Start with the alphabet's structure
Hangul (한글) is the Korean alphabet. King Sejong introduced it in the fifteenth century; the Hunminjeongum document explains its design and use. UNESCO's account describes its completion in 1443 and publication in 1446.
The modern basic alphabet has 14 consonants and 10 vowels. The original system had 28 letters, four of which are no longer in the modern basic set. Doubled consonants and compound vowels extend the combinations you will encounter.
The shapes have a deliberate structure. Five basic consonant shapes relate to the speech organs, while many related consonants add strokes. Vowel shapes developed from elements representing heaven, earth and a person. The National Hangeul Museum explains these principles.
A short lesson can introduce the letters and how they fit together. Expect further practice to recognise them quickly and pronounce unfamiliar words accurately.
The fourteen consonants
These are the names and the order given in Article 4 of the Korean orthography rules (한글 맞춤법 제4항), which is also dictionary order — so this table doubles as the sequence you will meet in any Korean index.
| Letter | Name | Roughly sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | giyeok (기역) | g in go (nearer k at the start of a word) |
| ㄴ | nieun (니은) | n |
| ㄷ | digeut (디귿) | d (nearer t at the start) |
| ㄹ | rieul (리을) | between r and l — a flapped r between vowels, l at the end |
| ㅁ | mieum (미음) | m |
| ㅂ | bieup (비읍) | b (nearer p at the start) |
| ㅅ | siot (시옷) | s |
| ㅇ | ieung (이응) | silent at the start of a block; ng at the bottom of one |
| ㅈ | jieut (지읒) | j |
| ㅊ | chieut (치읓) | ch — ㅈ with a breath |
| ㅋ | kieuk (키읔) | k — ㄱ with a breath |
| ㅌ | tieut (티읕) | t — ㄷ with a breath |
| ㅍ | pieup (피읖) | p — ㅂ with a breath |
| ㅎ | hieut (히읗) | h |
The pairs ㄱ/ㅋ, ㄷ/ㅌ, ㅂ/ㅍ and ㅈ/ㅊ illustrate how an added stroke relates to an aspirated sound, made with a stronger puff of air. The English comparisons in the table are approximate; Korean consonants do not correspond exactly to English ones.
ㅇ is silent at the beginning of a block and represents ng at the end. For example, 아 is “a” and 앙 is “ang”.
The ten vowels
| Letter | Name | Roughly sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| ㅏ | a (아) | a in father |
| ㅑ | ya (야) | ya |
| ㅓ | eo (어) | u in son — written eo |
| ㅕ | yeo (여) | yeo |
| ㅗ | o (오) | o in go |
| ㅛ | yo (요) | yo |
| ㅜ | u (우) | oo in food |
| ㅠ | yu (유) | yu |
| ㅡ | eu (으) | no English equivalent — say oo with lips flat and wide |
| ㅣ | i (이) | ee in see |
Four vowel pairs add a short stroke and a “y” sound: ㅏ→ㅑ, ㅓ→ㅕ, ㅗ→ㅛ and ㅜ→ㅠ. Listening to examples will help distinguish sounds that English spelling represents only approximately.
Doubled consonants and compound vowels
The five doubled consonants are ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ and ㅉ. They represent tense consonant sounds, which are distinct from their plain and aspirated counterparts. Listen to examples rather than simply pronouncing them more loudly.
The eleven compound vowels are ㅐ (ae), ㅒ (yae), ㅔ (e), ㅖ (ye), ㅘ (wa), ㅙ (wae), ㅚ (oe), ㅝ (wo), ㅞ (we), ㅟ (wi) and ㅢ (ui). Their romanised spellings are guides rather than exact English pronunciations.
These letters appear in ordinary words, so include them as you continue practising. The Korean orthography rules list the basic and combined letters.
How letters form syllable blocks
Korean letters are arranged in syllable blocks. Each block has an initial consonant position and a vowel, with an optional final consonant or consonant cluster. Read the initial letter, then the vowel, then any final letters.
Where the vowel goes depends on the vowel's own shape:
| Letter or vowel type | Position in the block | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Tall vowels — ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅣ and their compounds | The vowel sits to the right of the initial consonant. | ㄱ + ㅏ = 가, ga |
| Wide vowels — ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ | The vowel sits underneath the initial consonant. | ㄱ + ㅗ = 고, go |
| A final consonant (받침) | The final consonant sits at the bottom of the block. | 가 + ㅁ = 감, gam |
A block representing a syllable that begins with a vowel still uses ㅇ in the initial position. It is silent there, as in 아 (“a”).
The word 한글 has two blocks: ㅎ+ㅏ+ㄴ forms 한 (han), and ㄱ+ㅡ+ㄹ forms 글 (geul). Together they spell Hangeul, also commonly written Hangul in English.
Recognise familiar loanwords
Some Korean words come from English and other languages. Once you can recognise the letters, words such as 커피 (“coffee”) and 호텔 (“hotel”) may sound familiar. Their Korean pronunciation can differ from the original word.
The following examples can help you practise. The Standard Korean Dictionary provides meanings and pronunciation information.
| On the sign | Blocks | Sound it out | It is |
|---|---|---|---|
| 커피 | ㅋ ㅓ · ㅍ ㅣ | keo-pi | coffee |
| 카페 | ㅋ ㅏ · ㅍ ㅔ | ka-pe | café |
| 버스 | ㅂ ㅓ · ㅅ ㅡ | beo-seu | bus |
| 택시 | ㅌ ㅐ ㄱ · ㅅ ㅣ | taek-si | taxi |
| 호텔 | ㅎ ㅗ · ㅌ ㅔ ㄹ | ho-tel | hotel |
| 마트 | ㅁ ㅏ · ㅌ ㅡ | ma-teu | mart |
| 메뉴 | ㅁ ㅔ · ㄴ ㅠ | me-nyu | menu |
| 카드 | ㅋ ㅏ · ㄷ ㅡ | ka-deu | card |
| 주스 | ㅈ ㅜ · ㅅ ㅡ | ju-seu | juice |
| 피자 | ㅍ ㅣ · ㅈ ㅏ | pi-ja | pizza |
| 치킨 | ㅊ ㅣ · ㅋ ㅣ ㄴ | chi-kin | chicken |
| 아메리카노 | ㅇㅏ·ㅁㅔ·ㄹㅣ·ㅋㅏ·ㄴㅗ | a-me-ri-ka-no | americano |
Korean adapts borrowed words to its own sound patterns. That can add syllables or change consonant sounds, so a loanword may not be immediately recognisable. For example, 카드 means “card” and has two syllables.
Practise 아이스 아메리카노, meaning “iced americano”, or 샌드위치, meaning “sandwich”. Recognising familiar words is useful, but many signs contain Korean vocabulary that you will need to learn or translate.
Reading and understanding are different skills
Learning Hangul helps you match a name on your phone with a name on a sign. It also lets you sound out familiar loanwords. It does not automatically give you the meaning of an unfamiliar Korean word.
Pronunciation also depends on neighbouring sounds. For example, 국물 is pronounced approximately gungmul, while 신라 is pronounced Silla. These changes are described in the standard pronunciation rules.
Listen to audio examples and practise whole words as well as individual letters. If someone does not understand a place name, show its written form and address.
Use romanisation as a guide
Romanisation writes Korean using the Latin alphabet. It can help you begin, but English sound comparisons are approximate and the same name may appear with different spellings.
Korea's Revised Romanization rules provide an official system while allowing established spellings for personal, company and organisation names. Keep the Korean version of an important destination alongside its English name so you can compare listings.
Try a short practice session
- Learn the ten basic vowels, pairing ㅏ with ㅑ, ㅓ with ㅕ, ㅗ with ㅛ, and ㅜ with ㅠ. Then practise ㅡ and ㅣ.
- Work through the fourteen consonants and listen to an example of each sound.
- Build simple blocks such as 가, 고, 감, 곰 and 강. Identify the initial letter, vowel and final letter where present.
- Read a few words from the loanword table, then check their pronunciation and meaning.
- Look at a real sign or map listing and try to recognise a word you have practised.
Use a pace that suits you. Repeating a few words accurately is more useful than treating thirty minutes as a deadline for learning the alphabet.
