Terms of Use

This English version is provided for convenience. If there is any difference between this English version and the Japanese version, the Japanese version prevails. View the Japanese version (日本語版)

These Terms of Use (the "Terms") set out the conditions for using "Native Korean" (available in app stores as "Native Korean: Words & Hangul"; including the Android version, the iOS version, and the web version; the "App"). By using the App, you are deemed to have agreed to these Terms.

Article 1 (Description of the Service)

• The App is an app for learning Korean with native speaker audio, including the Flower Path lessons that follow the content of TOPIK I, as well as vocabulary, grammar, Hangul, pronunciation, and Korean culture, and many of its learning features, such as the Flower Path, vocabulary, and grammar, are available free of charge. Some content (scenes ②–⑩ of "100 Everyday Phrases," the 4th and later stories of each chapter of "Korean Culture," all but 10 dishes of "Korean Food," the 6th and later items of each level of "TOPIK Exam Grammar," the 2nd and later plays of "Flower Radio" each day, and the towns and places of "Travel in Korea" other than the 3 free places in Seoul) is available with a Premium Plan (Article 3).
• Some audio and the data used to recognize characters in the Handwriting Dictionary (on Android) are downloaded additionally when needed. Any data charges for these downloads are borne by you.
• To keep providing the App free of charge, ads are shown in the App. For those who would like to stop seeing ads or to use all content, we also offer paid Premium Plans (subscription and one-time purchase) (Article 3).
• Leaves, hearts, Refill Tickets, experience points (EXP), levels, characters, and similar features are mechanisms within the App that help you enjoy continuing your studies. They have no monetary value and cannot be exchanged for money, transferred, or refunded. We may also change their content or values to improve features.

Article 2 (Advertising)

• The App shows ads provided through Google AdMob. Each advertiser is responsible for the content of its ads and for the services they link to.
• No ads are shown while you are using a Premium Plan.
• By watching a video ad to the end, you may be able to recover leaves or hearts, or read one story of "Korean Culture" per day (there are limits on how many times).
• Repeatedly tapping ads in an unnatural manner, and automating the display of or taps on ads using tools or other means, are prohibited.
• For how ads are handled (including the use of advertising identifiers), please see the Privacy Policy.

Article 3 (Premium Plans (Subscription and One-Time Purchase))

• The following types of Premium Plans are available (all prices include tax).
  • Standard (subscription, ¥980 per month): No ads, unlimited hearts and leaves, and full access to "100 Everyday Phrases," "Korean Culture," "Korean Food," "Travel in Korea," and "TOPIK Exam Grammar," plus "Flower Radio" with no daily limit. First-time users can try it free of charge for the first 7 days (free trial)
  • Lifetime Plan (one-time purchase; single payment, ¥6,980; launch price of ¥5,980 until November 30, 2026; special price of ¥4,980 for 3 days (72 hours) from the first time you open the App (ver. 2.0 or later); special price of ¥3,980 shown only once when you graduate from the 7-Day Hangul Course (Flower Path); special price of ¥3,480 shown only once each when you use up all your leaves or all your hearts for the first time): The same benefits as Standard (no ads, unlimited hearts and leaves, and full access to "100 Everyday Phrases," "Korean Culture," "Korean Food," "Travel in Korea," and "TOPIK Exam Grammar," plus "Flower Radio" with no daily limit)
  • Supporter Plan (subscription, ¥980 per month): All Standard benefits, plus benefits such as a supporter badge. From App ver. 2.0 onward, we have stopped accepting new sign-ups (current users can continue to use it until they cancel).
  Note: Prices shown are for the Japan store. In other countries, the price shown in your app store applies.
• Payment is made through your Google Play or App Store account.
• Subscriptions (Standard and the Supporter Plan) renew automatically every month unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and you will be charged for the next month on the renewal date.
• The free trial is limited to once per person (under each store's rules, people who have previously used a subscription may not be eligible; eligible users will see it on the purchase screen). When the free period ends, your free trial automatically converts to a paid Standard subscription and the monthly fee is charged. If you cancel before the free period ends (for the App Store, at least 24 hours before it ends), you will not be charged.
• You can cancel at any time from the subscription management screen in the Google Play Store or in your device settings (App Store). Even after you cancel, you can continue to use the plan until the end of the period you have already paid for. Please note that deleting the App does not cancel your subscription.
• The Lifetime Plan requires only a single payment and does not renew automatically, and you can use it without any additional payment for as long as the App continues to be provided.
• If you purchase the Lifetime Plan while using a subscription, the subscription is not canceled automatically. To avoid paying twice, please cancel the subscription from the subscription management screen.
• We do not issue refunds for the customer's personal reasons, such as a change of mind (including cancellation partway through a period already paid for, and cancellation after purchasing the Lifetime Plan). For refund requests, please contact the relevant store in accordance with that store's refund policy.
• After changing devices or reinstalling the App, you can carry over plans purchased with the same store account by using "Restore purchases" on the purchase screen.
• If we change the content or price of a Premium Plan, we will notify you in advance in accordance with each store's rules.
• For information about the seller and related matters, please see the Notation Based on the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions.

Article 4 (Prohibited Conduct)

When using the App, the following conduct is prohibited.

• Conduct that violates laws and regulations or public order and morals
• Tampering with or analyzing the App, unauthorized access, and placing an excessive load on servers
• Increasing leaves, hearts, Refill Tickets, experience points, or the like by illegitimate means
• Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, or similar use of content in violation of the "Copyright and Usage Guidelines" below
• Any other conduct that the operator deems inappropriate

Article 5 (Disclaimers)

• We strive to provide information that is as accurate as possible, but we do not guarantee the accuracy of the content, learning outcomes, passing any exam, or the like.
• If you do not sign in (with Google or Apple), your learning data is stored only on your device. Please note that data may be lost if you delete the App, change devices, or the like.
• The operator is not liable for any damage caused by your network environment, device malfunctions, App malfunctions, or the like, except in cases of the operator's willful misconduct or gross negligence.

Article 6 (Changes to, Suspension of, and Termination of the Service)

The operator may change the content of the App, or temporarily suspend or terminate its provision, without prior notice. However, if we end the provision of the Premium Plans, we will notify you in advance within the App.

Article 7 (Handling of Personal Information)

Personal information is handled in accordance with the separately established Privacy Policy.

Article 8 (Changes to These Terms)

These Terms may be changed as necessary. The changed Terms take effect when they are posted on this page.

Article 9 (Governing Law and Jurisdiction)

These Terms are interpreted in accordance with the laws of Japan. If a dispute arises in connection with the App, the district court having jurisdiction over the location of the operator shall be the exclusive agreed court of jurisdiction for the first instance.

Copyright and Usage Guidelines

This section sets out the scope within which the content in the App may be used, and the cases in which you need to contact us in advance. We have set clear standards so that all learners can study with peace of mind.

1. Copyright

• The "native speaker audio recordings (words, example sentences, Flower Path lessons, Hangul, how to read numbers, short everyday phrases from a native speaker, etc.)," "original pronunciation explanations and Points," "example sentences and their Japanese translations," "Flower Path lesson and Native Island questions and explanations," "grammar explanations and practice questions," "TOPIK-style practice questions," "Korean culture readings and quizzes," and "character and word illustrations, and the App's design" in the App were planned, created, and supervised by the operator, and their copyright belongs to the operator.
• In particular, the audio recordings are original creative works that the operator personally recorded with care, one by one.
• Note that objective factual information, such as the words themselves (Korean vocabulary and basic dictionary meanings), is not protected by copyright.
• Some of the BGM and sound effects used in the App are sound sources from OtoLogic (https://otologic.jp), used under a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0) (the BGM has been adjusted to even out the volume between tracks).
• The BGM "Arirang (Gayageum)" and the sound effect played when you press a button use single notes of the 25-string gayageum from the "Digital Sound Sources of Korean Traditional Instruments" of the National Gugak Center, under the Korea Open Government License (KOGL) Type 1 (Attribution). The BGM was arranged and produced by the operator as the Korean folk song "Arirang."
• To display Korean characters (Hangul), the App uses the following fonts, subset to include only their Hangul characters, under the SIL Open Font License 1.1: Gowun Batang (Copyright 2021 The Gowun Batang Project Authors), Noto Serif KR (Copyright 2012 Google Inc.), Gaegu (Copyright 2018 The Gaegu Project Authors), Gamja Flower (Copyright (c) YoonDesign Inc.), and Diphylleia (Copyright 2022 The Diphylleia Project Authors).
• When Japanese characters (kana, kanji, letters and numbers) are set in My Page › Settings › Fonts, the App uses the following fonts, subset to include only the characters that appear in the App, under the SIL Open Font License 1.1: Klee One (Copyright 2020 The Klee Project Authors), M PLUS Rounded 1c (Copyright 2016 The Rounded M+ Project Authors), and Zen Kurenaido (Copyright 2021 The Zen Kurenaido Project Authors).
• The shape of the map of Korea uses public domain data from Natural Earth.
• For the open source software used in the App and its licenses, please see "Open Source Software Licenses" below.

2. Uses Permitted Without Permission

• Introductions and links: You are free to introduce the App or post links to it on blogs, social media, or learning websites without contacting us in advance.
• Use for personal study: Saving screenshots, printing, and taking notes within the scope of personal use are fine. You may use them freely as long as you do not distribute them to third parties or re-upload them.
• Quotation: When you quote part of the content on your own blog, study log, social media, or the like, your own writing must be the main part, and you must clearly state the name of the App, "Native Korean," as the source (if you include a link, please use https://nativekankokugo.web.app/app).

3. Conduct Requiring Prior Contact and Permission (Prohibited Conduct)

The following conduct is strictly prohibited, or requires our prior written permission (including in cases of non-profit use or free distribution).

• Extracting or downloading audio files from the App and reposting or redistributing them on other websites or apps
• Creating PDFs, Excel files, compiled audio files, or the like and sharing or distributing them on social media or in communities (LINE, LINE OpenChat, Discord, etc.)
• Bulk acquisition of data or building databases using automated collection tools (scraping, crawlers)
• Collecting or using content as a dataset for training AI (artificial intelligence)
• Rewriting the App's pronunciation explanations or example sentences (changing only the wording) and publishing them as your own content
• Unauthorized commercial use in paid lessons, teaching materials, paid apps, or the like

4. How to Contact Us

For inquiries about secondary use or collaborations falling under the above, please contact us through the contact form (in the App: "the My Page tab (bear icon, second from the right) at the bottom of the screen → Menu → About This App → Contact Us").

5. Our Response When Unauthorized Use Is Found

If we find improper use of the App's content (audio recordings, pronunciation explanations, original example sentences, etc.), such as unauthorized reposting, redistribution, or scraping, we will take the following measures in order.

• Request for removal and cessation of use: We will promptly request the removal of the relevant content and the cessation of its use.
• Reports to providers and search engines: If our request is not complied with, we will file copyright infringement (DMCA) notices with server hosting providers and search engines (such as Google), and make requests for measures to prevent transmission under the Act on the Limitation of Liability for Damages of Specified Telecommunications Service Providers and the Right to Demand Disclosure of Identification Information of the Senders (the Provider Liability Limitation Act).
• Legal action: Against malicious commercial use or large-scale data extraction, we will consider and take legal action, including claims for damages.

Note: We securely keep and manage original backups, made at the time of creation, of all content and audio data in the App.

6. Reporting Typos or Errors in Pronunciation Explanations

If you find errors or typos in the explanations, problems with the audio, or the like, please feel free to let us know using the contact method above. Based on everyone's feedback, we will keep updating the App to make it a better place to learn.

Data Sources and Disclaimers

1. Audio

• The pronunciation audio for Korean words (more than 10,000 words) was all recorded by the developer, who is Korean, in the developer's own voice.
• Speech synthesis is mainly used for the audio of example sentences and for Japanese-language audio. However, the Korean audio in the Flower Path lessons (including the 7-Day Hangul Course), some example sentences (more than 500) and their Japanese translations, some of the grammar example sentences, the short everyday phrases from a native speaker, the sounds of Hangul letters, and how to read numbers were recorded by the operator personally.

2. Data Sources

• The selection of words and their level classification were made with reference to the vocabulary lists published by the National Institute for International Education (NIIED) and the National Institute of Korean Language (NIKL), as organized by kleocean.com.
• The National Institute of Korean Language's "Vocabulary List for Korean Language Learning" is published under the terms of the Korea Open Government License (KOGL) Type 1.
• For the "Recommended order" of words and for choosing the candidate words for the "Choose by situation" word lists, the App uses an order that it created based on the vocabulary levels and classifications in the National Institute of Korean Language's "Basic Korean Dictionary (한국어기초사전)" and on the number of times words appear in its usage examples. The Basic Korean Dictionary is published under the terms of CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.
• The grammar items, their level classification, and the order of grammar in the Flower Path are based on the "International Standard Curriculum for Korean" (국제 통용 한국어 표준 교육과정) of the National Institute of Korean Language (NIKL).
• Meanings, pronunciation points, example sentences and their Japanese translations, grammar explanations and practice questions, TOPIK-style practice questions, Flower Path lesson and Native Island questions and explanations, Korean culture readings and quizzes, the English explanations and translations, and word illustrations were created originally for the App with the assistance of AI.
• The kanji (Chinese character) notations and their on'yomi (Sino-Japanese) readings were created by the developer with the assistance of AI and are not from an official dictionary.

3. Photo and Map Credits

The photos in the Travel section (Korean Food and Places to Visit) are from Wikimedia Commons and have been resized (some are also cropped). Pictures marked "AI image" were made with AI.

The Seoul map is made from OpenStreetMap data (© OpenStreetMap contributors), available under the ODbL (Copyright and License).

4. Disclaimers

• The App is not an official app of the National Institute for International Education (NIIED) or of TOPIK.
• The TOPIK level classifications are a study guide and do not guarantee the actual scope of exam questions.
• The TOPIK-style practice questions were created originally for the App and are not actual exam questions (past papers).
• Program names, names of people, product names, and the like that appear in "Korean Culture" are mentioned for introduction purposes and are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The App is not affiliated with or sponsored by those owners.

Open Source Software Licenses

The App uses the following open source software.

• Capacitor and official plugins (App, Browser, Filesystem, Haptics, Local Notifications, Share) — Copyright (c) 2017-present Drifty Co. / Copyright 2020-present Ionic — MIT License
• @capacitor-community/admob — Copyright (c) 2021 Capacitor Community — MIT License
• @capacitor-community/in-app-review — Copyright (c) 2022 Daniel Suchý — MIT License
• @capawesome/capacitor-app-update — Copyright (c) 2021 Robin Genz — MIT License
• @revenuecat/purchases-capacitor — Copyright (c) 2023 RevenueCat, Inc. — MIT License
• @capacitor-firebase/authentication — Apache License 2.0
• Firebase JavaScript SDK — Copyright 2017 Google LLC — Apache License 2.0
• three.js — Copyright © 2010-2026 three.js authors — MIT License
• html2canvas — Copyright (c) 2022 Niklas von Hertzen — MIT License

The full text of the Apache License 2.0 is available at https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0. The full text of the MIT License is as follows.

Established: September 6, 2026
Last revised: November 3, 2026