Korean Hangul: all 40 letters and first syllables
Learn to read Korean: all 14 basic consonants, 5 double consonants and 21 vowels of Hangul, plus how letters stack into syllable blocks, with Revised Romanization.
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Consonant
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All 50 cards
- 1ㄱConsonantg · k at the end of a syllable가방 (gabang) · bag. At the end: 책 (chaek) · book
- 2ㄴConsonantn나무 (namu) · tree
- 3ㄷConsonantd · t at the end of a syllable다리 (dari) · leg; bridge
- 4ㄹConsonantr before a vowel · l at the end of a syllable라면 (ramyeon) · instant noodles; 물 (mul) · water
- 5ㅁConsonantm머리 (meori) · head; hair
- 6ㅂConsonantb · p at the end of a syllable바다 (bada) · sea
- 7ㅅConsonants · t at the end of a syllable사람 (saram) · person. Before ㅣ it sounds like “sh”: 시 (si) · poem; o’clock
- 8ㅇConsonantsilent at the start · ng at the end of a syllable아이 (ai) · child; 강 (gang) · river
- 9ㅈConsonantj · t at the end of a syllable자전거 (jajeongeo) · bicycle
- 10ㅊConsonantch · t at the end of a syllable친구 (chingu) · friend. Aspirated: ㅈ with a puff of air
- 11ㅋConsonantk커피 (keopi) · coffee. Aspirated ㄱ
- 12ㅌConsonantt토마토 (tomato) · tomato. Aspirated ㄷ
- 13ㅍConsonantp포도 (podo) · grapes. Aspirated ㅂ
- 14ㅎConsonanth하나 (hana) · one
- 15ㄲDouble consonantkk · k at the end of a syllable꼬리 (kkori) · tail. Tense, with no puff of air; at the end: 밖 (bak) · outside
- 16ㄸDouble consonanttt딸 (ttal) · daughter. Tense ㄷ
- 17ㅃDouble consonantpp빵 (ppang) · bread. Tense ㅂ
- 18ㅆDouble consonantss · t at the end of a syllable쌀 (ssal) · uncooked rice; at the end: 있다 (itda) · to be there; to have
- 19ㅉDouble consonantjj짜다 (jjada) · to be salty. Tense ㅈ
- 20ㅏVowela아버지 (abeoji) · father
- 21ㅑVowelya야구 (yagu) · baseball
- 22ㅓVoweleo어머니 (eomeoni) · mother. An open “uh”, close to the vowel in “up”
- 23ㅕVowelyeo여자 (yeoja) · woman
- 24ㅗVowelo오이 (oi) · cucumber
- 25ㅛVowelyo요리 (yori) · cooking; dish
- 26ㅜVowelu우유 (uyu) · milk
- 27ㅠVowelyu유리 (yuri) · glass
- 28ㅡVoweleu음악 (eumak) · music. Like “oo” said with spread, unrounded lips
- 29ㅣVoweli이름 (ireum) · name
- 30ㅐCompound vowelae개 (gae) · dog. Like the “e” in “bed”; in modern Seoul speech it sounds the same as ㅔ
- 31ㅒCompound vowelyae얘기 (yaegi) · talk; story
- 32ㅔCompound vowele네 (ne) · yes
- 33ㅖCompound vowelye시계 (sigye) · clock; watch
- 34ㅘCompound vowelwa사과 (sagwa) · apple. ㅗ + ㅏ
- 35ㅙCompound vowelwae왜 (wae) · why. ㅗ + ㅐ
- 36ㅚCompound voweloe회사 (hoesa) · company. ㅗ + ㅣ, usually pronounced like “we”
- 37ㅝCompound vowelwo뭐 (mwo) · what. ㅜ + ㅓ
- 38ㅞCompound vowelwe웨이터 (weiteo) · waiter. ㅜ + ㅔ
- 39ㅟCompound vowelwi귀 (gwi) · ear. ㅜ + ㅣ
- 40ㅢCompound vowelui의사 (uisa) · doctor. ㅡ + ㅣ
- 41가Syllablegaㄱ + ㅏ. A vertical vowel sits to the right of the consonant
- 42고Syllablegoㄱ + ㅗ. A horizontal vowel sits below the consonant
- 43아Syllableaㅇ + ㅏ. A syllable can’t start with a bare vowel, so a silent ㅇ fills the first slot
- 44한Syllablehanㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ. A final consonant (batchim) goes at the bottom
- 45밥Syllablebapㅂ + ㅏ + ㅂ: cooked rice; a meal. A final ㅂ is an unreleased p
- 46닭Syllabledakㄷ + ㅏ + ㄺ: chicken. Of a double final consonant, usually only one is pronounced
- 47한글WordHangeul · the Korean alphabetCreated under King Sejong and published in 1446
- 48한국WordHanguk · Korea한국어 (Hangugeo) · the Korean language
- 49안녕하세요Wordannyeonghaseyo · helloThe everyday polite greeting, for any time of day
- 50감사합니다Wordgamsahamnida · thank youFormal. The ㅂ before ㄴ is pronounced m, and romanization follows the sound
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to learn Hangul?
Many learners can sound out Hangul within a few days to a week of short daily sessions. Reading quickly takes more practice with real words.
Which romanization does this deck use?
The Revised Romanization of Korean, South Korea’s official system since 2000 and the one on road signs and in most textbooks (eo for ㅓ, eu for ㅡ).
Why do some consonants have two romanizations?
Their sound changes with position: ㄱ, ㄷ and ㅂ are g, d and b before a vowel but k, t and p at the end of a syllable, and ㄹ is r before a vowel but l at the end.
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