✏️ Starter · Lesson 1
Learn Hangul in 1 Hour: 한글
- Created in 1443 by King Sejong the Great
- Phonetic alphabet — each symbol = one sound
- 6 stages to cover every character
- Most learners finish in under 90 minutes
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Full lesson reference
The complete written content of this lesson — 84 steps across 6 stages. Read straight through to review, or work through the interactive version above.
Stage 1 · Consonants 기본 자음
Letters and sounds
| 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. |
Check your understanding
- ㄱ romanizes as…
- Answer: g/k (n · g/k · d/t · m)
- Which consonant is SILENT at the start of a syllable?
- Answer: ㅇ (ㄱ · ㄴ · ㅇ · ㅅ)
- ㄴ romanizes as…
- Answer: n (r/l · m · n · b/p)
- Which consonant sounds like 'j' in 'juice'?
- Answer: ㅈ (ㅂ · ㅈ · ㅅ · ㅊ)
- ㅁ romanizes as…
- Answer: m (b · n · m · h)
- ㄹ romanizes as…
- Answer: r/l (n · d/t · r/l · s)
- 밥 (rice) starts with which consonant?
- Answer: ㅂ (ㅂ · ㅍ · ㅁ · ㄹ)
Stage 2 · Vowels 기본 모음
Letters and sounds
| Letter | Pronunciation | Example | Meaning | 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. |
Check your understanding
- Which vowel sounds like 'a' (as in 'father')?
- Answer: ㅏ (ㅏ · ㅗ · ㅜ · ㅣ)
- Which vowel sounds like 'o' (as in 'more')?
- Answer: ㅗ (ㅓ · ㅗ · ㅡ · ㅑ)
- Which vowel sounds like 'ee' (as in 'bee')?
- Answer: ㅣ (ㅓ · ㅡ · ㅣ · ㅠ)
- ㅠ romanizes as…
- Answer: yu (u · eu · yo · yu)
- ㅡ sounds like…
- Answer: eu (ya · i · eu · yo)
Stage 3 · Syllables 음절
Building syllables
| Pieces | Syllable | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ㅂ + ㅏ | 바 | ba — as in 바나나 (banana) |
| ㄴ + ㅏ | 나 | na — as in 나 (me) |
| ㅅ + ㅏ | 사 | sa — as in 사랑 (love) |
| ㄱ + ㅗ | 고 | go — as in 고마워 (thank you) |
| ㅎ + ㅏ | 하 | ha — as in 하늘 (sky) |
| ㅁ + ㅜ | 무 | mu — as in 무엇 (what) |
Stage 4 · Special 쌍자음 · 거센소리
Letters and sounds
| Letter | Pronunciation | Example | Meaning | 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. |
Check your understanding
- ㄲ romanizes as…
- Answer: kk (k · kk · g/k · ng)
- Which is a TENSE consonant (쌍자음)?
- Answer: ㅆ (ㅋ · ㅌ · ㅆ · ㅊ)
- ㅃ romanizes as…
- Answer: pp (b · p · pp · bb)
- Aspirated consonants are produced with…
- Answer: A strong puff of air (No air · A strong puff of air · A tense throat · A nasal sound)
- ㅉ romanizes as…
- Answer: jj (ss · ch · jj · tt)
Stage 5 · Compound Vowels 복합 모음
Letters and sounds
| Letter | Pronunciation | Example | Meaning | 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. |
Check your understanding
- ㅘ romanizes as…
- Answer: wa (wo · wa · wae · oe)
- 왜 means…
- Answer: why (what · who · why · where)
- ㅢ romanizes as…
- Answer: ui (wi · ui · we · eu)
- Which compound vowel uses ㅗ + ㅣ?
- Answer: ㅚ (ㅘ · ㅙ · ㅚ · ㅝ)
- 예 romanizes as…
- Answer: ye (yae · ye · ae · e)
Stage 6 · Read Words 단어 읽기
Words and phrases
| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 안녕 | annyeong | hello / goodbye (informal) |
| 학교 | hakgyo | school |
| 한국 | hanguk | Korea |
| 사랑 | sarang | love |
| 물 | mul | water |
| 밥 | bap | rice / meal |
| 사람 | saram | person |
| 친구 | chingu | friend |
| 하늘 | haneul | sky |
| 고마워 | gomawo | thank you (informal) |
What you have learned
You can read Korean! — 이제 한글을 읽을 수 있어요!
Incredible work — you've completed all 6 stages of Hangul. You can now read and write every character in the Korean alphabet. 화이팅!
+ Free-Play Syllable Builderフリー音節ビルダー自由練習音節積木
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。