Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, is known for its scientific design and ease of learning.
It consists of 14 basic consonants and 10 basic vowels, which can be combined to form various syllables and words. Let's take a closer look at the 14 basic consonants:
| ㄱ | g/k | g (as in "good")/k (as in "sky") | Starts with a soft 'g' sound and ends with a 'k' sound depending on its position. |
| ㄴ | n | n (as in "no") | A simple 'n' sound. |
| ㄷ | d/t | d (as in "do")/t (as in "stop") | Starts with a soft 'd' sound and ends with a 't' sound depending on its position. |
| ㄹ | r/l | r (rolled or flapped)/l (as in "light") | A unique sound that can be pronounced as a rolled 'r', flapped 'r', or 'l'. |
| ㅁ | m | m (as in "me") | A simple 'm' sound. |
| ㅂ | b/p | b (as in "bad")/p (as in "pen") | Starts with a soft 'b' sound and ends with a 'p' sound depending on its position. |
| ㅅ | s | s (as in "see") | A simple 's' sound. |
| ㅇ | - /ng | silent (at the start of a syllable)/ng (as in "sing") | Silent when it starts a syllable, but pronounced as 'ng' when it ends a syllable. |
| ㅈ | j | j (as in "jeep") | Similar to the 'j' sound in English. |
| ㅊ | ch | ch (as in "cheese") | A stronger, aspirated 'ch' sound. |
| ㅋ | k | k (as in "kite") | A stronger, aspirated 'k' sound. |
| ㅌ | t | t (as in "top") | A stronger, aspirated 't' sound. |
| ㅍ | p | p (as in "pen") | A stronger, aspirated 'p' sound. |
| ㅎ | h | h (as in "hat") | A simple 'h' sound. |
Key Points
- Romanization: The Romanization provided is an approximation of the Korean sounds. The actual pronunciation may vary slightly.
- Aspiration: The consonants ㅊ, ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ are aspirated, meaning they are pronounced with a stronger puff of air.
- Positional Variation: Some consonants (ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ) have different sounds depending on whether they are at the beginning or end of a syllable.
Learning these basic consonants is the first step towards mastering the Korean language. Remember to practice their pronunciation and writing to build a strong foundation for your Korean language journey!