TooterThe Korean alphabet (Hangul)
The Korean alphabet, Hangul (한글), has 24 basic letters: 14 consonants and 10 vowels. With 5 double consonants and 11 combined vowels, there are 40 letters in everyday use. Letters stack into syllable blocks, like ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ = 한 (han).
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Where will you read Korean?
Pick one to start your plan. It takes about a minute.
The 14 basic consonants
Many consonants sound softer at the start of a word and change at the end of a syllable. The romanization column shows both.
| Letter | Name | Romanization | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | 기역 (giyeok) | g, k at the end | Between g and k, like the k in "skin" |
| ㄴ | 니은 (nieun) | n | n in "no" |
| ㄷ | 디귿 (digeut) | d, t at the end | Between d and t, like the t in "stop" |
| ㄹ | 리을 (rieul) | r, l at the end | A light tap between r and l; l at the end of a syllable |
| ㅁ | 미음 (mieum) | m | m in "me" |
| ㅂ | 비읍 (bieup) | b, p at the end | Between b and p, like the p in "spin" |
| ㅅ | 시옷 (siot) | s, t at the end | s in "sun"; closer to sh before ㅣ |
| ㅇ | 이응 (ieung) | silent, ng at the end | Silent at the start of a syllable; ng in "sing" at the end |
| ㅈ | 지읒 (jieut) | j, t at the end | Between j and ch, with no puff of air |
| ㅊ | 치읓 (chieut) | ch, t at the end | ch in "church", with a puff of air |
| ㅋ | 키읔 (kieuk) | k | k in "kite", with a strong puff of air |
| ㅌ | 티읕 (tieut) | t | t in "top", with a strong puff of air |
| ㅍ | 피읖 (pieup) | p | p in "pie", with a strong puff of air |
| ㅎ | 히읗 (hieut) | h | h in "hat"; often very light between vowels |
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The 5 double (tense) consonants
Doubled letters are tense: tighten your throat and say them with no puff of air. Only ㄲ and ㅆ can sit at the bottom of a block.
| Letter | Name | Romanization | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㄲ | 쌍기역 (ssanggiyeok) | kk, k at the end | A tight k, like the k in "sky" said sharply |
| ㄸ | 쌍디귿 (ssangdigeut) | tt | A tight t, like the t in "stay" said sharply |
| ㅃ | 쌍비읍 (ssangbieup) | pp | A tight p, like the p in "spy" said sharply |
| ㅆ | 쌍시옷 (ssangsiot) | ss, t at the end | A hissing, tense s |
| ㅉ | 쌍지읒 (ssangjieut) | jj | A tight j, with no puff of air |
The 10 basic vowels
A vowel never stands alone in writing. It takes a silent ㅇ in front, so ㅏ is written 아.
| Letter | Written alone | Romanization | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㅏ | 아 | a | a in "father" |
| ㅑ | 야 | ya | ya in "yard" |
| ㅓ | 어 | eo | u in "up", with the mouth a bit more open |
| ㅕ | 여 | yeo | yu in "yummy" |
| ㅗ | 오 | o | o in "go", lips rounded, no w at the end |
| ㅛ | 요 | yo | yo in "yoga" |
| ㅜ | 우 | u | oo in "moon" |
| ㅠ | 유 | yu | you |
| ㅡ | 으 | eu | oo in "moon" with your lips spread flat, not rounded |
| ㅣ | 이 | i | ee in "see" |
The 11 combined vowels
These are built from the basic vowels. In everyday Seoul speech, ㅐ and ㅔ sound the same, and so do ㅙ, ㅚ and ㅞ.
| Letter | Written alone | Romanization | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㅐ | 애 | ae | e in "bed" |
| ㅒ | 얘 | yae | ye in "yes" |
| ㅔ | 에 | e | e in "bed" |
| ㅖ | 예 | ye | ye in "yes" |
| ㅘ | 와 | wa | wa in "wand" |
| ㅙ | 왜 | wae | we in "wet" |
| ㅚ | 외 | oe | we in "wet" (in modern speech) |
| ㅝ | 워 | wo | wo in "won" |
| ㅞ | 웨 | we | we in "wet" |
| ㅟ | 위 | wi | wee in "week" |
| ㅢ | 의 | ui | ㅡ gliding into ㅣ; often just ㅣ or ㅔ in fast speech |
How to read Korean: syllable blocks
Every block starts with a consonant (ㅇ if there is no sound), then a vowel to the right or below, then an optional final consonant at the bottom.
| Block | Built from | Romanization | Pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| 가 | ㄱ + ㅏ | ga | Consonant + tall vowel, side by side |
| 고 | ㄱ + ㅗ | go | Consonant + flat vowel, stacked |
| 아 | ㅇ + ㅏ | a | Silent ㅇ holds the first spot |
| 한 | ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ | han | Final consonant at the bottom |
| 글 | ㄱ + ㅡ + ㄹ | geul | Flat vowel plus final consonant |
| 밥 | ㅂ + ㅏ + ㅂ | bap | ㅂ sounds like p at the end |
| 꽃 | ㄲ + ㅗ + ㅊ | kkot | Double consonant first; ㅊ sounds like t at the end |
| 닭 | ㄷ + ㅏ + ㄹ + ㄱ | dak | Two final letters; said on its own, only ㄱ is pronounced |
Batchim: the letters at the bottom
A consonant at the bottom of a block is called 받침 (batchim). However many letters can go there, they end in only seven sounds. The k, t and p sounds are cut short: your mouth closes but no air pops out. A bottom ㅎ is usually silent before a vowel or adds a puff of air to the next consonant (좋다 sounds like jo-ta), so you rarely hear it as t.
| Letters at the bottom | Sounds like | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ㄱ ㅋ ㄲ | k, cut short | 책 (chaek, book), 부엌 (bueok, kitchen), 밖 (bak, outside) |
| ㄴ | n | 산 (san, mountain), 눈 (nun, eye or snow) |
| ㄷ ㅅ ㅆ ㅈ ㅊ ㅌ ㅎ | t, cut short | 옷 (ot, clothes), 낮 (nat, daytime), 꽃 (kkot, flower), 밭 (bat, field) |
| ㄹ | l | 물 (mul, water), 말 (mal, word or horse) |
| ㅁ | m | 밤 (bam, night), 김 (gim, seaweed) |
| ㅂ ㅍ | p, cut short | 밥 (bap, rice), 앞 (ap, front) |
| ㅇ | ng in "sing" | 강 (gang, river), 방 (bang, room) |
How to learn Hangul quickly
Learn the shapes as pictures of the mouth
Hangul's consonants were designed after the shape of the mouth and tongue. ㄱ shows the back of the tongue touching the roof of the mouth, ㄴ the tongue tip behind the teeth, ㅁ the closed lips. The vowels are built from a dot, a flat line and an upright line.
Group the letter families
Learn ㄱ ㅋ ㄲ, ㄷ ㅌ ㄸ, ㅂ ㅍ ㅃ and ㅈ ㅊ ㅉ as sets: plain, with a puff of air, and tense. A stroke added to a letter usually means a stronger sound.
Read real words on day two
Once you know a few letters, read loanwords you already know: 커피 (keopi, coffee), 바나나 (banana), 택시 (taeksi, taxi). Quick wins keep you going.
Watch the sound changes
When a block ends in a consonant and the next one starts with silent ㅇ, the consonant slides over: 한국어 is read han-gu-geo, and 음악 (music) is eu-mak. And ㅂ before ㄴ turns into m, so 합니다 sounds like ham-ni-da.
Say every letter out loud
The hard part is the sounds, not the shapes. Listen to native audio, copy it, and have someone (or an AI tutor on Tooter) tell you whether your ㅓ and ㅗ sound different.
Words to practice reading
Sound each one out block by block, then check the romanization.
The ㄱ at the bottom of 국 slides onto the silent ㅇ: han-gu-geo.
Written 합니다 but pronounced "ham-ni-da": ㅂ before ㄴ becomes m.
Say it out loud with a Korean tutor
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@learningwith.michelleQuestions learners ask
What alphabet is used in Korea?
Korean is written in Hangul (한글), an alphabet made for Korean in the 15th century. South Korea uses it for almost everything; Chinese characters (Hanja) appear only now and then, in some names, newspapers and academic writing. North Korea uses the same letters and calls the script 조선글 (Chosŏn'gŭl).
How many letters are in the Korean alphabet?
Hangul has 24 basic letters: 14 consonants and 10 vowels. Counting the 5 double consonants and 11 combined vowels, there are 40 letters in everyday use.
Is it Hangul or Hangeul?
Both name the same alphabet, 한글. Hangeul follows South Korea's official Revised Romanization, while Hangul is the older spelling most English dictionaries and websites use.
How do you read the Korean alphabet?
Read one syllable block at a time: first consonant, then vowel, then any final consonant at the bottom. 한 is ㅎ (h) + ㅏ (a) + ㄴ (n), so it reads han. Blocks are read left to right, like English.
How do you write Korean letters?
Draw each letter top to bottom and left to right, then fit the letters of one syllable into an imaginary square: first consonant at the top left, vowel to the right or below, final consonant at the bottom. ㅇ is one circle, started at the top.
Who created Hangul?
King Sejong the Great created Hangul in 1443, and it was published in 1446 as Hunminjeongeum, "the correct sounds for teaching the people." South Korea celebrates Hangul Day on October 9.
How long does it take to learn Hangul?
Many beginners can learn the letters in a few days to a week of short daily practice. Reading quickly and pronouncing every sound well takes a few more weeks of reading out loud.
Can I learn Korean in 3 months?
Three months of daily practice is often enough to read Hangul comfortably, learn a few hundred words and handle simple exchanges like ordering food or introducing yourself. Real fluency takes much longer.
Read 한글, then say it out loud.
Answer a few quick questions, then practice out loud with a tutor.
Updated October 29, 2026. Tooter tutors are AI characters, not human teachers. Romanization follows Revised Romanization.