| HANGEUL - LEARN THE HANGEUL LETTERS AND CHARACTER SOUNDS |

Noraini Azaha (Bella Lee)
Nov 13, 2024
5 min read

Updated: Jan 16

Previously we learned the 5 most common words a K-Drama fans should know.

This week, I'll let you learn Hangeul with me because moving forward, I would love to see you reading the Hangeul instead of only understanding it. Hehehehe.

In this lesson, you’re going to learn the Korean alphabet in only 30 minutes using visual associations, mnemonics, and stories.

That means you will be able to read the Korean alphabet letters A to Z and start sounding out Korean words anytime you see them. You may be surprised how often you see Korean characters!

We also have a free PDF version of this Hangul alphabet lesson that you can download below. You can print it out and write your answers in the PDF.

Hangeul – The Korean Alphabet

Hangul (also romanized as Hangeul), the Korean alphabet, is the writing system used for the Korean language. It is known as Hangul or Hangeul in South Korea and Chosŏn’gŭl in North Korea. Hangul Alphabet consists of 24 basic letters: 14 consonants (ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ ㅈ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ) and 10 vowels (ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ ㅣ).

Additionally, there are 19 complex letters, including 5 tense consonants (ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅉ ㅆ) and 11 complex vowels (ㅢ ㅚ ㅐ ㅟ ㅔ ㅒ ㅖ ㅘ ㅝ ㅙ ㅞ).

The term “Hangeul” translates to “Korean letters,” where 한 (han) means “Korean” and 글 (geul) means “letter.” The letters for the five basic consonants are designed to reflect the shape of the speech organs used to pronounce them, and they are systematically modified to indicate phonetic features.

Hangeul is celebrated for its scientific design and simplicity, making it easy to learn and use. This alphabet was created in the 15th century by King Sejong the Great and his scholars to promote literacy among the common people.

“Hangul” in Korean

“Hangul” in Korean is 한글 (hangeul). Hangul is also written in English as “Hangeul.” There are two different ways of spelling the same word. “Hangul” is the most common way, and “Hangeul” is the newer way of writing it.

Hangul Meaning

The word Hangul comes from the Chinese character 韓㐎. “Han” means “Korean,” and “gul” means “letter.” Put them together, and you’ve got the term “Korean letter” or “Korean Alphabet.”

History and Significance of Hangeul

Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, was created in the 15th century by King Sejong the Great and his scholars. King Sejong wanted to provide a simple writing system that the common people could easily learn, as the Chinese characters used at the time were complex and difficult.

Hangeul is praised for its scientific design and efficiency. It has greatly increased literacy rates in Korea and preserved the Korean language through centuries. Hangul Day, celebrated on October 9th in South Korea, honors this invaluable contribution.

Step-by-Step Learning Guide

This section covers the 4 simple steps to learn Hangeul effectively.

Step 1: Learning Basic Consonants and Vowels

Start by learning the basic consonants and vowels of Hangeul. These are the building blocks of the Korean alphabet and will help you read and write simple words. You will learn more in today's lesson as well as nin the PDF you just downloaded.

Step 2: Understanding Syllable Formation

Next, learn how to combine the consonants and vowels to form syllables. In Korean, syllables are made by grouping letters into blocks.

Step 3: Practice with Common Words and Phrases

Practice reading and writing common Korean words and phrases. This will help you get used to the structure and sounds of the language. Check out our common K-Drama words in coming weeks!

Step 4: Advanced Rules and Exceptions

Finally, study the advanced rules and exceptions in Hangeul. These include pronunciation changes and special combinations that will make you more fluent in reading and writing Korean.

Korean Alphabet System

This alphabet system is mainly made up of Hangul characters. This is the system that’s widely and officially used in both North and South Korea.

However, there’s another system Koreans use for writing called Hanja. This system is made up of Chinese letters that are read with Korean pronunciation. Let's skip this for now.

Korean Alphabet Pronunciation

The Korean alphabet pronunciation shares a lot of similarities with the English alphabet. That makes it easy to learn because you can use the pronunciation of English letters to learn the Korean alphabet pronunciation.

The Hangul alphabet consists of consonants and vowels that form syllable blocks. These syllables can be sounded out just like words in English.

Korean Alphabet Chart (Hangeul)

Below is a basic Korean Alphabet chart for basic vowels and consonants. The Korean Alphabet chart is also known as the Hangeul chart.

Korean Consonants Chart

The first Hangeul chart is the Korean consonants chart. Next to each of the consonants is the Romanized spelling for that particular consonant. The spelling changes depending on whether the consonants are positioned at the start or the end of the syllable.

The romanization is only used for the spelling of the Korean word in English letters. If you’re learning Korean or want to know the correct pronunciation, then you should use the associations later in this lesson and learn the correct pronunciation of the Korean consonants.

Consonant	Romanization (initial)	Romanization (final)	Pronunciation of Korean alphabet to English Words
ㄱ	g	k	“g” as in “gun”
ㄲ	kk	k
ㄴ	n	n	“n” in “northeast”
ㄷ	d	t	“d” in “door”
ㄸ	tt	-
ㄹ	r	l	“l” in “ladder”
ㅁ	m	m	“m” in “mail”
ㅂ	b	p	“b” in “bed”
ㅃ	pp	-
ㅅ	s	t	“s” in “seashell”
ㅆ	ss	t
ㅇ	-	ng
ㅈ	j	t	“j” in “jug”
ㅉ	jj	-
ㅊ	ch	t	“ch” in “church”
ㅋ	k	k	“k” in “key”
ㅌ	t	t	“t” in “teeth”
ㅍ	p	p	“p” in “pie”
ㅎ	h	t	“h” in “hat”

Korean Vowels Chart

The second Korean alphabet chart is the Korean vowels chart. Next to each of the vowels is the romanized spelling of each vowel. The spelling of the vowels is consistent and doesn’t change. However, keep in mind that some people may spell words in Korean in English letters using their own system.

Vowel	Romanization	Pronunciation of Korean alphabet to English Words
ㅏ	a	"a" as in "father"
ㅐ	ae	"ae" as in "egg"
ㅑ	ya	"ya" as in "yacht"
ㅒ	yae	"yae" as in "yes"
ㅓ	eo	"eo" as in "umbrella"
ㅔ	e	"e" as in "egg"
ㅕ	yeo	"yeo" as in "yummy"
ㅖ	ye	"ye" as in "yes"
ㅗ	o	"o" as in "old"
ㅘ	wa	"wa" as in "waffle"
ㅙ	wae	"wae" as in "wedding"
ㅚ	oe	"oe" as in "wedding"
ㅛ	yo	"yo" as in "yogurt"
ㅜ	u	"u" as in "new"
ㅝ	wo	"wo" as in "won"
ㅞ	we	"we" as in "wedding"
ㅟ	wi	"wi" as in "week"
ㅠ	yu	"yu" as in "unicorn"
ㅡ	eu	"eu" as in "brook"
ㅢ	ui	"ui" as in "gooey"
ㅣ	i	"i" as in "tree"

To have a good pronunciation of the Hangeul consonants and vowels, come back next week to learn how each letter is correctly pronounced.

Hope you've learned something useful today and have had fun learning too!

See you next week!

For a more advanced learning, you may visit Innovative Learning Centre for more details!

Assalamualaikum,

N.A

Previously we learned the 5 most common words a K-Drama fans should know.

This week, I'll let you learn Hangeul with me because moving forward, I would love to see you reading the Hangeul instead of only understanding it. Hehehehe.

In this lesson, you’re going to learn the Korean alphabet in only 30 minutes using visual associations, mnemonics, and stories.

That means you will be able to read the Korean alphabet letters A to Z and start sounding out Korean words anytime you see them. You may be surprised how often you see Korean characters!

We also have a free PDF version of this Hangul alphabet lesson that you can download below. You can print it out and write your answers in the PDF.

Hangeul – The Korean Alphabet

Additionally, there are 19 complex letters, including 5 tense consonants (ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅉ ㅆ) and 11 complex vowels (ㅢ ㅚ ㅐ ㅟ ㅔ ㅒ ㅖ ㅘ ㅝ ㅙ ㅞ).

Hangeul is celebrated for its scientific design and simplicity, making it easy to learn and use. This alphabet was created in the 15th century by King Sejong the Great and his scholars to promote literacy among the common people.

“Hangul” in Korean

“Hangul” in Korean is 한글 (hangeul). Hangul is also written in English as “Hangeul.” There are two different ways of spelling the same word. “Hangul” is the most common way, and “Hangeul” is the newer way of writing it.

Hangul Meaning

The word Hangul comes from the Chinese character 韓㐎. “Han” means “Korean,” and “gul” means “letter.” Put them together, and you’ve got the term “Korean letter” or “Korean Alphabet.”

History and Significance of Hangeul

Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, was created in the 15th century by King Sejong the Great and his scholars. King Sejong wanted to provide a simple writing system that the common people could easily learn, as the Chinese characters used at the time were complex and difficult.

Hangeul is praised for its scientific design and efficiency. It has greatly increased literacy rates in Korea and preserved the Korean language through centuries. Hangul Day, celebrated on October 9th in South Korea, honors this invaluable contribution.

Step-by-Step Learning Guide

This section covers the 4 simple steps to learn Hangeul effectively.

Step 1: Learning Basic Consonants and Vowels

Start by learning the basic consonants and vowels of Hangeul. These are the building blocks of the Korean alphabet and will help you read and write simple words. You will learn more in today's lesson as well as nin the PDF you just downloaded.

Step 2: Understanding Syllable Formation

Next, learn how to combine the consonants and vowels to form syllables. In Korean, syllables are made by grouping letters into blocks.

Step 3: Practice with Common Words and Phrases

Practice reading and writing common Korean words and phrases. This will help you get used to the structure and sounds of the language. Check out our common K-Drama words in coming weeks!

Step 4: Advanced Rules and Exceptions

Finally, study the advanced rules and exceptions in Hangeul. These include pronunciation changes and special combinations that will make you more fluent in reading and writing Korean.

Korean Alphabet System

This alphabet system is mainly made up of Hangul characters. This is the system that’s widely and officially used in both North and South Korea.

However, there’s another system Koreans use for writing called Hanja. This system is made up of Chinese letters that are read with Korean pronunciation. Let's skip this for now.

Korean Alphabet Pronunciation

The Korean alphabet pronunciation shares a lot of similarities with the English alphabet. That makes it easy to learn because you can use the pronunciation of English letters to learn the Korean alphabet pronunciation.

The Hangul alphabet consists of consonants and vowels that form syllable blocks. These syllables can be sounded out just like words in English.

Korean Alphabet Chart (Hangeul)

Below is a basic Korean Alphabet chart for basic vowels and consonants. The Korean Alphabet chart is also known as the Hangeul chart.

Korean Consonants Chart

The first Hangeul chart is the Korean consonants chart. Next to each of the consonants is the Romanized spelling for that particular consonant. The spelling changes depending on whether the consonants are positioned at the start or the end of the syllable.

The romanization is only used for the spelling of the Korean word in English letters. If you’re learning Korean or want to know the correct pronunciation, then you should use the associations later in this lesson and learn the correct pronunciation of the Korean consonants.

Consonant

Romanization (initial)

Romanization (final)

Pronunciation of Korean alphabet to English Words

ㄱ

g

k

“g” as in “gun”

ㄲ

kk

k

ㄴ

n

n

“n” in “northeast”

ㄷ

d

t

“d” in “door”

ㄸ

tt

-

ㄹ

r

l

“l” in “ladder”

ㅁ

m

m

“m” in “mail”

ㅂ

b

p

“b” in “bed”

ㅃ

pp

ㅅ

s

t

“s” in “seashell”

ㅆ

ss

t

ㅇ