🎓 Hangul for Absolute Beginners: Read Korean in Minutes!
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Korean is written using its unique alphabet called Hangul (한글). Designed in the 15th century by King Sejong the Great, Hangul is logical, scientific, and easy to learn — making it a perfect starting point for any Korean learner. In this post, you’ll discover how to read Hangul step by step.
📘 Table of Contents
- 1. What Is Hangul?
- 2. Structure of Korean Letters
- 3. Basic Vowels
- 4. Basic Consonants
- 5. How to Read Syllables
- 6. Practice Examples
- 7. Did You Know?
- 8. Want to Learn More Korean?
🔤 1. What Is Hangul?
Hangul is the Korean writing system composed of 14 basic consonants and 10 basic vowels. Unlike Chinese characters, Hangul is phonetic — each letter represents a sound.
📐 2. Structure of Korean Letters
Korean letters are grouped into blocks, each representing one syllable. Each block typically includes:
- 1 consonant + 1 vowel (e.g., 가 = ㄱ + ㅏ)
- Or 1 consonant + 1 vowel + 1 final consonant (e.g., 강 = ㄱ + ㅏ + ㅇ)
🟣 3. Basic Vowels
Here are 10 simple vowels:
| Vowel | Pronunciation | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| ㅏ | Like "a" in "father" | a |
| ㅓ | Like "uh" | eo |
| ㅗ | Like "o" in "go" | o |
| ㅜ | Like "oo" in "boot" | u |
| ㅡ | Unrounded "eu" sound | eu |
| ㅣ | Like "ee" in "see" | i |
| ㅐ | Like "e" in "met" | ae |
| ㅔ | Like "e" in "bed" | e |
| ㅚ | Like "we" | oe |
| ㅟ | Like "wi" in "week" | wi |
🟠 4. Basic Consonants
There are 14 basic consonants. Here are a few key ones:
| Consonant | Sound | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | g/k | g |
| ㄴ | n | n |
| ㄷ | d/t | d |
| ㄹ | r/l | r/l |
| ㅁ | m | m |
| ㅂ | b/p | b |
| ㅅ | s | s |
| ㅇ | ng or silent | ng/- |
| ㅈ | j | j |
🔁 5. How to Read Syllables
Let’s try reading these:
- 가 (ga): ㄱ + ㅏ
- 고 (go): ㄱ + ㅗ
- 감 (gam): ㄱ + ㅏ + ㅁ
- 밥 (bap): ㅂ + ㅏ + ㅂ
Just group the sounds together smoothly, and you’ve got it!
✍️ 6. Practice Examples
Here are a few easy Korean words:
사랑 (sarang) – Love
한국 (hanguk) – Korea
친구 (chingu) – Friend
밥 (bap) – Rice / Meal
고마워 (gomawo) – Thanks (casual)
💡 7. Did You Know?
Hangul was once banned during Japanese colonization (1910–1945), but Koreans secretly taught and used it to protect their identity. Today, Hangul Day is a national holiday celebrated on October 9th in South Korea.
🎓 8. Want to Learn More Korean?
👉 Book a Korean lesson with me on italki to build your skills from the alphabet all the way to full conversations.
📚 More Hangul Learning Resources:
🔗 HowToStudyKorean – Hangul Basics
🔗 Talk To Me In Korean – Level 1
It’s amazing how a few shapes can open up a whole new world. I hope this post helped you take your first steps with Hangul. Let’s keep exploring Korean together — check out more posts for grammar, culture, and language tips! 😊
