30-Day Korean Learning Plan

This plan is designed for complete beginners who want a clear path from zero to basic Korean competency. Each week builds on the previous one, and daily sessions are designed for 20-30 minutes.

Week 1: Hangul Foundation (Days 1-7)

Your first priority is learning to read. Everything else becomes easier once you can decode Korean text.

Day 1-2: Basic Vowels Learn the 10 basic vowels: ㅏ ㅓ ㅗ ㅜ ㅡ ㅣ ㅐ ㅔ ㅑ ㅕ. Practice writing each one and saying the sound aloud. Focus on the mouth position for each vowel.

Day 3-4: Basic Consonants Learn the 14 basic consonants: ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ ㅈ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ. Notice how the shapes relate to mouth position — ㅁ looks like a mouth, ㄴ shows where the tongue touches.

Day 5-6: Syllable Blocks Practice combining consonants and vowels into syllable blocks. Start with simple CV patterns: 가 나 다 마. Then try CVC: 간 날 달 말.

Day 7: Reading Practice Try reading Korean signs, food packaging, or K-pop song titles. Don't worry about meaning yet — just practice sounding out the letters. You'll be surprised how much you can decode.

Week 2: Essential Phrases (Days 8-14)

Now that you can read, start learning phrases you'll actually use.

Day 8-9: Greetings

• 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) — Hello
• 감사합니다 (gamsahamnida) — Thank you
• 죄송합니다 (joesonghamnida) — I'm sorry
• 네 / 아니요 (ne / aniyo) — Yes / No

Day 10-11: Self-Introduction

• 저는 [name]이에요/예요 — I am [name]
• 만나서 반갑습니다 — Nice to meet you
• [country]에서 왔어요 — I'm from [country]

Day 12-13: Basic Questions

• 이거 뭐예요? — What is this?
• 얼마예요? — How much?
• 어디예요? — Where is it?
• 이거 주세요 — Please give me this

Day 14: Review Day Go through all phrases from the week. Try covering the English and saying them from memory. Record yourself and compare with native pronunciation.

Week 3: Grammar Building Blocks (Days 15-21)

Time to understand how Korean sentences are structured.

Day 15-16: Subject and Topic Markers Learn 은/는 (topic) and 이/가 (subject). The simplest way to think about it: 은/는 marks "as for this thing..." while 이/가 marks "this thing does..."

Day 17-18: Object Markers and Basic Verbs Learn 을/를 (object marker) and essential verbs: 먹다 (eat), 마시다 (drink), 가다 (go), 오다 (come), 하다 (do).

Day 19-20: Present Tense Conjugation Learn the -아/어요 present tense ending. This is the most useful conjugation — polite enough for most situations. Practice with the verbs from days 17-18.

Day 21: Build Sentences Combine what you've learned: 저는 커피를 마셔요 (I drink coffee). 저는 학교에 가요 (I go to school). Make 10 sentences about your daily routine.

Week 4: Expanding Your World (Days 22-30)

Day 22-23: Numbers Learn both number systems: native Korean (하나, 둘, 셋...) for counting and Sino-Korean (일, 이, 삼...) for dates, phone numbers, and prices.

Day 24-25: Location and Direction Learn 에 (at/to), 에서 (at/from), and basic location words: 위 (above), 아래 (below), 앞 (front), 뒤 (behind), 옆 (beside).

Day 26-27: Past Tense Learn the -았/었어요 past tense. Once you know present and past, you can describe most of your daily experiences.

Day 28-29: Connectors Learn 그리고 (and), 하지만 (but), 그래서 (so). These let you link simple sentences into more natural speech.

Day 30: Milestone Test Take the Chamelingo level test to see where you stand. By now you should be able to: read any Hangul text aloud, introduce yourself, order food, describe your day in simple sentences, and understand basic written Korean.

After Day 30

The first 30 days establish your foundation. From here:

• Continue with Chamelingo — the structured 16-chapter path picks up where this plan leaves off
• Start consuming Korean media — turn on Korean subtitles when watching K-dramas
• Find a language exchange partner — practice speaking with real people
• Keep a Korean journal — write 3 sentences about your day in Korean

Consistency matters more than intensity. Twenty minutes every day beats two hours on weekends. Set a daily reminder and protect that time — future you will be grateful.