The fastest way to learn Busan Korean is to spend most of your study time on Busan Korean you can mostly understand. It's known as comprehensible input. The plan below gives each level lessons, free videos, and Busan dramas, and shows how to split an hour of study.
What Should You Do at Each Level?
Find the level that sounds like you. Its bar shows how to spend an hour of study.
- First Steps
I can't read Hangul yet.
Learn Hangul 20 min. Listen 40 min.
Busan Korean is written in Hangul, the same alphabet as standard Korean. Learn the letters first, and listen to easy Busan lines while you do, so the city's rising and falling pitch starts to sound familiar.
- Level 1
I can sound out words but not much else.
Read and listen 35 min. Review 15 min. Speak 10 min.
Ask Poppy, your AI tutor in Bubblegum, for short Busan scenes with audio and a translation. Then watch an English video of Busan starter expressions, and spot them in your next lesson.
- Bubblegum custom lessons
- DKDKTV's Busan Dialect 101
- Level 2
I can handle simple exchanges.
Read and listen 40 min. Review 10 min. Speak 10 min.
Read Busan dialogues with the translation hidden, and open a grammar card only when an ending stops you. Watch free videos where Seokjin teaches Gyeongsang phrases to a learner.
- Bubblegum custom lessons
- Korean Dialect Lessons with Seokjin
- Level 3
I follow conversations on familiar topics.
Read and listen 40 min. Review 5 min. Speak 15 min.
Read longer Busan stories, then listen once more without the text. Book a chat with a tutor who grew up in Busan, and talk about what you read.
- Level 4
I understand most content but miss some nuance.
Listen and watch 45 min. Review 5 min. Speak 10 min.
Listen to short audio lessons on Gyeongsangdo words and endings, explained in English. Watch one scene of a drama set in Busan each week, with Korean subtitles.
- Level 5
I read complex topics but rare words slow me down.
Listen and watch 50 min. Speak 10 min.
Take a full Gyeongsang dialect course made for advanced learners, and watch whole episodes without subtitles. Retell each episode to your tutor in Busan Korean.
- Level 6
I read at near-native level.
Listen and watch 50 min. Speak 10 min.
Listen to Busan comedians, radio, and interviews, and read books about Busan words written in Korean. Talk with friends from the city for the fun of it.
Use these splits as a first plan. Step up when a level's lessons feel light, and step back if you're lost after the first few lines. The level sentences describe reading. Busan speech on screen is fast, so choose dramas a little below your reading level at first.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Busan Korean?
We found no school that publishes class hours for Busan Korean. The closest guide is standard Korean: Yonsei University's Korean Language Institute in Seoul teaches 200 class hours per level, in 10-week terms, across six levels. The U.S. Foreign Service Institute puts Korean in its hardest group for English speakers, at about 2,200 class hours for its students.
Here's how long one 200-hour Yonsei level takes at different amounts of study a week.
| Study Per Week | One Yonsei Level (200 Hours) |
|---|---|
| 3½ hours | About 13 months |
| 7 hours | About 6½ months |
| 14 hours | About 3⅓ months |
| 28 hours | About 7 weeks |
These are class hours for standard Korean, so treat the table as a rough guide to the workload. The Busan endings and pitch are extra work beyond them, and the table doesn't promise the same result from studying on your own.
What Slows Busan Korean Learners Down?
- Never Hearing Busan SpeechMany learners start with standard Korean. Add short Busan lessons along the way, so the endings don't surprise you when you finally hear them.
- Romanized Busan PhrasesMany lists online spell Busan phrases in English letters, which hides the real sounds. Read them in Hangul and hear them with audio.
- Satoori Word Lists AloneA list of Busan words gives you meanings, but not when people use them or how they sound in a quick chat. Hear and read them in Busan sentences, then review those sentences.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Busan Korean App Should a Beginner Choose?
If you are serious about learning Busan Korean, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Busan Korean comparison also covers Gyeongsang dialect courses, free videos, and tutors from Busan.
Can I Learn Busan Korean in Three Months?
You can learn Hangul and enough Busan Korean to greet people and ask simple questions. At 14 hours a week, three months is about 180 hours, which is a little under one 200-hour Yonsei level, so judge your progress by a task, like ordering at a Busan market.
How Much Should I Study Busan Korean Each Week?
Three to five hours a week of Busan Korean you can follow is a good target, in sessions of at least 15 to 30 minutes. A longer session lets a whole Busan scene play out, and several of them across the week help more than many tiny ones.
Is Busan Korean Hard for English Speakers?
Korean is in the FSI's hardest group, with Japanese, Mandarin, and Arabic. Most of that time goes into words and grammar, which Busan and standard Korean share, and Busan adds its own endings and pitch on top.
Is Bubblegum Free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Yonsei University Korean Language Institute (Seoul), Korean course: 10 weeks, 200 class hours per level, levels 1–6
- U.S. Department of State, Foreign Language Training (FSI language categories)
- DKDKTV, Busan Dialect 101 (YouTube)
- Talk To Me In Korean, Korean Dialect Lessons with Seokjin (YouTube)
- Talk To Me In Korean, Gyeong-sang Province Dialect Lessons (for TTMIK Levels 8 to 10)
- KoreanClass101, Gyeongsangdo Dialect and Culture (upper-intermediate and advanced)
- italki: Korean teachers
- Wikipedia, Reply 1997 (a drama known for its Gyeongsang dialect)
