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Korean, Japanese and Cyrillic in Alfabird: learn the alphabet with mnemonics

Korean, Japanese and Cyrillic in Alfabird: learn the alphabet with mnemonics

The Korean alphabet has a reputation for being scary, and it really shouldn't. Hangul is built from a small set of simple shapes, and once they click you read them quickly. The hard part is the first hour, getting those shapes to stay in your head, and that is exactly what Alfabird is built for, with mnemonics that tie every letter to a picture you already know.

Each character comes with an image and a mnemonic. The Korean letter looks like a box, so we draw it as one. looks like a mountain, so that is the picture we hang it on. You are not memorising abstract strokes, you are remembering a tiny drawing, and the letter rides along with it. The same mnemonic method runs through the whole app.

Alfabird: Korean letter ㅁ mnemonic, a boxAlfabird: Korean letter ㅅ mnemonic, a mountain

Alongside the Korean alphabet there is a Japanese hiragana course and a Cyrillic alphabet course that covers Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and Serbian. Native-speaker audio on every character, lessons that move in small steps, and a bit of practice after each batch so the letters settle before you move on.

The first two lessons of every course are free, so you can try the method before deciding. After that it is a single one-time payment: unlock just the course you want, or all of them at once. No subscription, no monthly charges.

By the end you are not reciting an alphabet chart, you are reading real words and phrases. The Georgian alphabet and Armenian alphabet are in the app too (those courses are taught in Russian), and Chinese characters are coming next.