Learn Hangul: the Korean alphabet, letter by letter
Hangul is the easiest part of Korean. It was designed in 1443 as a phonetic alphabet, so every letter maps to one sound and letters stack into syllable blocks that you read left to right, top to bottom. Most learners can read simple words within a few hours.
This page lists all 40 letters — 14 basic consonants, 5 double consonants, 10 basic vowels and 11 compound vowels — with the letter name, its sound and the official romanization, then shows how blocks are assembled and how final consonants change sound. Finish with the games at the bottom to make the shapes automatic.
Hangul in five facts
Created by King Sejong and his scholars in 1443 and promulgated in 1446 as Hunminjeongeum. 24 basic letters, 40 in total with doubled and compound forms. Consonant shapes copy the position of the tongue and lips; vowel shapes combine three strokes for heaven (•), earth (ㅡ) and human (ㅣ). Letters are grouped into syllable blocks instead of written in a line. Hangul Day is 9 October, a national holiday in Korea.
14 basic consonants
Each consonant has a name (used when spelling aloud) and a sound. Several consonants are softer at the start of a word and firmer between vowels, which is why ㄱ is romanized g or k.
| Letter | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | 기역g / k | g as in go; k at the end of a syllable |
| ㄴ | 니은n | n as in no |
| ㄷ | 디귿d / t | d as in do; t at the end of a syllable |
| ㄹ | 리을r / l | a light r between vowels, l at the end of a syllable |
| ㅁ | 미음m | m as in me |
| ㅂ | 비읍b / p | b as in bay; p at the end of a syllable |
| ㅅ | 시옷s | s as in see; sh before ㅣ |
| ㅇ | 이응– / ng | silent at the start of a syllable; ng as in sing at the end |
| ㅈ | 지읒j | j as in jam |
| ㅊ | 치읓ch | ch as in chair, with a puff of air |
| ㅋ | 키읔k | k as in kite, with a puff of air |
| ㅌ | 티읕t | t as in tie, with a puff of air |
| ㅍ | 피읖p | p as in pie, with a puff of air |
| ㅎ | 히읗h | h as in hat |
5 double consonants
Written twice, pronounced with tension and no puff of air — closer to the sound after an s in English (the k in “sky”) than to a hard consonant.
| Letter | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ㄲ | 쌍기역kk | tense k, like the k in sky |
| ㄸ | 쌍디귿tt | tense t, like the t in stay |
| ㅃ | 쌍비읍pp | tense p, like the p in spy |
| ㅆ | 쌍시옷ss | tense s, a sharp hiss |
| ㅉ | 쌍지읒jj | tense j, no puff of air |
10 basic vowels
Vowels are written to the right of or below the consonant. Vertical vowels (ㅏ ㅓ ㅣ …) go to the right; horizontal vowels (ㅗ ㅜ ㅡ) go underneath.
| Letter | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ㅏ | 아a | a as in father |
| ㅑ | 야ya | ya as in yard |
| ㅓ | 어eo | eo — the u in cup, with rounded lips |
| ㅕ | 여yeo | yeo — y plus the sound above |
| ㅗ | 오o | o as in go, lips rounded |
| ㅛ | 요yo | yo as in yoga |
| ㅜ | 우u | u as in moon |
| ㅠ | 유yu | yu as in you |
| ㅡ | 으eu | eu — an unrounded u, lips flat as if smiling |
| ㅣ | 이i | i as in machine |
11 compound vowels
Combinations of the basic vowels. In modern Seoul speech ㅐ and ㅔ sound the same, as do ㅒ and ㅖ — do not worry about hearing the difference.
| Letter | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ㅐ | 애ae | ae — e as in bed |
| ㅒ | 얘yae | yae — y plus e as in bed |
| ㅔ | 에e | e as in bed (same as ㅐ today) |
| ㅖ | 예ye | ye as in yes |
| ㅘ | 와wa | wa as in water |
| ㅙ | 왜wae | wae — w plus e as in bed |
| ㅚ | 외oe | oe — sounds like we |
| ㅝ | 워wo | wo as in wonder |
| ㅞ | 웨we | we as in wet |
| ㅟ | 위wi | wi as in week |
| ㅢ | 의ui | ui — eu quickly followed by i; after a consonant it is just i |
How syllable blocks work
A block always starts with a consonant (use silent ㅇ if the syllable begins with a vowel), then a vowel, then optionally a final consonant called batchim. Read each block as one syllable.
| Block | Letters | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| 나 | ㄴ + ㅏ | na |
| 한 | ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ | han |
| 글 | ㄱ + ㅡ + ㄹ | geul |
| 밥 | ㅂ + ㅏ + ㅂ | bap |
| 왕 | ㅇ + ㅘ + ㅇ | wang |
Batchim: the 7 final sounds
Whatever consonant sits at the bottom of a block, only seven sounds are possible in that position. This is why 옷 (clothes) and 옫 would sound identical, and why romanization writes a final ㅅ as t.
| Final sound | Written as |
|---|---|
| ㄱk | ㄱ ㅋ ㄲ |
| ㄴn | ㄴ |
| ㄷt | ㄷ ㅌ ㅅ ㅆ ㅈ ㅊ ㅎ |
| ㄹl | ㄹ |
| ㅁm | ㅁ |
| ㅂp | ㅂ ㅍ |
| ㅇng | ㅇ |
Practise Hangul with free games
Reading Hangul becomes automatic through repetition, not memorization. These games from WeBring Korean drill stroke order, letter sorting, block assembly and dictation in a few minutes a day.
A three-day plan
- Day 1: the 14 basic consonants and 10 basic vowels. Trace each one and say its sound. Read the syllable examples above.
- Day 2: double consonants, compound vowels and batchim. Read menu items, station names and brand names you already know.
- Day 3: dictation. Listen and type in the games, then read a short K-pop lyric or a subtitle line out loud.
Hangul FAQ
- How long does it take to learn Hangul?
- Most learners read simple words after two to four hours and read comfortably within a week of daily practice. Reading quickly takes longer, but the alphabet itself is small and regular.
- Is Hangul the same as Korean?
- Hangul is the alphabet; Korean is the language. Learning Hangul lets you read and pronounce words but not understand them — that is the next step.
- Do I need to learn Hanja (Chinese characters)?
- No. Modern Korean is written almost entirely in Hangul. Hanja appears in some newspapers and names, but everyday reading does not require it.
- Why does the same letter get romanized two ways?
- Because its sound changes with position: ㄱ is g at the start of a word and k at the end of a syllable. Revised Romanization writes what you hear.
- Should I learn to write by hand or just type?
- Trace the letters at least once — it fixes the shapes in memory — then practise typing, since that is how you will use Korean most.
Practice with audio and quizzes on WeBring Korean — free.
Romanization follows the official Revised Romanization of Korean. Content reviewed on 2026-09-12.