Korean consonants for beginners

Learn Korean Consonants (한글 자음)

14 basic Korean consonants with pronunciation, examples, and easy practice words.

1. What are Korean Consonants?

한글(Hangeul)은 자음(consonants)과 모음(vowels)으로 이루어져 있습니다. 그중 14개의 기본 자음은 한국어 읽기와 쓰기의 뼈대가 되는 아주 중요한 글자입니다.

Hangeul, the Korean writing system, is built from consonants and vowels. The 14 basic consonants are the foundation of Korean syllables and words.

2. The 14 Basic Consonants

※ 발음 설명은 영어에 가장 가까운 소리를 기준으로 한 대략적인 안내입니다. 실제 한국어 발음은 단어 위치(처음/가운데/끝)에 따라 약간 달라질 수 있습니다.

Consonant	Romanization	Pronunciation Hint
ㄱ	g / k	Between “g” and unaspirated “k”; like g in go at the start, closer to k at the end of a syllable.
ㄴ	n	Like n in no.
ㄷ	d / t	Between “d” and unaspirated “t”; similar to d in dog at the start, closer to t at the end.
ㄹ	r / l	A flap sound between “r” and “l”; like a very quick r or soft l.
ㅁ	m	Like m in mom.
ㅂ	b / p	Between “b” and unaspirated “p”; like b in boy at the start, closer to p at the end.
ㅅ	s	Like s in sun; before ㅣ it can sound a bit like “sh”.
ㅇ	(silent) / ng	Silent at the start of a syllable; like ng in song at the end.
ㅈ	j	Like j in jump (slightly softer).
ㅊ	ch	Aspirated “ch”; like ch in chop with a stronger burst of air.
ㅋ	k	Strong, aspirated “k”; like k in key.
ㅌ	t	Strong, aspirated “t”; like t in top.
ㅍ	p	Strong, aspirated “p”; like p in pen with more air.
ㅎ	h	Like h in hat.

3. Simple Korean Words (Using Each Consonant)

아래 단어들은 각 자음을 첫소리(초성)로 사용한 예입니다. 괄호 안의 글자는 단어를 완성하는 나머지 부분입니다.

Korean Word	Romanization	English Meaning
가다	gada	to go
나	na	I, me (informal)
다 같이	da gachi	all together
라디오	radio	radio
마루	maru	(wooden) floor
바다	bada	sea
사진	sajin	photo, picture
아기	agi	baby
자	ja	ruler (measuring tool)
차	cha	car; tea (depends on context)
카드	kadeu	card (credit card, etc.)
타조	tajo	ostrich
파	pa	green onion, scallion
하늘	haneul	sky

4. Tips for Learning Korean Consonants

• Write each consonant many times while saying the sound out loud.
• Compare similar sounds (ㄱ vs ㅋ, ㄷ vs ㅌ, ㅂ vs ㅍ) to feel the difference in air and strength.
• Combine consonants with vowels (가, 나, 다, 라 …) to practice reading full syllables.
• Make your own mini word list using each consonant as the first sound of a word.

Start your Hangeul journey today and you will soon be able to read real Korean words on your own!