Learn the Korean Alphabet (Hangul) – Consonants and Vowels

Granted that many English-speaking people find the Korean language hard to learn, it’s actually the opposite.

As the famous saying goes: “A wise man can acquaint himself with them before the morning is over; a stupid man can learn them in the space of ten days.”

So, if you deem yourself a wise man or woman, you can learn the Korean alphabet quite quickly. Just make sure to follow the tips below.

A Brief History of the Korean Alphabet

Termed Hangeul in South Korea and Chosŏn’gŭl in North Korea, the Korean alphabet was invented in 1443 by King Sejong the Great.

The monarch developed this writing system to help its lower-class citizens, as they often found the Chinese characters very hard to understand. Add to that, the Chinese language just had too many differences from Korean words.

In his desire to make his subjects more literate, he created the Hangul Korean alphabet. Each Korean letter was designed to follow the articulator’s shape and features when spoken. The vowels were made to mirror the yin and yang.

With these writing systems, the fourth King of the Joseon dynasty hoped that his people would easily learn Korean.

An Overview of the Korean Alphabet

The Hangul or Hangeul is named after the Korean word ‘han’ (great) and ‘geul’ (script). It has a total of 24 Korean characters, where there are 14 consonants and ten basic vowels.

Unlike the Chinese characters that require multiple strokes, a person can write Korean letters in a maximum of five strokes.

Each word is written in a system called syllable blocks. These are known in the language of Korea as ‘jamo.’

While this can be written two ways, the rule of thumb is that each block should only contain one syllable.

Korean Consonants

As you study writing Korean consonant letters, you should know the five classifications they belong in:

Velar Sounds

• ㄱ= G/K
• ㅋ= K

These Korean letters look like the side view of the tongue against the velum. The extra stroke added to the final consonant ㄱ is used to describe the burst of sounds.

Sibilant Sounds

• ㅅ= S/T
• ㅈ= J/T
• ㅊ= CH

The letter ㅅ is drawn to mirror the side view of the teeth. The horizontal line on top (ㅈ) shows the teeth’s contact with the mouth’s roof. The additional line on top ㅊ is used to denote aspiration sounds.

Coronal Sounds

• ㄴ= N
• ㄷ= D/T
• ㅌ= T
• ㄹ= R/L

The final consonant letter ㄴ is drawn to show the tongue tip elevated towards the gum ridge. The line on top of ㄷ denotes continuous contact of the tip with the roof of the mouth. The middle stroke in ㅌ emphasizes the burst of aspiration, while the top of the final consonant ㄹ represents the tongue flag.

Bilabial Sounds

• ㅁ= M
• ㅂ= B/P
• ㅍ = P

The final consonant ㅁ denotes the shape of the lips when brought together. The top of the ㅂ shows the release burst, while the ㅍ signifies the burst of aspiration.

Dorsal Sounds

• ㅇ= silent if placed at beginning of the syllable, NG if at ending
• ㅎ= H/T

The ㅇ depicts the throat outline. The line in the ㅎ signifies that it is pronounced in the throat.

Add to that, there are also five tense or double consonants in the Korean language:

• ㄲ = kk/k
• ㄸ = tt/-
• ㅃ = pp/-
• ㅉ = ss/t
• ㅆ = jj/-

With the addition of these five, the total number in the Hangeul equates to 19.

Korean Vowels

The Korean vowel group has two categories.

One is monophthongs, which are spoken with one articular movement. The other is diphthongs, which come with an articulatory change. It also has a semivowel/glide and a monophthong.

These Korean language characters are based on these design elements:

• A horizontal line used to represent the essence of yin (earth)
• A point used to represent the sun, the essence of yang
• A vertical line to denote the human, who mediates the heaven and the earth

Compared to consonants, the Korean alphabet vowels are spoken the same no matter what the position.

The ten basic vowel letters are:

• ㅏ= a = A sound in Bar
• ㅑ= ya = Ya, sounds like Yard
• ㅓ= eo = O, sounds like Long
• ㅕ= yeo = Yo, sounds like Yonder
• ㅗ = o = O, sounds like Home
• ㅛ = yo = Yo, sounds like Yogurt
• ㅜ= u = OO, sounds like Roof
• ㅠ = yu = Yu, sounds like Yuletide
• ㅡ = eu = Like the OO sound in Food
• ㅣ= e = Like the EE sound in Feet

The alphabet also has 11 complex letters, which are:

• ㅐ= ae
• ㅒ= yae
• ㅔ= e
• ㅖ= ye
• ㅘ = wa
• ㅙ = wae
• ㅚ = oe
• ㅝ= weo
• ㅞ= we
• ㅟ= wi
• ㅢ= ui

When you write Korean words, the vertically-drawn characters should be placed at the right of the consonant. As for the horizontal ones, you should write them beneath the consonant.

At first, the Hangeul may seem complicated if you speak English or other related languages. But at a second look, it’s straightforward to learn.

With patience, determination, and dedicated practice, you can master these figures in no time!