Starter · Lesson 1

Learn Hangul Step by Step: 한글

Read the lesson, then practise at your own pace. All explanations and examples are on this page.

Consonants 기본 자음

Letter	Pronunciation	Example	Meaning	Note
ㄱ	g / k	가다	to go	Shaped like the back of the throat blocking airflow.
ㄴ	n	나	I / me	Shaped like a tongue tip touching the roof of the mouth.
ㄷ	d / t	다	all / every	Like ㄴ with a roof — tongue fully blocks the palate.
ㄹ	r / l	리	reason (prefix)	A flap — between English 'r' and 'l'. Tongue taps the palate.
ㅁ	m	마음	heart / mind	Shaped like closed lips pressing together to make 'm'.
ㅂ	b / p	밥	rice / meal	Shaped like lips opening to release the 'b' or 'p' sound.
ㅅ	s	사람	person	Shaped like two teeth — air hisses through for the 's' sound.
ㅇ	ng / silent	아이	child	Silent at the start of a syllable. Sounds like 'ng' at the end.
ㅈ	j	지금	now	Like 'j' in 'juice'. Tongue presses behind upper teeth.
ㅊ	ch	차	tea / car	Aspirated 'ch' — a puff of air comes out. Like 'ch' in 'cheese'.
ㅋ	k	커피	coffee	Aspirated 'k' — strong puff of air. Hold a tissue and it flutters.
ㅌ	t	타다	to ride	Aspirated 't' — like 't' in 'ten' (at word start). Strong burst.
ㅍ	p	파	green onion	Aspirated 'p' — like 'p' in 'pot'. Lips pop apart with air.
ㅎ	h	하늘	sky	A breathy 'h' — like exhaling warmth onto your hand.

Letter	Pronunciation	Note
아 ㅏ	a	Open your mouth wide, like saying 'ah' at the doctor.
야 ㅑ	ya	Like 'ya' in 'yard'. The extra stroke means a 'y' is added.
어 ㅓ	eo	Similar to 'uh' or 'o' in 'the other'. Lips slightly rounded.
여 ㅕ	yeo	Like 'yuh' with rounded lips. Two strokes = 'y' prefix.
오 ㅗ	o	Like 'o' in 'more'. Round your lips as if blowing a candle.
요 ㅛ	yo	Like 'yo!' — two strokes add the 'y'. Used a lot in speech.
우 ㅜ	u	Like 'oo' in 'boot'. The line points DOWN — mouth drops.
유 ㅠ	yu	Like 'you'. Two downward strokes signal the 'y' prefix.
으 ㅡ	eu	Like the 'e' sound when you're unsatisfied: 'euugh'. Flat lips.
이 ㅣ	i	Like 'ee' in 'bee'. A simple vertical stroke — pure high front vowel.

Letter	Pronunciation	Note
ㄲ	kk	Tense 'k' — hold your breath then release. No air puff.
ㄸ	tt	Tense 't' — throat tightens before releasing. Distinct from ㄷ and ㅌ.
ㅃ	pp	Tense 'p' — lips press hard before popping open. No air escapes.
ㅆ	ss	Tense 's' — a sharp, tight hiss. Used in 있다 (to exist / to have).
ㅉ	jj	Tense 'j' — sharper and more abrupt than ㅈ. No air burst.
ㅋ	k (aspirated)	Aspirated — a strong burst of air follows the consonant.
ㅌ	t (aspirated)	Aspirated — tongue snaps off the palate with a puff of air.
ㅍ	p (aspirated)	Aspirated — lips burst open with a pop of air. Like 'pot'.
ㅊ	ch (aspirated)	Aspirated 'ch' — like 'cheese' at the start. Air comes out.
ㅎ	h (breathy)	A breathy aspirated consonant. The most air of any Korean consonant.

Letter	Pronunciation	Note
애 ㅐ	ae	ㅏ + ㅣ combined. Like 'e' in 'bed'. Modern Korean = same as 에.
에 ㅔ	e	ㅓ + ㅣ combined. Like 'e' in 'bed'. Sounds the same as 애 today.
얘 ㅒ	yae	ㅑ + ㅣ. Rare — appears in 얘 (this child, colloquial).
예 ㅖ	ye	ㅕ + ㅣ. Like 'ye' in 'yes'. 예쁘다 = beautiful.
와 ㅘ	wa	ㅗ + ㅏ. Like 'wa' in 'water'. 와! = Wow!
왜 ㅙ	wae	ㅗ + ㅐ. Sounds like 'wae'. 왜 = why.
외 ㅚ	oe	ㅗ + ㅣ. Like 'we'. 외국인 = foreigner.
워 ㅝ	wo	ㅜ + ㅓ. Like 'wuh'. 뭐 = what (colloquial).
웨 ㅞ	we	ㅜ + ㅔ. Like 'we'. Very rare in Korean.
위 ㅟ	wi	ㅜ + ㅣ. Like 'wee'. 위 = above / stomach.
의 ㅢ	ui	ㅡ + ㅣ. A unique glide. 의사 = doctor. Used as possessive particle 의.

AI-generated learning illustration

After completing the stages, experiment freely — combine any consonant and vowel to build syllables and hear them pronounced.

ステージを完了したら、子音と母音を自由に組み合わせて音節を作り、発音を聞きましょう。

完成所有階段後，自由組合任意子音和母音，建構音節並聆聽發音。