ㅂ “biep p/b makes the same sound as the b in banana. 엄마 is pronounced eo m ma which means mum. ㅁ “miem” m makes the same sound as the m in moon. 라면 is pronounced r a myeon which means ramen. ㄹ “riel” l/r makes the same sound as the l in lamp. 대한민국 is pronounced d ae han min guk which means South Korea. ㄷ “diget” d/t makes the same sound as the d in day. 노래 is pronounced n orae which means song.
ㄴ “nien” n makes the same sound as the n in nose. 가방 is pronounced k abang which means bag. ㄱ “giyeok” g/k makes the same sound as the g in good. OK, let’s learn the Korean Alphabet together! Korean Consonant #1 is ㄱ That’s why in this article we will break down each letter with the phonetics but also with examples of words in English containing that sound, so that it will be easier for you to learn it. If you are quite new to the Korean Alphabet and maybe not familiar with the transcription of phonetics, it might be difficult to get a grasp on the pronunciation at first.Īnd that’s OK by the way, the sounds are likely nothing like ones that you know. Additionally there are 27 complex letters formed by combining the basic letters from the above.14 consonant letters and 10 vowels.Īfter the basic letters of Hangul you will find two different sets of complex consonants (5 double consonants and 11 complex consonants) and one set of 11 complex vowels, making a total of 27 complex letters. Therefore, today only 24 of these remain in Hangul, the Korean Alphabet. Hangul used to be composed of 28 basic letters, but over the passage of time 4 letters were lost. However, these days it is written from left to right and uses western punctuation. You can also find it today written that way for aesthetic purposes (in poetry for example). In historical K-dramas, you might see Korean texts written and read top to bottom, right to left just like in Ancient China. Hangul has taken its revenge and is the one that remained in daily use. Whilst Hangul was still mocked by some intellectuals until the 20 th century, now Hanja letters are rarely in use anymore at all, with only a few exceptions (when writing letters for weddings or for New Year’s wishes for example). However, it became more and more widely used by women and lower class Koreans.
The goal was to invent an alphabet that was closer to the Korean pronunciation and would mimic the movements the mouth makes when you talk the language.Īt the beginning, this alphabet had to face the adversity of scholars (called yangbans). Indeed, the difference between the Chinese characters ( Hanja) and the pronunciation of Korean words were too different and it was difficult for many to be literate.ĭuring the Joseon dynasty in 1443, King Sejong designed an alphabet that could be easily read and written by people from all classes.
Korean Alphabet – A Quick History Lessonīefore the invention of Hangul, Koreans mostly used Classical Chinese but that was mostly for higher class Koreans. Take your time, relax, make a game out of it and we will be there to guide you through the process. Perhaps in this instance it’s better to disappoint King Sejong and take more than ten days to learn Hangul, than start learning Korean on a shaky basis. It might take a little work at the beginning but once you are familiar with Hangul it will be so much easier for you to continue working on your Korean skills. Maybe King Sejong was a bit harsh, it did take me a little bit more than that to be totally familiar with the Korean alphabet, but we get his drift! “A wise man acquaint himself with them before the morning over a stupid man learn them in the space of ten days.” To be able to master the Korean language, you have to learn the alphabet called Hangulĭon’t worry, it might look intimidating at first, but you’re in luck.Īccording to King Sejong The Great, who was the inventor of Hangul… Korean Alphabet – FAQ’s The Korean Alphabet – The Vowels (which we are going to learn together below)
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Korean Alphabet – FREE DOWNLOAD | THE ENTIRE ALPHABET Korean Alphabet – Summary of the Alphabet Maybe you just want to learn a new language for fun… but whatever your motive, the Korean Alphabet is an essential starting point for learning Korean. Today we are going to provide you with a definitive guide to the Korean Alphabet, known as Hangul 한글.Ĭhances are, you are here because you are interested in Korean and Korean culture? Maybe you have just binge-watched your favourite K-Drama, or you have just finished eating your take-out Bibimbap. The Korean Alphabet (Hangul 한글) ☀️ A Complete Beginners Guide