Learn Hangul
The Korean Alphabet
24 letters. Logical design. You can read Korean within hours.
King Sejong created Hangul in 1443 so that anyone could learn to read - no matter their background. It was designed to be simple, and it is.
한
han
글
geul
Why Hangul is the easiest writing system to learn
It was literally designed to be learned in a single day
King Sejong the Great created Hangul in 1443 because Korean commoners couldn't read the Chinese characters (Hanja) used by scholars. His goal was radical: a writing system so logical that anyone could learn it quickly.
Hangul is not like Chinese or Japanese. There are no thousands of characters to memorize. It's a true alphabet with just 24 basic letters (14 consonants + 10 vowels) that combine into syllable blocks.
The shapes of the consonants are based on the shape your mouth makes when pronouncing them. The vowels are built from just three elements: a vertical line (person), a horizontal line (earth), and a dot (heaven, now written as a short stroke).
This means you don't memorize arbitrary shapes. You learn a system. Most people can read Hangul within a few hours of focused study.
The 6 basic consonants
Start with these six. They're the foundation
Korean has 14 consonants total, but 6 of them are the building blocks. The others are variations (aspirated or tense versions) of these basics.
Shaped like the tongue touching the back of the mouth. Sounds like "g" in "go" at the start, "k" at the end.
Shaped like the tongue touching the front of the mouth. Sounds like "n" in "nice".
Shaped like the tongue touching the roof of the mouth. "d" at the start, "t" at the end.
Shaped like a mouth (square = closed lips). Sounds like "m" in "mom".
Shaped like two lips meeting. "b" at the start, "p" at the end.
Shaped like a tooth. Sounds like "s" in "sun".
The remaining consonants
Aspirated, special, and tense versions
The remaining consonants follow a pattern: add a stroke to a basic consonant to make it aspirated (breathy), or double it to make it tense (forceful). Plus two special consonants.
Silent at the start of a syllable. "ng" sound (like "sing") at the end.
Sounds like "j" in "juice".
ㅈ + extra stroke = aspirated. Like "ch" in "church" with a puff of air.
ㄱ + extra stroke = aspirated. Like "k" in "kite" with a puff of air.
ㄷ + extra stroke = aspirated. Like "t" in "top" with a puff of air.
ㅂ + extra stroke = aspirated. Like "p" in "pin" with a puff of air.
Sounds like "h" in "hat".
Between "r" and "l", a light tongue flap. No exact English equivalent.
The 10 basic vowels
Built from vertical and horizontal lines
Korean vowels are constructed from combinations of a vertical line (ㅣ), a horizontal line (ㅡ), and a short stroke. The short stroke's position (left/right or above/below) determines the sound.
Vertical vowels (ㅏ, ㅓ, ㅑ, ㅕ, ㅣ) are written to the right of the consonant. Horizontal vowels (ㅗ, ㅜ, ㅛ, ㅠ, ㅡ) are written below the consonant.
"ah" as in "father". Stroke points right.
"uh" as in "bus". Stroke points left. NOT "eo" as in English.
"oh" as in "old". Stroke points up.
"oo" as in "moon". Stroke points down.
No English equivalent. Say "oo" but spread your lips flat.
"ee" as in "see". Just the vertical line.
"yah". Like ㅏ with an extra stroke = add "y" sound.
"yuh". Like ㅓ with an extra stroke = add "y" sound.
"yo". Like ㅗ with an extra stroke = add "y" sound.
"you". Like ㅜ with an extra stroke = add "y" sound.
How syllable blocks work
The key insight that makes everything click
This is where Hangul becomes brilliant. Instead of writing letters in a line (like English), Korean letters are stacked into square blocks. Each block = one syllable.
Every syllable block follows one of these patterns:
Practice
Read real Korean words
You already know enough to read these
With just the basic consonants and vowels you've learned, you can already read real Korean words. Try sounding out each one before looking at the answer.
Practice
Common mistakes to avoid
These trip up almost every beginner. Knowing them upfront saves weeks of confusion.
Relying on romanization
Romanization is a crutch. Korean sounds don't map 1:1 to English letters. ㄷ is closer to "t" than "d", but romanization writes "d". Learn the actual Korean sounds, not the English approximation.
Thinking Hangul has thousands of characters
There are only 24 basic letters. They combine into ~11,000 possible syllable blocks, but you don't memorize blocks. You learn 24 letters and the combination rules. It's an alphabet, not a character set.
Skipping double/compound vowels
Compound vowels (ㅐ, ㅔ, ㅘ, ㅝ, etc.) are combinations of basic vowels. Learn the basic vowels first, then compound vowels are straightforward because they sound like their parts combined.
Not practicing handwriting
Even if you type Korean, writing by hand cements stroke order and character recognition. Spend 10 minutes a day writing syllable blocks.
What to learn next
Now that you can read Hangul, start building grammar and vocabulary.
Frequently asked questions
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