I can read and write syllables with the nine basic consonants, hear that ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅈ are voiced between vowels, and recognize that Pusan in an older English text is 부산.
Nine consonants: one letter, two sounds
Nine consonants: one letter, two sounds
Today: nine consonants, ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅈ ㅎ, and ㅇ from lesson 1. See the table.
The key point: at the start of a word ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅈ are voiceless, almost k, t, p, ch, with only a light puff: less than the p of “pie”, more than the p of “spy”; between vowels they are voiced: g, d, b, j. In 가구 (furniture) the first ㄱ is almost [k], the second is [g]; in 바다 (sea) ㅂ is almost [p], ㄷ is [d]. An English speaker hears p at the start and b in the middle; in Korean it is one letter: write ㅂ in both places.
ㄹ between vowels is one quick tap of the tongue, like the tt of American “butter”: 우리 (we). At the end of a syllable ㄹ is a clear l, as in “leaf”: 말 (word); the bottom letters come in lesson 5.
ㄴ ㅁ ㅅ are close to English n, m, s; ㅎ is a light h on the breath.
Every letter has a name: 기역 is the name of ㄱ, 니은 of ㄴ. The name is for naming the letter; in a word ㄱ is read [k] or [g]. In the dictionary the letters go in this order: ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ ㅈ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ (ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ: lesson 3).
Common mistakes:
• NOT the strong puff of English “pie” at the start — 바다 is not “PAH-dah” with a burst of air.
• NOT an English r for ㄹ: 우리 is not [uɹi].
• NOT the letter's name instead of its sound — in a word you don't read “기역”.
Nine consonants and ㅇ
ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅈ: one letter, two sounds: voiceless at the start of a word, voiced between vowels.
| Letter | Name | Romanized | At the start of a word | Between vowels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | 기역 | g, k | almost [k] | [g] |
| ㄴ | 니은 | n | [n] | [n] |
| ㄷ | 디귿 | d, t | almost [t] | [d] |
| ㄹ | 리을 | r, l | — | a quick tap [ɾ]; at the end of a syllable [l] |
| ㅁ | 미음 | m | [m] | [m] |
| ㅂ | 비읍 | b, p | almost [p] | [b] |
| ㅅ | 시옷 | s | [s] | [s] |
| ㅈ | 지읒 | j | almost [tɕ] (ch) | [dʑ] (j) |
| ㅎ | 히읗 | h | a light [h] | fades |
| ㅇ | 이응 | — | silent | silent |
Lesson notes
Nine consonants: one letter, two sounds
Today: nine consonants, ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅈ ㅎ, and ㅇ from lesson 1. See the table.
The key point: at the start of a word ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅈ are voiceless, almost k, t, p, ch, with only a light puff: less than the p of “pie”, more than the p of “spy”; between vowels they are voiced: g, d, b, j. In 가구 (furniture) the first ㄱ is almost [k], the second is [g]; in 바다 (sea) ㅂ is almost [p], ㄷ is [d]. An English speaker hears p at the start and b in the middle; in Korean it is one letter: write ㅂ in both places.
ㄹ between vowels is one quick tap of the tongue, like the tt of American “butter”: 우리 (we). At the end of a syllable ㄹ is a clear l, as in “leaf”: 말 (word); the bottom letters come in lesson 5.
ㄴ ㅁ ㅅ are close to English n, m, s; ㅎ is a light h on the breath.
Every letter has a name: 기역 is the name of ㄱ, 니은 of ㄴ. The name is for naming the letter; in a word ㄱ is read [k] or [g]. In the dictionary the letters go in this order: ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ ㅈ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ (ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ: lesson 3).
Common mistakes:
• NOT the strong puff of English “pie” at the start — 바다 is not “PAH-dah” with a burst of air.
• NOT an English r for ㄹ: 우리 is not [uɹi].
• NOT the letter's name instead of its sound — in a word you don't read “기역”.
How Korean names are written in English
Older English books and maps spell Korean names in an older romanization (McCune–Reischauer, used until 2000), and family names keep their customary spelling. It helps you recognize a name but doesn't give the sound: we learn from hangul.
See the table. ㅂ at the start of a word is voiceless, so the older spelling is Pusan, while road signs today write Busan; ㄱ at the start gives K: Kim. In the same way ㄷ at the start gives T, and ㅈ gives Ch. So the b of Busan is not the b of “bus”: the Korean ㅂ at the start is a p with a light puff, less than in “pie” and more than in “spy”. You also hear the last letter of these syllables: its rule comes in lesson 5.
You don't write these spellings, you only recognize them. Answers are in hangul.