Complete Korean Alphabet (조선글) A to Z for Beginners

Key takeaways:

• Hangul, the Korean alphabet, was created in the 15th century to make reading and writing accessible to everyone.
• Its structure is based on syllable blocks that combine consonants and vowels. Unlike other Asian writing systems, it uses spaces between words, just like English.
• The Korean alphabet has 24 basic letters (14 consonants and 10 vowels) plus compound consonants and vowels, similar to diphthongs in English or Portuguese.
• The final consonant in a block, called batchim, can change its sound and affect the pronunciation of the next syllable.
• Romanization can help beginners, but it’s risky—it often leads to pronunciation mistakes and is not used by Koreans in daily life.

History and Origin of the Korean Alphabet (Hangul)

The story of Hangul is fascinating. The Korean alphabet was created in the 15th century by King Sejong, the fourth monarch of the Joseon dynasty (1393–1910).

Before this invention, Korean was written using Chinese characters, in a system called hanja. King Sejong’s goal was to make literacy easier for common people, especially farmers and workers, who had little access to education.

From the very beginning, Hangul was designed to simplify communication, which is why it’s often praised as one of the most efficient writing systems in the world.

Some people say you can learn Hangul in just one day because of its simplicity. While that’s an exaggeration, you’ll soon see why its design makes learning so beginner-friendly.

The project was officially published in 1446 in a document called Hunminjeongeum (“The Proper Sounds for the Instruction of the People”). In South Korea, October 9 is celebrated as Hangul Day, while in North Korea, the date is marked on January 15.

Structure and Rules of the Korean Alphabet for Beginners

Before we dive into the characters, let’s understand how Hangul works—because it’s very different from the Latin alphabet used in English.

Like our alphabet, Hangul is made up of consonants and vowels.
But here’s the key difference:

• In English, letters are written one after the other in a straight line.
• In Korean, letters are combined into blocks that represent syllables.

These syllable blocks are called jamo (글자). Each block has at least two and up to five letters.

For example: The word banana has three syllables: ba-na-na. In Korean, it’s written as 바나나—and it’s pronounced almost the same as in English. Each block (바, 나, 나) is a jamo representing one syllable.

A Korean syllable block can follow different patterns. Each block must have at least one consonant and one vowel, and it may also include a final consonant called batchim (we’ll explain more about this soon).

The position of the letters inside the block changes depending on the type of vowel:

• Vertical vowels: the consonant goes on the left, and the vowel goes on the right.
• Horizontal vowels: the consonant goes on top, and the vowel goes underneath.

Another important rule: Korean words rarely start with a vowel. When a syllable begins with a vowel sound, Koreans use the letter ㅇ (ieung). At the beginning of a syllable, this letter is silent — a bit like the “h” in the English word hour.

Korean words can be made up of one or many syllables. And unlike Japanese or Chinese, Hangul uses spaces between words, just like English.

In total, the Korean alphabet has 24 basic letters:

• 14 consonants
• 10 vowels

On top of that, there are also compound vowels and consonants (sometimes called double letters), which combine basic sounds into new ones.

Vowels in the Korean Alphabet (Hangul)

The vowels in the Korean alphabet are divided into simple vowels and compound vowels.

Simple Vowels in Hangul

Note: When a syllable starts with only a vowel sound, you must add the consonant ㅇ at the beginning of the block. In this position, ㅇ is silent.

These vowels also have fixed positions inside syllable blocks:

• ㅏ, ㅑ, ㅓ, ㅕ, ㅣ → placed to the right of the consonant.
• ㅗ, ㅛ, ㅜ, ㅠ, ㅡ → placed underneath the consonant.

Compound Vowels in Hangul

Compound vowels are formed by combining two simple vowels. They work like diphthongs in English (two vowels joined in one syllable, like oi in coin).

Consonants in the Korean Alphabet (Hangul)

The consonants in Hangul are divided into three groups:

• Simple consonants (ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅅ,ㅇ e ㅈ): These consonants are softer and often change slightly depending on their position in a word.
• Consoantes aspiradas (ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅊ): These are pronounced with a strong burst of air (aspiration). They keep the same sound no matter where they appear.
• Tense (double) consonants (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ): These are pronounced with a tense, “hard” sound. Unlike aspirated ones, they do not involve extra air. Their sound is sharper and stronger.

Simple Consonants in Hangul

Aspirated Consonants in Hangul

These are pronounced with a strong puff of air:

Tense (Double) Consonants in Hangul

These are pronounced with extra tension: sharper and stronger, without added air:

Batchim (받침): Final Consonant of a Block

Batchim refers to consonants placed at the bottom of a syllable block. Their pronunciation often changes depending on position, and it can affect the next syllable.

There are 7 main batchim sounds:

• k → ㄱ, ㅋ, ㄲ (ex: 먹어요 meok-eo-yo)
• n → ㄴ (ex: 눈 nun = eye/snow)
• t → ㄷ, ㅅ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ, ㅎ, ㅆ (ex: 옷 ot = clothes, where ㅅ sounds like t)
• r / l → ㄹ (ex: 말 mal = horse/speech)
• m → ㅁ (ex: 마음 ma-eum = heart)
• p → ㅂ, ㅍ (ex: 집 jip = house)
• ng → ㅇ (ex: 강 gang = river)

Important rule: if a block ends with batchim and the next block starts with ㅇ (silent at the beginning), the batchim sound “moves over.”

Example: 먹어요 (meok-eo-yo) is pronounced as 머거요 (meo-geo-yo).

Alphabetical Order of Hangul

In the Latin alphabet, letters follow a linear sequence from A to Z. In Hangul, however, you don’t order individual letters in the same way. Instead, syllable blocks are organized following the pattern:

Initial consonant → vowel → final consonant.

• Basic order of consonants:
  ㄱ ㄲ ㄴ ㄷ ㄸ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅃ ㅅ ㅆ ㅇ ㅈ ㅉ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ
• Basic order of vowels:
  ㅏ ㅐ ㅑ ㅒ ㅓ ㅔ ㅕ ㅖ ㅗ ㅘ ㅙ ㅚ ㅛ ㅜ ㅝ ㅞ ㅟ ㅠ ㅡ ㅢ

For everyday study and practice, there’s also a simplified order. This combines each simple consonant with the vowel ㅏ (a), ignoring compound vowels and double consonants.

Examples:

• 가 (ga)
• 각 (gak)
• 간 (gan)
• 갈 (gal)
• 감 (gam)
• 갑 (gap)
• 값 (gaps)
• 갓 (gat)

Complete List of the Korean Alphabet with Translation and Pronunciation

In the Latin alphabet, letters follow a linear sequence from A to Z. In Hangul, however, you don’t order individual letters in the same way. Instead, syllable blocks are organized following the pattern:

Letter Combinations and Digraphs in English Alphabet Pronunciation

The are 5 vowels and 21 consonants among English alphabet letters. However, each letter can be pronounced in a few different ways, creating over 40 distinct sounds. There are various combinations and sequences of English letters and sounds. 

Consonant Clusters and Digraphs

Consonant clusters are sequences of two or more consonant sounds that appear together in a word without any vowel sounds between them. They can occur at a word’s beginning, middle, or end. Let’s look at some common examples:

at the beginning: 

straight,

 splash,

 strong,

 three,

 scratch,

 spread,

 sphere;

in the middle:

instrument, 

inscribe, 

wrestle, 

monster, 

promptly, 

catcher, 

helpless; 

at the end: 

world, 

tempt, 

lunch, 

months, 

first, 

bursts,

script.

Some of the consonant clusters often create digraphs – combinations of two letters that create a single sound. 

• ch – /tʃ/ – cheese, chair, church, charm.
• sh – /ʃ/ – ship, sheet, shape, shoe.
• th – /θ/ (pronuonced like “s” with a tongue between teeth) – thin, teeth, health, thanks.
• th - /ð/ (pronounced like “z” with a tongue between teeth) - these, although, that,
• ph – /f/ – phone, photo, philosophy, pharmacy. 

It’s important to note that the pronunciation of consonant clusters can vary in different languages and dialects. These examples represent common patterns in the English alphabet, but other tongues may have different digraphs or consonant clusters.

Silent Letters

English language might be challenging for many language-learners. Sometimes, when you write the word down, it has more letters than when you pronounce it. That’s because of the silent letters – the ones that are present in the written version of the term but are omitted when said out loud. Almost every vowel and consonant in the English alphabet can be silent. 

• b – thumb /θʌm/, comb /koʊm/, lamb /læm/;
• c – muscle /ˈmʌsəl/;
• d – Wednesday /ˈwɛnzdeɪ/;
• e – come /kʌm/, give /ɡɪv/;
• g – gnaw /nɔː/, sign /saɪn/, reign /reɪn/;
• h – honest /ˈɒnɪst/, ghost /ɡoʊst/;
• k – knee /niː/, knife /naɪf/, know /noʊ/;
• l – calf /kæf/, salmon /ˈsæmən/;
• n – hymn /hɪm/, autumn /ˈɔːtəm/;
• p – pneumonia /njuːˈmoʊniə/, psychology /saɪˈkɒlədʒi/;
• t – castle /ˈkæsəl/, ballet /bæˈleɪ/;
• w – wraith /reɪθ/, wrinkle /ˈrɪŋkəl/;
• x – faux /foʊ/.

Tricky silent letters can appear anytime you learn the English alphabet. Yet, they are still very important. Such letters help us distinguish homophones (for example, night and knight) and provide the information about the etymology and origins of particular words.

Why Romanization Can Be Tricky When Learning the Korean Alphabet

Romanization refers to writing Korean words using the Latin alphabet. For example: 한글 → Hangul.

While it may seem helpful at first, relying too much on romanization can actually make learning harder. In real life, Koreans rarely use it — you’ll only see it in contexts like passports, official documents, or tourist signs.

Another issue: most romanization systems are based on English pronunciation. This can confuse learners who speak other languages, since the letters may not represent the actual Korean sounds correctly.

Romanization can be a stepping stone, but the sooner you focus on Hangul itself, the faster your pronunciation will improve.

How to Learn the Korean Alphabet Step by Step

Here’s a simple plan to guide your Hangul studies:

• Understand the structure of Hangul: Unlike English, where letters are written in a straight sequence, Hangul letters group into syllable blocks. Learn how these blocks are built to recognize each syllable as a complete unit.
• Learn vowels and consonants: Study in small steps. Start with simple vowels and consonants, then move to aspirated and double consonants, compound vowels, and the rules of batchim. One of Hangul’s strengths is its consistency: most letters represent just one sound.
• Practice writing: Use Korean handwriting practice books or grid notebooks to train your writing. Remember: the usual stroke order is from top to bottom and left to right.
• Use the right tools: Apps, flashcards, and interactive lessons make it easier to memorize letters and practice daily. The key is short, consistent practice.

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At Promova, we turn complexity into something simple, accessible, and achievable. Start your adventure with the Korean language today!

Final Thoughts

Hangul is a fascinating entry point into the Korean language. Thanks to its clear logic and structure, it’s much easier to learn than many expect. By mastering syllable blocks, pronunciation, and batchim rules, you’ll build a solid foundation that makes the rest of Korean far more approachable.

With the right learning method—and a little consistency—your Korean language goals are not only possible, they’re within reach.