Korean · 34 characters · hardest for English speakers
The Korean alphabet (Hangul)
Hangul was designed in the 15th century to be learned quickly, and it still is. Most learners can read it in a few days. Here is every basic letter with its sound and audio.
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Updated · by the 4ToSpeak team
Korean · lesson preview
Step 4물 좀 주세요.
Please give me some water.
- Order
- Translate
- Listen
- Speak
Say it out loud. Green landed, yellow was close.
Start freeAt a glance
- Characters
- 24 basic letters (14 consonants, 10 vowels), plus a few doubled and combined forms
- Direction
- left to right, with letters stacked into square syllable blocks
- Time to learn
- 2 to 5 days
The Hangul chart with sounds
Tap the speaker on any letter to hear it, where your device has a Korean voice. Sounds are described with English comparisons, which are close but never exact: listen and repeat.
Basic consonants
- ㄱ
g / k
like g in go, k at the end
- ㄴ
n
like n in no
- ㄷ
d / t
like d in do, t at the end
- ㄹ
r / l
between r and l, a quick tap
- ㅁ
m
like m in me
- ㅂ
b / p
like b in boy, p at the end
- ㅅ
s
like s in sun
- ㅇ
ng
silent at the start, ng at the end
- ㅈ
j
like j in jam
- ㅎ
h
like h in hat
Aspirated consonants
- ㅊ
ch
ch with a puff of air
- ㅋ
k
k with a puff of air
- ㅌ
t
t with a puff of air
- ㅍ
p
p with a puff of air
Basic vowels
- ㅏ
a
like a in father
- ㅑ
ya
like ya in yacht
- ㅓ
eo
like u in sun, open
- ㅕ
yeo
like yaw
- ㅗ
o
like o in go
- ㅛ
yo
like yo in yo-yo
- ㅜ
u
like oo in moon
- ㅠ
yu
like you
- ㅡ
eu
like oo with lips flat
- ㅣ
i
like ee in see
Tense consonants
- ㄲ
kk
a tight, unaspirated k
- ㄸ
tt
a tight, unaspirated t
- ㅃ
pp
a tight, unaspirated p
- ㅆ
ss
a tight s
- ㅉ
jj
a tight j
Combined vowels
- ㅐ
ae
like e in bed
- ㅔ
e
like e in bed (now identical)
- ㅘ
wa
like wa in want
- ㅝ
wo
like wo in won
- ㅢ
ui
eu then i, said quickly
Things to know before you start
- Each syllable is a block of two to four letters, such as 한 (han) = ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ.
- Consonant sounds shift by position: ㄱ is closer to g at the start of a word and k at the end.
- ㅇ is silent at the start of a syllable and sounds like ng at the end.
- Letters that look similar often sound similar: ㄱ ㅋ ㄲ are a g, k and tense k.
A 7-day plan to learn Hangul
Day 1: Basic consonants
Learn 10 letters: ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ ㅈ ㅎ. Say each one out loud three times, then cover the sounds and test yourself.
Day 2: Aspirated consonants
Learn 4 letters: ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ. Say each one out loud three times, then cover the sounds and test yourself.
Day 3: Basic vowels
Learn 10 letters: ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ ㅣ. Say each one out loud three times, then cover the sounds and test yourself.
Day 4: Tense consonants
Learn 5 letters: ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ. Say each one out loud three times, then cover the sounds and test yourself.
Day 5: Combined vowels
Learn 5 letters: ㅐ ㅔ ㅘ ㅝ ㅢ. Say each one out loud three times, then cover the sounds and test yourself.
Day 6: Review and read
Go back over every group, then read the 8 practice words below out loud. Slow is fine.
Day 7: Say real sentences
Start Korean sentences in 4ToSpeak. Seeing letters in context is what makes them stick.
Fifteen to twenty minutes a day is enough. Skip a day and pick up where you stopped.
Your first Korean words to read
You can already read these. Read each one aloud, then check the sound and meaning.
| Sound and meaning | Korean |
|---|---|
| ai · child | 아이 |
| uyu · milk | 우유 |
| keopi · coffee | 커피 |
| gogi · meat | 고기 |
| banana · banana | 바나나 |
| radio · radio | 라디오 |
| abeoji · father | 아버지 |
| namu · tree | 나무 |
How many characters are in Hangul?
24 basic letters (14 consonants, 10 vowels), plus a few doubled and combined forms.
How long does it take to learn Hangul?
Most learners can recognise the basic set in 2 to 5 days with a little practice every day. Fast, fluent reading comes from reading real words, not from the chart alone.
Do I need to learn the alphabet before I start speaking Korean?
No. You can start speaking Korean first and pick up the letters as you go. Hearing a sentence while you see it written makes both easier, so learning the letters in parallel is the quickest route.
What is the best way to practise Hangul?
Short daily sessions beat long ones. Say each letter aloud, read real words as soon as you know ten or so letters, and practise with audio so each shape has a sound. 4ToSpeak shows every Korean sentence in the script and has you say it aloud.
Related guides
More on learning Korean
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Now read Korean out loud
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