Korean Class for Beginners

Learning Korean as a Beginner in Sandton: Your Honest First-Session Guide

If you have ever typed free Korean class Sandton into Google at 11pm wondering whether you will ever actually read a Korean restaurant menu, this page is for you. We have been teaching Korean to absolute beginners in Parkmore since 2019. Here is what the first Sunday actually looks like.

You Will Read Hangul by the End of the First Session

The single most surprising thing for new students is how quickly the Korean alphabet (한글, Hangul) clicks. Hangul is a designed writing system — King Sejong published it in 1443 so that ordinary Koreans could read and write in under a week. It is not like Mandarin characters or Japanese kanji. There are 14 basic consonants and 10 vowels. You can read them all by lunchtime on a Sunday.

Most of our students spend the first 40 minutes sounding out their own names in Korean. By the end of the two-hour session, they can read simple signs and a few basic phrases. We do not promise fluency — that takes years — but we promise you will read, write, and pronounce 30 to 50 characters correctly on day one.

What You Actually Learn in Week One

The first Sunday is structured like this:

1. 10 minutes — hellos in Korean. 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo). We learn how to bow slightly without making it weird. Names, ages, where you live.
2. 30 minutes — the Hangul consonants. ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ ㅈ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ. We use a Hangul worksheet we created, and you trace along.
3. 15 minutes — the basic vowels. ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ ㅣ.
4. 15 minutes — combining vowels and consonants. This is where it starts to feel like magic. 가나다라마바사.
5. 30 minutes — break + casual conversation. Coffee, tea, biscuits. Most people stay and chat for an extra 30 minutes.
6. 20 minutes — basic phrases. 감사합니다 (thank you), 죄송합니다 (sorry), 네 / 아니오 (yes / no).

Who Shows Up on a Sunday Afternoon

Our class is not a school classroom. The people who come are:

• University students at Wits, UJ, and Stias preparing for exchange in Seoul
• Young professionals whose partners are Korean and they want to talk to the in-laws
• K-drama and K-pop fans who got tired of subtitles
• Adults who tried Duolingo for six months and want a real class
• Parents who want their kids to grow up bilingual
• Anyone who is curious — and yes, that includes people who have no Korean connection at all

Most students are between 19 and 45, but we have had learners from 14 to 72. The common thread is curiosity and patience. You do not need to be gifted at languages. You just need to show up.

Why Our Class Is Free (and Has Been Since 2019)

The class is run by Ms. Dora, who taught Korean professionally for eight years before moving to Johannesburg. She volunteers her time because she believes language learning is a doorway into a different culture — and a different culture is a doorway into seeing your own life more clearly. That is also why we run it alongside a Bible study in the same community: we are not selling anything. We just want a place where people from different backgrounds can learn something together.

You will not be asked to buy a textbook. We print the worksheets in-house. We provide coffee. The only thing we ask is that you book ahead so we know how many chairs to set up.

How to Book Your Seat

Booking is simple. Pick whichever is easier:

What Happens After the First Class

Most students come back. About 60% of beginners complete the first 8 weeks. By week 8, you can introduce yourself, order food in Korean, ask for directions, and hold a 2-minute conversation. By week 16, you can read a Korean news headline and follow a K-drama without English subtitles (mostly).

We do not give certificates. We do not run exams. We just keep showing up on Sundays with worksheets and coffee. The progress happens quietly.

Frequently Asked Questions