Korean writing
Hangul chart: Korean consonants and vowels
Hangul is the Korean alphabet. It has 14 basic consonants and 10 basic vowels, plus doubled consonants and compound vowels, and the letters stack into square syllable blocks instead of running in a line. It was designed in the 15th century to be easy to learn, and most people can read it after a few hours of practice. Every letter below has its romanization, stroke order and an example word from the course.
How Hangul works
Welcome to Korean
Hangul (한글) is the Korean alphabet. Unlike most writing systems, it didn't evolve from older scripts — it was designed from scratch in 1443 by King Sejong the Great so that ordinary people could learn to read in a single morning. You're about to find out he wasn't bluffing.
Letters stack into blocks
Korean letters don't sit in a flat line like English. They stack into square 'syllable blocks' — one block per syllable. The word 한글 (hangeul) is two blocks: 한 (han) + 글 (geul). Each block packs 2 to 4 letters into roughly the same square space, which is why Korean text looks neat and even.
Reading order inside a block
Inside a block, read: consonant → vowel → bottom consonant (if any). Where the vowel SITS depends on its shape. Tall vowels (ㅏ ㅓ ㅣ) stand to the RIGHT: 한 is ㅎ (left) → ㅏ (right) → ㄴ (bottom). Flat vowels (ㅗ ㅜ ㅡ) lie UNDERNEATH: 글 stacks ㄱ → ㅡ → ㄹ top-to-bottom. Different layouts, same reading order every time.
Two ingredients: consonants + vowels
Every block is built from consonants (자음) and vowels (모음). There are 14 basic consonants and 10 basic vowels — that's it. Every Korean syllable in existence is some combination of these 24 pieces. You'll meet the 6 most common vowels first, then the consonants, one row at a time.
The silent ㅇ trick
Korean rule: every block needs a consonant on the left. So what about a syllable that starts with a vowel sound? Hangul uses ㅇ (ieung) as a silent placeholder. ㅇ + ㅏ = 아 (a). The ㅇ is invisible to the ear — it just holds the spot so the block is legal. (At the bottom of a block, ㅇ does make a sound: 'ng'. More on that later.)
Worked example: 한국 (Korea)
한 = ㅎ (h) + ㅏ (a) + ㄴ (n) → 'han'. 국 = ㄱ (g/k) + ㅜ (u) + ㄱ (k) → 'guk'. Together: han-guk = 'Korea'. You can't read this yet — but in 30 minutes you will. That's the promise of Hangul: every block decomposes the same way, every time.
The 14 basic consonants
Where two sounds are listed, the first is how the letter starts a syllable and the second how it ends one.
| Letter | Strokes | Romanization | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | g | g / k | 가 gaas in 고기 (meat) | |
| ㄴ | n | n | 나 naas in 나 (I / me (casual)) | |
| ㄷ | d | d / t | 다 daas in 구두 (shoes (dress shoes)) | |
| ㄹ | r | r / l | 라 raas in 다리 (leg / bridge) | |
| ㅁ | m | m | 마 maas in 어머니 (mother) | |
| ㅂ | b | b / p | 바 baas in 바다 (sea) | |
| ㅅ | s | s | 사 saas in 사 (four (4)) | |
| ㅇ | silent / ng | silent / ng | 아 aas in 아이 (child) | |
| ㅈ | j | j | 자 jaas in 자 (sleep! (imperative)) | |
| ㅎ | h | h | 하 haas in 하나 (one (1)) | |
| ㅋ | k | k (aspirated) | 카 kaas in 코 (nose) | |
| ㅌ | t | t (aspirated) | 타 taas in 타다 (to ride / board) | |
| ㅍ | p | p (aspirated) | 파 paas in 피 (blood) | |
| ㅊ | ch | ch | 차 chaas in 차 (car / tea) |
The 5 doubled (tense) consonants
A doubled letter is said tight and sharp, with no puff of air.
| Letter | Strokes | Romanization | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㄲ | kk | kk (tense) | 까 kkaas in 꼬리 (tail) | |
| ㄸ | tt | tt (tense) | 따 ttaas in 또 (again / also) | |
| ㅃ | pp | pp (tense) | 빠 ppaas in 오빠 (older brother (♀ speaker)) | |
| ㅆ | ss | ss (tense) | 싸 ssaas in 싸다 (to be cheap) | |
| ㅉ | jj | jj (tense) | 짜 jjaas in 짜다 (to be salty) |
The 10 basic vowels
A vowel cannot stand alone in a block, so the examples pair each one with the silent ㅇ.
| Letter | Strokes | Romanization | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㅏ | a | like 'a' in 'father' | 아 aas in 아이 (child) | |
| ㅓ | eo | like 'u' in 'sun' | 어 eoas in 어머니 (mother) | |
| ㅗ | o | like 'o' in 'so' | 오 oas in 오 (five) | |
| ㅜ | u | like 'oo' in 'food' | 우 uas in 우유 (milk) | |
| ㅡ | eu | like 'eu' in 'put' (unrounded) | 으 euas in 스 (s sound) | |
| ㅣ | i | like 'ee' in 'see' | 이 ias in 이 (two / tooth) | |
| ㅑ | ya | like 'ya' in 'yacht' | 야 yaas in 아 + glide → 야 | |
| ㅕ | yeo | like 'yu' in 'yuck' | 여 yeoas in 어 + glide → 여 | |
| ㅛ | yo | like 'yo' in 'yo-yo' | 요 yoas in 오 + glide → 요 | |
| ㅠ | yu | like 'you' | 유 yuas in 우 + glide → 유 |
The 11 compound vowels
| Letter | Strokes | Romanization | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㅐ | ae | ㅏ + ㅣ fused — 'e' as in 'bed' | 애 aeas in 개 (dog) / 가게 (store) | |
| ㅔ | e | ㅓ + ㅣ fused — 'e' as in 'bed' | 에 eas in 개 (dog) / 가게 (store) | |
| ㅒ | yae | |||
| ㅖ | ye | ㅔ + y-glide — 'ye' as in 'yes' | 예 yeas in 왜 (why) / 회사 (company) / 의자 (chair) | |
| ㅘ | wa | ㅗ + ㅏ — 'wa' as in 'water' | 와 waas in 사과 (apple) / 뭐 (what) | |
| ㅙ | wae | ㅗ + ㅐ — 'we' as in 'wet' | 왜 waeas in 왜 (why) / 회사 (company) / 의자 (chair) | |
| ㅚ | oe | ㅗ + ㅣ — also 'we' as in 'wet' | 외 oeas in 왜 (why) / 회사 (company) / 의자 (chair) | |
| ㅝ | wo | ㅜ + ㅓ — 'wo' as in 'wonder' | 워 woas in 사과 (apple) / 뭐 (what) | |
| ㅞ | we | |||
| ㅟ | wi | ㅜ + ㅣ — 'we' as in 'week' | 위 wias in 사과 (apple) / 뭐 (what) | |
| ㅢ | ui | ㅡ + ㅣ said quickly — 'uh-ee' | 의 uias in 왜 (why) / 회사 (company) / 의자 (chair) |
Syllable chart
Every consonant with the six basic vowels, with audio for each syllable.
| Consonant | ㅏ | ㅓ | ㅗ | ㅜ | ㅡ | ㅣ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | 가ga | 거geo | 고go | 구gu | 그geu | 기gi |
| ㄴ | 나na | 너neo | 노no | 누nu | 느neu | 니ni |
| ㄷ | 다da | 더deo | 도do | 두du | 드deu | 디di |
| ㄹ | 라ra | 러reo | 로ro | 루ru | 르reu | 리ri |
| ㅁ | 마ma | 머meo | 모mo | 무mu | 므meu | 미mi |
| ㅂ | 바ba | 버beo | 보bo | 부bu | 브beu | 비bi |
| ㅅ | 사sa | 서seo | 소so | 수su | 스seu | 시shi |
| ㅇ | 아a | 어eo | 오o | 우u | 으eu | 이i |
| ㅈ | 자ja | 저jeo | 조jo | 주ju | 즈jeu | 지ji |
| ㅎ | 하ha | 허heo | 호ho | 후hu | 흐heu | 히hi |
| ㅋ | 카ka | 커keo | 코ko | 쿠ku | 크keu | 키ki |
| ㅌ | 타ta | 터teo | 토to | 투tu | 트teu | 티ti |
| ㅍ | 파pa | 퍼peo | 포po | 푸pu | 프peu | 피pi |
| ㅊ | 차cha | 처cheo | 초cho | 추chu | 츠cheu | 치chi |
| ㄲ | 까kka | 꺼kkeo | 꼬kko | 꾸kku | 끄kkeu | 끼kki |
| ㄸ | 따tta | 떠tteo | 또tto | 뚜ttu | 뜨tteu | 띠tti |
| ㅃ | 빠ppa | 뻐ppeo | 뽀ppo | 뿌ppu | 쁘ppeu | 삐ppi |
| ㅆ | 싸ssa | 써sseo | 쏘sso | 쑤ssu | 쓰sseu | 씨ssi |
| ㅉ | 짜jja | 쩌jjeo | 쪼jjo | 쭈jju | 쯔jjeu | 찌jji |
Final consonants (받침)
받침 — the letter at the bottom
A consonant written at the BOTTOM of a block is a 받침 (batchim) — the 'support'. You read it last: 눈 = ㄴ + ㅜ + ㄴ → 'nun'. Only SEVEN sounds can end a Korean syllable: [k] [n] [t] [l] [m] [p] [ng]. You already met [t]. Today, the two easiest — the nasals ㄴ [n] and ㅁ [m]. They're the finals you can stretch: hum the end of 눈 and it just keeps going.
Seven endings — the complete set
Every Korean syllable ends in a vowel or one of exactly seven sounds: ㄱ [k] 책 · ㄴ [n] 눈 · ㄷ [t] 옷 · ㄹ [l] 물 · ㅁ [m] 곰 · ㅂ [p] 밥 · ㅇ [ng] 강 That's the whole system. Quick sweep first, then one last secret about how endings behave in real speech.
연음 — the ending slides over
When a 받침 is followed by a syllable that starts with silent ㅇ, the final consonant SLIDES onto it. 물 + 이 is written 물이 but said [무리] — the ㄹ jumps across and turns back into its flap. Korean does this every single time. It's why real speech sounds smoother than the blocks look — the writing keeps the word's shape, the mouth takes the shortcut.
있어요 — hear it happen
있어요 means 'there is / I have' — you'll hear it in half the sentences in this course. Spelled 있 + 어요; the double ㅆ slides over: [이써요]. Listen for the strong 'ss' starting the middle syllable — that's the 받침, relocated.
ㅎ is too weak to slide
One exception: a final ㅎ before a vowel simply VANISHES. 좋아요 ('it's good') is said [조아요] — no h at all. And a preview so nothing ever ambushes you: a few words stack TWO letters in the 받침 slot — you say one of them. 없어요 ('there isn't') → [업써요], 많이 ('a lot') → [마니], 여덟 ('eight') → [여덜]. Read the survivor; the spelling keeps the history.
Romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean.
Practice this in Open Lingo
The Open Lingo Korean course starts with Hangul: tracing each letter, hearing it, and reading real words within the first lessons.
Keep going
- 은/는 vs 이/가When to use 은/는 and when to use 이/가 in Korean, how to pick the right form after a consonant or vowel, with course examples and practice questions.
- Greetings and polite phrasesEssential Korean greetings and polite phrases for beginners: 안녕하세요, 감사합니다, the two goodbyes and more, with romanization and audio.
- NumbersThe two Korean number systems for beginners: Sino-Korean 일, 이, 삼 and native 하나, 둘, 셋, when to use each, plus counters, with audio.
- The polite present tenseHow to conjugate Korean verbs and adjectives into the polite 요 form: 아요 vs 어요, 하다 → 해요, the ㅡ drop and vowel contractions.