Hangul is the Korean writing system, widely considered one of the most logical and learnable alphabets ever created. It was invented in 1443 by King Sejong the Great specifically to be easy for common people to learn.
Why Hangul Is Special
The consonant shapes reflect mouth position. The letter ㄱ (g/k) is shaped like the tongue touching the back of the palate. ㄴ (n) shows the tongue touching the front. ㅁ (m) represents closed lips.
Vowels are based on three elements: a vertical line (person), a horizontal line (earth), and a short stroke (sky).
The 14 Basic Consonants
| Letter | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | Giyeok | g/k |
| ㄴ | Nieun | n |
| ㄷ | Digeut | d/t |
| ㄹ | Rieul | r/l |
| ㅁ | Mieum | m |
| ㅂ | Bieup | b/p |
| ㅅ | Siot | s |
| ㅇ | Ieung | silent (initial) / ng (final) |
| ㅈ | Jieut | j/ch |
| ㅊ | Chieut | ch (aspirated) |
| ㅋ | Kieuk | k (aspirated) |
| ㅌ | Tieut | t (aspirated) |
| ㅍ | Pieup | p (aspirated) |
| ㅎ | Hieut | h |
The 10 Basic Vowels
| Letter | Sound | Similar to |
|---|---|---|
| ㅏ | a | "a" in "father" |
| ㅑ | ya | "ya" in "yard" |
| ㅓ | eo | Between "uh" and "oh" |
| ㅕ | yeo | "yuh" |
| ㅗ | o | "o" in "go" |
| ㅛ | yo | "yo" in "yoga" |
| ㅜ | u | "oo" in "moon" |
| ㅠ | yu | "you" |
| ㅡ | eu | Like "oo" but with unrounded lips |
| ㅣ | i | "ee" in "see" |
Syllable Blocks
Korean letters are grouped into syllable blocks. Each block contains 2-4 letters.
Every syllable block starts with a consonant (use silent ㅇ for vowel-initial syllables).
Example: 한글 (Hangul)
- 한 = ㅎ (h) + ㅏ (a) + ㄴ (n) = "han"
- 글 = ㄱ (g) + ㅡ (eu) + ㄹ (l) = "geul"
Example: 서울 (Seoul)
- 서 = ㅅ (s) + ㅓ (eo) = "seo"
- 울 = ㅇ (silent) + ㅜ (u) + ㄹ (l) = "ul"
Practice Strategy
Day 1-2: Learn the 14 basic consonants. Day 3-4: Learn the 10 basic vowels. Practice combining them. Day 5-7: Practice reading simple syllable blocks and common words. Week 2: Practice reading Korean text - signs, menus, K-pop lyrics.
Common First Words
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 한국 | Hanguk | Korea |
| 감사합니다 | Gamsahamnida | Thank you |
| 안녕하세요 | Annyeonghaseyo | Hello |
| 네 | Ne | Yes |
| 아니요 | Aniyo | No |
Learning Hangul unlocks everything: textbooks, signs, menus, subtitles. It is the single highest-return investment in your Korean learning journey.
At Targumi, our Korean tutors start with Hangul and build your reading confidence from the very first lesson.
Sources and References
- Korean — Ethnologue: Korean is spoken by about 81 million speakers. Language family: Koreanic family.
- Wikipedia — Korean: encyclopedic information on the language, its geographic area and official status.
- Targumi — Learn Korean: courses with certified native teachers.
Further Reading
- Learn Korean on Targumi — courses with native teachers
- All languages on Targumi — 106 languages taught