THE KOREAN ALPHABET IS 24 LETTERS

JULY 1, 2010 JOHN 15 COMMENTS

A Korean letter is Hangul. ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ ㅈ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ are consonants and ㅏ ㅑ

ㅓ ㅕ ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ ㅣ are vowels.

Consonants:

ㄱ sounds like g.

ㄴ sounds like n.

ㄷ sounds like d.

ㄹ sounds like l.

ㅁ sounds like m.

ㅂ sounds like b.

ㅅ sounds like s.

ㅇ doesn’t have any sound when it comes first and sounds like ~ng when it is at the bottom.

ㅈ sounds like j.

ㅊ sounds like ch.

ㅋ sounds like k.

ㅌ sounds like t.

ㅍ sounds like p.

ㅎ sounds like h.

Vowels:

ㅏ sounds like a.

ㅑ sounds like ya.

ㅓ sounds like u.

ㅕ sounds like yu.

ㅗ sounds like o.

ㅛ sounds like yo.

ㅜ sounds like oo.

ㅠ sounds like yoo.

ㅡ sounds like eu

ㅣ sounds like i

There are some mixed consonants and vowels.

ㄲ sounds like gg.

ㄸ sounds like dd.

ㅃ sounds like bb

ㅆ sounds like ss.

ㅉ sounds like jj.

ㅐ sounds like ae

ㅒ sounds like yae

ㅔ sounds like ae

ㅖ sounds like yae

ㅚ sounds like oi

ㅙ sounds like oae

ㅟ sounds like we

ㅞ sounds like wae

ㅢ sounds like eui

ㅝ sounds like wu.

Now we are going to make a letter.

ㄱ +ㅏ =가 (ga)

ㄴ +ㅏ =나 (na)

ㄷ +ㅏ =다 (da)

ㄹ +ㅏ =라 (la)

ㅁ +ㅏ =마 (ma)
ㅂ +ㅓ =버 (bu)

ㅅ +ㅓ =서 (su)

ㅇ +ㅓ =어 (uh) (If ㅇ comes at the beginning of the letter it has no sound.)

ㅈ +ㅓ =저 (ju)

ㅊ +ㅓ =처 (chu)

ㅌ +ㅗ =토 (to)

ㅍ +ㅗ =포 (po)

ㅋ +ㅗ =코 (ko)

ㅎ +ㅗ =호 (ho)

ㄲ +ㅜ =꾸 (ggoo)

ㄸ +ㅜ =뚜 (ddoo)

ㅃ +ㅣ = 삐 (bbi)

ㅆ +ㅣ =씨 (ssi)
INTRODUCTION

Hangul, (Korean: “Great Script”) also spelled Hangeul or Han'gŭl, alphabetic system used for writing the
Korean language. The system, known as Chosŏn muntcha in North Korea, consists of 24 letters (originally
28), including 14 consonants and 10 vowels. The consonant characters are formed with curved or angled
lines.

As you
can see, the complex or double consonants are in a different color on the last row of the chart.
Additionally, under each consonant, you’ll find its corresponding sound at the beginning and at the end
of the syllable. Some of them have identical sounds regardless of their place in the syllable. Furthermore,
some of them are silent and some of them are never used syllable-finally (like ㄸ, ㅃ, and ㅉ).

Take “ㅇ” for example which is silent when it is at the beginning of the syllable and it is used as a
placeholder when the syllable starts with a vowel.

Let’s see some other Korean consonants whose sounds transform due to location change in a word.

ㅈ: 죽 [chuk] – “porridge” and 콩죽 [k’ong-juk] – “bean porridge”;

ㅂ: 밥 [pap] – “rice” and 보리밥 [poribap] – “barley mixed with rice”

ㄱ: 공 [kong] – “ball” and 새 공 [saegong] – “new ball”

It may seem a bit overwhelming now, but with a bit of study you’ll eventually master all these rules. The
secret is to see them all in action in an actual context. Just make sure you start practicing Korean with
Mondly and you won’t be sorry. It takes just 10 minutes a day to speak your first words in Korean.