How we ranked these apps
- Teaches all 40 letters as a system: The app should explain consonants, vowels, syllable blocks and final consonants together.
- Rates your pronunciation of the letters: Playing native audio isn't enough if the app never checks what you produce.
- Has you write from memory: Copying a visible outline tests tracing, while recalling a letter tests whether you know it.
- Uses spaced repetition: Letters should return as your memory weakens, rather than disappearing after one completed lesson.
- Continues into real Korean: The best alphabet course should lead into reading, listening and speaking meaningful Korean.
Why pronunciation is the thing to get right
Korean has consonant distinctions that English doesn't have. The clearest examples are ㄱ, ㅋ and ㄲ; ㄷ, ㅌ and ㄸ; ㅂ, ㅍ and ㅃ; and ㅈ, ㅊ and ㅉ. Korean also distinguishes ㅅ from ㅆ. An English speaker may initially hear each set as versions of one sound. To a Korean listener, they are different letters that can change the word.
The difference isn't theoretical. 불 means fire, 풀 means grass and 뿔 means horn. 달 means moon, 탈 means mask and 딸 means daughter. Korean vowels create the same problem. 커피 means coffee, while 코피 means nosebleed. The difference is ㅓ versus ㅗ. Learners also struggle with ㅡ, which has no direct English equivalent, and with ㅐ versus ㅔ.
Most alphabet apps play a recording and ask you to copy it privately. That leaves beginners unable to tell whether ㄱ, ㅋ and ㄲ actually sound different. A word-recognition exercise isn't a complete solution either. A recogniser may infer a familiar word from context even when its first consonant is wrong. Useful feedback must evaluate the sound itself and compare contrasts directly.
Korea is close to monolingual, and many Koreans rarely hear Korean spoken with a foreign accent. English speakers often understand unfamiliar accents by filling in gaps from context. Korean listeners have less reason to make the same adjustment. A word with the wrong consonant may simply go unrecognised. Learning silently can attach an English sound to a Korean shape. It is much cheaper to learn the correct sound with the letter than to unlearn it later.
1. Lingrow: best app to learn Hangeul
Lingrow is a Hangeul and speaking app for complete beginners, offering letter-level pronunciation ratings, handwriting recall and spaced repetition.
The Hangeul course launched inside the Lingrow iOS app in July 2026. It is designed as the on-ramp to the rest of Lingrow. You first learn to read Korean, then use that reading in spoken roleplay conversations.
The course covers all 40 letters: 14 basic consonants, 5 double consonants, 10 basic vowels and 11 compound vowels. It also teaches how letters stack into syllable blocks and how final consonants, called batchim, work.
Its 9 lessons follow an easiest-first order. You begin with the simplest vowels and silent ㅇ, then add easy consonants and plain stops. The course moves through harder vowels, compound vowels and w-vowels. Aspirated and tense consonant contrasts come near the end, once you have a reference sound. The final lesson covers batchim.
Every letter has its own introduction with Korean audio. An animated stroke-order demonstration shows how to form it, and you trace the letter during that introduction. The graded handwriting drill is different. Lingrow plays a sound, and you write the matching letter from memory. Handwriting recognition checks your answer. That tests recall instead of your ability to follow a visible outline.
Pronunciation is the main reason Lingrow ranks first. You say a letter, or a syllable built from it, and the app rates whether you produced that Korean sound. It judges the vowels and the difference between plain and aspirated consonants. In a contrast drill, you say 가, 카 and 까 in sequence. Lingrow checks that the three sounds are genuinely different from one another. As far as we can find, no other Hangeul app rates pronunciation at the individual-letter level.
Other drills have you construct syllable blocks, match letters to audio, and read syllables and words aloud. There is Korean audio for every letter, syllable and word.
Each letter has a strength score that decays over time. A spaced-repetition scheduler returns it shortly before you are likely to forget it. A progress grid displays all 40 letters, including which are strong and which are fading. A "words you can read" counter grows as more letters become strong.
Learners with prior knowledge can take a short placement test and skip letters they already know. After the course, Lingrow continues into speaking practice across 350+ real-life scenarios. Those conversations include feedback on grammar and pronunciation.
Best for: Beginners who want to read accurately, pronounce the letters and continue into speaking Korean.
Price: Included in the Lingrow subscription, which starts with a free trial. iOS only for now.
2. TenguGo Hangul: best free alphabet-only app
TenguGo Hangul is a dedicated alphabet app for focused beginners, offering audio for each letter, animated stroke order and quizzes.
It gives the Korean writing system more attention than most general language apps. The lessons explain the letters and let you hear them, while the animations show how each shape should be written. Its quizzes provide a useful check after studying.
The limitation is what happens when you speak. TenguGo doesn't rate your pronunciation, so you must decide whether your version matches the recording. It also ends at the alphabet. Once you can read, you need another course or app for vocabulary, grammar and conversation.
Best for: Learners who want a free, thorough alphabet course and don't need speaking feedback.
Price: Free on iOS and Android.
3. LingoDeer: best structured full Korean course
LingoDeer is a structured language course for learners who want guided progression, offering an alphabet introduction, audio and writing practice.
Its Korean course begins with an organised Hangeul section before moving into vocabulary and grammar. Tap-and-match exercises give beginners a clear routine, and the broader course means there is somewhere to continue after learning the alphabet.
LingoDeer includes audio and writing work, but it doesn't provide live pronunciation feedback on individual letters. You can listen and repeat, yet the app won't tell you whether ㅋ sounded distinct from ㄱ or whether you separated ㅓ from ㅗ.
Best for: Learners who want Hangeul inside a conventional, structured Korean course.
Price: Paid subscription on iOS, Android and the web.
4. Write It! Korean: best for stroke order
Write It! Korean is a handwriting app for learners focused on letter formation, offering guided tracing, stroke-order checking and short writing practice.
The app asks you to trace each letter in the correct sequence. It checks the trace, which makes it useful for learning where strokes begin and how a letter is formed. Some learners find that strict checking frustrating when a reasonable stroke isn't accepted.
Its scope is narrow. Pronunciation and reading receive much less attention than handwriting. Because the letter remains available as a tracing guide, the main exercise also demands less recall than writing a letter from sound and memory.
Best for: Learners who mainly want guided practice with Korean stroke order.
Price: Free on iOS and Android.
5. Duolingo: best for casual daily practice
Duolingo is a general language app for casual learners, offering short lessons, vocabulary practice and daily review.
It teaches Hangeul gradually inside its Korean course, usually through vocabulary rather than through a concise explanation of the full system. That approach can suit learners who enjoy discovering letters through repeated words. It is slower if your immediate goal is to understand how all the letters and syllable blocks work.
Explanations of block construction are limited, and the audio can sound robotic. Duolingo doesn't rate the pronunciation of individual letters. Its free tier includes advertising, while its paid tiers are among the most expensive options in this category.
Best for: Casual learners who value a daily practice habit more than focused alphabet study.
Price: Free tier with ads, plus paid subscription tiers.
6. Drops: best for short vocabulary games
Drops is an image-based vocabulary app for learners who prefer brief games, offering five-minute sessions, visual matching and a Korean alphabet mode.
The short sessions are approachable, and the alphabet mode introduces Korean letters without requiring a long lesson. Its main design remains centred on matching words and images. That makes it more useful for collecting vocabulary than for developing fluent reading.
Drops doesn't rate individual-letter pronunciation or build a full handwriting recall routine. The free version also limits how long you can study, which can interrupt a focused alphabet session.
Best for: Visual learners who want short vocabulary games with some alphabet exposure.
Price: Time-limited free version and paid plans on iOS and Android.
7. Anki: best for custom flashcards
Anki is a spaced-repetition flashcard app for independent learners, offering downloadable decks, custom cards and scheduled review.
You can download a Hangeul deck or make one yourself. Anki's scheduler is effective for bringing forgotten cards back, and custom cards give experienced users control over what they study.
The quality depends on the deck. Most Hangeul decks don't include native audio, pronunciation feedback or stroke-order instruction. Anki also doesn't grade handwritten recall unless you build a separate process around it. Its interface and deck setup have a steeper learning curve than the dedicated apps above.
Best for: Self-directed learners who want custom flashcards and already know how to use Anki.
Price: Free on most platforms, with a paid iOS app.
Quick comparison
| App | All 40 letters taught | Rates your pronunciation | Write from memory | Spaced repetition | Continues into Korean | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lingrow | Yes | Yes, letter level | Yes, handwriting checked | Yes | Yes, 350+ speaking scenarios | Subscription with free trial |
| TenguGo Hangul | Yes | No | No | No | No | Free |
| LingoDeer | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Paid subscription |
| Write It! Korean | Yes | No | No, guided tracing | No | No | Free |
| Duolingo | Yes, introduced gradually | No | No | Review, not letter-strength scheduling | Yes | Free with ads, paid tiers |
| Drops | Yes, alphabet mode | No | No | No | Yes, vocabulary | Time-limited free version, paid plans |
| Anki | Depends on the deck | No | No | Yes | Depends on the deck | Free on most platforms, paid on iOS |
The bottom line
For most beginners, Lingrow is the best app to learn Hangeul. It covers all 40 letters, checks pronunciation at the sound level, grades handwriting from memory and schedules each letter for review. Most importantly, it connects reading to spoken Korean instead of treating the alphabet as an isolated task.
You can begin free with Lingrow's interactive Hangeul chart and written Hangeul guide. For a broader course comparison, see our guide to the best apps to learn Korean. If you already know some Korean, take the free Korean level test.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best app to learn Hangeul?
Lingrow is the best app to learn Hangeul because it teaches all 40 letters and checks whether you pronounce their Korean sounds correctly. It also tests handwriting from memory, schedules reviews before letters fade and leads directly into speaking practice across 350+ real-life scenarios. The course is currently available on iOS.
Can I learn Hangeul for free?
Yes. Lingrow has a free interactive Hangeul chart and a free written guide covering the alphabet, syllable blocks and pronunciation. The app also starts with a free trial. Free resources can teach the system, but an app becomes more useful when you want graded pronunciation, handwriting recall and scheduled review.
How long does it take to learn Hangeul?
You can understand the basic Hangeul system in an afternoon. Reading quickly and producing the Korean sounds reliably takes longer. Spend several short sessions learning all 40 letters, building syllable blocks and reviewing weak letters. Pronunciation practice matters from the start, especially for Korean vowels and the three-way consonant contrasts.
Do I need to learn Hangeul before I start speaking Korean?
You don't need to master Hangeul before saying your first Korean words, but you should learn it early. Romanisation hides important sound distinctions and can attach English pronunciation habits to Korean words. Lingrow teaches reading first, then moves you directly into roleplay conversations so the alphabet supports speaking instead of delaying it.
Does Duolingo teach Hangeul properly?
Duolingo does teach Hangeul, but it introduces it gradually through vocabulary instead of explaining the full writing system clearly at the start. Its lessons offer repetition, but provide little explanation of syllable blocks and no letter-level pronunciation feedback. It works better as general practice than as the fastest focused way to learn the alphabet.
Is it Hangul or Hangeul?
Both spellings refer to the Korean alphabet, 한글. Hangeul follows the South Korean government's Revised Romanization system, while the shorter spelling is widely used in English. We use Hangeul because it represents the Korean vowel ㅡ more clearly and matches the official romanisation, but learners will regularly encounter both forms.
