Hello Hangul co

In our last lesson, we covered the first five Korean consonants: ㄱ, ㄴ, ㅁ, ㅅ, and ㅇ.

These are the building blocks of Hangul, and today, we’re going to complete the full set of 14 basic consonants by learning the remaining nine.

Don’t worry—they’re easier than they look! Once you combine them with vowels, you’ll be reading real Korean syllables in no time.

Watch the Lesson Video

You can follow along with this lesson in our YouTube video:

Sound: Soft “d” as in dog (duh / de). At the end of a syllable, it changes to a “t” sound.
Tip: Lightly touch the roof of your mouth with your tongue.
Example: ㄷ + ㅏ = 다 (da)

Sound: Somewhere between “r” and “l.” At the beginning of a word, it sounds like a soft “r” (run). In the middle or end, it’s closer to “l” (leaf).
Tip: Flick your tongue against the roof of your mouth.
Example: ㄹ + ㅏ = 라 (ra/la)

Sound: Like “b” in bat. At the start of a word, it can sound like a soft “p,” and between vowels, it leans toward “b.”
Tip: Lips stay gently closed.
Example: ㅂ + ㅏ = 바 (ba)

Sound: Soft “j” as in jam, unaspirated. At the start of a word, it may sound a bit like “ch,” but without a strong burst of air.
Tip: Teeth slightly raised, tongue just under the roof of your mouth.
Example: ㅈ + ㅏ = 자 (ja)

Sound: Strong “ch” as in chat, with a noticeable burst of air. Sharper than ㅈ.
Tip: Think of it as ㅈ with an extra stroke, showing more breath.
Example: ㅊ + ㅏ = 차 (cha)

Sound: Soft “h” as in hat. Breathy and can slightly affect the following vowel.
Tip: The open circle = throat, the stroke = airflow.
Example: ㅎ + ㅏ = 하 (ha)

Let’s pair all nine consonants with the vowel ㅏ. Read them slowly at first, then gradually faster:

다 (da), 라 (ra/la), 바 (ba), 자 (ja), 차 (cha), 카 (ka), 타 (ta), 파 (pa), 하 (ha)

Friday, September 26, 2025