Part 1 – Korean Consonants and Vowels Set 1

Korean Vowels (모음) Set 1

LetterRomanizationPronunciation Tips
a as in hot
 ya as in yacht
 eo as in up
 yeo as in yup
 i as in meet

Korean Study Tips

♦   There are vertical and horizontal Korean vowels.

♦   Vertical vowels are placed to the right of the first consonant in a syllable. ex. 가, 냐,더

♦   A vowel is always the second letter in a Korean syllable.

♦   All vowels with two smaller lines attached are pronounced with a “y” sound. ex. ㅕ, ㅑ

♦   Make flash cards following the example of “ㅏ” on one side and “a as in hot” on the other side.

Korean Consonants (자음) Set 1

 LetterRomanizationNamePronunciation Tips
k/g기역 If ㄱ follows a syllable that ends in a vowel or the letters ㄴ, ㄹ, ㅁ, or ㅇ, then ㄱ is pronounced as “g” ex. 나가 = naga, 감기 = kamgi
n니은 as in no
t/d디귿 If ㄷ follows a syllable that ends in a vowel or the letters ㄴ, ㄹ, ㅁ, or ㅇ, then ㄷ is pronounced as “d” ex. 가다 = kada, 먹다 = mukda
r/l리을 If ㄹ is in the ending position of a syllable and a consonant starts the next syllable, then ㄹ is pronounced as “l” ex. 살다 = salda

If ㄹ is between two vowels, then ㄹ  is pronounced as “r” ex. 나라 = nara

m미음 as in my
p/b비읍 If ㅂ follows a syllable that ends in a vowel or the letters ㄴ, ㄹ, ㅁ, or ㅇ, then ㅂ is pronounced as “b” ex. 나비 = nabi, 갈비 = kalbi
s/sh시옷 If ㅅ is followed by ㅑ, ㅕ, ㅛ, ㅠ, ㅟ, orㅣ, then ㅅ is pronounced as “sh”

 Korean Study Tips

♦   To start, just focus on how Korean Hangul letters look and what their equivalent pronunciations are.

♦   Make flash cards following the example of “ㄱ” on one side and “k/g” on the other side.

♦   Knowing when to pronounce k or g (ㄱ), t or d (ㄷ), r or l (ㄹ), p or b (ㅂ), and s or sh (ㅅ) is even difficult for long time Korean language learners. Many times it sounds like a mix of the two pronunciations.

♦   Even if you mix up the pronunciations of k or g (ㄱ), t or d (ㄷ), r or l (ㄹ), or p or b (ㅂ), Koreans can often still understand.

♦   The pronunciation tip for ㅅ is important as [s] and [sh] sound fairly different.

♦   When the consonants ㄷ or ㅅare placed as the final consonant(받침) of a syllable, they are pronounced as “t” ex. 낟 = nat, 맛 = mat

Korean Consonants and Vowels Set 1

[table id=2 /]

 Three Letter Syllables with Vertical Vowels

The final consonant of a syllable is called a bachim(받침).

If a consonant is added after a vertical vowel, the final consonant(받침) goes directly below the first two letters. ex. 간, 덜, 밥

[table id=3 /]

Korean Study Tips

♦   Not all of the syllables in this table are used in words.

♦   Please remember that the pronunciation of ㅅ is “s” or “sh” depending on what vowel follows it.

♦  For this reason, you should spend a little more time on ㅅ.

♦   Remember when the consonants ㄷ or ㅅare placed as the final consonant(받침) of a syllable, they are pronounced as “t” ex. 낟 = nat, 맛 = mat

 My First Korean Words

WordRomanizationEnglish Translation
시간shigantime
pirain
라면ramyeonramen noodles
dalmoon
사람saramperson
pamnight
머리meorihead

Go to Part 2 – Korean Consonants and Vowels Set 2