1. Hangeul Syllable Blocks

Korean is written with Hangeul, a system where letters are grouped into small syllable blocks. Each block is read as one syllable. A block is usually made from:

• Initial consonant (called choseong)
• Vowel (called jungseong)
• Optional final consonant (called jongseong)

The chart you see on this page uses only the first two parts: an initial consonant + a vowel. There are no final consonants in this chart.

2. Why the Chart Is a Grid

The chart is organized like a table or grid:

• The top row shows the main Korean vowels: ㅏ, ㅑ, ㅓ, ㅕ, ㅗ, ㅛ, ㅜ, ㅠ, ㅡ, ㅣ.
• Each left column cell shows one consonant: ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, …, ㅎ.

Every other cell in the grid is one consonant from the left combined with one vowel from the top. That is why you see patterns like: 가, 갸, 거, 겨, 고, 교, 구, 규, 그, 기 in the row for ㄱ.

3. How Each Row Is Built (Consonant Fixed, Vowel Changes)

In each row, the consonant stays the same and the vowel changes from left to right.

For example, in the ㄱ row:

• ㄱ + ㅏ → 가 (ga)
• ㄱ + ㅑ → 갸 (gya)
• ㄱ + ㅓ → 거 (geo)
• … and so on, until ㄱ + ㅣ → 기 (gi)

When you move across a row, you are hearing how the same consonant sounds with different vowels.

4. How Each Column Is Built (Vowel Fixed, Consonant Changes)

If you look at a vertical column, the vowel stays the same and the consonant changes from top to bottom.

For example, in the ㅏ column:

• ㄱ + ㅏ → 가 (ga)
• ㄴ + ㅏ → 나 (na)
• ㄷ + ㅏ → 다 (da)
• ㄹ + ㅏ → 라 (ra/la)
• … continuing down to ㅎ + ㅏ → 하 (ha)

When you move down a column, you are hearing how the same vowel sounds with different consonants.

5. The Special Case of ㅇ

The row with ㅇ looks different. At the beginning of a syllable, ㅇ has no sound. It is a silent “place holder” that shows “there is no real consonant here”.

That means:

• ㅇ + ㅏ → 아 (a)
• ㅇ + ㅑ → 야 (ya)
• ㅇ + ㅓ → 어 (eo)
• … and so on, up to ㅇ + ㅣ → 이 (i)

These blocks show pure vowel syllables. The chart includes this row so that every vowel also appears by itself as a syllable.

6. Why This Chart Has No Final Consonants

Korean syllables can also have a final consonant (받침, batchim), like: 강, 말, 꽃. If we included every consonant + vowel + final consonant in one chart, it would be extremely large and hard to read.

This chart focuses on the most basic pattern: initial consonant + vowel (CV). Once you are comfortable with these combinations, you can add final consonants later to make complete syllables.

7. How to Practice with the Chart

1. Pick one consonant row and read it from left to right aloud (for example, 가, 갸, 거, 겨, 고…).
2. Pick one vowel column and read it from top to bottom (for example, 가, 나, 다, 라, 마…).
3. Cover parts of the chart and try to guess the syllable: “What is ㄷ + ㅗ?” → 도.
4. Listen for patterns: notice how your mouth shape changes with each vowel, while the consonant stays the same.

By understanding this simple grid pattern, you can quickly see that Korean syllables are systematic and regular: each cell is just one consonant and one vowel combined into a neat square block.