How to Add the Korean Keyboard on Android
How to add the Korean keyboard on any Android phone with Gboard or Samsung Keyboard, which layout to pick, and how to switch between Korean and English.
First, which keyboard does your phone use?
On Android, the Korean keyboard lives inside your keyboard app. Most phones use one of two:
- Gboard (Google’s keyboard): Pixel and many other phones.
- Samsung Keyboard: Samsung Galaxy phones.
To check, open any app and tap a text box. If you see a small Google “G” or a gear icon in the toolbar, it’s probably Gboard. On a Galaxy, it’s usually Samsung Keyboard. Both support Korean for free, so you don’t need to download an extra app.
Add Korean on Gboard
- Open any app where you can type, like Messages or Keep, and tap a text box.
- Tap the Settings (gear) icon at the top of the keyboard. If you don’t see it, open the features menu (the four squares) first.
- Tap Languages, then Add keyboard.
- Search for Korean (한국어) and tap it.
- Choose a layout. Pick 2-Bulsik (두벌식) for the standard layout.
- Tap Done.
You can also get there from Settings → System → Keyboard → On-screen keyboard → Gboard → Languages. Menu names vary a little between phone brands.
Add Korean on Samsung Keyboard
- Open Settings.
- Tap General management.
- Tap Samsung Keyboard settings.
- Tap Languages and types, then Manage input languages.
- Find 한국어 (Korean). If it isn’t downloaded yet, tap the download icon next to it.
- Turn on the switch next to Korean.
- Go back and tap 한국어 under Languages and types to pick a layout. Choose the QWERTY (두벌식) option for the standard layout.
Which layout should you pick?
Android keyboards offer several Korean layouts. The two you’ll see most:
- 2-Bulsik / QWERTY (두벌식): the same layout as Korean computers. Consonants left, vowels right.
- Cheonjiin (천지인): a 10-key keypad where vowels are built from a dot, a horizontal line and a vertical line.
If you’re learning Korean, choose 두벌식. It matches every Korean computer keyboard, so practice on one device helps on the other.
How to switch between Korean and English
- Gboard: tap the globe key, or touch and hold the space bar and pick a language.
- Samsung Keyboard: swipe left or right on the space bar, or tap the globe/language key if it’s shown.
The current language is usually written on the space bar.
Type your first word
Switch to Korean and type ㅎ ㅏ ㄴ. The keyboard combines them into 한. Then type ㄱ ㅡ ㄹ to get 글. You’ve typed 한글, the name of the Korean alphabet.
For double consonants (ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ) and the vowels ㅒ and ㅖ, tap Shift first. For compound vowels like ㅘ or ㅝ, type the two vowels in a row (ㅗ + ㅏ, ㅜ + ㅓ).
Troubleshooting
I added Korean but can’t find it. Make sure you’re using the keyboard app you set up. Pull down the notification shade while typing and tap “Change keyboard”, or check Settings → System → Keyboard.
There’s no globe key on Gboard. In Gboard settings, go to Preferences and turn on Show language switch key. If it’s greyed out, turn off the emoji switch key first.
Letters don’t join into syllables. Some apps handle Korean input poorly. Test in a notes app. If it works there, the app is the problem, not the keyboard.
Do I need a “Korean keyboard APK”?
Usually not. Gboard and Samsung Keyboard already include Korean. Installing APK files from unknown websites can be risky. If you want a different keyboard app, get it from the Google Play Store.
Next step: learn where the keys are
Once Korean is installed, the real challenge is finding letters quickly. The phone uses the same 두벌식 arrangement as a computer keyboard, so learning it once helps everywhere.
Typing Korean is a free web app that teaches the layout a few keys at a time with real words and their meanings read aloud. Practise for a few minutes and watch your keyboard mastery grow.