For parents who are trying to teach their kids Korean or learn with them, I highly recommend these 2 Korean picture dictionaries!
Visual dictionaries are among the best Korean resources for second language learners. The beautiful photographs, clear text, and romanization have been helpful for my family, and I think they would be a great asset for teachers in Korean immersion schools as well!
Here’s a close-up look at these fabulous Korean dictionaries that we’ve used with my 6-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son!
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Korean dictionaries with realistic pictures versus cartoons
The best Korean picture dictionaries either have full-color photographs.
Since new vocabulary is best acquired by interacting with real people or objects, photos gives more visual input and details to discuss, and they also appeal to a much wider age range!
Related: Teach Your Child a Second Language at Home with 5 Key Steps
In contrast, Korean dictionaries with cartoons, such as the popular Pororo character, can be distracting and add another layer of decoding for new learners.
Comparison of 2 best Korean picture dictionaries
1. My first Korean-English Picture Dictionary
This is an amazing resource for learning the Hangul alphabet, specifically the consonants!
We use this with our Montessori Korean alphabet phonics boxes and tactile letters.
Benefits of this Korean picture dictionary:
- Teaches >200 words in the order of the Korean alphabet
- Large, full-color photos
- Easy-to-read Korean words with English translations and romanization for every word
Downsides include:
- No audio
- Random colors for each Korean consonant (same color would be optimal for less visual distraction)
3. Tuttle Korean Picture Dictionary for All Ages
Tuttle Publishing is focused on books rooted in Asian culture, language and history. Their Korean Picture dictionary is perfect for all beginner language learners.
Benefits of this Korean picture dictionary:
- Introduction to Korean pronunciation and grammar
- 1,500 Korean nouns, phrases, and example sentences
- Korean Hangul accompanied by romanization and English
- Full-color photographed objects and scenes
- 40 different topics: daily routine, home, office, healthcare, music, nature, food, animals, world, social media, WiFi
- Online audio recordings by native Korean speakers for all vocabulary and sentences
- Detailed index for instant reference
- Large font, easy to read Korean words and translations
The layout of this book is similar to our Tuttle Chinese Picture Dictionary, and many of the photographs are the same.
However, I do appreciate that several of the photos are unique to Korean culture, such as a Korean hanboks and currency.
A Korean dictionary to avoid
DK’s Korean visual dictionary is another option on native English speakers.
However, based on Amazon reviews, this dictionary seems to have typographical errors and awkward translations. Therefore, we did not get this dictionary in Korean.
Korean resources for kids on Amazon!
Click here to see Korean books, music, and Hangul toys on Amazon!
What are your favorite Korean learning resources for kids or adult learners!?
Please share in the comments below!
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