Learn Korean
Korean is spoken by about 80 million speakers, mainly in South and North Korea and the global diaspora. Envoy teaches it the way the U.S. Foreign Service trains diplomats — comprehensible-input lessons, spaced repetition, and daily speaking with an AI tutor — plus a graded Reader that carries the pronunciation of every phrase. Free to start, no card.
How long does it take to learn Korean?
The Foreign Service Institute rates Korean Category IV — one of the hardest ("super-hard") languages for English speakers, about 2,200 class hours to professional working proficiency (ILR-3, roughly CEFR B2–C1). A conversational B1 is realistic in about 6 years at 30 minutes a day, or roughly half that at an hour a day. See the full comparison on how long it really takes to learn a language.
What you'll actually say
Korean is a language where the shape of a word tells the listener exactly how you see them. Before you learn much vocabulary, you learn a posture — and the single most useful posture is the polite 해요체 (hae-yo style), warm and safe with almost anyone. Say '안녕하세요' when you walk in the door and you have already done the most important thing in the language: shown respect.
Read your way to fluency
Envoy's graded Reader for Korean is a warm, cover-to-cover book that carries you from your first hello to real conversations, with an English-phonetic pronunciation and meaning on every line. Tap any sentence to hear it, and save phrases to your spaced-repetition review.
Why the professional's method works
- Comprehensible input — story-driven lessons pitched one step past your level.
- Spaced repetition — an SRS engine resurfaces each word right before you'd forget it.
- Daily speaking — an AI tutor adapts to your level and corrects gently, out loud.
- Honest progress — real hours logged against the FSI/CEFR ladder, no streak gimmicks.
Korean FAQ
Is Korean hard to learn for English speakers?
Korean is FSI Category IV, one of the hardest ("super-hard") languages for English speakers — roughly 2,200 class hours to professional working proficiency (ILR-3, about CEFR B2–C1).
How long does it take to speak Korean conversationally?
Reaching a conversational B1 takes about 6 years at 30 minutes a day, or roughly half that at an hour a day, based on FSI hour benchmarks. Envoy logs your real hours against that ladder.
Is Envoy's Korean course free?
Yes. Create a free account or start as a guest, with no card. The full course, the AI speaking tutor, spaced-repetition review, and the Reader are all on the free tier.
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