Learn Hangul: Korean consonants, vowels and syllable blocks

Hangul is the Korean writing system. Letters are arranged into syllable blocks rather than written in a single horizontal string.

Build your first syllable

ㄱ + ㅏ = 가. A syllable needs an initial consonant position and a vowel. In 아, initial ㅇ is silent. A final consonant, called batchim, sits below: ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ = 한.

19 initial consonant forms

21 vowel forms

Understand pronunciation in context

Romanization is a spelling aid, not an exact English pronunciation guide. Consonants can change sound depending on their position and neighbouring sounds. Final consonants behave differently from initial consonants; start with simple blocks before adding batchim.

Learn the basics of batchim →

Try combining letters

Select an initial consonant, a vowel and an optional final consonant in the studio. Listening uses your device’s Korean voice, when available; it does not grade your pronunciation.

Continue with Hangul reading practice · Korean–English Learners’ Dictionary