\"border: none;font-size: 18px;text-align: center;padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;cursor: pointer\">\r\n      Try FluentU for FREE!\r\n    <\/button>\r\n  <\/p>\r\n<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\n<h2>Korean Compared to Other East Asian Languages<\/h2>\n<p>Historically, Korean (like most other East Asian languages) was influenced by the Chinese language. Its first written system consisted of Chinese characters, and there\u2019s still an entire counting system in use that\u2019s based on Chinese numbers.<\/p>\n<p>However, <strong>many linguists consider Korean a \u201clanguage isolate.\u201d<\/strong> This means that it doesn\u2019t have a clear genealogy to any other language. This makes Korean linguistically unique and special.<\/p>\n<p>Korean has an exclusive (and rather straightforward) written alphabet called Hangul, which was commissioned by a king. In other words, <strong>you won&#8217;t have to learn complex characters or various writing systems like in Chinese and Japanese.<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"a1oOVYcKck\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/korean-alphabet\/\">Hangul | The Korean Alphabet<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Hangul | The Korean Alphabet&#8221; &#8212; FluentU\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/korean-alphabet\/embed\/#?secret=Rsdwr7PRaC#?secret=a1oOVYcKck\" data-secret=\"a1oOVYcKck\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In terms of grammar and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/korean-pronunciation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">phonetics<\/a>, Korean is somewhat similar to Japanese. It\u2019s common for Korean and Japanese natives to take to the other language without much difficulty.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For a detailed guide on how to craft a Korean study plan, check out this guide:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"9n0WcyAJJo\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/teach-yourself-korean\/\">How to Learn Korean [16 Steps to Speak Korean from Scratch]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;How to Learn Korean [16 Steps to Speak Korean from Scratch]&#8221; &#8212; FluentU\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/teach-yourself-korean\/embed\/#?secret=FidpSFbQvN#?secret=9n0WcyAJJo\" data-secret=\"9n0WcyAJJo\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the length of your Korean learning journey will depend on so many things\u2013some of which you can control, and others you can\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>But instead of thinking about the number of hours or weeks, it\u2019s more important that you stay eager and curious. With those traits, you\u2019re bound to reach Korean fluency faster than you\u2019d believe.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span data-sheets-root=\"1\"><h2>And One More Thing...<\/h2>\r\n<p>\r\n\tIf you're like me and enjoy learning Korean through movies and other media, you should check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>FluentU<\/strong><\/a>. With FluentU, you can turn any subtitled content on YouTube or Netflix into an engaging language lesson. \r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FluentU-youtube-video-with-interactive-subtitles-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"learn-korean-with-fluentu-on-youtube\" width=\"600\" height=\"390\" \/><\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n\t<p>\r\n\t\tI also love that FluentU has a <strong>huge library of videos picked specifically for Korean learners<\/strong>. No more searching for good content\u2014it's all in one place!\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1990\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Korean-5.jpg\" alt=\"fluentu-korean-video-library\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\n\tOne of my favorite features is the <strong>interactive captions<\/strong>. You can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and examples, which makes it so much easier to understand and remember.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1996 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FluentU-Korean-vocab.jpg\" alt=\"learn-korean-vocab-with-fluentu\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a> \r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nAnd if you're worried about forgetting new words, FluentU has you covered. You'll complete <strong>fun exercises to reinforce vocabulary<\/strong> and be reminded when it\u2019s time to review, so you actually retain what you\u2019ve learned.\r\n<\/p><p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1996 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FluentU-korean-vocab-quiz.jpg\" alt=\"practice-korean-with-adaptive-quizzes\" width=\"600\" height=\"390\" \/><\/a> \r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nYou can use FluentU on your computer or tablet, or download the app from the App Store or Google Play. <a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to the FSI (Foreign Service Institute), it takes an estimated 88 weeks or 2200 hours to reach professional working proficiency in Korean. However, you can\u2019t exactly provide calculations for&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":413,"featured_media":248953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"Does It Really Take 2200 Hours to Learn Korean? | FluentU Korean Blog","description":"How long does it take to learn Korean? The standard wisdom is that it takes about 2200 hours to get close to fluency, but there are several factors that you need to consider. Check out our explanation of other things to keep in mind, such as your language learning experience, learning methods, motivation and more."},"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":[],"coauthors":[185],"class_list":["post-79744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-korean"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/413"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79744"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79744\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":253079,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79744\/revisions\/253079"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/248953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79744"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=79744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}