A notebook for Korean
Folders, notes, pinned lessons and search, laid out like Apple Notes with a progress card to pick up where you left off.
Korean for iPhone · Coming soon
Learn Korean in a notebook, not a game.
Sesame is a Korean learning app styled after Apple Notes. Lessons are notes with checklists, words come with real audio, and Horang the tiger helps you write new ones.
One email at launch. Unsubscribe any time.
Coming soon · iPhone · free TOPIK 1
Tudor IustinI build Ollie, Fractal, Gamma and Sesame.
Why this exists
A calmer way to learn Korean.
Most language apps turn learning into a game of hearts, streak pressure and virtual currency. Sesame is deliberately not that. There is no learning path to fall off and nothing to lose.
Instead, everything is a note. Categories are folders, lessons are notes with checklists, and your Korean lives in a notebook you already know how to use. Courses follow TOPIK levels 1 to 6, and the whole of TOPIK 1 is free.
I'm building Sesame as an indie iOS developer in SwiftUI and SwiftData, with Apple Intelligence running on your iPhone for the tutor.
Tudor IustinI build Ollie, Fractal, Gamma and Sesame.
How it works
Open a note. Study it. Come back to it.
Open a lesson note
Pick a folder like Greetings or Food, then work through the checklist: read the words, hear each one, then practise.
Study your way
Flip flashcards, take a quiz, trace Hangul with your finger or say a word aloud and get a pronunciation check.
Review without punishment
Spaced repetition brings missed words back at the right time. Nothing is lost when you miss a day.
Features
Everything you need to learn Korean.
A notebook, a study toolkit, a spaced-repetition review queue and a tiger tutor, all working offline-friendly on your iPhone.
Lessons are notes with checklists
Each lesson lists its words with romanisation and meaning, plus steps to tick off: read, hear, flashcards, quiz.
Flashcards
Flip through each lesson's words with audio, then mark what you knew.
Quizzes
Short quizzes check what stuck, with no hearts and no penalty.
Trace Hangul
Learn each letter by tracing it with your finger, stroke by stroke.
Say it
Speak a word and Sesame checks your pronunciation with on-device speech recognition.
Review, gently
Spaced repetition brings missed words back without punishment.
Horang, your tiger tutor
Ask anything in chat or let Horang write a new lesson note for you. Runs with Apple Intelligence on supported iPhones.
Start free
Begin with Hangul and all of TOPIK 1 at no cost, no account needed.
Real Korean audio
About 1,086 pre-recorded Korean clips, checked with Whisper, with system voices as a fallback.
Word of the day widget
A new Korean word on your Home Screen every day.
20 interface languages
The interface and course text are translated into 20 languages besides English.
Pricing
Free to start. Plus to go further.
All of TOPIK 1 is free. Sesame Plus unlocks TOPIK 2 to 6 and Horang chat.
Lifetime
£59.99Pay once, keep Plus for good.
Yearly
£34.99Billed yearly. TOPIK 2 to 6 and chat.
Monthly
£7.99Billed monthly. TOPIK 2 to 6 and chat.
- Platform
- iPhone
- Status
- Coming soon
- Category
- Education
- Levels
- TOPIK 1 to 6
- Tutor
- On-device Apple Intelligence
- Languages
- English + 20 more
FAQ
Questions about Sesame.
What Sesame is, how it differs from other Korean apps, and what it costs.
Sesame is an iPhone app for learning Korean, styled after Apple Notes. Categories are folders, lessons are notes with checklists, and Horang the tiger mascot helps you write new notes. Courses follow TOPIK levels 1 to 6.
Sesame is deliberately not a Duolingo-style app. There is no learning path, no hearts and no virtual currency. You study from notes, with flashcards, quizzes, Hangul tracing and pronunciation checks, and missed words return through spaced repetition without punishment.
Sesame is not on the App Store yet. Join the waitlist on this page and you will get one email when it launches.
All TOPIK 1 content is free. Sesame Plus unlocks TOPIK 2 to 6 and Horang chat, at a planned £7.99 per month, £34.99 per year or £59.99 for lifetime access.
Horang and the AI note writer use on-device Apple Intelligence on supported iPhones, so the tutor runs on your device.
Sesame ships with about 1,086 pre-recorded Korean clips generated with Qwen3-TTS and checked with Whisper. System voices are used as a fallback.
The interface and course text are translated into 20 languages besides English, and the App Store listing is localised for 23 locales.
Be first to learn with Sesame.
Join the waitlist for the launch email.
One email at launch. Unsubscribe any time.