ㅏ
aOpen the mouth; keep lips unrounded.
Hangul sounds
Learn how Korean letters become syllables. Compare a consonant’s name with its sound, listen to all 21 vowel letters, and combine them yourself.
Choose a sound to listen.
Consonants
A letter’s name is not its sound in a word
ㄱ is called 기역, ㄴ is 니은, and ㄷ is 디귿. To read 가, combine the sound of ㄱ with ㅏ; do not say the letter name 기역 followed by 아. A consonant is demonstrated here inside a syllable, because its name alone does not teach the sound used in words.
Listen to 가–카–까, 다–타–따 and 바–파–빠. The plain, aspirated and tense consonants differ in articulation, not just loudness. ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ and ㅊ use a stronger puff of air. Double letters represent tense sounds; they are not read twice.
ㅇ is silent at the start of a syllable, as in 아, but sounds like ng at the end, as in 강. ㄹ is often a short tongue tap before a vowel and an l-like sound at the end. Letters such as ㄱ, ㄷ and ㅂ also change with position. Final consonants need separate practice; the samples below demonstrate syllable beginnings.
| Letter | Letter name | Reading aid | With ㅏ |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | g / k | ||
| ㄴ | n | ||
| ㄷ | d / t | ||
| ㄹ | r / l | ||
| ㅁ | m | ||
| ㅂ | b / p | ||
| ㅅ | s | ||
| ㅇ | — / ng | ||
| ㅈ | j | ||
| ㅊ | ch | ||
| ㅋ | k | ||
| ㅌ | t | ||
| ㅍ | p | ||
| ㅎ | h |
| Letter | Letter name | Reading aid | With ㅏ |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㄲ | kk | ||
| ㄸ | tt | ||
| ㅃ | pp | ||
| ㅆ | ss | ||
| ㅉ | jj |
Vowels
Start with the 10 basic vowel letters, then the 11 combined forms. These groups describe the written letters, not a division into 10 simple sounds and 11 diphthongs. A vowel starts with silent ㅇ when written as a full syllable: ㅏ → 아. Romanization such as eo or eu is a label, not two English vowel sounds.
10 basic vowel letters
ㅑ
yaBegin with a short y-like glide, then the vowel, in one syllable.
ㅓ
eoKeep the lips unrounded and listen to 어. The label eo represents one vowel, not e + o.
ㅕ
yeoBegin with a short y-like glide, then the vowel, in one syllable.
ㅗ
oRound the lips. Compare 오 and 우; the tongue is higher for 우.
ㅛ
yoBegin with a short y-like glide, then the vowel, in one syllable.
ㅜ
uRound the lips. Compare 오 and 우; the tongue is higher for 우.
ㅠ
yuBegin with a short y-like glide, then the vowel, in one syllable.
ㅡ
euKeep the tongue high and back, without rounding the lips.
ㅣ
iKeep the tongue high and forward, with unrounded lips.
11 combined vowel letters
ㅐ
aeMany modern speakers pronounce ㅐ and ㅔ alike. Learn their spelling separately.
ㅒ
yaeBegin with a short y-like glide, then the vowel, in one syllable.
ㅔ
eMany modern speakers pronounce ㅐ and ㅔ alike. Learn their spelling separately.
ㅖ
yeBegin with a short y-like glide, then the vowel, in one syllable.
ㅘ
waGlide from rounded lips into the next vowel, as one syllable.
ㅙ
waeGlide from rounded lips into the next vowel, as one syllable.
ㅚ
oeOften pronounced like we; a single rounded vowel is also standard.
ㅝ
woGlide from rounded lips into the next vowel, as one syllable.
ㅞ
weGlide from rounded lips into the next vowel, as one syllable.
ㅟ
wiOften pronounced wi; a single high rounded front vowel is also standard.
ㅢ
uiPractice 으 → 이 as one syllable. Its pronunciation can change in words and in the particle 의.
Build a syllable
A Korean syllable block begins with a consonant position and a vowel. With a vertical vowel, place it to the right: ㄱ + ㅏ = 가. With a horizontal vowel, place it below: ㄱ + ㅗ = 고. A final consonant sits underneath: ㄱ + ㅏ + ㅇ = 강. This builder practices blocks without final consonants.
ㄱ + ㅏ = 가
Quick practice
Which consonant begins this syllable?
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가
About this guide
K Word combines vocabulary practice with introductory Hangul lessons. This guide was written and translated with AI assistance and has not been independently reviewed by a Korean-language teacher. The audio is synthesized Korean, not a human recording of isolated speech sounds. Compare letter names and syllable examples; use the official references for the full spelling and pronunciation rules.
Official references (Korean)
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