How to Learn the Korean Alphabet (Hangeul): A Simple Guide

Learning a new language is exciting, and mastering the Korean alphabet is a great first step. Known as 한글 (Hangeul), the Korean writing system is one of the most efficient and phonetic scripts in the world. In this guide, we explore the history of Hangeul, provide easy-to-follow charts, pronunciation tips, and memory aids to help you learn the Korean alphabet with ease.

What is Hangeul?

Hangeul is the alphabet used to write the Korean language. It was created in the 15th century by King Sejong the Great and his scholars. The primary goal was to provide a simple and accessible writing system for the Korean people, who were previously using complicated Classical Chinese characters.

How was Hangeul Created?

A wise man can acquaint himself with them before the morning is over; a stupid man can learn them in the space of ten days

– 훈민정음 해례 (hunminjeongeum haerye), a commentary on learning Hangeul

King Sejong the Great, who ruled Korea from 1418 to 1450, recognized that the existing writing systems were difficult for common people to learn. To address this issue, he initiated the creation of Hangeul in 1446. The new script was designed to be easy to learn and use, making literacy accessible to everyone. Hangeul consists of 14 basic consonants and 10 basic vowels, which can be combined into syllables.

How Many Letters Are There In Korean?

Altogether, there are 40 consonants and vowels in Korean. 24 of these are basic vowels and consonants, and the rest build on the basic versions of the characters. You’ll see what we mean below.

Hangeul Chart and Pronunciation Tips

Korean Consonants Chart

Hangeul has 14 basic consonants. Here’s a chart with their sounds and pronunciation tips:

Consonant	Romanization	Pronunciation Tip
ㄱ	g/k	Similar to “g” in “go” when in the first position Similar to “k” in “kit” in the final position
ㄴ	n	Like “n” in “no”
ㄷ	d/t	Similar to “d” in “dog” in the first position Similar to “t” in “top” in the final position
ㄹ	r/l	A blend of “r” and “l” like in “butter” in American English
ㅁ	m	Like “m” in “man”
ㅂ	b/p	Similar to “b” in “bat” in the first position Similar to “p” in “pat” in the final position
ㅅ	s	Like “s” in “sun”
ㅇ	ng / silent	Silent at the beginning Similar to “ng” in “song” in the final position
ㅈ	j	Like “j” in “juice”
ㅊ	ch	Like “ch” in “cheese”
ㅋ	k	Like “k” in “kite”
ㅌ	t	Like “t” in “top”
ㅍ	p	Like “p” in “pen”
ㅎ	h	Like “h” in “hat”

Korean Vowels Chart

The Korean language has 10 basic vowels. Here’s a chart with their sounds and pronunciation tips:

Vowel	Romanization	Pronunciation Tip
ㅏ	a	Like “a” in “father“
ㅑ	ya	Similar to the “ya” in “yard”
ㅓ	eo	Like “u” in “bus”
ㅕ	yeo	Like the “you” in “young”
ㅗ	o	Like “o” in “go”
ㅛ	yo	Like “yo” in “yo-yo”
ㅜ	u	Like “oo” in “moon”
ㅠ	yu	Similar to the word “you”
ㅡ	eu	Similar to the starting sound of “ew”
ㅣ	i	Like “ee” in “see”

Korean Tense Double Consonants

There are five double consonants in Korean. These are pronounced like their single consonant counterparts, except they sound more “tense”.

Vowel	Romanization	Pronunciation Tip
ㄲ	kk	This is a little more higher in pitch and has a more “explosive” sound than ㅋ
ㄸ	tt	This is a little more higher in pitch and has a more “explosive” sound than ㅌ
ㅃ	pp	This is a little more higher in pitch and has a more “explosive” sound than ㅍ
ㅆ	ss	This is a little more higher in pitch and has a more “explosive” sound than ㅅ
ㅉ	jj	This is a little more higher in pitch and has a more “explosive” sound than ㅊ

Korean Compound Vowels

There are eleven compound vowels in Korean. These combine two single vowels, all of which are outlined above.

Vowel	Romanization	Pronunciation Tip
ㅐ	ae	Like “e” in “met”
ㅒ	yae	Similar to “yeah” without the elongation at the end
ㅔ	e	Like “e” in “pen”
ㅖ	ye	Similar to the “ye” in “yes”
ㅘ	wa	Like a baby crying: “wa”
ㅙ	wae	Like “wear” without the “r”
ㅚ	oe	Like “wa” in “wait”
ㅝ	wo	Like “wo” in “worried”
ㅞ	we	Like “we” in “wed”
ㅟ	wi	Like “we” in “we”
ㅢ	ui	Like “wee!” if you replace the “w” sound with “eu”

How to Remember Each Korean Letter

Learning a new alphabet can be challenging, but Korean was designed to be memorable. Most of the letters are designed to reflect where you place your tongue when pronouncing the letter.

It’s a good idea to practice sounding out these letters so you can notice where your tongue is positioned. This will help you memorise the letters faster.

Consonants

• ㄱ (g/k): Represents the shape of the back of the tongue touching the roof of the mouth when making a “g/k” sound.
• ㄴ (n): Shows the tongue touching the roof of the mouth when you make the “n” sound, forming a vertical line.
• ㄷ (d/t): Shaped like the tongue pressing against the upper teeth for the “d” sound.
• ㄹ (r/l): Represents the rolling or lifting of the tongue, like how the sound moves from a soft “r” to “l.”
• ㅁ (m): Visualize a closed mouth shape that resembles the letter “m.”
• ㅂ (b/p): Represents the lips being pressed together, like when you make a “b” or “p” sound.
• ㅅ (s): The sharp, tooth-like shape of ㅅ resembles how the tongue approaches the front of the mouth for the “s” sound.
• ㅇ (ng / silent): The circle shape represents the open throat when making the nasal “ng” sound.
• ㅈ (j): The tongue touches just behind the teeth, slightly like ㄷ but with added air for the “j” sound. The shape of ㅈ combines features of both ㄷ (d) and ㅅ (s) to show the pronunciation of a soft “j.”

Aspirated Consonants

• ㅊ (ch): The extra stroke above ㅈ marks the increased airflow for the “ch” sound.
• ㅋ (k): Similar to ㄱ, but with an extra stroke to reflect that it’s pronounced more forcefully, representing an aspirated “k.”
• ㅌ (t): Like ㄷ but with an extra stroke to emphasize the extra air used to pronounce the “t” sound.
• ㅍ (p): The additional stroke above ㅂ shows that it’s pronounced with more force, making a “p” sound.
• ㅎ (h): The letter ㅎ looks like an open throat, representing the breathy “h” sound.

Double Consonants

• ㄲ (kk): If you remember ㄱ, just think of this as to of these.
• ㄸ (dd): If you remember ㄷ, just think of this as to of these.
• ㅃ (bb): If you remember ㅂ, just think of this as to of these.
• ㅆ (ss): If you remember ㅅ, just think of this as to of these.
• ㅉ (jj): If you remember ㅈ, just think of this as to of these.

Vowels

• ㅏ (a): The vertical line represents the person (ㅣ), and the short horizontal stroke shows the sound going forward from the throat.
• ㅓ (eo): The stroke placed on the left indicates a more retracted sound made in the back of the mouth.
• ㅗ (o): A horizontal line for the earth (ㅡ), with a stroke above for upward movement. The “o” sound comes from rounding the lips and pushing the sound outward.
• ㅜ (u): The stroke is placed below the horizontal line, indicating a sound produced by rounding the lips and directing it downward.
• ㅡ (eu): A horizontal line, representing the flat, unrounded shape of the lips when making the sound. This sound is produced with the tongue positioned flat and the lips not rounded.
• ㅣ (i): A vertical line representing a straight, high tongue position. The “i” sound is made with the tongue raised close to the roof of the mouth.
• ㅛ (yo): This is similar to ㅗ (oh) but with an extra line to represent the added “y” sound.
• ㅠ (yu): This is similar to ㅜ (u) but with an extra line to represent the added “y” sound.
• ㅑ (ya): This is similar to ㅏ (a) but with an extra line to represent the added “y” sound.
• ㅕ (yeo): This is similar to ㅓ (eo) but with an extra line to represent the added “y” sound.

Compound Vowels

• ㅐ (ae): This is a combination of two basic vowel shapes (ㅏ+ㅣ).
• ㅒ (yae): This is a combination of two basic vowel shapes (ㅑ+ㅣ).
• ㅔ (e): This is a combination of two basic vowel shapes (ㅓ+ㅣ).
• ㅖ (ye): This is a combination of two basic vowel shapes (ㅕ+ㅣ).
• ㅘ (wa): This is a combination of two basic vowel shapes (ㅗ +ㅏ).
• ㅙ (wae): This is a combination of one basic vowel and a compound vowel (ㅗ +ㅐ).
• ㅚ (oe): This is a combination of two basic vowel shapes (ㅗ +ㅣ).
• ㅝ (wo): This is a combination of two basic vowel shapes (ㅜ +ㅓ).
• ㅞ (we): This is a combination of one basic vowel and one compound vowel (ㅜ +ㅔ).
• ㅟ (wi): This is a combination of two basic vowel shapes (ㅜ +ㅣ).
• ㅢ (ui): This is a combination of two basic vowel shapes (ㅡ +ㅣ).

What’s the Korean Stroke Order?

There is a set stroke order for the different letters in the Korean alphabet. Here are the rules:

• Write top to bottom, left to right: Always start at the top of the character and work your way down, moving from left to right
• Consistent Practice: Practice writing each character multiple times to improve muscle memory
• Use Grids: When starting, use graph paper to help you maintain the proportions and alignments of the characters.

How to Write Korean Syllables

In Korean, syllables are written by combining consonants and vowels to form a block. Each block represents one syllable and can include up to three parts: a beginning consonant (초성), a middle vowel (중성), and sometimes an ending consonant (종성). Here’s how to easily write Korean syllables.

1. Basic Structure of a Korean Syllable

Each Korean syllable is like a “block” made up of different sounds:

• Consonant + Vowel (C + V)
• Consonant + Vowel + Consonant (C + V + C)
• Consonant + Vowel + Consonant + Consonant (C + V + C + C)

The consonants and vowels fit together inside a square block. Each block represents one syllable.

2. Start with a Consonant (초성)

The first thing you write is the initial consonant. Every syllable in Korean starts with a consonant, even if it’s silent (like ㅇ).

• Examples of consonants:
  • ㄱ (g), ㄴ (n), ㅁ (m), ㅅ (s), ㅇ (silent/ng)

3. Add a Vowel (중성)

Next, you add the vowel. Korean vowels are written either next to or under the consonant, depending on their shape. There are two main types of vowels:

• Vertical vowels (ㅏ, ㅑ, ㅓ, ㅕ, ㅣ) are placed next to the consonant.
• Horizontal vowels (ㅗ, ㅛ, ㅜ, ㅠ, ㅡ) are placed under the consonant.

4. Add an Optional Ending Consonant (종성)

Some syllables have an ending consonant – or two (known as a “batchim” 받침). If there’s an ending consonant, it goes below the syllable block.

• Examples of consonants that can be at the end:
  • ㄱ (k), ㅂ (p), ㄴ (n), ㄹ (l), ㅇ (ng)

Syllables with just a consonant and a vowel (C + V)

• 가 (ga) = ㄱ + ㅏ
  • Consonant ㄱ and vowel ㅏ are written side by side.
• 너 (neo) = ㄴ + ㅓ
  • Consonant ㄴ and vowel ㅓ are placed next to each other.
• 소 (so) = ㅅ + ㅗ
  • Consonant ㅅ and vowel ㅗ are placed with ㅗ under ㅅ.

Syllables with a consonant, vowel, and ending consonant (C + V + C)

• 별 (byeol; star) = ㅂ + ㅕ + ㄹ
  • Consonant ㅂ and vowel ㅕ are written together, and ㄹ is added below.
• 강 (gang; river) = ㄱ + ㅏ + ㅇ
  • Consonant ㄱ and vowel ㅏ are side by side, and ending consonant ㅇ is written at the bottom.

Syllables with a consonant, vowel, and two ending consonants (C + V + C + C)

• 닭 (dak; chicken) = ㄷ + ㅏ + ㄹㄱ
  • Consonant ㄷ and vowel ㅏ are placed side by side, and ㄹㄱ (ending consonants) are placed at the bottom.

5. Putting It All Together

When writing Korean syllables, always think of the syllable block as a combination of three parts (Consonant + Vowel + Ending Consonant). Here’s how to arrange them:

• C + V: Write the consonant first, then the vowel.
• C + V + C: Write the consonant, then the vowel, and finally the ending consonant (below the block).
• C + V + C + C: Write the consonant, then the vowel, the second consonant, and finally the ending consonant (below the block).

6. Common Patterns

• C + Vertical Vowel: Consonant on the left, vowel on the right.
  • 예: 나 (na), 리 (ri), 서 (seo)
• C + Horizontal Vowel: Consonant on top, vowel below.
  • 예: 도 (do), 부 (bu), 수 (su)
• C + V + C: Consonant and vowel in the middle, ending consonant below.
  • 예: 달 (dal), 물 (mul), 속 (sok)
• C + V + C + C: Consonant and vowel in the middle, ending consonants below.
  • 예: 값 (kabt)

6. Practice Writing

Here are some basic words to practice forming syllables:

• 한국 (hanguk; Korea): 한 (ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ) + 국 (ㄱ + ㅜ + ㄱ)
• 사랑 (sarang; love): 사 (ㅅ + ㅏ) + 랑 (ㄹ + ㅏ + ㅇ)
• 학교 (hakgyo; school): 학 (ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄱ) + 교 (ㄱ + ㅛ)

Practice and Application

With its logical design and straightforward pronunciation, Hangeul is an excellent starting point for your Korean language journey. By using the charts, pronunciation tips, and memory aids provided, you can master Hangeul efficiently and enjoy the process of learning Korean. Start practicing today, and you’ll soon find yourself reading and writing in Korean with confidence!