한국어 기초 (2): 한글 모음과 자음 How Many Consonants and Vowels Are in Korean?

Understanding Korean Consonants and Vowels

Korean uses the Hangul writing system, which consists of consonants and vowels. These are the building blocks of the Korean language and form syllables. In this guide, we’ll break down the basics of Korean consonants and vowels to help you get started.

 

Korean has a total of 19 consonants. These consonants are used both as initial sounds (초성, choseong) and as final sounds (종성, jongseong or batchim) in syllables. Let’s take a closer look!

 

1. Basic Consonants (14)

ConsonantRomanizationPronunciation

ㄱ	g/k	Like g in "go" or k in "kite"
ㄴ	n	Like n in "no"
ㄷ	d/t	Like d in "dog" or t in "top"
ㄹ	r/l	Similar to r in "run" or l in "call"
ㅁ	m	Like m in "moon"
ㅂ	b/p	Like b in "boy" or p in "pen"
ㅅ	s	Like s in "sun"
ㅇ	ng	Silent at the beginning of a syllable, like ng in "song" at the end
ㅈ	j	Like j in "jump"
ㅊ	ch	Like ch in "chop"
ㅋ	k	Like k in "kite" (aspirated)
ㅌ	t	Like t in "top" (aspirated)
ㅍ	p	Like p in "pen" (aspirated)
ㅎ	h	Like h in "hat"

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2. Tense Consonants (5)

Tense consonants are pronounced with more tension in the vocal cords.

ConsonantRomanizationPronunciation

ㄲ	kk	Strong k sound
ㄸ	tt	Strong t sound
ㅃ	pp	Strong p sound
ㅆ	ss	Strong s sound
ㅉ	jj	Strong j sound

 

 

Korean has a total of 21 vowels. These vowels can be divided into 10 basic vowels and 11 compound vowels (double vowels). Let's take a look at them!

 

1. Basic Vowels (10)

VowelRomanizationPronunciation Guide

ㅏ	a	Like a in "father"
ㅑ	ya	Like ya in "yarn"
ㅓ	eo	Like aw in "saw"
ㅕ	yeo	Similar to yaw in "yawn"
ㅗ	o	Like o in "go"
ㅛ	yo	Like yo in "yo-yo"
ㅜ	u	Like oo in "food"
ㅠ	yu	Like you
ㅡ	eu	Similar to u in "put" (but without lip rounding)
ㅣ	i	Like ee in "see"

 

2. Compound Vowels (11)

Compound vowels are formed by combining two basic vowels into one sound.

VowelRomanizationPronunciation Guide

ㅐ	ae	Like e in "bed"
ㅒ	yae	Similar to yeah
ㅔ	e	Like e in "bet"
ㅖ	ye	Like ye in "yes"
ㅘ	wa	Like wa in "water"
ㅙ	wae	Like way
ㅚ	oe	Like we in "wet"
ㅝ	wo	Like wo in "wonder"
ㅞ	we	Like way or we
ㅟ	wi	Like wee in "week"
ㅢ	ui	Starts as eu then transitions to i

 

 

How Hangul Vowels Work Together

In Korean, consonants and vowels come together to form syllables. A syllable block typically consists of:

1. Initial consonant
2. Vowel
3. (Optional) Final consonant (batchim)

In Korean, vowels combine with consonants to form syllables. For example:

• 가 (ga) = ㄱ (g) + ㅏ (a)
• 하 (ha) = ㅎ (h) + ㅏ (a)
• 회 (hoe) = ㅎ (h) + ㅚ (oe)

Mastering the 19 consonants and 21 vowels in Hangul is essential for reading, writing, and pronouncing Korean correctly. Once you get familiar with how consonants and vowels come together, you’ll be able to read Korean words and sentences with confidence! Happy learning!

 

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