Learn Hangul: The Korean Alphabet in 1 Day
Have you ever wanted to read and write in Korean? 🤔
You're in the right place! Hangul (한글), the Korean alphabet, may look intimidating, but it's actually one of the most logical and easy-to-learn writing systems in the world. 🧠✍️
In this post, I’ll guide you through the basics of Hangul so you can start reading Korean in just one day!
🧩 What is Hangul?
Hangul is the writing system of the Korean language. It was invented in the 15th century by King Sejong the Great 👑 to improve literacy among common people.
It consists of 14 basic consonants and 10 basic vowels, and characters are combined into syllable blocks (not written linearly like English).
Examples:
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한 (Han)
-
국 (Guk)
Hangul is praised for its simplicity and scientific design. Even UNESCO has recognized it as one of the most scientific writing systems in the world! 🌏✨
🔤 The Basic Consonants
Here are the 14 basic consonants and their approximate English sounds:
| Korean | Romanization | Sound Like |
|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | g/k | good, skill |
| ㄴ | n | nose |
| ㄷ | d/t | door, stop |
| ㄹ | r/l | run, light |
| ㅁ | m | mom |
| ㅂ | b/p | boy, spa |
| ㅅ | s | snake |
| ㅇ | silent/ng | — / song |
| ㅈ | j | juice |
| ㅊ | ch | cheese |
| ㅋ | k | kick |
| ㅌ | t | top |
| ㅍ | p | pop |
| ㅎ | h | hat |
🗣️ The Basic Vowels
| Korean | Romanization | Sound Like |
|---|---|---|
| ㅏ | a | father |
| ㅑ | ya | yacht |
| ㅓ | eo | sun (soft "uh") |
| ㅕ | yeo | young |
| ㅗ | o | go |
| ㅛ | yo | yo-yo |
| ㅜ | u | moon |
| ㅠ | yu | yule |
| ㅡ | eu | pull (tight sound) |
| ㅣ | i | meet |
🧱 How Syllables Are Built
Hangul syllables are made by combining consonants and vowels into blocks.
For example:
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ㄱ + ㅏ = 가 (ga)
-
ㅂ + ㅓ + ㄴ = 번 (beon)
Each block represents one syllable and is read left to right, top to bottom.
🎯 How to Practice
Here’s how you can start learning TODAY:
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Print a Hangul chart 🖨️
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Practice writing each character ✍️
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Try reading simple words like “한글”, “한국”, “사랑”
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Use flashcards or apps like LingQ, TenguGo
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Watch a Hangul song video on YouTube 🎵
🚀 Bonus Tips
✅ Don’t memorize – understand the pattern
✅ Learn by writing real Korean words
✅ Say the sounds out loud to train your ear
👩🏫 Ready to Practice with a Real Teacher?
Learning Hangul is just the beginning. Let me help you take your Korean to the next level with 1-on-1 live lessons!
👉 Book a Lesson with Me on italki:
https://www.italki.com/ko/teacher/7916559
Let’s practice Korean together and make real progress! 💬📚
