Chevron Left
Back to First Step Korean

Learner Reviews & Feedback for First Step Korean by Yonsei University

4.9
stars
49,328 ratings

About the Course

This is an elementary-level Korean language course, consisting of 5 lessons with 4 units, and covers 4 skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. The main topics include basic expressions used in everyday life, such as greetings, introducing yourself, talking about your family and a daily life and so on. Each lesson covers dialogues, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, quizzes and role-plays. After completing this course, you will be able to 1. read and write Korean alphabet. 2. communicate in Korean with basic expressions. 3. learn basic knowledge on Korean culture. It’s fun and easy to follow! Enjoy it!...

Top reviews

DD

May 1, 2017

This was course was very informative. I really enjoyed the content being that I wasn't on the paid version. I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything but learn a lot from this course. 감사합니다!!!!

CS

Jan 6, 2018

The course is amazing for now! The teacher explains everything in a great order and it helps me a lot with Korean. I understand a lot more now. Thank you for that Seung Hae Kang and Yonsei University!

Filter by:

101 - 125 of 10,000 Reviews for First Step Korean

By Sherin

Jul 16, 2020

vEERY HARD TO FOLLOW IN THE LIMITED TIME. HOW CAN I UNENROLL??

By Minyoung C

May 24, 2021

Not good at all. It's Okay for intermediate/advanced reviewing BUT it's very aged and doesn't teach what is common these days. You are essentially teaching elementary grade material to pre-schoolers. You also do not go too much into the grammar and important things that Korean learners should know. Because of this, people do not know what they are learning. Thank you for taking your time to teach this 선생님 but I think this course needs a MAJOR revamp. One thing I did like is the pronunciation sections. As an intermediate learner, I thought those were more valuable. But the fact that you are teaching things that are too difficult to beginner learners is not good. This is class is called "first step in Korean". You shouldn't be expecting people to know something they don't. If a Korean Learner were to take this course for the first time, I would feel extremely bad for them.

By Maryam H

Apr 30, 2020

Its hard for a beginner to understand

By Сундет К

Jul 26, 2020

Above all, I would like to thank Yonsei University and Professor Kang for the opportunity to get acquainted with the Korean language precisely in the way we did through the course. This course is very useful for absolute beginners as I was. I did not know even a letter in Korean and used to think that Korean alphabet was extremely difficult which, by the way, prevented me from studying it. However, this course helped me to realize that “Devil is not black as he is painted” and it is not that hard providing one will make enough effort. Regarding the course itself, video materials were very informative even though they normally lasted 10-12 minutes. I liked the way professor explained themes during all 5 weeks and of course additional materials attached after each lesson. Learning any foreign language requires A LOT OF practice and all quizzes, short dialogues and vocabulary in this course help me to do so. I keep studying Korean via different social networks and I feel deliriously happy when I encounter there some words, grammar rules that I’ve learnt thanks to this course. I highly recommend it for people who want to start studying this beautiful language from the very beginning and considering any free course available. It is definitely the best option! Good luck everyone!!!

By Swati T

Jul 18, 2021

I was interested in learning different languages as a part of my hobby and Korean is one of them. Before I started with this course, I have already seen many K Dramas and have listened to many K songs as well, which eventually made me interested in learning Hangul. This course helped me to understand Korean language in a very easy and effective way, teacher explained each and every topic superbly. As a student, flexible timings of this course allowed me to have my focus and to get enough time for me to study my main content. Quizzes are kind of easy but they are very much required to test our knowledge regarding what we have learnt and practice will make things perfect for us. I really enjoyed learning this language course. The best part of language learning for me was that it made me active, multitasking, efficient towards my work more than usual. I have shared about this course with many of my friends who are interested in learning different languages Thanks to the Yonsei University and special thanks to our teacher. I will be covering rest of the courses, regarding Hangul as well.

By Tan S Y D I

Feb 27, 2016

First Step Korean is a really good beginner course to start learning Korean. The lectures are structured in a clear manner that gives the learner ample examples to understand the usage of the language and allows the learner to practice along very naturally with Prof. Kang.

Personally, when I learnt basic Korean through Korean TV shows and classes in a community club, it was hard for me to grasp the grammar as it was pretty confusing. This basic course allowed me to understand the usage of grammar, such as 이, 가, 은, 는 and transforming basic form verbs.

The lectures are delivered in a way that allows you to learn in a gradual manner and frequently review what you have learnt in previous lectures. The subtitles and notes make the lessons really easy to understand and follow.

Through Coursera's online platform, the video lectures allows easy review of the lecture without having to physically sit through a class. I'm glad and grateful that First Step Korean is offered on Coursera and I hope there's a Second Step Korean in the near future for us to carry on with intermediate learning.

By Lauren R

Jun 23, 2019

I have been self-teaching myself Korean for about 6 months and have found it extremely difficult. This course offered me the ability to listen to a native speaker and to communicate and practice real time. I love it so much, my only complaint is that it did not go into depth on the honorifics. I am advanced enough that I have a good grasp on basic speech and I have a large vocabulary, I just lack the ability to use appropriate honorifics. That being said, I learned something new every lesson and got a good grasp on the concept of time and questions that I have been having trouble on. I would highly recommend this for someone who has just started learning and has begun to familiarize themselves. For someone totally new to the language, it might be a bit overwhelming, but it worked great for me and the basic knowledge I already acquired. Also, Mrs. Seung is an amazing instructor and her voice kept me focused and helped me to learn!

By Maryam N

Jul 30, 2021

Hello This is Maryam. I love to learn Korean. Every time I used to trouble while watching Korean movie or Korean drama. So decided to learn Korean and I've searched for a free and interesting Korean learning platform but all are in vain. For free learning every platform is not good so.

Then I came to know about Coursera and I searched for free platform. I really love studying Korean from Yonsei University. It was quite interesting and I love my journey of learning Korean. I learned more from here. It's fun. When I come to Korea I hope to visit Yonsei University at least once and I really like the Professor Seung Hae Kang<3....Lots of love professor and I'm really thankful and grateful to that professor And I hope any day, at any place I would like to meet and appreciation you! It's all thanks to that professor and her skill of teaching I really loved and Had fun. Thank you

By Rugveda R B

Sep 17, 2020

To be honest, initially i was very aversive of completing this course. I thought that a new language that too with an all new script to which i am unfamiliar. Plus, being deriven from chinsese characters it may have many characters with different sounds. But as i am Indian and Marathi being my mother tongue, learning the pronounciations of the hangeul became pretty simple, which i think may not have been as simple if i would have learned it based on english phonetics. However, talking about the facilitator of the course, Miss. Seung Hae Kang was absolutely amazing. She would pronounce the alphabets very clearly, her speech was very lucid. Plus she would remind from time to time the uses of the particles very clearly. The course design was very feasible. I am very grateful to Yonsei University. This university's certificate has great value. Thank you so much!!!!

By Suzette N

Apr 12, 2020

It was a very informative course that taught the Korean language in a fun way. I was so immersed in the subject, that I would just keep studying almost all the time. The way the classes were executed was very skilled, where the teacher explained everything so detailed and in a clear way. She also dove into the pronunciations of certain words (since the way you pronounce Korean is very important). Moreover, you can feel the support of the mentors who were there to help and answer any question any of us had in the forum section, this also gave me some sort of confidence and reliability, it encouraged me to continue studying knowing that there is someone out there ready to help and there are also other learners in my position as well.

Thank you very much for everyone for this beautiful course! Very well recommended! You really won't regret signing up!

By Jacinta H

Jan 15, 2021

Buen día, dándole mil gracias a esta bella familia de COURSERA.ORG., por haberme permitido aprender con ellos este nuevo idioma. Es así que me hago presente en este momento para decirles mil gracias, y que desde el interior de mi alma, deseo de corazón para ustedes muchos éxitos, progreso y bendiciones venideras. Papito Dios siga guiándolos y permitiendo que así como yo, muchas mas personas se unan a esta bella experiencia de querer aprender algo nuevo, útil y divertido como es la Cultura Coreana.

PD. Mil gracias a esta bella Maestra que imparte las clases, ya que no me canso de decir que usted si es una Maestra de verdad y no una profesora, porque me doy cuenta por mi misma y por los comentarios. Es así que en este corto tiempo considero que he aprendido mucho, ya que yo no sabia del Idioma Coreano. Mil bendiciones. Ecuador.

By Jolie J

Oct 18, 2020

I highly recommend this course for those trying to learn Korean who are just starting out. I already knew hangeul, so that part was slightly repetitive for me; but, it would be very useful to those who don't know hangeul. The units are set up in a logical order and they contain vocabulary, grammar, and example sentences that are useful for basic conversations. The grammar was well-explained and the examples were interesting to me as well. I also liked the videos of example dialogue. The actors were slightly awkward but much less so than others I have seen. My only issue is that she doesn't give much time during the repeat after her parts or during the exercises, but that can be solved by pausing the video. I enjoyed this course and learned a lot. 9.9/10; would recommend to those who want to learn Korean.

By Ana G C

Jul 31, 2023

Me ha encantado este curso. Empecé a aprender coreano por mi cuenta a través de libros pero no sentía que estuviera aprendiendo cosas que realmente me ayudaran a comenzar a hablar y entender el idioma coreano. Sin embargo, con este curso he conseguido justo esto desde el primer momento. Después de terminarlo siento que tengo una comprensión básica de como funciona el idioma sobre la que puedo construir por mi cuenta, y he aprendido frases y expresiones completas que puedo usar en el día a día. Las explicaciones de la Profesora Kang son sencillas y fáciles de seguir y la estructura de las clases (dando primero un ejemplo de la vida real y luego explicando la gramática y vocabulario de ese ejemplo) me parece muy acertada para facilitar el aprendizaje. En general, he quedado muy satisfecha con este curso.

By Nella D

Jul 2, 2023

Hi, my name is Nella Elvareta Destya Maharani, you can be called Nella. Long journey, my efforts to learn Korean with Yonsei University and finally I graduated.My experience while studying Korean with Yonsei University was fun, they explained it clearly and clearly. They teach, introduce Hangeul letters to how to talk about everyday life in Korean, not only that they also teach verbs and so on.I think learning Korean with Yonsei University really helps those of you who really want to understand Korean. I highly recommend it for those of you who want to learn Korean, you can learn here, it's very satisfying, it's fun, the point is it's really good . Oh yeah, they also give notes like that and some questions that you have to work on to prove your abilities. That's all from me, thank you

By Camila

May 1, 2021

I think this is a great course for beginners. It may take you a little longer than 5 weeks to complete if you didn't know ANYTHING about Korean before like me, but it's still rewarding and fun. The only thing I'd improve upon are the subtitles. I wish it didn't say [FOREIGN] when Korean subtitles could've been provided to keep up more easily with the teacher.

The quizzes are hard enough but not impossible, you truly exercise what you learned in the unit. The teacher's pace is good to keep you motivated, even though I did see myself going back to check on something more than once because this was my first aproach to the language after all.

Overall, I recommend this course to anyone interested in Korean culture who wants to learn the basics in a fun, rewarding and changelling way

By Mel A

Jan 15, 2024

Quiero expresar mi profunda gratitud por la experiencia en el curso de coreano básico. Ha sido una travesía educativa excepcional, en la que he adquirido un conocimiento sustancial del idioma. El curso no solo me ha proporcionado una sólida base de vocabulario, sino que también ha sido instrumental en ilustrar de manera clara y comprensible la estructura gramatical del coreano. Esta experiencia ha superado mis expectativas y ha dejado una impresión duradera en mi aprendizaje de idiomas. Estoy muy agradecida por la oportunidad de participar en este curso. Ha sido un viaje enriquecedor que no solo ha ampliado mis habilidades lingüísticas, sino que también ha cultivado un profundo interés en la cultura coreana. ¡Muchas gracias por esta invaluable experiencia educativa!

By apoorva d

Jul 11, 2021

The course is very well structured and teaches the basics of Korean along with how the letters were derived and how they change with their usage. I had some idea of spoken Korean already, owing to the numerous kdramas I have watched but newbies can easily catch up. If you are a non- English or non- Roman derived language speaker, it will be easier for you to understand since the sentence structure matches the other languages. All content is taught in present tense. The most challenging part was the Korean number systems and the professor explained it so well, that I don't confuse it anymore. A lot of interesting vocabulary is introduced. The graphic design of the course is also simple and easy to understand. Go for it if want to just start learning basic Korean.

By Mo'lanee S

Sep 20, 2017

This is my second time taking this course and I can't begin to thank the organizers, instructors, moderators enough. This course was my first formalized experience with Hangugeo and the way it's structured really helps you get started with basic Korean. I also took the next course 'Learn to speak Korean 1,' and together with this course, I have a better grasp of Korean language than I could have ever accomplished on my own. What really enriched my learning experience was writing everything down, pausing the videos and reinforcing what I hear via speaking and demonstration. I am earnestly waiting for more courses from these guys in Korean; they have an excellent touch that is nonpareil to other Korean language courses I have used.

앞으로도 즐겁게 공부합시다. 쌤, 너무너무 감사합니다.

By Alexandra M

Sep 27, 2023

Excellent course - I highly recommend it!! I really loved the very well-structured approach to each lesson. You will need a good handle on reading Hangul to make the most of the course. I invested about 4-5 hours a week for almost 3 months as I listened to some lessons again, reviewed the lesson's notes, and practiced the concepts learned before moving on to the next lesson. I've learned so much more with this course than I had previously on my own. I feel very accomplished that I can tell the time in Korean! and that I can understand many more words when I am watching Korean TV shows. I wish there were more lessons from this professor. Thank you for taking such good care in crafting such a well-rounded course for beginners. 선생님 감사합니다!

By Nidhima m

Jun 6, 2020

I must say that all the concepts were systematically explained . The additional vocabulary provided at the end of the lesson is also great .The test and the worksheets after every lesson was helpful for me in testing me what I have learnt. Overall the course experience is great and has increased my skills in learning a new language . Through this course I was able to learn ,write ,speak and read hangul effectively . I would also suggest to add an advance level also for learners so that they can further continue learning and become more fluent in learning korean . Although this was a great experience . I Thank those who have put such an efforts in preparing the content for the learners and for making us learn a new foreign language .

By Saskia I

Feb 12, 2023

This course was very well structured and perfect for beginners. It introduces new concepts gradually and with examples which makes it easy to follow along. The small quizzes at the end of every lecture were great to get some more listening comprehension and review what you just learned. The only thing that could be improved in my opinion would be the work sheets, which could be structured a little better. At the moment everything is put chronologically, as in the order you learned it in the lecture, but it might ake sense for example to put all the vocabulary in one place, and not some at the beginning and some at the end . Thank you so much for having this course available. It is really a great start to learn Korean.

By sama e

Dec 13, 2020

I've been trying to learn Korean for a while now and I felt like regular apps on my phone were not really getting me anywhere and I wasn't making much progress with anything but this course was really good and I really felt like I was a lot more productive in learning more in a shorter amount of time and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who wants to start learning Korean and I would even love to see if Yonsei University releases another course for Korean specifically with professor Sueng Hae Kang i really loved the way she explained things she has a really nice way of simplifing everything so that its not overwhelming to the student and to be honest i think itll be weird continuing learning korean without her

By Lesley P

Aug 13, 2017

I very much enjoyed the clarify and structure of this course. I have been studying Korean in a classroom situation, but I have found that devoting one big block of time once a week - at the of the workday when I am tired - has been difficult. Also the mixed abilities and ages in the class meant that some were pressing to move faster, while others of us would have benefitted from a more moderate place. This way I learn at my own pace, at a time suitable to me, and I have regular contact with the language during the week.

The only disadvantage I can see is not having others to 'talk' to, but I haven't found that concerning at this early stage.

Very well thought out.... just the right mix of techniques

By Kathy D

Sep 3, 2021

This online course really help me to understand more the Korean Language and how to form and use those words that often use in our daily life correctly. It also help me to broaden my knowledge and vocabulary in Korean. I took this online course for me to enhance my Korean Skills and also to add on my profile when I am finding a job as I love learning other countries language especially the Korean Language. This online course is really convenient these days for those people who wants to learn Korean Language and cannot go out to study at a University or in an Language Center due to the Virus. So, I suggest this online course to everyone who wants to learn from the basic of Korean Language.