Easy Learn Korean

Some syllables of the Korean alphabet can be composed of one consonant and one vowel, one consonant and two vowels. The first and the last sounds are made of consonants, while the middle sound is composed of vowels. When the consonant is in the final position it is called a “받침”or bachim.? The sound the consonant makes can sometimes change whether it is in the initial position or the bachim. See below for a guide on how to pronounce the consonants depending on their position.

<Characters and Sound Values for First Consonants>

<Characters and Sound Values for Final Consonants (Bachim) >

[ㄱ] is pronounced as [g/k] when it is the first syllable of the word. However, it is pronounced like a [g] between vowels. Also, when it is used as the final consonant, it is pronounced by keeping the air in the mouth. Such a sound is called as an ‘unreleased sound’. For example, when someone is extremely surprised, he or she can say such a word as [ak] instead of [a:k].
[o] has different sound values depending on it’s position. When making the first sound, it is silent. However, when it is used as the final consonant, it sounds like ng or [ŋ].

Finally, let’s learn how to write Korean. Every character starts from the left side with a consonant. In other words, the initial consonant is written before the vowel. Also, it is written from top to bottom. Therefore, the final consonant is written at the end. For both consonants and vowels, it is necessary to write them from the left to the right and from the top to the bottom.

Please read the following words according to the principles detailed above

As shown above, the consonants and the vowels of Korean are very systematic, making it easy to learn the language. The illiteracy rate in Korea is very low compared to the rest of the world, thanks to the scientific properties of the Korean alphabet.

People in the Joseon Dynasty were able to learn to read and write in just a few hours, giving Hangeul the nickname of 아침글 (writing you can learn within a morning). Take just a little bit of time and learn to write the most scientific language in the world!

<More>

The Origins of Hangeul & The Structure of Korean

The Making and Pronunciation of Beginning Consonants

The Making and Pronunciation of Vowels

The Principle and the Reading Method of Syllables