Hannip 한입
Open the app
Korean Alphabet Chart: Hangul (한글)
Every Korean letter with its romanization, sound, and an example word. Learn to read Hangul — most beginners get it in under a week.
Updated June 2026 · Reading time ~6 min
The Korean alphabet is called Hangul (한글). Unlike Chinese characters, it's a true alphabet — each symbol is one sound — and it was deliberately designed in 1443 to be simple enough that "a wise person can learn it in a morning." Modern Hangul has 24 basic letters: 14 consonants and 10 vowels. Add the double consonants and compound vowels and you get 40 letters in total.
Tip: Don't memorize letters in isolation. Learn them by sound group, read a few real words out loud, and you'll absorb them far faster. Every word below is tappable for native audio in the Hannip app.
The 14 basic consonants (자음)
Consonants can sound slightly different at the start versus the end of a syllable — both are noted below.
| Letter | Romanization | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | g / k | g in "go" | 가방 gabang — bag |
| ㄴ | n | n in "now" | 나무 namu — tree |
| ㄷ | d / t | d in "dog" | 다리 dari — leg / bridge |
| ㄹ | r / l | between r and l | 라면 ramyeon — ramen |
| ㅁ | m | m in "mom" | 머리 meori — head |
| ㅂ | b / p | b in "boy" | 바다 bada — sea |
| ㅅ | s | s in "see" | 사람 saram — person |
| ㅇ | silent / ng | silent at start, "ng" at end | 우유 uyu — milk |
| ㅈ | j | j in "jump" | 자동차 jadongcha — car |
| ㅊ | ch | ch in "church" | 친구 chingu — friend |
| ㅋ | k | k in "kite" (aspirated) | 코 ko — nose |
| ㅌ | t | t in "top" (aspirated) | 토마토 tomato — tomato |
| ㅍ | p | p in "pen" (aspirated) | 포도 podo — grape |
| ㅎ | h | h in "hat" | 하늘 haneul — sky |
The 5 double consonants (쌍자음)
These are "tense" versions of basic consonants — say them harder and tighter, with no puff of air.
| Letter | Romanization | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㄲ | kk | tense k | 꿈 kkum — dream |
| ㄸ | tt | tense t | 땅 ttang — land |
| ㅃ | pp | tense p | 빵 ppang — bread |
| ㅆ | ss | tense s | 씨앗 ssiat — seed |
| ㅉ | jj | tense j | 짜다 jjada — salty |
The 10 basic vowels (모음)
Vowels are built from a vertical or horizontal line plus short strokes. A stroke added to a vowel adds a "y" sound.
| Letter | Romanization | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㅏ | a | a in "father" | 아기 agi — baby |
| ㅑ | ya | ya in "yacht" | 야구 yagu — baseball |
| ㅓ | eo | u in "but" | 어머니 eomeoni — mother |
| ㅕ | yeo | yu in "young" | 여자 yeoja — woman |
| ㅗ | o | o in "go" | 오리 ori — duck |
| ㅛ | yo | yo in "yo-yo" | 교실 gyosil — classroom |
| ㅜ | u | oo in "moon" | 우산 usan — umbrella |
| ㅠ | yu | you | 유리 yuri — glass |
| ㅡ | eu | oo in "good" (lips spread) | 그림 geurim — picture |
| ㅣ | i | ee in "see" | 이름 ireum — name |
The 11 compound vowels (복합 모음)
These are basic vowels combined. You don't need to memorize them separately — once you know the basics, these read themselves.
ㅐae · "bat"
ㅒyae
ㅔe · "bed"
ㅖye
ㅘwa
ㅙwae
ㅚoe · "way"
ㅝwo
ㅞwe
ㅟwi
ㅢui
How Korean letters build syllables
Korean doesn't write letters in a straight line. Instead, 2–4 letters stack into a square syllable block, always beginning with a consonant. Read top-to-bottom, left-to-right inside the block:
한 = ㅎ (h) + ㅏ (a) + ㄴ (n) → han
글 = ㄱ (g) + ㅡ (eu) + ㄹ (l) → geul
together: 한글 = Hangul, "the Korean script"
글 = ㄱ (g) + ㅡ (eu) + ㄹ (l) → geul
together: 한글 = Hangul, "the Korean script"
If a syllable has no leading consonant sound, the silent ㅇ fills the slot — that's why 아 (a) and 우 (u) start with a circle.
Hear every letter spoken by a native
Reading charts only gets you halfway. Hannip plays native audio for every letter and word, then quizzes you so it sticks — one minute a day.
Start learning Hangul free →Frequently asked questions
How many letters are in the Korean alphabet?
Modern Hangul has 24 basic letters — 14 consonants and 10 vowels. Including the 5 double consonants and 11 compound vowels, there are 40 letters in total.
Is Hangul hard to learn?
No. Hangul was engineered in 1443 to be easy, and the letter shapes hint at how they're pronounced. Most learners can read it within a few days to a week.
How long does it take to learn the Korean alphabet?
With around 15 minutes of daily practice, most beginners read Hangul in 3–7 days. Grouping letters by sound and adding audio (as Hannip does) speeds it up.
Should I learn romanization or Hangul first?
Learn Hangul first. Romanization is a crutch that often misleads on pronunciation. Hangul is so simple that reading the real script from day one pays off immediately.