Learn Hangul and Korean Pronunciation | Korean Basics

Learn Hangul 한글

Hangul is the Korean writing system. Korean letters are combined into square-shaped syllable blocks rather than written separately in a straight line. Begin by learning the keyboard positions and the sound of each letter, and then practice combining consonants and vowels into readable syllables.

Korean Computer Keyboard Guide

Use this keyboard reference before beginning the numbered lessons. It shows the standard Korean two-set keyboard, commonly called 2-beolsik. Each English keyboard key produces one Korean consonant or vowel when Korean input is active.

Qㅂb / p

Wㅈj

Eㄷd / t

Rㄱg / k

Tㅅs

Yㅛyo

Uㅕyeo

Iㅑya

Oㅐae

Pㅔe

Aㅁm

Sㄴn

Dㅇsilent / ng

Fㄹr / l

Gㅎh

Hㅗo

Jㅓeo

Kㅏa

Lㅣi

Zㅋk

Xㅌt

Cㅊch

Vㅍp

Bㅠyu

Nㅜu

Mㅡeu

How letters combine while typing

가

R gives ㄱ and K gives ㅏ.

ㄱ + ㅏ = 가

한

Type G K S.

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ = 한

한글

Type GKSRMF while Korean input is active.

한 + 글 = 한글

1. Basic Consonant-and-Vowel Combination Chart

Read the chart from left to right. Each row keeps the same consonant while changing the vowel. This helps you recognize syllables as complete sound units rather than separate letters.

140 foundational combinations using 14 consonants and 10 basic vowels
Consonant	ㅏ a	ㅑ ya	ㅓ eo	ㅕ yeo	ㅗ o	ㅛ yo	ㅜ u	ㅠ yu	ㅡ eu	ㅣ i
ㄱ g/k	가ga	갸gya	거geo	겨gyeo	고go	교gyo	구gu	규gyu	그geu	기gi
ㄴ n	나na	냐nya	너neo	녀nyeo	노no	뇨nyo	누nu	뉴nyu	느neu	니ni
ㄷ d/t	다da	댜dya	더deo	뎌dyeo	도do	됴dyo	두du	듀dyu	드deu	디di
ㄹ r/l	라ra	랴rya	러reo	려ryeo	로ro	료ryo	루ru	류ryu	르reu	리ri
ㅁ m	마ma	먀mya	머meo	며myeo	모mo	묘myo	무mu	뮤myu	므meu	미mi
ㅂ b/p	바ba	뱌bya	버beo	벼byeo	보bo	뵤byo	부bu	뷰byu	브beu	비bi
ㅅ s	사sa	샤sya	서seo	셔syeo	소so	쇼syo	수su	슈syu	스seu	시si
ㅇ silent	아a	야ya	어eo	여yeo	오o	요yo	우u	유yu	으eu	이i
ㅈ j	자ja	쟈jya	저jeo	져jyeo	조jo	죠jyo	주ju	쥬jyu	즈jeu	지ji
ㅊ ch	차cha	챠chya	처cheo	쳐chyeo	초cho	쵸chyo	추chu	츄chyu	츠cheu	치chi
ㅋ k	카ka	캬kya	커keo	켜kyeo	코ko	쿄kyo	쿠ku	큐kyu	크keu	키ki
ㅌ t	타ta	탸tya	터teo	텨tyeo	토to	툐tyo	투tu	튜tyu	트teu	티ti
ㅍ p	파pa	퍄pya	퍼peo	펴pyeo	포po	표pyo	푸pu	퓨pyu	프peu	피pi
ㅎ h	하ha	햐hya	허heo	혀hyeo	호ho	효hyo	후hu	휴hyu	흐heu	히hi

On a small screen, swipe horizontally to view the entire combination chart.

2. How Hangul Syllable Blocks Work

A Korean syllable begins with an initial consonant and a vowel. It may also end with a final consonant, called 받침.

ㅎInitial consonant

ㅏVowel

ㄴFinal consonant

한One syllable block

가ㄱ + ㅏ

Letters are arranged from left to right.

고ㄱ + ㅗ

The consonant is placed above the horizontal vowel.

한ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ

The final consonant is placed at the bottom.

3. The 19 Initial Consonants

Korean has 14 basic consonants and five tense consonants. The sounds below describe their common pronunciation at the beginning of a syllable.

Complete Hangul initial-consonant table
Letter	Korean name	Approximate sound	Example syllable	Pronunciation note
ㄱ	기역	g / k	가 ga	Between a light English g and k.
ㄲ	쌍기역	kk	까 kka	A tense, tight sound without a strong puff of air.
ㄴ	니은	n	나 na	Similar to the English n.
ㄷ	디귿	d / t	다 da	Between a light English d and t.
ㄸ	쌍디귿	tt	따 tta	A tense, firm t-like sound.
ㄹ	리을	r / l	라 ra	Often a light r between vowels and an l-like sound at the end of a syllable.
ㅁ	미음	m	마 ma	Similar to the English m.
ㅂ	비읍	b / p	바 ba	Between a light English b and p.
ㅃ	쌍비읍	pp	빠 ppa	A tense, tight p-like sound.
ㅅ	시옷	s	사 sa	Often sounds closer to “sh” before ㅣ, ㅑ, ㅕ, ㅛ, ㅠ.
ㅆ	쌍시옷	ss	싸 ssa	A tense and stronger s sound.
ㅇ	이응	silent / ng	아 a	Silent at the beginning; pronounced ng at the end.
ㅈ	지읒	j	자 ja	A light j sound with little aspiration.
ㅉ	쌍지읒	jj	짜 jja	A tense, tight j sound.
ㅊ	치읓	ch	차 cha	An aspirated ch sound with a puff of air.
ㅋ	키읔	k	카 ka	An aspirated k sound with a puff of air.
ㅌ	티읕	t	타 ta	An aspirated t sound with a puff of air.
ㅍ	피읖	p	파 pa	An aspirated p sound with a puff of air.
ㅎ	히읗	h	하 ha	Similar to the English h, but may weaken in speech.

4. The 21 Vowels

A vowel cannot appear alone inside a written syllable block. When a syllable begins with a vowel sound, the silent consonant ㅇ fills the initial position.

Complete Hangul vowel table
Vowel	Example block	Romanization	Approximate pronunciation
ㅏ	아	a	“ah,” as in father.
ㅑ	야	ya	“yah.”
ㅓ	어	eo	Similar to “uh,” but produced farther back in the mouth.
ㅕ	여	yeo	Similar to “yuh.”
ㅗ	오	o	A pure “oh” sound.
ㅛ	요	yo	A pure “yoh” sound.
ㅜ	우	u	“oo,” as in moon.
ㅠ	유	yu	“you.”
ㅡ	으	eu	Unrounded vowel with no exact English equivalent. Keep the lips relaxed and spread slightly.
ㅣ	이	i	“ee,” as in see.
ㅐ	애	ae	Similar to “eh.”
ㅒ	얘	yae	Similar to “yeh.”
ㅔ	에	e	Similar to “eh”; often pronounced like ㅐ in modern speech.
ㅖ	예	ye	Similar to “yeh.”
ㅘ	와	wa	ㅗ + ㅏ, pronounced “wah.”
ㅙ	왜	wae	ㅗ + ㅐ, similar to “weh.”
ㅚ	외	oe	Commonly sounds similar to “weh.”
ㅝ	워	wo	ㅜ + ㅓ, similar to “wuh.”
ㅞ	웨	we	ㅜ + ㅔ, similar to “weh.”
ㅟ	위	wi	Similar to “wee.”
ㅢ	의	ui	Begins with ㅡ and moves toward ㅣ; pronunciation varies by position.

5. Compare Plain, Aspirated, and Tense Sounds

Several Korean consonants form related sound groups. Pay attention to airflow, tension, and how firmly the sound begins.

Plain sounds

ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅈ

These begin gently and may sound different depending on their position.

Aspirated sounds

ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅊ

These are pronounced with a noticeable puff of air.

Tense sounds

ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅉ, ㅆ

These begin with stronger muscular tension but little extra airflow.

가ga — plain

카ka — aspirated

까kka — tense

다da — plain

타ta — aspirated

따tta — tense

바ba — plain

파pa — aspirated

빠ppa — tense

자ja — plain

차cha — aspirated

짜jja — tense

6. Introduction to Final Consonants 받침

A consonant written at the bottom of a syllable block is called 받침. Its pronunciation can differ from the same consonant at the beginning of a syllable.

각

ㄱ + ㅏ + ㄱ

The final consonant closes with a short k-like sound.

간

ㄱ + ㅏ + ㄴ

The final consonant has an n sound.

갈

ㄱ + ㅏ + ㄹ

The final consonant has an l-like sound.

감

ㄱ + ㅏ + ㅁ

The final consonant has an m sound.

갑

ㄱ + ㅏ + ㅂ

The final consonant closes with a short p-like sound.

강

ㄱ + ㅏ + ㅇ

The final consonant has an ng sound.

7. Read Complete Korean Words

Break each word into syllable blocks. Then break each block into its consonant, vowel, and optional final consonant.

한글Hangul

한 = ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ
글 = ㄱ + ㅡ + ㄹ

한국Korea

한 = ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ
국 = ㄱ + ㅜ + ㄱ

나무Tree

나 = ㄴ + ㅏ
무 = ㅁ + ㅜ

우유Milk

우 = ㅇ + ㅜ
유 = ㅇ + ㅠ

사람Person

사 = ㅅ + ㅏ
람 = ㄹ + ㅏ + ㅁ

바다Sea

바 = ㅂ + ㅏ
다 = ㄷ + ㅏ

A Better Way to Practice

Look at one Hangul letter or syllable.
Say its sound before checking the romanization.
Listen to a native recording.
Repeat the sound aloud several times.
Write the letter or syllable by hand.
Use it inside a real Korean word.

Korean Pronunciation | Korean Basics

Learn Korean Pronunciation

Pay special attention to Korean sounds that differ from English and Japanese.

ㄹ can sound somewhere between the English r and l.

ㅓ is similar to the English sound “uh,” but it is not exactly the same.

ㅡ has no exact equivalent in English or Japanese.

ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ change slightly depending on where they appear in a word.

Korean Sentence Order | Korean Basics

Understand Korean Sentence Order

Korean sentences usually follow a subject–object–verb pattern.

Subject Object Verb

English I study Korean.

Japanese 私は韓国語を勉強します。

Korean 저는 한국어를 공부해요.

Korean Particles | Korean Basics

Learn Korean Particles

Particles are attached to words to show their function in a Korean sentence.

은/는 Marks the topic of a sentence.

이/가 Marks the grammatical subject.

을/를 Marks the object of a verb.

에 Indicates a time, destination, or location.

에서 Indicates where an action takes place.

Example

저는 한국어를 공부해요.

I study Korean.

私は韓国語を勉強します。

Polite Korean Speaking | Korean Basics

Start with Polite Speaking

The following polite verb endings are useful in everyday Korean conversation:

-아요 / -어요

가다 to go

가요 go

먹다 to eat

먹어요 eat

공부하다 to study

공부해요 study

좋아하다 to like

좋아해요 like

Korean Speaking Patterns | Korean Basics

Build Essential Speaking Patterns

Practice reusable sentence patterns that you can adapt to different everyday conversations.

저는 ___예요/이에요. I am ___.

___을/를 좋아해요. I like ___.

___하고 싶어요. I want to ___.

___할 수 있어요. I can ___.

잘 모르겠어요. I’m not sure or I don’t understand well.

다시 말해 주세요. Please say it again.

Recommended Learning Path

Hangul → pronunciation → basic sentences → particles and verbs → reading aloud → listening and shadowing → short conversations