Lumi KidsKorean for kids
Hangul, the Korean alphabet, was designed to be easy to learn, and young children often enjoy it. Here are the 64 first words of Lumi Kids in Hangul, with their romanization and Lumi's voice for every word.
Guides
- How to Raise a Bilingual Child: Methods That Fit Real Familiesfor families who speak Korean at home
- Best Age to Learn a Second Language: A Guide for Parentswhat research says about starting age
- Best Language Learning Apps for Kids in 2026: Parent's Guidehow to choose an app for a 4- to 9-year-old
Why Korean?
Korean has fans of every age: 9% of US adults say schools should offer it (Pew Research Center, 2026), and many children meet it through a Korean-American family, a Korean school on weekends, or stories and music they love.
Hangul was created in the 15th century so that everyone could learn to read, and it shows: each letter stands for a sound, and letters are stacked into one block per syllable. Many children learn to sound out Hangul surprisingly fast once they know the sounds.
Spoken Korean puts the verb at the end of the sentence and changes endings to show politeness. Children start with the polite -yo forms, which are right with teachers, grandparents and strangers.
The 64 first Korean words
These are the 64 words of the Seed level in Hangul, with their romanization (Revised Romanization, the system used on Korean road signs). Tap a card and Lumi says the word; listen for the difference between plain, breathy and tense consonants.
Tap a card and Lumi says the word; ▶ next to a sentence reads it, and “Play all in order” plays a whole group. Voices: Lumi (AI-generated voice).
8 words · 8 sentences
Hello World · 안녕하세요, 세상!
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| 안녕하세요, 저는 루미예요!Annyeonghaseyo, jeoneun Rumiyeyo! | Hello, I am Lumi! | |
| 안녕히 가세요, 또 만나요!Annyeonghi gaseyo, tto mannayo! | Goodbye, see you! | |
| 네, 그게 좋아요!Ne, geuge joayo! | Yes, I like it! | |
| 아니요, 괜찮아요. 고마워요.Aniyo, gwaenchanayo. Gomawoyo. | No, thank you. | |
| 정말 정말 고마워요!Jeongmal jeongmal gomawoyo! | Thank you very much! | |
| 부탁해요, 저를 도와주세요.Butakaeyo, jeoreul dowajuseyo. | Please help me. | |
| 저와 친구 사이예요.Jeowa chingu saiyeyo. | You are my friend. | |
| 루미, 좋은 아침이에요!Rumi, joeun achimieyo! | Good morning, Lumi! |
8 words · 8 sentences
Colors · 색깔
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| 이 사과는 빨간색이에요.I sagwaneun ppalgansaegieyo. | The apple is red. | |
| 저 하늘은 파란색이에요.Jeo haneureun paransaegieyo. | The sky is blue. | |
| 저 해는 노란색이에요.Jeo haeneun noransaegieyo. | The sun is yellow. | |
| 이 개구리는 초록색이에요.I gaegurineun choroksaegieyo. | The frog is green. | |
| 저는 주황색을 좋아해요.Jeoneun juhwangsaegeul joahaeyo. | I like orange. | |
| 이 포도는 보라색이에요.I podoneun borasaegieyo. | The grapes are purple. | |
| 이 돼지는 분홍색이에요.I dwaejineun bunhongsaegieyo. | The pig is pink. | |
| 저 구름은 흰색이에요.Jeo gureumeun huinsaegieyo. | The cloud is white. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Numbers · 숫자
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| 저는 사과가 하나 있어요.Jeoneun sagwaga hana isseoyo. | I have one apple. | |
| 오리가 두 마리 보여요.Origa du mari boyeoyo. | I see two ducks. | |
| 풍선이 세 개 있어요!Pungseoni se gae isseoyo! | Three balloons! | |
| 컵케이크가 네 개 있어요.Keopkeikeuga ne gae isseoyo. | Four cupcakes. | |
| 별이 다섯 개 있어요!Byeori daseot gae isseoyo! | Five stars! | |
| 딸기가 여섯 개 있어요.Ttalgiga yeoseot gae isseoyo. | Six strawberries. | |
| 물고기가 일곱 마리 있어요.Mulgogiga ilgop mari isseoyo. | Seven fish. | |
| 꽃이 여덟 송이 있어요.Kkochi yeodeol songi isseoyo. | Eight flowers. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Animals · 동물
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| 고양이는 야옹 하고 울어요.Goyangineun yaong hago ureoyo. | The cat says meow. | |
| 개는 기분이 좋아요.Gaeneun gibuni joayo. | The dog is happy. | |
| 새는 날 수 있어요.Saeneun nal su isseoyo. | The bird can fly. | |
| 물고기는 헤엄칠 수 있어요.Mulgogineun heeomchil su isseoyo. | The fish can swim. | |
| 말은 몸이 커요.Mareun momi keoyo. | The horse is big. | |
| 소는 음메 하고 울어요.Soneun eumme hago ureoyo. | The cow says moo. | |
| 사자는 힘이 세요.Sajaneun himi seyo. | The lion is strong. | |
| 토끼는 깡충깡충 뛰어요.Tokkineun kkangchungkkangchung ttwieoyo. | The rabbit jumps. |
8 words · 8 sentences
My Family · 우리 가족
The cards show 여동생 (yeodongsaeng, younger sister) and 남동생 (namdongsaeng, younger brother). Korean children call an older sister 언니 (eonni) or 누나 (nuna) and an older brother 오빠 (oppa) or 형 (hyeong), depending on whether the speaker is a girl or a boy.
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| 저는 엄마를 사랑해요.Jeoneun eommareul saranghaeyo. | I love my mom. | |
| 우리 아빠는 키가 커요.Uri appaneun kiga keoyo. | My dad is tall. | |
| 우리 여동생은 친절해요.Uri yeodongsaengeun chinjeolhaeyo. | My sister is kind. | |
| 우리 남동생은 놀아요.Uri namdongsaengeun norayo. | My brother plays. | |
| 할머니는 쿠키를 구워요.Halmeonineun kukireul guwoyo. | Grandma bakes cookies. | |
| 할아버지는 이야기를 들려줘요.Harabeojineun iyagireul deullyeojwoyo. | Grandpa tells stories. | |
| 그 아기는 작아요.Geu agineun jagayo. | The baby is small. | |
| 이 사람들이 우리 가족이에요.I saramdeuri uri gajogieyo. | This is my family. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Food · 음식
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| 저는 사과를 먹어요.Jeoneun sagwareul meogeoyo. | I eat an apple. | |
| 바나나는 색이 노래요.Banananeun saegi noraeyo. | The banana is yellow. | |
| 저는 빵을 좋아해요.Jeoneun ppangeul joahaeyo. | I like bread. | |
| 저는 우유를 마셔요.Jeoneun uyureul masyeoyo. | I drink milk. | |
| 아침으로 달걀을 먹어요.Achimeuro dalgyareul meogeoyo. | An egg for breakfast. | |
| 치즈는 정말 맛있어요.Chijeuneun jeongmal masisseoyo. | Cheese is yummy. | |
| 물 좀 주세요.Mul jom juseyo. | I want water, please. | |
| 케이크로 생일을 축하해요!Keikeuro saengireul chukahaeyo! | Happy birthday cake! |
8 words · 8 sentences
My Body · 내 몸
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| 손으로 머리를 만져 봐요.Soneuro meorireul manjyeo bwayo. | Touch your head. | |
| 저는 눈이 두 개 있어요.Jeoneun nuni du gae isseoyo. | I have two eyes. | |
| 이건 제 코예요.Igeon je koyeyo. | This is my nose. | |
| 입을 크게 벌려요.Ibeul keuge beollyeoyo. | Open your mouth. | |
| 저는 귀로 소리를 들어요.Jeoneun gwiro sorireul deureoyo. | I hear with my ears. | |
| 두 손으로 박수를 쳐요!Du soneuro baksureul chyeoyo! | Clap your hands! | |
| 발을 쿵쿵 굴러요!Bareul kungkung gulleoyo! | Stomp your feet! | |
| 제 머리카락은 곱슬곱슬해요.Je meorikarageun gopseulgopseulhaeyo. | My hair is curly. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Toys & Home · 장난감과 우리 집
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| 저는 공을 차요.Jeoneun gongeul chayo. | I kick the ball. | |
| 그 자동차는 빨라요.Geu jadongchaneun ppallayo. | The car is fast. | |
| 저는 인형을 가지고 놀아요.Jeoneun inhyeongeul gajigo norayo. | I play with my doll. | |
| 저는 책을 읽어요.Jeoneun chaegeul ilgeoyo. | I read a book. | |
| 저는 곰 인형을 안아요.Jeoneun gom inhyeongeul anayo. | I hug my teddy bear. | |
| 저는 침대에서 자요.Jeoneun chimdaeeseo jayo. | I sleep in my bed. | |
| 의자 위에 앉아요.Uija wie anjayo. | Sit on the chair. | |
| 여기는 우리 집이에요.Yeogineun uri jibieyo. | This is my house. |
New sounds
| Sound or letter | What to know |
|---|---|
| ㄱ ㅋ ㄲ (g, k, kk) | Three kinds of k: plain, breathy (with a puff of air) and tense (tight, no air). The same goes for d/t/tt, b/p/pp and j/ch/jj. |
| ㅓ (eo) | Like the o in "son", with the mouth a little more open: eomma (mom). |
| ㅡ (eu) | Like "oo" with the lips spread instead of rounded: chijeu (cheese). |
| ㄹ (r/l) | A light tap between vowels, closer to l at the end of a syllable: mul (water). |
| Polite -yo | Gomawoyo (thank you), annyeonghaseyo (hello): polite forms for adults. |
Practice at home
- Greetings with a bow. Annyeonghaseyo with a small bow is how Korean children greet adults; make it the way your child says hello to grandparents.
- Family names. Eomma, appa, halmeoni, harabeoji: use them at home every day.
- Hangul when ready. Many children like building syllable blocks with letter cards; start with the vowels ㅏ ㅓ ㅗ ㅜ ㅡ ㅣ.
How Lumi teaches it
In Lumi Kids your child starts at Seed, the first of four levels (Seed, Sprout, Sapling and Tree, 72 worlds in all). The 64 words on this page are Seed's eight worlds. Every world has at least six exercises: learn the words, listen and tap, card match, true or false, listen in order and talk with Lumi; higher levels add sentence building, stories and role play. Lumi explains in English and says the new words in Korean.
The app teaches Korean by listening and speaking; the cards show Hangul with romanization.
Seed and Sprout are free, with 60 seconds of live talk to try. Lumi Plus unlocks Sapling and Tree and adds 10 minutes of live talk a week: $14.99 a month or $119.99 a year, and the yearly plan starts with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers (App Store US, checked October 5, 2026). Before live talk is turned on, the app tells you, the parent, that Lumi is an AI. Lumi Kids does not record or store your child's voice. More about the app.
Sources
Facts on this page come from these pages (checked October 5, 2026) and from the app itself.
- Pew Research Center (August 3, 2026): What do Americans think about language learning in US schools? (October 5, 2026)
- App Store (US): Lumi Kids: Learn Languages (October 5, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
Is Korean hard for English-speaking kids?
The new sounds and the word order take time, but Hangul is one of the easiest scripts to learn. Young children copy the sounds well when they hear them every day.
Should my child learn Hangul first?
Listening and speaking come first. Hangul can follow at 5 or 6, or when your child shows interest; many children learn the letters quickly because each one stands for one sound.
What romanization does this page use?
Revised Romanization of Korean, the official system in South Korea. It is a guide for parents; the sounds in Lumi's voice are what your child should copy.
Korean with Lumi, a few minutes a day
Your child hears every word in Korean, plays with it and then speaks with Lumi. The first two levels are free.
