3.2 Consonants and Vowels (Korean)

# Consonants (자음)

Korean has 14 basic consonants that are the building blocks of the language. Each consonant has a distinct sound and shape that can combine with vowels to form syllables.

 

- **ㄱ (g/k)**: This consonant is pronounced like a soft "g" in "go" or "k" in "kite" when it appears at the beginning of a word.

- **ㄴ (n)**: Pronounced like "n" in "no."

- **ㄷ (d/t)**: Sounds like a soft "d" in "dog" or "t" in "top" at the beginning of a word.

- **ㄹ (r/l)**: Pronounced as a flap "r" or "l," similar to the "tt" in "butter" in American English.

- **ㅁ (m)**: Sounds like "m" in "moon."

- **ㅂ (b/p)**: Pronounced like a soft "b" in "boy" or "p" in "pot" at the beginning of a word.

- **ㅅ (s)**: Sounds like "s" in "sun."

- **ㅇ (silent/ng)**: Silent when it appears at the beginning of a syllable, but sounds like "ng" in "song" when at the end.

- **ㅈ (j)**: Pronounced like "j" in "jump."

- **ㅊ (ch)**: Sounds like "ch" in "chop."

- **ㅋ (k)**: Pronounced like "k" in "kite."

- **ㅌ (t)**: Sounds like "t" in "table."

- **ㅍ (p)**: Pronounced like "p" in "pen."

- **ㅎ (h)**: Sounds like "h" in "hat."

 

## Vowels (모음)

Korean has 10 basic vowels, each with a distinct sound. These vowels can also combine with each other to form compound vowels.

 

- **ㅏ (a)**: Pronounced like "a" in "father."

- **ㅑ (ya)**: Sounds like "ya" in "yarn."

- **ㅓ (eo)**: Pronounced like "u" in "cup."

- **ㅕ (yeo)**: Sounds like "yo" in "yawn."

- **ㅗ (o)**: Pronounced like "o" in "so."

- **ㅛ (yo)**: Sounds like "yo" in "yoga."

- **ㅜ (u)**: Pronounced like "oo" in "moon."

- **ㅠ (yu)**: Sounds like "yu" in "yule."

- **ㅡ (eu)**: Pronounced like "u" in "put."

- **ㅣ (i)**: Sounds like "ee" in "see."

 

### Combining Consonants and Vowels

In Hangul, consonants and vowels combine to form syllabic blocks. Each block consists of at least one consonant and one vowel. For example:

- **가 (ga)**: ㄱ + ㅏ

- **나 (na)**: ㄴ + ㅏ

- **다 (da)**: ㄷ + ㅏ

- **라 (ra/la)**: ㄹ + ㅏ

- **마 (ma)**: ㅁ + ㅏ

 

The structure of Hangul makes it easy to learn and intuitive, as each syllable block represents a complete sound unit, allowing for clear and efficient reading and writing.

 

For further study on Korean consonants and vowels, consider using resources like [How to Study Korean](https://www.howtostudykorean.com/) or [Talk to Me in Korean](https://talktomeinkorean.com/), which offer comprehensive lessons and practice exercises.