Learn Hangul

Letters to learn: 24
Consonants: 14
Vowels: 10

Start here

Learn the letters. Each one is a single sound. Take the vowels first — there are only ten. The 10 vowels ›The 14 consonants ›
Put them in a box. Korean writes one syllable per square: ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ becomes 한. How the squares work ›
Test yourself. Reading is a habit, not a fact. A few minutes of drilling makes the letters automatic. Practise the letters ›

The 14 consonants

ㄱ g g in “go” ㄴ n n in “no” ㄷ d d in “do” ㄹ r between r and l ㅁ m m in “me” ㅂ b b in “boy” ㅅ s s in “see” ㅇ — no sound — ng at the end ㅈ j j in “jam” ㅊ ch ch in “chat” ㅋ k k in “kite” ㅌ t t in “top” ㅍ p p in “pot” ㅎ h h in “hat”

The 10 vowels

All 21 vowels

ㅏ a a in “father” ㅑ ya ya in “yard” ㅓ eo u in “but” ㅕ yeo yu in “yummy” ㅗ o o in “go” ㅛ yo yo in “yoga” ㅜ u oo in “moon” ㅠ yu “you” ㅡ eu oo with flat, smiling lips ㅣ i ee in “see”

Now test yourself

Practise the letters Consonants, vowels or whole syllables — you pick. No account, nothing to install.

Why it is easier than it looks

An extra stroke means more air

ㄱ → ㅋ ㄷ → ㅌ ㅂ → ㅍ ㅈ → ㅊ

The harder-looking letter in each pair is just the simple one with a line added. The line means: puff air out as you say it.

Double = tense

ㄱ → ㄲ ㄷ → ㄸ ㅂ → ㅃ ㅅ → ㅆ

Written twice, said tight and short with no puff at all. Five letters, no new shapes. Leave these until last.

Two marks on a vowel means “y”

ㅏ → ㅑ ㅓ → ㅕ ㅗ → ㅛ ㅜ → ㅠ

a becomes ya, o becomes yo. So the ten vowels are really six vowels and one rule.

Every page in this section

The 19 Consonants The 21 Vowels Building Syllable Blocks Batchim — Final Consonants Hangul Practice How to Write Hangul Revised Romanization Typing Korean

Once you can read: the first 1,065 words, beginner grammar, or a daily plan that hands you a short list every day.

Common questions

How long does it take to learn Hangul?

One afternoon to read it slowly. About a week of a few minutes a day to read it without thinking. It was designed in 1443 to be taught to people who had never read anything, and it still works that way.

Should I learn Hangul or romanization first?

Hangul, straight away. Romanization — writing Korean in English letters — is only for looking up a word you have heard. Reading “annyeonghaseyo” will never teach you to read 안녕하세요, and you need the second one.

Is Hangul an alphabet, or is it characters like Chinese?

An alphabet. Each letter is one sound, exactly like a, b, c. The letters are then grouped into little squares, one square per syllable, which is why Korean looks like characters. 한 is not a picture that means something — it is ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ written inside a box.

How many Hangul letters are there?

Twenty-four to start: 14 consonants and 10 vowels. Once those are easy there are 16 more that are made by combining them — 5 doubled consonants and 11 double vowels — for 40 in all.

Why do Korean words have circles in them?

That circle is ㅇ. At the start of a syllable it makes no sound at all — it is there because every square has to start with a consonant, so ㅇ holds the empty seat. At the bottom of a syllable the same letter is “ng”. So 앙 is simply “ang”.

What is the fastest way to memorise the letters?

Read them, then be tested on them the same day. The practice drill on this site shows you a letter and four possible sounds, and keeps whatever you get wrong so you see it again — ten minutes of that beats an hour of staring at a chart.