- Jinjja World
- Learn Korean
Learn Korean by playing: with ear, mouth and goals
Four skills, 23 everyday settings and a progress score that counts honestly: words, grammar, listening and speaking, right in a world full of people. You start with zero Korean.
What is Jinjja World, and how do you learn here?
Jinjja World is a free online game where you learn Korean by using it. You start with zero Korean and hear every sentence in a female voice, a male voice and a slow version. You pick up words, grammar, listening and speaking in places like a café, an office and the metro. A learning profile made of four scores shows you where you stand, and reviews come back before you forget. It runs in your browser and as an app on desktop, tablet and phone.
Four skills, one honest progress score
In the game you don't just see "level 12", you see four scores from 0 to 100. They grow when you really use Korean: understanding, remembering words, applying grammar and speaking for yourself. You'll find them on your in-game phone under Me › My Korean.
Communication
How many everyday situations you can already handle. Only proven learning goals from all everyday settings count.
Vocabulary
How many words you know and how firmly they stick: met, practiced, secure.
Grammar
How many grammar points you have experienced and practiced, and how confidently you use them.
Speaking
Counts only what you actually said out loud yourself. Listening does not count here.
Words: milestones at 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, 500 and 1,000.Grammar: at 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 points.Speaking: at 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 250 spoken sentences.
Your level comes from the average of the four scores. It is a guide within the game, not a certificate.
Your path in eight stops
You start with zero Korean. The opening takes you through everything you need to learn, in a fixed order, and no stop asks you to read Hangul.
Yuni's first job
Yuni, your friend in Seoul, shows you around the game and sends you off.
Invitation to Mijae University
Han Ji-won welcomes you to the Academy, the place for grammar and pronunciation.
Your first lesson
Park Seo-yeon shows you how a Korean sentence is built. You place the cards and say it back.
Your first Dokkaebi
Seon-Woo gives you a companion. It gets stronger when you understand Korean. Before that, you collect your first words.
First training with Minji
In the showdown you hear a word and pick its meaning. Get it right and your Dokkaebi attacks.
Collecting
You get to know collecting: words and collectibles that go with you through Seoul.
Audition with Kang Min-jae
At the Production Studio you get your first script and speak for yourself.
Hangul with Mira Han
Optional: the Hangul Atelier teaches you the script when you're ready.
After that, Yuni calls and says: "Seoul is yours." From now on, tasks from 23 everyday settings open up, and you choose your own path. More for beginners →
Grammar you experience first and name later
At Mijae University, 287 grammar points are waiting. They are built on the International Standard Curriculum for Korean by the NIKL (2017). The first lesson doesn't start with a table: sentence structure, then 은/는, then 을/를, then your first sentence of your own.
Every lesson follows the same path:
- Experience
- Find it yourself
- Name it
- Practice
- Say it in your own words
2,100+ words that really stick
A word doesn't count as learned just because you saw it once. It moves up one step at a time, and only if you recognize it again at different times. A mistake sets it back. That way the display shows you what really sticks.
- Seen: you have met the word.
- Recognized with support: you pick it correctly with a hint.
- Recognized by ear: you know it by its sound alone.
- Understood in context: you understand it in a full sentence.
- Recalled freely: it comes to you without help.
Every word comes with sentences with audio: over 22,000, all spoken in a female voice, a male voice and a slow version, with romanization and translation.
Hear it first, then understand it
Every sentence in the game is spoken: in a female voice, a male voice and a slow version. The romanization helps you say it back, and the translation sits right next to it in your language.
You train your ear in battle too: you hear a Korean word and pick its meaning. Get it right and your Dokkaebi attacks.
Speaking, without fear of the first time
The Production Studio has twelve productions with 24 scenes. You get a script, practice the lines and perform them. Kang Min-jae watches, and the game listens. No microphone? You can keep learning anyway: auditions and voice chat need one, everything else does not.
In voice chat you talk with up to eight people, using short sentences and emotes like 화이팅! that you practice together.
You learn the script when you want to
You don't need to read Hangul to get started. Every sentence comes with romanization, and you pick up the script along the way. If you want to learn it properly, head to the Hangul Atelier: with exercises for listening, recognizing and writing, plus twelve webtoon episodes.
23 everyday settings, 480+ learning goals
You learn sentences where you need them: at a café, in the office, on the metro, at the doctor or at a concert. Every learning goal has a task, a person and a reason, and the characters answer you in Korean. In total, around 434 tasks are waiting.
- C01Welcome & meeting people
- C02Home & daily life
- C03Café
- C04Restaurant
- C05Convenience store
- C06Fashion & styling
- C07Money & services
- C08City & getting around
- C09Transport & metro
- C10Weather & nature
- C11Body, health, pharmacy
- C12School & learning
- C13Work & office
- C14Travel & hotel
- C15Friends & hobbies
- C16Sports
- C17Family & social roles
- C18Feelings & reactions
- C19Dating
- C20Problems & help
- C21Phone, tech & social media
- C22Drama, film & variety
- C23K-pop & live
What's different from apps and courses
Generalized, because every app and every course is different. It's about the direction, not about names.
| Typical vocabulary app | Classic course | Jinjja World | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learning context | Single cards and exercises | Textbook chapters | Places, people and tasks in a game world |
| Review | Intervals vary by app | Homework | Words and grammar come back before you forget them, right in the middle of the game |
| Hangul | Usually at the start | Usually at the start | Start with romanization, Hangul is optional and has its own story |
| Progress | Streaks and points | Grades and tests | Four scores: communication, vocabulary, grammar, speaking |
| Speaking | Often little | With a class group | Auditions with a mic and voice chat with other learners |
| Other learners | Leaderboards | Class group | One shared world: friends, groups, fan clubs |
| Price | Often a subscription | Course fee | Free, including during the Open Beta |
What Jinjja World is not
Not a certificate
The level in the game is a guide. There is no degree or language certificate.
Not TOPIK prep
The game does not specifically prepare you for exams like TOPIK. It builds everyday Korean, listening, words and speaking.
Not officially reviewed
The grammar follows the NIKL curriculum (2017). Jinjja World is an independent game and has not been reviewed by the NIKL or any authority.
Not a replacement for people
A course or language partner can correct you on top of that. The game complements both well, because you experience sentences.
Frequently asked questions about learning Korean
Do I need to know any Korean?
No. You start with your very first sentence. Romanization and a translation in your language are always included.
Do I have to read Hangul?
No. Hangul always appears next to the romanization, so you pick up the script along the way.
When do I speak my first sentence?
Right in the first grammar lesson: "저는 커피를 마셔요" (I drink coffee). How fast you progress after that depends on how often you play.
How many words and grammar points are there?
Over 2,100 words, 280+ grammar points and 480+ learning goals across 23 everyday settings, plus 22,000+ sentences with audio. The content keeps growing.
Has the grammar been officially reviewed?
No. The grammar follows the International Standard Curriculum for Korean by the NIKL (2017). Jinjja World is an independent game and has not been reviewed by the NIKL or any authority.
Does Jinjja World replace a language course?
It complements a textbook or course, because you experience sentences in real situations. It does not specifically prepare you for exams like TOPIK and does not award a certificate.
How does reviewing work?
Jinjja brings words and grammar back before you forget them, right in the middle of the game. A word only moves up a step when you recognize it again at different times.
Do I need a microphone?
Only for auditions and voice chat. Everything else works without one.
How do I see my progress?
On your in-game phone under "Me › My Korean": four scores for communication, vocabulary, grammar and speaking, plus milestones.
How much does Jinjja World cost?
The game is free to play, including during the Open Beta. You earn Won, the in-game currency, by playing.
Which languages is the game available in?
Menus, help and translations are available in Deutsch, English, Español, Português (Brasil) and Français. The spoken language is Korean.
Can I learn on my phone too?
Yes. The game runs in your browser or as an app on desktop, tablet and phone, and your progress stays the same everywhere.
Will I learn the language of K-dramas and K-pop too?
Yes, there are dedicated everyday settings for it: "Drama, film & variety" and "K-pop & live". Sentences like 대박! and 진짜? from fans' everyday life fit right in.
Ready for your first sentence?
The Open Beta is live. Free to play, in your browser or as an app, together with K-fans from all over the world.