Type Hangeul
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Guide · updated October 2026

How to type Korean

Every computer and phone already ships with a Korean keyboard. You only have to switch it on. Pick your device below; each takes about a minute. Can't install anything? Skip to typing Korean in the browser.

Windows

Windows 11. On Windows 10: Settings › Time & Language › Language › Add a language.

  1. Open SettingsTime & languageLanguage & region
  2. Next to Preferred languages, choose Add a language, search Korean (한국어), then Next and Install.
  3. The Microsoft IME for Korean comes with it, set to the standard 2-set layout.
Switch: Win+Space picks Korean. Then Right Alt or 한/영 flips A→가 on the taskbar. Win+Ctrl+O opens an on-screen keyboard.

Mac

macOS Ventura and later. Older versions: System Preferences › Keyboard › Input Sources.

  1. Open System SettingsKeyboard
  2. Under Text Input, click Edit… next to Input Sources, then the + button.
  3. Choose Korean, then 2-Set Korean, and click Add.
Switch: Control+Space or the 🌐 fn key if Keyboard settings has it set to Change Input Source. The menu bar icon changes to 한.

iPhone and iPad

iOS and iPadOS 17 and later.

  1. Open SettingsGeneralKeyboardKeyboards
  2. Tap Add New Keyboard… and pick Korean.
  3. Choose Standard. That is the 2-set layout from this site. 10-Key is a different phone-only layout.
Switch: tap the 🌐 key on the keyboard, or hold it to pick from a list.

Android

Gboard. On Samsung Keyboard: settings › Languages and types › Manage input languages, then turn on Korean.

  1. Open Gboard settings: tap the ⚙ icon in the Gboard toolbar, or find Gboard under Keyboard in the Settings app.
  2. Tap Languages, then Add keyboard, and search Korean.
  3. Pick the QWERTY-style 2-set layout (recent Gboard versions list it as 2-Bulsik) and tap Done.
Switch: touch and hold the space bar, or tap the 🌐 key if it is shown.

Menu names move around between versions. If a label doesn't match, search the Settings app for "Korean" and you will land on the right screen.

No install? Type in the browser

On a school, library or work computer you often can't add a language. Type Hangeul does the Korean composition inside the page, so your keyboard can stay on English.

  • Interactive keyboard: type there, then press Copy text and paste the Korean into an email, a chat or a document.
  • Practice: drills real words key by key and shows which letters you miss.
  • Typing test: one minute, then a score you can track.

Keys work by position, so this also works on AZERTY and QWERTZ keyboards: the key where Q sits on a US keyboard always types ㅂ.

5 mistakes every beginner makes

1. Mixing up ㅐ and ㅔ

They sit next to each other: O is ㅐ, P is ㅔ. Most Seoul speakers now pronounce them the same, so your ear won't help. Learn the spelling with the word: 개 (dog) is R O, 게 (crab) is R P.

2. Typing double consonants twice

ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ each have their own key: hold Shift and press R, E, Q, T or W once. Pressing the plain key twice gives two separate letters. ㅒ and ㅖ work the same way, with Shift on O and P.

3. Typing the 받침 out of order

Type the bottom consonant (받침) last, in reading order: top-left, then the vowel, then the bottom. Two-letter finals go left to right. 닭 is E K F R, never F R first.

4. Letters that "jump" to the next block

The block you are typing stays open (underlined) because the keyboard can't yet know where your last consonant belongs. Type a vowel next and that consonant moves forward to start the new syllable. That is correct behavior, so keep going. To end a block early, press Space or an arrow key.

5. Caps Lock left on

If Korean mode suddenly types English capitals, Caps Lock is on. Turn it off; Shift is the only key Korean needs. On a Mac, Caps Lock can also be set to switch input languages, so a stray press flips you back to English. On Type Hangeul, Caps Lock does nothing at all.

Next step

Learn where the letters are on the interactive keyboard, then check your speed with the 1-minute typing test. Preparing for the online TOPIK? Read how much Korean the TOPIK IBT asks you to type.