Software

Putting together all of the best resources on Korean.

User comments

I used Rosetta Stone before attending the Defense Language Institute Basic Korean course and I didn't find it all that helpful. First of all, you have to learn the Korean alphabet before you can use it as it doesn't teach you that. Secondly, I think it's a stretch to use only use pictures to convey the meanings of words. I often had to look up words they present with a dictionary because I couldn't figure out the meaning they were driving at. For example, they show a street seen with the word 길 (street) but you can't tell if the word means street or car or crowded, etc.

User comments

I did use Declan's software while I was DLI and I found it better than using paper flashcards. Of the software they sell, Declan's Korean Dictionary is the least useful and I wouldn't buy it. Online dictionaries are far more comprehensive and nearly as fast to use. The Read/Write program is very, very useful for beginners as is Korean Hakgyo. I mainly used the Flashcard program and like I said, it worked well for me.

User comments

I was issued this at DLI and it is similar to Declan's Flashcard program but I liked Declan's program better. Rapid Rote ran slower on my computer and was more annoying when it came to repeating missed words. With Declan, I could usually get the word with 1-2 repeats but with Rapid Rote it keeps repeating and repeating and I lost patience with it.