채식주의자
한강 · Han Kang · 2007
A woman stops eating meat, then stops eating, then stops being human. Three connected novellas. Han Kang's Korean is spare and precise.
Korean · 한국어
Read Korean books with in-context translation.
Open Hyun Jin-geon, Han Kang or your own EPUB. Tap any word and get the meaning it has in that sentence - verb endings and older expressions included - with a short note on why.
운수 좋은 날 · 현진건
새침하게 흐린 품이 눈이 올 듯하더니 눈은 아니 오고 얼다가 만 비가 추적추적 내리는 날이었다. 이날이야말로 동소문 안에서 인력거꾼 노릇을 하는 김첨지에게는 오래간만에도 닥친 운수 좋은 날이었다.
새침하게 흐린Save
sullenly overcast
새침하다 is “prim, aloof” - here it’s the sky
SentenceWhy?Grammar
Why the original
Why read Korean books in the original
Korean has a phonetic alphabet (hangul) that takes a few hours to learn - one of the easiest scripts in the world to pick up. Then comes the grammar: SOV order, particles, honorifics, sentence-final endings that change tone and meaning.
The good news is that modern Korean novels are widely translated, so you can read alongside if you want. Han Kang's 채식주의자 won the Booker; Hwang Sok-yong is one of the most respected writers in East Asia. Reading in the original gives you what translation can't: the rhythm, the politeness levels, the way the sentence holds its meaning until the very last syllable.
Korean is also full of words that look familiar to anyone who's read modern Chinese - shared Sino-Korean vocabulary. If you've already studied another East Asian language, that's a head start.
Start here
Six Korean books worth your time
Import any DRM-free EPUB of these, or start with a free classic from the app’s library.
소년이 온다
한강 · Han Kang · 2014
About the Gwangju massacre of 1980, told through the perspective of a teenage boy and the people who knew him. Heavy material, restrained prose.
82년생 김지영
조남주 · Cho Nam-joo · 2016
A documentary-style novel that became a phenomenon. Modern Korean, conversational, and a window into contemporary South Korean life.
사람의 아들
이문열 · Yi Munyol · 1979
A theological detective novel. Yi Munyol writes a Korean that's denser and more literary than most contemporary fiction.
그 많던 싱아는 누가 다 먹었을까
박완서 · Park Wan-suh · 1992
Park Wan-suh's autobiographical novel about growing up in Korea before and during the war. Warm, witty, and one of the most loved Korean novels of the 20th century.
객지
황석영 · Hwang Sok-yong · 1974
A short novel about migrant labour in 1970s Korea. Hwang's prose is clear, social, and direct.
What a dictionary misses
Korean you’ll meet in books - explained in place.
눈치가 빠르다to be quick to read the room
Literally “one’s eye-measure is fast” - sensing what others feel without being told.
발이 넓다to know a lot of people
“To have wide feet” - someone well connected, not a shoe size.
그림의 떡something you can’t have
“Rice cake in a picture” - it looks good but you can’t eat it.
By level
How to read Korean at your level.
A2
Short and familiar
Start with short modern stories. Tap words freely - one word often carries a particle and an ending. Save only the words you meet twice.
B1
Read for the story
Try 82년생 김지영 or Park Wan-suh: everyday language, clear scenes. Use “Why?” on verb endings and review five minutes a day.
B2+
Go for the classics
Han Kang, Yi Munyol, Hwang Sok-yong, then 1920s stories like 운수 좋은 날. Turn to grammar notes for older forms and export your deck to Anki.
In the app
How LinguaRead works with Korean
Drop in any Korean EPUB. Tap a word for the meaning, the part of speech, the politeness level (formal? polite? plain?). Tap again to see how the suffixes are working in this sentence.
Korean grammar lives in the verb endings. Reading is what gets you to feel the difference between 해, 해요, 합니다, 해주세요, 했어, 했었어. The grammar table is just a starting point.
Korean FAQ
Before you start.
Will it explain verb endings and speech levels?
Tap a verb and ask for grammar: you get the ending, the politeness level and why it’s used here - in dialogue, narration or a quote.
What about Sino-Korean words and hanja?
Many literary words come from Chinese roots. The explanation gives the meaning in this sentence, and “Why?” can point out the root when it helps.
Is Han Kang a good first novel?
Her prose is clear but intense. 채식주의자 works from B1–B2; if it feels heavy, start with 82년생 김지영.
Can I import Korean EPUBs from other stores?
Any DRM-free EPUB works - your own files or stores that sell without DRM. Books locked to another app’s DRM can’t be opened.
Your first Korean book, tonight.
Free to try on iPhone and iPad.
