Best Korean Picture Dictionaries for Kids and Parents
If you’re teaching your kids Korean or learning with them, I highly recommend two amazing Korean picture dictionaries.
Visual dictionaries are among the best Korean resources for second-language learners. The photographs, clear text, and romanization are helpful for children learning Korean at home. They would also be a huge asset for teachers in Korean immersion schools.
Here’s a close-up look at these fabulous Korean dictionaries that my son and daughter have used.
Related: Where to Buy Korean Books for Kids in the United States
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Korean dictionaries with photos versus cartoons
The best Korean picture dictionaries have real pictures. Since language is best learned by talking to people or seeing real objects, photos give important visual input and details.
On the other hand, Korean cartoons can be too confusing. Beginners have to spend more time thinking about what the picture might mean. Also, older kids are more likely to outgrow silly cartoons compared to photos.
Review of the best Korean picture dictionaries
My First Korean-English Picture Dictionary
This is an amazing tool for learning the Hangul alphabet, specifically the consonants! We use this dictionary with our Montessori Korean alphabet phonics boxes.
Benefits of this dictionary:
- Teaches >200 words in the order of the Korean alphabet
- Large colorful photos
- Easy-to-read Korean words with English translations and romanization for every word
Downsides include:
- No audio
- Random colors for each Korean consonant; the same color would be optimal for less visual distraction
Tuttle Korean Picture Dictionary
Tuttle Publishing is focused on books rooted in Asian culture, language, and history. Their Korean Picture Dictionary is perfect for new language students.
Benefits of this dictionary:
- Introduction to Korean pronunciation and grammar
- 1,500 Korean nouns, phrases, and example sentences
- Korean Hangul with Romanization and English
- Full-color photos
- 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 words 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 Korean hanboks and currency.
A dictionary to avoid
DK’s Korean visual dictionary is another option for native English speakers. Based on Amazon reviews, this dictionary may have typos and awkward translations.
Unfortunately, this problem is common when companies do not hire native Korean speakers to write and edit books. Therefore, we did not buy this Korean dictionary.
What is your favorite Korean dictionary?
Please share your favorite Korean picture dictionary in the comments below! We’d love to hear your review.
