한 Learn Hangul with Fun재미있게 배우는 한글

자음과 모음

Consonants & Vowels - The Building Blocks of Hangul

What are Consonants and Vowels?

Hangul (한글) is made up of 40 letters: 19 consonants (14 basic + 5 double) and 21 vowels (10 basic + 11 compound). These letters combine to form syllable blocks, which is what makes Korean writing unique and beautiful!

Unlike English where letters are written in a line, Korean characters are arranged in blocks that represent syllables.

Korean Consonants (자음)

Consonants are sounds that are made by blocking or limiting airflow. Click a card to see the stroke order and hear its pronunciation!

ㄱ
g/k
like 'g' in 'go'
ㄴ
n
like 'n' in 'no'
ㄷ
d/t
like 'd' in 'do'
ㄹ
r/l
like 'r' or 'l'
ㅁ
m
like 'm' in 'mom'
ㅂ
b/p
like 'b' in 'boy'
ㅅ
s
like 's' in 'sun'
ㅇ
ng/silent
silent or 'ng'
ㅈ
j
like 'j' in 'job'
ㅊ
ch
like 'ch' in 'chair'
ㅋ
k
like 'k' in 'key'
ㅌ
t
like 't' in 'toy'
ㅍ
p
like 'p' in 'pop'
ㅎ
h
like 'h' in 'hat'

Korean Vowels (모음)

Vowels are sounds made with an open vocal tract. Korean vowels are based on three fundamental principles: heaven (•), earth (ㅡ), and human (ㅣ). Click a card to learn how to write it!

ㅏ
a
like 'a' in 'father'
ㅑ
ya
like 'ya' in 'yard'
ㅓ
eo
like 'aw' in 'awesome'
ㅕ
yeo
like 'yaw' + 'some'
ㅗ
o
like 'o' in 'go'
ㅛ
yo
like 'yo' in 'yoga'
ㅜ
u
like 'oo' in 'moon'
ㅠ
yu
like 'you'
ㅡ
eu
like 'oo' in 'book'
ㅣ
i
like 'ee' in 'tree'

Double Consonants (쌍자음)

Five consonants can be doubled to make tense sounds — pronounced with a tight throat and no puff of air. Click a card for stroke order and sound.

ㄲ
kk
tense 'g' — like 'g' in 'gone!' said sharply
ㄸ
tt
tense 'd' — a hard, unaspirated 'd'
ㅃ
pp
tense 'b' — a hard, unaspirated 'b'
ㅆ
ss
tense 's' — like 'ss' in 'hiss'
ㅉ
jj
tense 'j' — a hard, unaspirated 'j'

Compound Vowels (복합 모음)

Eleven more vowels are built by combining the basic ones — this completes all 40 Hangul letters. Click a card for stroke order and sound.

ㅐ
ae
like 'a' in 'cat'
ㅒ
yae
'y' + ae — like 'ya' in 'yak'
ㅔ
e
like 'e' in 'bed'
ㅖ
ye
like 'ye' in 'yes'
ㅘ
wa
like 'wa' in 'water'
ㅙ
wae
like 'wa' in 'wax'
ㅚ
oe
like 'we' in 'wet'
ㅝ
wo
like 'wo' in 'wonder'
ㅞ
we
like 'we' in 'wedding'
ㅟ
wi
like 'wee' in 'week'
ㅢ
ui
'eu' + 'i' said quickly

Good news: in modern Seoul speech, ㅐ = ㅔ and ㅒ = ㅖ sound the same, and ㅙ = ㅚ = ㅞ are nearly identical — you mostly need to remember their spellings.

Three Strengths of Sound

Many Korean consonants come in three strengths: plain, aspirated (with a puff of air), and tense (tight and sharp). Click each syllable to hear the difference:

Familyplain · aspirated · tense
ㄱ · ㅋ · ㄲ 가카까
ㄷ · ㅌ · ㄸ 다타따
ㅂ · ㅍ · ㅃ 바파빠
ㅅ · ㅆ 사싸
ㅈ · ㅊ · ㅉ 자차짜

Hold your palm in front of your mouth: aspirated sounds (카, 타, 파, 차) push out air; tense sounds (까, 따, 빠, 싸, 짜) don't — the tension is in your throat.

Understanding Hangul Structure

Now that you know consonants and vowels, let's understand how they work together:

Step 1

ㄱ + ㅏ

Consonant + Vowel

Step 2

가

Forms a syllable block

Step 3

가방

Syllables form words

Ready to learn how consonants and vowels combine? Let's move to syllable formation!

Next: Learn Syllables →

Hangul Chart (한글 음절표)

Every basic consonant meets every vowel. Pick a consonant on the left, slide across to a vowel on top — that's your syllable. Tap any block to hear it!

ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ ㅣ ㅔ ㅐ ㅖ ㅒ
ㄱ가갸거겨고교구규그기게개계걔
ㄴ나냐너녀노뇨누뉴느니네내녜냬
ㄷ다댜더뎌도됴두듀드디데대뎨댸
ㄹ라랴러려로료루류르리레래례럐
ㅁ마먀머며모묘무뮤므미메매몌먜
ㅂ바뱌버벼보뵤부뷰브비베배볘뱨
ㅅ사샤서셔소쇼수슈스시세새셰섀
ㅇ아야어여오요우유으이에애예얘
ㅈ자쟈저져조죠주쥬즈지제재졔쟤
ㅊ차챠처쳐초쵸추츄츠치체채쳬챼
ㅋ카캬커켜코쿄쿠큐크키케캐켸컈
ㅌ타탸터텨토툐투튜트티테태톄턔
ㅍ파퍄퍼펴포표푸퓨프피페패폐퍠
ㅎ하햐허혀호효후휴흐히헤해혜햬

Tip: ㅇ is silent at the start of a syllable, so the ㅇ row sounds just like the vowels on their own. On a phone, swipe the chart sideways to see every column.