Unit 0 · 한글 Hangeul · Reading and pronunciation · discovery
Hangeul in 9 steps
- read and pronounce all the vowels and consonants
- tell plain, aspirated and tense sounds apart (가 · 카 · 까)
- read final consonants and how sounds link together
- use my first polite and casual expressions
The 한글 chart
With just 24 basic letters, you can write every syllable in Korean. Here are the 190 consonant + vowel combinations: tap a square with a dot to hear it.
We picked the most common and essential syllables for level 0: they have a dot and an audio clip. The others are read with the same rules.
| ㅏ | ㅑ | ㅓ | ㅕ | ㅗ | ㅛ | ㅜ | ㅠ | ㅡ | ㅣ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | 가 | 갸 | 거 | 겨 | 고 | 교 | 구 | 규 | 그 | 기 |
| ㄴ | 나 | 냐 | 너 | 녀 | 노 | 뇨 | 누 | 뉴 | 느 | 니 |
| ㄷ | 다 | 댜 | 더 | 뎌 | 도 | 됴 | 두 | 듀 | 드 | 디 |
| ㄹ | 라 | 랴 | 러 | 려 | 로 | 료 | 루 | 류 | 르 | 리 |
| ㅁ | 마 | 먀 | 머 | 며 | 모 | 묘 | 무 | 뮤 | 므 | 미 |
| ㅂ | 바 | 뱌 | 버 | 벼 | 보 | 뵤 | 부 | 뷰 | 브 | 비 |
| ㅅ | 사 | 샤 | 서 | 셔 | 소 | 쇼 | 수 | 슈 | 스 | 시 |
| ㅇ | 아 | 야 | 어 | 여 | 오 | 요 | 우 | 유 | 으 | 이 |
| ㅈ | 자 | 쟈 | 저 | 져 | 조 | 죠 | 주 | 쥬 | 즈 | 지 |
| ㅊ | 차 | 챠 | 처 | 쳐 | 초 | 쵸 | 추 | 츄 | 츠 | 치 |
| ㅋ | 카 | 캬 | 커 | 켜 | 코 | 쿄 | 쿠 | 큐 | 크 | 키 |
| ㅌ | 타 | 탸 | 터 | 텨 | 토 | 툐 | 투 | 튜 | 트 | 티 |
| ㅍ | 파 | 퍄 | 퍼 | 펴 | 포 | 표 | 푸 | 퓨 | 프 | 피 |
| ㅎ | 하 | 햐 | 허 | 혀 | 호 | 효 | 후 | 휴 | 흐 | 히 |
| ㄲ | 까 | 꺄 | 꺼 | 껴 | 꼬 | 꾜 | 꾸 | 뀨 | 끄 | 끼 |
| ㄸ | 따 | 땨 | 떠 | 뗘 | 또 | 뚀 | 뚜 | 뜌 | 뜨 | 띠 |
| ㅃ | 빠 | 뺘 | 뻐 | 뼈 | 뽀 | 뾰 | 뿌 | 쀼 | 쁘 | 삐 |
| ㅆ | 싸 | 쌰 | 써 | 쎠 | 쏘 | 쑈 | 쑤 | 쓔 | 쓰 | 씨 |
| ㅉ | 짜 | 쨔 | 쩌 | 쪄 | 쪼 | 쬬 | 쭈 | 쮸 | 쯔 | 찌 |
11 pages: letters to trace, a syllable grid, words to copy.
0 · Hangeul in 3 ideas
| Base | + one stroke | + one more |
|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | ㅋ | |
| ㄴ | ㄷ | ㅌ |
| ㅁ | ㅂ | ㅍ |
| ㅅ | ㅈ | ㅊ |
| ㅇ | ㅎ |
1 · Basic vowels (기본 모음)
The silent ㅇ is just a placeholder: 아 = ㅏ.
| Vowel | How to say it |
|---|---|
| ㅏ | A wide-open “a,” like in father. |
| ㅓ | A very open sound, lips relaxed and not rounded. Close to the “u” in cup, with the jaw a little lower, and without pushing the lips forward. |
| ㅗ | A pure “o,” lips well rounded, like in go but without sliding into a “w” at the end. |
| ㅜ | “oo,” lips rounded and pushed forward. |
| ㅡ | There's no such sound in English: lips spread as for “ee,” but the tongue stays at the back. Like saying “oo” with a smile, without rounding the lips. |
| ㅣ | “ee,” like in see. |
| ㅐ · ㅔ | Like the “e” in “bed,” between “bed” and “bad”. In modern Seoul Korean, the two are pronounced almost the same: you tell them apart in writing. |
다니엘: How can I tell 어 and 오 apart?
미나: Look at my lips: for 오, I round them into a small circle. For 어, I leave them open and relaxed.
It's easy to say 어 like the “o” in “go” and mix it up with 오. Keep your mouth open and your lips relaxed for 어.
First words
Similar vowels
ㅓ/ㅗ and ㅡ/ㅜ differ only in the shape of the lips: rounded for ㅗ and ㅜ, spread for ㅓ and ㅡ.
✏️ Practice
✏️ Listen and choose
Listen, then tap what you heard.
✏️ Similar vowels
Listen carefully: 2 sounds that are alike.
✏️ Match
Tap a Korean word, then its meaning.
2 · Basic consonants (기본 자음)
The consonants are grouped by where in the mouth they're made: that's also what their shape draws.
| Consonant | Good to know |
|---|---|
| ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅈ | Plain (soft). At the start of a word, they sound almost like k, t, p, ch; between two vowels, like g, d, b, j. In 고기, the first ㄱ leans toward “k,” the second is a real “g.” |
| ㄹ | Between two vowels, a very light flapped “r” (the tongue taps the roof of the mouth once, like the “tt” in American “butter”); at the end of a syllable, an “l.” |
| ㅅ | “s”; before ㅣ, it becomes “sh”: 시 sounds almost like “shee.” |
| ㅇ | Silent at the start of a syllable (just a placeholder for the vowel); at the end of a syllable, “ng” as in sing. |
| ㄴ ㅁ | Just like “n” and “m” in English. |
The names of the consonants
Syllables
Words
✏️ Practice
✏️ Listen and choose
Listen, then tap what you heard.
✏️ Build the word
Listen, then build each syllable: one consonant, one vowel, then “Check the syllable.”
✏️ Put the word back together
Listen, then tap the syllables in order.
✏️ Match
Tap a Korean word, then its meaning.
✏️ Consonant × vowel grid
Guess each syllable, then tap the square: it's revealed and you hear it.
3 · Aspirated consonants (거센소리 = 격음) and ㅎ
메이: What's an aspirated consonant?
철수: You say it with a clear puff of air, as if you were blowing out a candle. The extra stroke on the letter (ㄱ → ㅋ) stands for that puff.
Hi, I'm Hoya! Here's a simple trick for this exercise. Hold one thin sheet of tissue (a single layer) 5 cm from your mouth. Say 가, then 카, then 까. Watch the tissue.
👩🏫 A word from your teacher: in class, it's often when they see the tissue move that my students finally hear the difference between 달 and 탈.
| 평음 예사소리 · plain barely moves | 격음 거센소리 · aspirated moves clearly | 경음 된소리 · tense doesn't move |
|---|---|---|
| 가 | 카 | 까 |
| 바리practice word* | 파리fly · Paris | 빠리Paris (casual) |
| 달moon | 탈mask | 딸daughter |
| 방room | 팡“bang!” (sound)* | 빵bread |
* 바리 and 팡 aren't everyday words: we keep them here only to train your ear to tell the three sounds apart.
Tip for English speakers: at the start of a word, English p, t, k already come with a puff of air, so your “p” in “pie” is close to 파. The tricky one is 빠: think of the “p” in “spy,” with no puff at all.
✏️ Practice
✏️ Plain or aspirated? (in a word)
Listen to the word, then choose the right spelling: with a puff of air (aspirated) or without.
✏️ Put the word back together
Listen, then tap the syllables in order.
✏️ Match
Tap a Korean word, then its meaning.
✏️ Aspirated consonants grid
Guess, then tap the square to hear it.
4 · Tense consonants (된소리 = 경음)
다니엘: And the tense consonants?
미나: You tighten your throat and hold the air for a moment, then let go with no puff. Your voice starts a little higher. The doubled letter (ㄱ → ㄲ) shows that force.
Plain, aspirated, tense (평음 – 격음 – 경음)
It's Hoya again! Do the test again with 가, 카, 까. This time, watch the tense one closely: the tissue doesn't move, and your throat tightens.
| 평음 예사소리 · plain barely moves | 격음 거센소리 · aspirated moves clearly | 경음 된소리 · tense doesn't move |
|---|---|---|
| 가 | 카 | 까 |
| 바리practice word* | 파리fly · Paris | 빠리Paris (casual) |
| 달moon | 탈mask | 딸daughter |
| 방room | 팡“bang!” (sound)* | 빵bread |
* 바리 and 팡 aren't everyday words: we keep them here only to train your ear to tell the three sounds apart.
Why does it matter? One single sound changes the whole word. At the bakery, if you say 방 instead of 빵, you're asking for… a room!
Second clue: the pitch of your voice. 평음 starts lower; 경음 and 격음 start higher.
✏️ Practice
✏️ Plain, aspirated or tense? (in a word)
Listen to the word, then choose the right spelling out of 3.
✏️ Build the word
Listen, then build each syllable: one consonant, one vowel, then “Check the syllable.”
✏️ Match
Tap a Korean word, then its meaning.
5 · Diphthongs 1 (이중 모음 1)
| Formula | Result |
|---|---|
| ㅣ + ㅏ | ㅑ (ya) |
| ㅣ + ㅓ | ㅕ (yeo, open) |
| ㅣ + ㅗ | ㅛ (yo) |
| ㅣ + ㅜ | ㅠ (yu) |
| ㅣ + ㅐ | ㅒ (yae) |
| ㅣ + ㅔ | ㅖ (ye) |
✏️ Practice
✏️ Listen and choose
Listen, then tap what you heard.
✏️ Put the word back together
Listen, then tap the syllables in order.
✏️ Match
Tap a Korean word, then its meaning.
6 · Diphthongs 2 (이중 모음 2)
| Formula | Result |
|---|---|
| ㅗ + ㅏ | ㅘ (wa) |
| ㅗ + ㅐ | ㅙ (wae) |
| ㅗ + ㅣ | ㅚ (we) |
| ㅜ + ㅓ | ㅝ (wo) |
| ㅜ + ㅔ | ㅞ (we) |
| ㅜ + ㅣ | ㅟ (wi) |
| ㅡ + ㅣ | ㅢ (eu-i) |
메이: Is ㅢ always pronounced the same way?
철수: No, there are three cases. At the start of a word: [의] (의자). After a consonant: [이] (희망 is said [히망]). And 의 meaning “of”: often [에] (우리의 → [우리에]).
✏️ Practice
✏️ Listen and choose
Listen, then tap what you heard.
✏️ Put the word back together
Listen, then tap the syllables in order.
✏️ Match
Tap a Korean word, then its meaning.
7 · Final consonants (받침): 7 sounds
Lots of consonants can be written at the end of a syllable, but you only hear 7 sounds. Here, the brackets [ ] show the pronunciation when it's different from the spelling.
As a 받침, ㄱ ㄲ ㅋ are pronounced [ㄱ]
As a 받침, ㄴ is pronounced [ㄴ]
As a 받침, ㄷ ㅅ ㅆ ㅈ ㅊ ㅌ ㅎ are pronounced [ㄷ]
As a 받침, ㄹ is pronounced [ㄹ]
As a 받침, ㅁ is pronounced [ㅁ]
As a 받침, ㅂ ㅍ are pronounced [ㅂ]
As a 받침, ㅇ is pronounced [ㅇ]
✏️ Practice
✏️ Which final sound?
Look at the word, listen to it, then choose the sound of the 받침.
✏️ Read, then check
Read the word out loud, then reveal the pronunciation and listen.
✏️ Build the word
Listen, then build each syllable, with its 받침.
✏️ Match
Tap a Korean word, then its meaning.
8 · Double final consonants (겹받침)
다니엘: Two consonants at the bottom. Which one do we pronounce?
미나: Usually the first one: 값 [갑], 앉다 [안따], 넓다 [널따]. But with ㄺ, ㄻ, ㄿ, it's the second one: 닭 [닥], 삶 [삼].
밟다 is pronounced [밥따], while 넓다 is pronounced [널따].
✏️ Practice
✏️ Which consonant is pronounced?
Look at the word, choose its pronunciation, then listen to check.
✏️ Read, then check
Read the word out loud, then reveal the pronunciation and listen.
9 · Linking (연음)
When a syllable ends in a consonant and the next one starts with ㅇ, the consonant slides over: 음악 is said [으막].
메이: Why is 음악 said [으막]?
철수: When a syllable ends in a consonant and the next one starts with ㅇ, the consonant slides into the next syllable, just like in English, where “an apple” sounds like “a‿napple”.
A final ㅇ doesn't slide: 강아지 stays [강아지]. And ㅎ disappears: 좋아요 is said [조아요].
✏️ Practice
✏️ How is it pronounced?
Choose the right pronunciation, then listen.
✏️ Read, then check
Read the word out loud, then reveal the pronunciation and listen.
First expressions
Polite
With friends
In class
✏️ Practice
✏️ Match the expression
Tap a Korean word, then its meaning.
✏️ Which expression?
Listen, then choose the expression you heard.
✏️ Polite or casual? Match the meaning
Tap a Korean word, then its meaning.
Unit 0 review
✏️ Unit 0 review · 20 questions
Listen and choose. Aim for 16 / 20 before moving on to Unit 1.