Hangul Lesson 1: Introduction to Korean letters

Hello, future Hallyu stars and avid K-drama enthusiasts! 🌟📺

Ever watched your favorite K-drama and thought, “I wish I could read those lovely Hangul subtitles instead of relying on the English ones”? Or maybe you’ve been smitten by those fancy-looking restaurant signs in K-town and wondered if they said “Best Kimchi Ever” or “Alien Landing Spot”? 🛸🥢

Well, fret not! Today, we’re embarking on a whimsical journey into the heart of the Korean alphabet, Hangul. It might look as if someone played tic-tac-toe with some curvy doodles, but trust us, there’s a method to the beautiful madness!

Get ready to flex those brain muscles and tickle your funny bone as we navigate the maze of consonants, vowels, and all things Hangul. By the end of this roller-coaster ride, not only will you be deciphering Korean like Sherlock with a magnifying glass, but you’ll also be one step closer to ordering Jajangmyeon like a pro. 🍜🕵️‍♂️

Fasten your seatbelts, dear learners! Hangul might not give you superpowers, but who knows? Maybe you’ll end up writing your own K-drama one day. Action! 🎬🇰🇷

Hangul Lesson 1	Introduction to Korean Letter
Hangul Lesson 2	All about Batchim
Hangul Lesson 3	Reading Korean Words

Introduction to Hangul

The beginning of learning Korean is learning the Korean Alphabet called Hangul (한글). It might look intimidating at first, but it definitely isn’t as hard as it looks. According to King Sejong the Great (inventor of Hangul)…

“A wise man could acquaint himself with them before the morning was over; a stupid man could learn them in the space of ten days”

King Sejong the Great

Well, maybe this is a bit harsh from King Sejong, but Hangul is definitely easier to learn than it looks! It might take a little bit of work at the beginning but trust me, it will help you along your journey of learning Korean.

History of Hangul

Hangul is the Korean alphabet, which was created by King Sejong the Great in the 15th century as a way to promote literacy among Korean people. Hangul consists of 24 letters, including 14 consonants and 10 vowels (but there are also 11 complex vowels that are a combination of two vowels), and is written in “blocks” (syllables) that are arranged horizontally from left to right.

Before Hangul was invented, Koreans mostly used Chinese characters (Hanja) when writing. These were too different and too difficult and so only people from higher class would be able to read and write. King Sejong’s vision was to create a Korean alphabet based on the sounds in the Korean language and has tried to make it as simple as possible so that anyone would be able to learn them easily. The alphabet was then created based on the movements of the mouth when speaking.

In addition to its practical benefits, Hangul is also a source of national pride for many Koreans. It is considered an important part of Korean culture and heritage, and the Korean government has taken steps to promote and preserve the use of Hangul, including declaring October 9th as Hangul Day, a national holiday celebrating the creation of the Korean alphabet.

Overall, Hangul is a unique and important aspect of Korean language and culture. Its phonetic nature, simplicity, and accessibility make it an easy system to learn and use, and it continues to be a source of pride and identity for Koreans around the world.

Consonants

There are 14 consonants in the Korean alphabet, or Hangul. They are: ㄱ (g/k), ㄴ (n), ㄷ (d/t), ㄹ (r/l), ㅁ (m), ㅂ (b/p), ㅅ (s), ㅇ (ng), ㅈ (j/ch), ㅊ (ch), and ㅋ (k), ㅌ (t), ㅍ (p) and ㅎ (h).

Let’s introduce each one of them. You don’t have to remember their names but it does help to remember what they sound like at the beginning of a syllable and what they sound like at the end of a syllable. Also, each picture demonstrates the “correct” steps of how they are meant to be written but you do not have to follow that. Whatever makes it easier for you works just fine. Personally, for some, I follow the “proper” way and for some I just write them as it’s comfortable for me.

ㄱ – 기역 (Gi-yeok)

“GIYEOK” makes the G/K sound where at the beginning of a syllable it is pronounced as “G” and at the end of a syllable it is pronounced as “K”.

• 국 – Pronounced as Guk
• 객 – Pronounced as Gaek
• 곡 – Pronounced as Gok
• 경극 – Pronounced as Gyeong-guk
• 관객 – Pronounced as Gwan-gaek

ㄴ – 니은 (Ni-eun)

“NIEUN” makes the N sound at the beginning of a syllable and at the end.

• 눈 – Pronounced as Nun
• 난 – Pronounced as Nan
• 넌 – Pronounced as Neon
• 냉면 – Pronounced as Naeng-myeon
• 농민 – Pronounced as Nong-min

ㄷ – 디귿 (Di-geut)

“DIGEUT” makes the D/T sound where at the beginning of a syllable it is pronounced as “D” and at the end of a syllable it is pronounced as “T”.

• 듣 – Pronounced as Deut
• 닫 – Pronounced as Dat
• 덛 – Pronounced as Deot
• 들다 – Pronounced as Deul-da

ㄹ – 리을 (Ri-eul)

“RIEUL” makes the R/L sound where at the beginning of a syllable it is pronounced as “R” and at the end of a syllable it is pronounced as “L”.

However, in the case of this letter, there might be cases where it is also pronounced as “L” at the beginning. This is because Korean doesn’t really have R or L sound, it’s more in between or more like “L” rather than “R”. However, a lot of the newer words come from English which are called “Konglish” (a mixture between Korean and English).

So for example, in the word “레벨” (Level) the first ㄹ sounds more like English “L” than “R” although it is still not a clear “L” but rather something in-between.

• 룰 – Pronounced as “Rul” (Rule)
• 레몬 – Pronounced as “Le-mon” (Lemon)
• 레슨 – Pronounced as “Le-seun” (Lesson)
• 리더십 – Pronounced as “Li-deo-ship” (Leadership)
• 로맨스 – Pronounced as “Ro-maen-seu” (Romance)

An upside to this is that you will already be able to understand many words :).

ㅁ- 미음 (Mi-eum)

“MIEUM” makes the M sound at the beginning of a syllable and at the end.

• 몸 – Pronounced as “Mom“
• 마음 – Pronounced as “Ma-eum“
• 모임 – Pronounced as “Mo-im“
• 명망 – Pronounced as “Myeong-mang”
• 믿음 – Pronounced as “Mid-eum“

ㅂ – 비읍 (Bi-eup)

“BIEUP” makes the B/P sound where at the beginning of a syllable it is pronounced as “B” and at the end of a syllable it is pronounced as “P”.

• 밥 – Pronounced as “Bap“
• 법 – Pronounced as “Beop“
• 복잡 – Pronounced as “Beok-jap“
• 불법 – Pronounced as “Bul-beop“
• 방법 – Pronounced as “Bang-beop“

ㅅ – ㅅ옷 (Si-ot)

“SIOT” makes the S/T sound where at the beginning of a syllable it is pronounced as “S” and at the end of a syllable it is pronounced as “T”. Also, when ㅅ is followed by ㅣ, it is pronounced as “SH”.

• 옷 – Pronounced as “Ot“
• 섭섭 – Pronounced as “Seop-seop”
• 선수 – Pronounced as “Seon-su”
• 시민 – Pronounced as “Shi-min”
• 있다 – Pronounced as “Itt-da”

ㅇ – 이응 (I-eung)

“IEUNG” makes the NG/silent sound where at the beginning of a syllable it is silent and at the end of a syllable it is pronounced as “NG”.

• 양 – Pronounced as “Yang“
• 인생 – Pronounced as “In-saeng“
• 유명 – Pronounced as “Yu-meong“
• 일용 – Pronounced as “Il-yong“
• 운명 – Pronounced as “Eun-meyong“

ㅈ – 지읒 (Ji-eut)

“JIEUT” makes the J/T sound where at the beginning of a syllable it is pronounced as “J” and at the end of a syllable it is pronounced as “T”.

• 맞 – Pronounced as “Mat“
• 지지 – Pronounced as “Ji-ji”
• 재주 – Pronounced as “Jae-ju”
• 점점 – Pronounced as “Jeom-jeom”
• 준비 – Pronounced as “Jun-bi”

ㅊ – 치읓 (Chi-eut)

“CHIEUT” makes the CH/T sound where at the beginning of a syllable it is pronounced as “CH” and at the end of a syllable it is pronounced as “T”.

• 처리 – Pronounced as “Cheo-ri”
• 체크 – Pronounced as “Che-keu”
• 책임 – Pronounced as “Chaek-im”
• 꽃 – Pronounced as “Ggot“
• 칭찬 – Pronounced as “Ching-chan”

ㅋ – 키읔 (Ki-euk)

“KIEUK” makes the K sound where at the beginning and at the end.

• 코 – Pronounced as “Ko”
• 커피 – Pronounced as “Keo-pi”
• 쿵푸 – Pronounced as “Kung-pu”
• 코끝 – Pronounced as “Ko-ggeut”

ㅌ – 티읕 (Ti-eut)

“TIEUT” makes the T sound at the beginning of a syllable as well as at the end.

• 티켓 – Pronounced as “Ti-ket”
• 토끼 – Pronounced as “To-kki”
• 트럭 – Pronounced as “Teu-reok”
• 특히 – Pronounced as “Teuk-hi”
• 노트 – Pronounced as “No-teu”

ㅍ – 피읖 (Pi-eup)

“PIEUP” makes the P/T sound both at the beginning and at the end of a syllable.

• 팔 – Pronounced as “Pal”
• 폭포 – Pronounced as “Pok-po”
• 피아노 – Pronounced as “Pi-a-no”
• 폭발 – Pronounced as “Pok-bal”
• 피자 – Pronounced as “Pi-ja”

ㅎ – 히읕 (Hi-eut)

“HIEUT” makes the H/T sound where at the beginning of a syllable it is pronounced as “H” and at the end of a syllable it is pronounced as “T”.

• 호텔 – Pronounced as “Ho-tel”
• 혼자 – Pronounced as “Hon-ja”
• 화학 – Pronounced as “Hwa-hak”
• 닿다 – Pronounced as “Dat-da”
• 놓다 – Pronounced as “Not-da”

One unique feature of Korean consonants is the ability to double them. This is done by adding two of the same consonants in a row, which changes the sound of the consonant to a stronger, more emphasized sound. For example, the double consonant ㄲ is pronounced as a harder “g” sound than the single consonant ㄱ.

There are 5 consonants that can become double consonants: ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ

Another unique feature of Korean consonants is their aspiration. Aspiration refers to the amount of air that is released when pronouncing the consonant. In Korean, some consonants are pronounced with a stronger burst of air than others, which can affect the sound of the word. For example, the consonant ㅋ (k) is pronounced with a stronger burst of air than ㄱ (g/k).

Overall, the Korean consonants are an important part of the Korean language and are essential for understanding and speaking the language. By mastering the pronunciation and use of the consonants, you can improve your Korean language skills and communicate more effectively with Korean speakers.

Vowels

There are 21 vowels in the Korean language. They are divided into two categories: pure vowels and complex vowels. There are 10 pure vowels and 11 complex vowels.

Korean Pure Vowels

The pure vowels are formed from the basic sounds in Korean. These basic sounds are: ㅏ (a), ㅓ (eo), ㅗ (o), ㅜ (u), ㅡ (eu) and ㅣ (i). These vowels are pronounced with a single sound and are relatively easy to learn and remember. Once we also add the “y” sound to the first 4 of these, we get the last four pure vowels: ㅑ (ya), ㅕ (yeo), ㅛ (yo) and ㅠ (yu).

Let’s introduce each one individually.

ㅏ – A

ㅏ makes the sound “A” like in “Almond”

• 하 – Pronounced as “Ha“
• 산 – Pronounced as “San”
• 밤 – Pronounced as “Pam”
• 가다 – Pronounced as “Ga-da“
• 사다 – Pronounced as “Sa-da

ㅑ – Ya

ㅑ makes the sound “YA” like in “YAhoo”

• 양 – Pronounced as “Yang”
• 야구 – Pronounced as “Ya-gu”
• 양말 – Pronounced as “Yang-mal”
• 양파 – Pronounced as “Yang-pa”
• 야채 – Pronounced as “Ya-chae”

ㅓ – Eo

ㅓ makes the sound “eo” like in “AW“

• 서울 – Pronounced as “Seo-ul”
• 언어 – Pronounced as “Eon-eo“
• 어제 – Pronounced as “Eo-je”
• 허리 – Pronounced as “Heo-ri”
• 저기 – Pronounced as “Jeo-gi”

ㅕ – Yeo

ㅕ makes a sound “yeo” as in “YAwn”

• 여행 – Pronounced as “Yeo-haeng”
• 여름 – Pronounced as “Yeo-reum”
• 여자 – Pronounced as “Yeo-ja”
• 설명 – Pronounced as “Seol-myeong”
• 수영 – Pronounced as “Su-yeong”

ㅗ – O

ㅗ makes the sound of “o” as in “dOugh”

• 오늘 – Pronounced as “O-neul”
• 소리 – Pronounced as “So-ri”
• 오래 – Pronounced as “O-rae”
• 모자 – Pronounced as “Mo-ja”
• 노래 – Pronounced as “No-rae”

ㅛ – Yo

ㅛ makes the sound of “yo” as in “YOke”

• 요리 – Pronounced as “Yo-ri”
• 쇼핑 – Pronounced as “Syo-ping”
• 요즘 – Pronounced as “Yo-jeum”
• 교통 – Pronounced as “Gyo-tong”
• 교육 – Pronounced as “Gyo-yuk”

ㅜ – U

ㅜ makes the sound of “u” as in “mOOn”

• 눈 – Pronounced as “Nun”
• 주문 – Pronounced as “Ju-mun”
• 우산 – Pronounced as “U-san”
• 숲 – Pronounced as “Sup”
• 국수 – Pronounced as “Guk-su“

ㅠ – Yu

ㅠ makes the sound of “yu” as in “YOU“

• 우유 – Pronounced as “U-yu“
• 휴가 – Pronounced as “Hyu-ga”
• 유행 – Pronounced as “Yu-haeng”
• 휴지 – Pronounced as “Hyu-ji”
• 쥬스 – Pronounced as “Jyu-seu”

ㅡ – Eu

ㅡ makes the sound of “eu” as in “GOOd”

• 음식 – Pronounced as “Eum-shik”
• 무슨 – Pronounced as “Mu-seun”
• 서스 – Pronounced as “Seo-seu“
• 구름 – Pronounced as “Gu-reum”
• 하늘 – Pronounced as “Ha-neul”

l – I

ㅣ makes the sound of “i” as in “MEEt”

• 팀 – Pronounced as “Tim”
• 이 – Pronounced as “I“
• 지금 – Pronounced as “Ji-geum”
• 비 – Pronounced as “Bi“
• 머리 – Pronounced as “Meo-ri“

Korean Complex Vowels

The complex vowels in Korean are formed by combining two or more of the pure vowels. They are: ㅐ (ae), ㅔ (e), ㅒ (yae), ㅖ (ye), ㅚ (oe), ㅟ (wi), ㅢ (ui), 와 (wa) and ㅙ (wae) 워 (weo) and ㅞ (we). These vowels can be a bit more challenging to learn, but they are essential for achieving proper pronunciation and fluency in the Korean language.

Another unique feature of Korean vowels is their position in relation to the consonants. In Korean, vowels can be placed to the right, left, above, or below a consonant, depending on the syllable structure. This can take some practice to master, but it is essential for achieving proper pronunciation and fluency in Korean.

Overall, the Korean vowels are an important part of the language and are essential for mastering the language. By learning and practicing the pronunciation and use of the vowels, learners can improve their Korean language skills and communicate more effectively with Korean speakers.

List of Complex Vowels

Two vowels	Make complex vowel	Romanization
ㅏ + ㅣ	ㅐ	AE
ㅑ + ㅣ	ㅒ	YAE
ㅓ + ㅣ	ㅔ	E
ㅕ + ㅣ	ㅖ	YE
ㅗ + ㅏ	ㅘ	WA
ㅗ + ㅐ	ㅙ	WAE
ㅗ + ㅣ	ㅚ	OE
ㅜ + ㅓ	ㅝ	WEO
ㅜ + ㅔ	ㅞ	WE
ㅜ + ㅣ	ㅟ	WI
ㅡ + ㅣ	ㅢ	UI

Let’s introduce each one individually.

ㅐ – AE

Makes the “AE” sound as in “egg”

• 개미 – Pronounced as “Gae-mi”
• 해요 – Pronounced as “Hae-yo”
• 해변 – Pronounced as “Hae-byeon”
• 새벽 – Pronounced as “Sae-byeok”
• 매일 – Pronounced as “Mae-il”

ㅒ – YAE

Makes the “YAE” sound as in “YEs”

• 얘 – Pronounced as “Yae“
• 걔 – Pronounced as “Gyae“

There aren’t many words with ㅒ in Korean language. It is mainly used when shortening words but it becomes less and less common.

ㅔ – E

Makes the “E” sound as in “egg”. Whileㅐ and ㅔare different sound, they essentially sound the same.

• 케이크 – Pronounced as “Ke-i-keu”
• 셋 – Pronounced as “Set”
• 메뉴 – Pronounced as “Me-nyu”
• 레시피 – Pronounced as “Re-shi-pi”
• 넷 – Pronounced as “Net”

ㅖ – YE

Makes the “YE” sound as in “YEs”

• 계절 – Pronounced as “Gye-jeol”
• 계획 – Pronounced as “Gye-hwek”
• 예의 – Pronounced as “Ye-ui”
• 옛날 – Pronounced as “Yet-nal”
• 예전 – Pronounced as “Ye-jeon”

ㅘ – WA

Makes the “WA” sound.

• 과일 – Pronounced as “Gwa-il”
• 와인 – Pronounced as “Wa-in”
• 사과 – Pronounced as “Sa-gwa“
• 화장 – Pronounced as “Hwa-jang”

ㅙ – WAE

Makes the “WAE” sound as in “WEdding”

• 왜 – Pronounced as “Wae“
• 돼지 – Pronounced as “Dwae-ji”
• 돼요 – Pronounced as “Dwae-yo”
• 괜찮아 – Pronounced as “Gwaen-chan-a”

ㅚ – OE

ㅚ – makes the “WE” sound as in “WEdding”

• 외모 – Pronounced as “We-mo”
• 회 – Pronounced as “Hwe“
• 뇌 – Pronounced as “Nwe“
• 열쇠 – Pronounced as “Yeol-swe“

ㅝ – WO

ㅝ makes the “WO” sound as in “WAlk”

• 고마워 – Pronounced as “Go-ma-wo“
• 원 – Pronounced as “Won”
• 타워 – Pronounced as “Ta-wo“
• 공원 – Pronounced as “Gong-won”

ㅞ – WE

ㅞ makes the “WE” sound as in “WEdding”

• 웬일 – Pronounced as “Wen-il”
• 웨딩 – Pronounced as “We-ding”

Please note that there are not many words that contain “ㅞ”

ㅟ – WI

ㅟ makes the “WI” sound as in “WEEk”

• 뒤 – Pronounced as “Dwi“
• 쉬다 – Pronounced as “Shwi-da”
• 귀 – Pronounced as “Gwi“
• 가위 – Pronounced as “Ga-wi“
• 바위 – Pronounced as Ba-wi“

의 – UI

ㅢ makes the “UI” sound as in “qUIt”.

• 의사 – Pronounced as “Ui-sa”
• 의경 – Pronounced as “Ui-geyong”
• 의자 – Pronounced as “Ui-ja”

However, the pronunciation of this vowel can change. In an alphabetical order, this one is last of the complex vowels, but I am also introducing it last for another reason. Whereas the pronunciation doesn’t change for the previous vowels, it does change for this one. HOWEVER, don’t worry or think about it too much. Just you taking notice of this is enough for start as there are not that many words that are using the more complicated complex vowels and those that do are so common you get used to them in no time (I have learned most of these just from watching Korean drama).

Now that we have introduced all the consonants and vowels, try reading the below text.

민주주의의 의의 – the significance of democracy

You might think that is is pronounced as “min-ju-ju-ui-ui ui-ui” but this is not the case. However, don’t worry, this will help you remember how to pronounce the vowel 의.

The rules to pronouncing “ㅢ” correctly.

• If ㅢ is the first syllable: “UI” (의사: ui-sa, 의자: ui-ja)
• If ㅢ is not the first syllable: “i” (회의: hwe-i, 거의: geo-i, 여의도: yeo-i-do)
• If ㅢ is used as a particle: “e“ (나의: na-e, 엄마의: eom-ma-e)

Do not worry about these rules too much, just remember for now that one of the vowels has different pronunciation depending on it’s location and usage.

Now, let’s look at what the above words mean.

• 민주주의 – democracy
• 의 – particle “of”
• 의의 – significance

Following the above rules, can you now guess the pronunciation of the above word? You can check the correct pronunciation down below.

민주주의의 의의

It is pronounced as:

MIN–JU–JU–I–E UI–I

Reading Korean words

Korean words are read by combining the consonants and vowels in a specific order to form syllables. Each syllable has a distinct sound, and by putting syllables together, you can form words.

Here are the basic steps for reading Korean words:

1. Identify the syllables: Korean words are composed of one or more syllables. Each syllable contains at least one consonant and one vowel.
2. Pronounce the consonants: Start by pronouncing the initial consonant(s) of the syllable (every Korean word starts with a consonant, if the words starts with a sound “a” for example, we put the silent “ㅇ” in front of it).
3. Add the vowel: After the consonant, add the vowel sound. The vowel can be either a pure vowel or a complex vowel.
4. Add any final consonants: If there is a final consonant in the syllable, add it at the end. Not all syllables have a final consonant.
5. Combine the syllables: If the word has multiple syllables, combine the sounds of each syllable to form the complete word.

It is important to note that Korean is a phonetic language, which means that the way a word is spelled is usually the way it is pronounced. Once you learn the pronunciation of each Korean consonant and vowel, you should be able to read Korean words with relative ease.

However, Korean does have some exceptions and irregularities, so it is important to practice and listen to native speakers to improve your Korean reading skills.

We read Korean words from left to right, top to bottom – just like in English. However, Korean letters stick together in a kind of invisible box forming each syllable.

Let’s take 안녕하세요 as an example. Just like in English, we split the words into syllables. So you can think of this similarly. Splitting it into “an-nyeong-ha-se-yo” is more natural than splitting it an-yeo-ngha-se-yo for example. Of course using this method we cannot always get it right, but it is a good start. Every language has its irregularities with spelling but with consistency and practice you will get better and better.

As mentioned previously, each word needs to start with a consonant. In regards to this specific word, it starts with “ㅇ” which is a silent consonant when placed at the beginning of the syllable. Then, it is followed by ㅏ and ㄴ that produces the “an” sound.

Rules to follow when reading Hangul

The first letter must be a consonant. If the word starts with a vowel, “ㅇ”, the silent consonant must be added at the beginning of the syllable. Second letter will always be a vowel.

If vowel consists of a long vertical line (i.e. ㅏ,ㅓ,ㅣ) we place it NEXT to the consonant.

If vowel consists of a long horizontal line (i.e. ㅗ, ㅜ, ㅡ), we place it UNDER the consonant.

There MAY or MAY not be another consonant or a double consonant added at the bottom which is called Batchim (only a consonant though NEVER a vowel). Batchim will be covered in the next lesson.

WRAP UP

There is definitely a structure to the Korean alphabet and once you learn the basic rules, you will be able to read Korean. However, as these letters are different to what we are used to, it will take some time for your brain to recognise them so just be patient and just practice as much as you can.