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Lesson 5 — Making Korean Syllables (한글 음절 만들기)

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Lesson 5 — Making Korean Syllables (한글 음절 만들기)

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📌 Key Points

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Hangul letters are organized into square-like syllable blocks.

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The basic syllable pattern is C + V.

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A syllable with 받침 follows C + V + C.

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Vertical vowels normally place the consonant on the left and vowel on the right.

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Horizontal vowels normally place the consonant above and vowel below.

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Complex vowels still function as one medial vowel inside a syllable.

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Initial ㅇ is silent before a vowel.

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Final ㅇ represents the ng sound.

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받침 occupies the final position of a syllable.

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Korean final consonants are traditionally organized into seven representative coda sound categories.

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연음 allows a final consonant to connect to a following vowel-initial syllable in pronunciation.

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Korean spelling does not change simply because connected pronunciation changes.

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겹받침 contains two written consonants in the final position.

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There are 11 standard 겹받침 combinations.

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Syllable blocks combine to form words.

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Different block structures can appear together inside the same word.

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Spaces indicate word/grammatical-unit boundaries, not syllable boundaries.

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Korean verbs commonly appear toward the end of sentences.

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Reading fluency develops from letter recognition → syllable recognition → word recognition → connected sentence reading.

📈 Your Progress

Lesson 5 — Making Korean Syllables (한글 음절 만들기)

Introduction to Korean Syllable Blocks (한글 음절 블록 소개)

In the previous lessons, you learned basic vowels, consonants, double consonants, and complex vowels. Now you are ready for one of the most important steps in learning Hangul: combining consonants and vowels to create Korean syllable blocks.

This lesson will teach you how individual Hangul letters come together to form readable Korean syllables such as:

가 · 너 · 미 · 소 · 한 · 국 · 물 · 안 · 과

Rather than writing letters in one long horizontal line, Korean groups them into compact syllable blocks (음절 블록). Understanding these blocks is essential for reading and writing Korean.

What Is a Korean Syllable? (한글 음절이란?)

A syllable (음절) is a unit of pronunciation that is normally spoken as one beat.

For example:

Every visible square-like unit represents one syllable block.

For example:

한국

is divided into:

한 + 국

Each block contains several Hangul letters.

한 = ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ

국 = ㄱ + ㅜ + ㄱ

So:

Letters combine to make syllable blocks, and syllable blocks combine to make Korean words.

Hangul Letters Are Grouped into Blocks

English letters are normally written one after another:

H + A + N → HAN

Hangul works differently.

The Korean letters:

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ

are arranged together inside an imaginary square:

한

They are not normally written as:

❌ ㅎㅏㄴ

when writing the Korean syllable itself.

Instead:

✅ 한

This square-like arrangement is called a syllable block.

Important Rule

Every Korean syllable block normally begins with a consonant position and contains a vowel.

The simplest structure is:

Consonant + Vowel

or:

C + V

Example:

ㄱ + ㅏ → 가

ㄴ + ㅏ → 나

ㅁ + ㅗ → 모

ㅅ + ㅜ → 수

Three Main Parts of a Korean Syllable

A Korean syllable may contain three main positions:

① Initial consonant — 초성

The consonant beginning the syllable.

② Medial vowel — 중성

The vowel in the syllable.

③ Final consonant — 종성

An optional consonant at the bottom/end of the syllable.

The structure can therefore be:

Initial + Vowel

or:

Initial + Vowel + Final

For example:

가

ㄱ + ㅏ

Initial consonant: ㄱ
Vowel: ㅏ
Final consonant: none

But:

간

ㄱ + ㅏ + ㄴ

Initial consonant: ㄱ
Vowel: ㅏ
Final consonant: ㄴ

초성, 중성, 종성

These three Korean terms are extremely useful.

Take:

한

Break it apart:

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ

So:

초성 → ㅎ

중성 → ㅏ

종성 → ㄴ

Now look at:

가

ㄱ + ㅏ

초성 → ㄱ

중성 → ㅏ

종성 → 없음 (none)

The Basic Syllable Formula

For beginners, Korean syllables can first be understood using two major patterns.

Pattern 1 — C + V

Consonant + Vowel

Examples:

Letters	Block	Romanization
ㄱ + ㅏ	가	ga
ㄴ + ㅏ	나	na
ㄷ + ㅏ	다	da
ㅁ + ㅗ	모	mo
ㅂ + ㅜ	부	bu
ㅅ + ㅗ	소	so

Pattern 2 — C + V + C

Consonant + Vowel + Final Consonant

Examples:

Letters	Block	Romanization
ㄱ + ㅏ + ㄴ	간	gan
ㅁ + ㅜ + ㄹ	물	mul
ㅂ + ㅏ + ㅂ	밥	bap
ㅅ + ㅏ + ㄴ	산	san
ㄱ + ㅜ + ㄱ	국	guk
ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ	한	han

The final consonant is called:

받침

You will study 받침 (final consonants) in much greater detail later.

For now, simply understand that a consonant can sometimes appear underneath the main consonant-vowel combination.

Why Do Syllable Blocks Have Different Shapes?

Korean blocks change their internal arrangement according to the shape of the vowel.

Compare:

가

and

고

Both contain ㄱ, but the letters are positioned differently.

Why?

Because:

ㅏ is a vertical-style vowel.

ㅗ is a horizontal-style vowel.

Therefore:

ㄱ + ㅏ → 가

The consonant goes on the left, and the vowel goes on the right.

But:

ㄱ + ㅗ → 고

The consonant goes on top, and the vowel goes below it.

This is one of the most important principles you will master throughout this lesson.

Vertical-Vowel Syllables

With vertical vowels, the initial consonant generally appears on the left, while the vowel appears on the right.

Examples of vertical-style vowels include:

ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅣ ㅐ ㅔ

and several complex vowels.

Structure

C │ V

Examples:

ㄱ + ㅏ → 가

ㄴ + ㅓ → 너

ㅁ + ㅣ → 미

ㅅ + ㅔ → 세

Visually:

Left	Right	Result
ㄱ	ㅏ	가
ㄴ	ㅓ	너
ㅁ	ㅣ	미
ㅂ	ㅔ	베

Horizontal-Vowel Syllables

With horizontal vowels, the consonant generally appears above the vowel.

Examples include:

ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ

Structure

Examples:

ㄱ + ㅗ → 고

ㄴ + ㅜ → 누

ㅁ + ㅗ → 모

ㅂ + ㅡ → 브

Compare:

가 → left + right arrangement

고 → top + bottom arrangement

Both still represent one syllable.

Imagine an Invisible Square

An easy way to understand Hangul is to imagine an invisible square around every syllable.

For example:

가

fits into one square.

한

also fits into one square.

Even though 한 contains three letters, the whole group is treated as one compact unit.

Consider:

사람

It contains two imaginary squares:

[사] [람]

And:

한국어

contains three:

[한] [국] [어]

When reading Korean, your eyes gradually learn to recognize these blocks rather than reading every individual letter separately.

The Role of ㅇ

What happens when a syllable begins with a vowel sound?

Hangul syllable blocks still need an initial consonant position.

Korean therefore uses:

ㅇ

When ㅇ appears at the beginning of a syllable, it is silent.

For example:

ㅇ + ㅏ → 아

Pronunciation: a

The ㅇ itself does not add a consonant sound.

More examples:

Letters	Syllable	Sound
ㅇ + ㅏ	아	a
ㅇ + ㅓ	어	eo
ㅇ + ㅗ	오	o
ㅇ + ㅜ	우	u
ㅇ + ㅡ	으	eu
ㅇ + ㅣ	이	i

This allows vowel sounds to fit properly into Hangul syllable blocks.

Compare ㅇ Positions

The position of ㅇ changes its function.

Beginning position

아

Here ㅇ is silent.

Final position

앙

Here final ㅇ represents the ng sound.

Compare:

아 → a

앙 → ang

Another example:

오 → o

옹 → ong

You will study final-consonant pronunciation systematically in the later 받침 material.

Building Your First Syllables

Let's build syllables step by step.

Example 1

Letters:

Meaning: water

Syllable-Building Comparison

Notice how changing only one component creates a different syllable.

Change the consonant

가 → 나 → 다 → 라 → 마 → 바 → 사

The vowel remains ㅏ.

Now change the vowel:

가 → 거 → 고 → 구 → 기

The consonant remains ㄱ.

This principle lets you create hundreds of syllables from the letters you already know.

Vocabulary Practice

Here are simple Korean words containing the syllable patterns introduced above.

Don't worry yet about grammar. Concentrate on recognizing and reading the blocks.

The Basic C + V Syllable Pattern (초성 + 중성)

In Section 1, you learned that Korean letters are not normally written in a straight line. Instead, they are grouped into compact syllable blocks.

Now we will study the most basic and important syllable structure:

Consonant + Vowel

or:

C + V

In Korean terms:

초성 + 중성

This is the foundation for reading and building thousands of Korean syllables.

What Does C + V Mean?

C means consonant.

V means vowel.

So:

C + V = Consonant + Vowel

For example:

ㄱ + ㅏ → 가

Here:

ㄱ = consonant
ㅏ = vowel
가 = complete syllable block

Another example:

ㄴ + ㅗ → 노

And:

ㅁ + ㅜ → 무

Each result is one complete Korean syllable.

Korean Terms: 초성 + 중성

In a Korean syllable:

초성

The consonant that begins the syllable.

중성

The vowel inside the syllable.

For example:

나

ㄴ = 초성

ㅏ = 중성

There is no final consonant.

So the structure is:

초성 + 중성

The Simplest Korean Syllable

A basic syllable requires:

one initial consonant + one vowel

For example:

Initial	Vowel	Syllable
ㄱ	ㅏ	가
ㄴ	ㅏ	나
ㄷ	ㅏ	다
ㄹ	ㅏ	라
ㅁ	ㅏ	마

Notice that all five syllables use the same vowel:

ㅏ

Only the initial consonant changes.

Why Letter Position Changes

The shape of the vowel determines how the syllable is arranged.

There are two main beginner layouts:

Layout A — Left + Right

Used mainly with vertical vowels.

Example:

ㄱ + ㅏ → 가

Layout B — Top + Bottom

Used mainly with horizontal vowels.

Example:

ㄱ + ㅗ → 고

The pronunciation order stays:

consonant first → vowel second

even though their visual positions change.

C + V with Vertical Vowels

Vertical vowels usually occupy the right side of the syllable.

The consonant is placed on the left.

Think of the block like this:

C	V

For example:

ㄱ + ㅏ → 가

ㄴ + ㅓ → 너

ㅁ + ㅣ → 미

Common Vertical Vowels

The main vertical-style vowels include:

ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅣ

and also:

ㅐ ㅒ ㅔ ㅖ

Some complex vowels also use a mainly vertical structure, which we will apply later.

Examples with ㅏ

Combine ㅏ with different consonants:

Letters	Syllable	Romanization
ㄱ + ㅏ	가	ga
ㄴ + ㅏ	나	na
ㄷ + ㅏ	다	da
ㄹ + ㅏ	라	ra
ㅁ + ㅏ	마	ma
ㅂ + ㅏ	바	ba
ㅅ + ㅏ	사	sa
ㅇ + ㅏ	아	a
ㅈ + ㅏ	자	ja
ㅊ + ㅏ	차	cha
ㅋ + ㅏ	카	ka
ㅌ + ㅏ	타	ta
ㅍ + ㅏ	파	pa
ㅎ + ㅏ	하	ha

This is one of the best beginner reading drills.

Examples with ㅓ

Now keep the consonants similar but change the vowel to:

ㅓ

Letters	Syllable
ㄱ + ㅓ	거
ㄴ + ㅓ	너
ㄷ + ㅓ	더
ㄹ + ㅓ	러
ㅁ + ㅓ	머
ㅂ + ㅓ	버
ㅅ + ㅓ	서
ㅇ + ㅓ	어
ㅈ + ㅓ	저
ㅊ + ㅓ	처
ㅋ + ㅓ	커
ㅌ + ㅓ	터
ㅍ + ㅓ	퍼
ㅎ + ㅓ	허

Examples with ㅣ

Now combine consonants with:

ㅣ

Letters	Syllable
ㄱ + ㅣ	기
ㄴ + ㅣ	니
ㄷ + ㅣ	디
ㄹ + ㅣ	리
ㅁ + ㅣ	미
ㅂ + ㅣ	비
ㅅ + ㅣ	시
ㅇ + ㅣ	이
ㅈ + ㅣ	지
ㅊ + ㅣ	치
ㅋ + ㅣ	키
ㅌ + ㅣ	티
ㅍ + ㅣ	피
ㅎ + ㅣ	히

Vertical Layout Practice

Notice the common structure:

가

ㄱ occupies the left part.

ㅏ occupies the right part.

Likewise:

너

ㄴ → left
ㅓ → right

미

ㅁ → left
ㅣ → right

This basic arrangement remains consistent.

C + V with Horizontal Vowels

Horizontal vowels behave differently.

The consonant is placed at the top.

The vowel is placed below it.

Imagine:

For example:

ㄱ + ㅗ → 고

and:

ㄴ + ㅜ → 누

Common Horizontal Vowels

The main horizontal-style vowels are:

ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ

Examples:

고

교

구

규

그

Examples with ㅗ

Letters	Syllable
ㄱ + ㅗ	고
ㄴ + ㅗ	노
ㄷ + ㅗ	도
ㄹ + ㅗ	로
ㅁ + ㅗ	모
ㅂ + ㅗ	보
ㅅ + ㅗ	소
ㅇ + ㅗ	오
ㅈ + ㅗ	조
ㅊ + ㅗ	초
ㅋ + ㅗ	코
ㅌ + ㅗ	토
ㅍ + ㅗ	포
ㅎ + ㅗ	호

Examples with ㅜ

Letters	Syllable
ㄱ + ㅜ	구
ㄴ + ㅜ	누
ㄷ + ㅜ	두
ㄹ + ㅜ	루
ㅁ + ㅜ	무
ㅂ + ㅜ	부
ㅅ + ㅜ	수
ㅇ + ㅜ	우
ㅈ + ㅜ	주
ㅊ + ㅜ	추
ㅋ + ㅜ	쿠
ㅌ + ㅜ	투
ㅍ + ㅜ	푸
ㅎ + ㅜ	후

Examples with ㅡ

Letters	Syllable
ㄱ + ㅡ	그
ㄴ + ㅡ	느
ㄷ + ㅡ	드
ㄹ + ㅡ	르
ㅁ + ㅡ	므
ㅂ + ㅡ	브
ㅅ + ㅡ	스
ㅇ + ㅡ	으
ㅈ + ㅡ	즈
ㅊ + ㅡ	츠
ㅋ + ㅡ	크
ㅌ + ㅡ	트
ㅍ + ㅡ	프
ㅎ + ㅡ	흐

Compare Vertical and Horizontal Vowels

Use the same consonant:

ㄱ

With vertical vowels:

가

거

기

With horizontal vowels:

고

구

그

So:

ㄱ + ㅏ → 가

but:

ㄱ + ㅗ → 고

The difference is not only pronunciation.

The internal shape of the syllable block also changes.

Important Reading Direction

Regardless of the visual shape, read the consonant first.

For:

가

Read:

ㄱ → ㅏ

For:

고

Read:

ㄱ → ㅗ

Do not read according to physical left-to-right or top-to-bottom alone.

Instead, understand the structural order:

초성 → 중성

C + V with ㅇ

A syllable cannot visually begin with a vowel alone.

Therefore, when a vowel is pronounced without an initial consonant sound, Korean places:

ㅇ

in the initial position.

Remember:

Initial ㅇ is silent.

Examples:

ㅇ + ㅏ → 아

ㅇ + ㅓ → 어

ㅇ + ㅗ → 오

ㅇ + ㅜ → 우

ㅇ + ㅡ → 으

ㅇ + ㅣ → 이

The ㅇ simply allows the vowel to form a valid syllable block.

Comparing ㅇ + V Syllables

Letters	Result	Approximate sound
ㅇ + ㅏ	아	a
ㅇ + ㅑ	야	ya
ㅇ + ㅓ	어	eo
ㅇ + ㅕ	여	yeo
ㅇ + ㅗ	오	o
ㅇ + ㅛ	요	yo
ㅇ + ㅜ	우	u
ㅇ + ㅠ	유	yu
ㅇ + ㅡ	으	eu
ㅇ + ㅣ	이	i

These syllables appear constantly in Korean words.

C + V with Y-Vowels

The same C + V rule works with:

ㅑ ㅕ ㅛ ㅠ

Examples:

ㄱ + ㅑ → 갸

ㄴ + ㅕ → 녀

ㅁ + ㅛ → 묘

ㅇ + ㅠ → 유

Notice their positions:

ㅑ and ㅕ are vertical-style vowels.

ㅛ and ㅠ are horizontal-style vowels.

Examples with ㅑ

Combination	Result
ㄱ + ㅑ	갸
ㄴ + ㅑ	냐
ㄷ + ㅑ	댜
ㄹ + ㅑ	랴
ㅁ + ㅑ	먀
ㅂ + ㅑ	뱌
ㅅ + ㅑ	샤
ㅇ + ㅑ	야
ㅈ + ㅑ	쟈
ㅊ + ㅑ	챠
ㅋ + ㅑ	캬
ㅌ + ㅑ	탸
ㅍ + ㅑ	퍄
ㅎ + ㅑ	햐

Not all possible combinations are equally common in everyday Korean, but understanding the construction rule is important.

Examples with ㅕ

겨 녀 뎌 려 며 벼 셔 여 져 쳐 켜 텨 펴 혀

Notice:

ㄴ + ㅕ → 녀

ㅁ + ㅕ → 며

ㅇ + ㅕ → 여

ㅎ + ㅕ → 혀

Examples with ㅛ

교 뇨 됴 료 묘 뵤 쇼 요 죠 쵸 쿄 툐 표 효

Some combinations are uncommon as independent syllables, but this drill helps learners understand the structure.

Common examples include:

요

교

표

효

Examples with ㅠ

규 뉴 듀 류 뮤 뷰 슈 유 쥬 츄 큐 튜 퓨 휴

Many of these appear frequently in modern loanwords.

Examples:

뉴 — as in 뉴욕, New York

뷰 — view

슈 — often used in loanwords

큐 — cue / Q

퓨 — appears in loanword syllables

휴 — appears in native Korean words too

Combining Double Consonants

The C + V pattern also works with tense consonants:

ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ

Examples:

Letters	Syllable
ㄲ + ㅏ	까
ㄸ + ㅏ	따
ㅃ + ㅏ	빠
ㅆ + ㅏ	싸
ㅉ + ㅏ	짜

More examples:

꺼

또

뿌

쓰

찌

The syllable-building principle remains exactly the same.

Aspirated Consonants

Aspirated consonants also combine normally:

ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅊ

Examples:

ㅋ + ㅏ → 카

ㅌ + ㅗ → 토

ㅍ + ㅜ → 푸

ㅊ + ㅣ → 치

This shows that once you understand C + V positioning, you can apply it to essentially every initial consonant.

Vocabulary Using Basic C + V Blocks

Now read simple words made mostly from C + V syllables.

These are useful because learners can read them without needing advanced final-consonant knowledge.

Vocabulary Reading Practice

Read without looking at the meanings first:

나무

두부

기차

모자

바다

아기

우유

오이

Then check the meanings.

Try to identify how many syllable blocks each word contains.

For example:

나무

= 나 + 무

= 2 syllables

Building Syllables with Vertical Vowels (세로 모음으로 음절 만들기)

In the previous section, you learned the basic C + V (초성 + 중성) structure.

Now we will focus specifically on syllables made with vertical vowels.

These syllables usually follow this visual pattern:

Consonant + Vowel

with the consonant on the left and the vowel on the right.

Examples:

가 · 너 · 미 · 세 · 키

What Are Vertical Vowels?

Vertical vowels are vowels whose main shape extends vertically.

Important vertical vowels include:

Basic Vertical Vowels

ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅣ

Other Vertical-Style Vowels

ㅐ ㅒ ㅔ ㅖ

Some complex vowels also behave mainly as vertical vowels in syllable blocks.

The key rule is:

When a vowel is vertical, the initial consonant is usually placed on the left and the vowel on the right.

The Vertical Syllable Layout

Imagine a square divided into two vertical parts:

Left	Right
Initial consonant	Vowel

For example:

ㄱ + ㅏ → 가

The consonant ㄱ occupies the left side.

The vowel ㅏ occupies the right side.

Another:

ㄴ + ㅓ → 너

And:

ㅁ + ㅣ → 미

Basic Pattern

The pattern is:

C + Vertical Vowel

or:

초성 + 세로 모음

Examples:

ㄱ + ㅏ → 가

ㄴ + ㅓ → 너

ㅁ + ㅣ → 미

ㅅ + ㅔ → 세

ㅋ + ㅣ → 키

Building Syllables with ㅏ

The vowel:

ㅏ

is placed on the right side of the consonant.

Examples:

Combination	Result
ㄱ + ㅏ	가
ㄴ + ㅏ	나
ㄷ + ㅏ	다
ㄹ + ㅏ	라
ㅁ + ㅏ	마
ㅂ + ㅏ	바
ㅅ + ㅏ	사
ㅇ + ㅏ	아
ㅈ + ㅏ	자
ㅊ + ㅏ	차
ㅋ + ㅏ	카
ㅌ + ㅏ	타
ㅍ + ㅏ	파
ㅎ + ㅏ	하

Pronunciation Practice

Say each syllable clearly:

Try to keep each one as a single beat.

Do not pronounce:

❌ ㄱ ... ㅏ

Pronounce:

✅ 가

The consonant and vowel combine into one smooth syllable.

Vocabulary with ㅏ

Focus on identifying every block that contains ㅏ.

Example:

바다

바 + 다

Both syllables contain ㅏ.

Building Syllables with ㅑ

The vowel:

ㅑ

is also vertical.

Examples:

Combination	Result
ㄱ + ㅑ	갸
ㄴ + ㅑ	냐
ㄷ + ㅑ	댜
ㄹ + ㅑ	랴
ㅁ + ㅑ	먀
ㅂ + ㅑ	뱌
ㅅ + ㅑ	샤
ㅇ + ㅑ	야
ㅈ + ㅑ	쟈
ㅊ + ㅑ	챠
ㅋ + ㅑ	캬
ㅌ + ㅑ	탸
ㅍ + ㅑ	퍄
ㅎ + ㅑ	햐

Some combinations are uncommon, but they demonstrate the construction rule.

Useful Words with ㅑ

For now, the main goal is recognizing the ㅑ sound and its position inside the block.

Compare ㅏ and ㅑ

Compare:

가

and:

갸

The consonant is the same:

ㄱ

But the vowels differ:

ㅏ → 가

ㅑ → 갸

Likewise:

나 → 냐

사 → 샤

아 → 야

Notice that ㅑ includes a y-glide sound compared with ㅏ.

Building Syllables with ㅓ

The vowel:

ㅓ

is vertical.

Examples:

Combination	Result
ㄱ + ㅓ	거
ㄴ + ㅓ	너
ㄷ + ㅓ	더
ㄹ + ㅓ	러
ㅁ + ㅓ	머
ㅂ + ㅓ	버
ㅅ + ㅓ	서
ㅇ + ㅓ	어
ㅈ + ㅓ	저
ㅊ + ㅓ	처
ㅋ + ㅓ	커
ㅌ + ㅓ	터
ㅍ + ㅓ	퍼
ㅎ + ㅓ	허

Vocabulary with ㅓ

Example:

머리

머 + 리

The first syllable contains:

ㅁ + ㅓ → 머

Building Syllables with ㅕ

The vowel:

ㅕ

is another vertical y-vowel.

Examples:

겨

녀

뎌

려

며

벼

셔

여

져

쳐

켜

텨

펴

혀

Useful Words with ㅕ

The first syllable of:

여자

is:

ㅇ + ㅕ → 여

Remember:

ㅇ is silent in the initial position.

Compare ㅓ and ㅕ

Compare:

거 → 겨

너 → 녀

어 → 여

The difference comes from the vowel:

ㅓ versus ㅕ

The block layout remains the same because both are vertical vowels.

Building Syllables with ㅣ

The vowel:

ㅣ

is perhaps the simplest vertical vowel.

Examples:

Combination	Result
ㄱ + ㅣ	기
ㄴ + ㅣ	니
ㄷ + ㅣ	디
ㄹ + ㅣ	리
ㅁ + ㅣ	미
ㅂ + ㅣ	비
ㅅ + ㅣ	시
ㅇ + ㅣ	이
ㅈ + ㅣ	지
ㅊ + ㅣ	치
ㅋ + ㅣ	키
ㅌ + ㅣ	티
ㅍ + ㅣ	피
ㅎ + ㅣ	히

Vocabulary with ㅣ

Example:

기차

기 + 차

The first syllable:

ㄱ + ㅣ → 기

Building Syllables with ㅐ

The vowel:

ㅐ

is a vertical-style vowel.

Examples:

개

내

대

래

매

배

새

애

재

채

캐

태

패

해

Vocabulary with ㅐ

Building Syllables with ㅔ

The vowel:

ㅔ

also uses the vertical layout.

Examples:

게

네

데

레

메

베

세

에

제

체

케

테

페

헤

Vocabulary with ㅔ

Many loanwords contain ㅔ.

ㅐ and ㅔ in Modern Korean

Modern Korean speakers often pronounce ㅐ and ㅔ very similarly, and for many speakers they are effectively merged in everyday speech.

However, they remain different letters in writing.

Compare:

개

and:

게

Learners should still memorize the correct spelling of each word.

This is an important distinction:

Similar pronunciation does not mean interchangeable spelling.

Building Syllables with ㅒ

The vowel:

ㅒ

is the y-version historically related to ㅐ.

Examples:

걔

냬

댸

럐

먜

뱨

섀

얘

쟤

챼

Some combinations are rare.

Commonly encountered forms include:

얘

and:

걔

Useful Examples with ㅒ

Example:

얘

Breakdown:

ㅇ + ㅒ → 얘

Initial ㅇ is silent.

Building Syllables with ㅖ

The vowel:

ㅖ

also uses a vertical-style layout.

Examples:

계

녜

뎨

례

몌

볘

셰

예

졔

쳬

켸

톄

폐

혜

Some are rare, but several occur frequently in real vocabulary.

Useful Words with ㅖ

The same vertical arrangement rule still applies.

Vertical Vowel Comparison Chart

Vowel	Example	Layout
ㅏ	가	left + right
ㅑ	갸	left + right
ㅓ	거	left + right
ㅕ	겨	left + right
ㅣ	기	left + right
ㅐ	개	left + right
ㅒ	걔	left + right
ㅔ	게	left + right
ㅖ	계	left + right

The exact proportions differ slightly depending on the letters, but the structural principle is the same.

How the Letters Resize Inside the Block

Hangul letters do not always keep exactly the same proportions when combined.

Compare the independent consonant:

ㄱ

with:

가

Inside 가, ㄱ adjusts its size to share the square with ㅏ.

Likewise:

ㅁ → 마

ㅎ → 하

The goal is to keep the complete syllable approximately square and visually balanced.

This is especially important when handwriting Korean.

Do Not Write the Letters Too Far Apart

Incorrect beginner writing may look like:

ㄱ ㅏ

This looks like two separate jamo rather than one well-formed syllable.

Correct:

가

The consonant and vowel should fit into the same imaginary square.

Similarly:

❌ ㄴ ㅓ

✅ 너

Keep the Syllable Balanced

When writing:

마

Do not make:

ㅁ extremely large and ㅏ tiny
ㅁ tiny and ㅏ extremely large

Both letters should share the block naturally.

Think:

one block = one balanced visual unit

Building Syllables with Horizontal Vowels (가로 모음으로 음절 만들기)

In Section 3, you learned how vertical vowels form left-right syllable blocks.

Now we will study horizontal vowels, which form a different visual structure.

With horizontal vowels, the initial consonant usually appears above, and the vowel appears below.

Examples:

고 · 노 · 무 · 수 · 유 · 그

This top-and-bottom structure is one of the most important Hangul block patterns.

What Are Horizontal Vowels?

Horizontal vowels are vowels whose main stroke extends horizontally.

The five basic horizontal vowels are:

ㅗ · ㅛ · ㅜ · ㅠ · ㅡ

These vowels normally appear under the initial consonant inside the syllable block.

For example:

ㄱ + ㅗ → 고

ㄴ + ㅜ → 누

ㅁ + ㅡ → 므

The Horizontal Syllable Layout

Imagine an invisible square divided horizontally:

Top	Bottom
Initial consonant	Horizontal vowel

So:

ㄱ + ㅗ

becomes:

고

The consonant occupies the upper part of the square.

The vowel occupies the lower part.

Another example:

ㅁ + ㅜ → 무

And:

ㅎ + ㅡ → 흐

Basic Horizontal Pattern

The pattern is:

C

V

or:

초성

중성

The reading order is still:

consonant → vowel

Even though the letters are stacked vertically.

For example:

고

is read as:

ㄱ → ㅗ

not according to simple top-to-bottom visual order alone.

Horizontal Vowels at a Glance

Vowel	Example	Result
ㅗ	ㄱ + ㅗ	고
ㅛ	ㄱ + ㅛ	교
ㅜ	ㄱ + ㅜ	구
ㅠ	ㄱ + ㅠ	규
ㅡ	ㄱ + ㅡ	그

All five use the same basic top + bottom arrangement.

Building Syllables with ㅗ

The vowel:

ㅗ

is placed below the initial consonant.

Examples:

Combination	Result
ㄱ + ㅗ	고
ㄴ + ㅗ	노
ㄷ + ㅗ	도
ㄹ + ㅗ	로
ㅁ + ㅗ	모
ㅂ + ㅗ	보
ㅅ + ㅗ	소
ㅇ + ㅗ	오
ㅈ + ㅗ	조
ㅊ + ㅗ	초
ㅋ + ㅗ	코
ㅌ + ㅗ	토
ㅍ + ㅗ	포
ㅎ + ㅗ	호

Pronunciation Practice with ㅗ

Read slowly:

Now read smoothly:

고 → 누 → 듀 → 므

Each syllable should sound like one beat.

Avoid separating:

❌ ㄱ ... ㅗ

Instead pronounce:

✅ 고

Vocabulary with ㅗ

Breakdown:

포도

포 + 도

Both syllables contain ㅗ.

Building Syllables with ㅛ

The vowel:

ㅛ

is also horizontal.

Examples:

Combination	Result
ㄱ + ㅛ	교
ㄴ + ㅛ	뇨
ㄷ + ㅛ	됴
ㄹ + ㅛ	료
ㅁ + ㅛ	묘
ㅂ + ㅛ	뵤
ㅅ + ㅛ	쇼
ㅇ + ㅛ	요
ㅈ + ㅛ	죠
ㅊ + ㅛ	쵸
ㅋ + ㅛ	쿄
ㅌ + ㅛ	툐
ㅍ + ㅛ	표
ㅎ + ㅛ	효

Some combinations are uncommon, but they are structurally valid.

Useful Words with ㅛ

For beginner practice, focus on recognizing the ㅛ shape and its sound.

Compare ㅗ and ㅛ

Compare:

고

and:

교

The consonant stays the same:

ㄱ

The vowel changes:

ㅗ → 고

ㅛ → 교

Likewise:

소 → 쇼

오 → 요

포 → 표

The second short stroke in ㅛ creates the y-glide.

Building Syllables with ㅜ

The vowel:

ㅜ

also appears below the consonant.

Examples:

Combination	Result
ㄱ + ㅜ	구
ㄴ + ㅜ	누
ㄷ + ㅜ	두
ㄹ + ㅜ	루
ㅁ + ㅜ	무
ㅂ + ㅜ	부
ㅅ + ㅜ	수
ㅇ + ㅜ	우
ㅈ + ㅜ	주
ㅊ + ㅜ	추
ㅋ + ㅜ	쿠
ㅌ + ㅜ	투
ㅍ + ㅜ	푸
ㅎ + ㅜ	후

Vocabulary with ㅜ

Example:

두부

두 + 부

Both syllables use the horizontal vowel ㅜ.

Building Syllables with ㅠ

The vowel:

ㅠ

is another horizontal y-vowel.

Examples:

Combination	Result
ㄱ + ㅠ	규
ㄴ + ㅠ	뉴
ㄷ + ㅠ	듀
ㄹ + ㅠ	류
ㅁ + ㅠ	뮤
ㅂ + ㅠ	뷰
ㅅ + ㅠ	슈
ㅇ + ㅠ	유
ㅈ + ㅠ	쥬
ㅊ + ㅠ	츄
ㅋ + ㅠ	큐
ㅌ + ㅠ	튜
ㅍ + ㅠ	퓨
ㅎ + ㅠ	휴

Many appear in modern loanwords.

Useful Words with ㅠ

Compare ㅜ and ㅠ

Compare:

구

is horizontal and placed below the consonant.

Examples:

Combination	Result
ㄱ + ㅡ	그
ㄴ + ㅡ	느
ㄷ + ㅡ	드
ㄹ + ㅡ	르
ㅁ + ㅡ	므
ㅂ + ㅡ	브
ㅅ + ㅡ	스
ㅇ + ㅡ	으
ㅈ + ㅡ	즈
ㅊ + ㅡ	츠
ㅋ + ㅡ	크
ㅌ + ㅡ	트
ㅍ + ㅡ	프
ㅎ + ㅡ	흐

Vocabulary with ㅡ

Some of these include loanword syllables where ㅡ helps represent foreign consonant clusters.

Horizontal Vowel Comparison Chart

Vowel	Example	Layout
ㅗ	고	top + bottom
ㅛ	교	top + bottom
ㅜ	구	top + bottom
ㅠ	규	top + bottom
ㅡ	그	top + bottom

The consonant remains on top.

The vowel remains below.

Compare Vertical and Horizontal Blocks

Vertical vowel:

ㄱ + ㅏ → 가

Layout:

left + right

Horizontal vowel:

ㄱ + ㅗ → 고

Layout:

top + bottom

Compare:

Vowel Type	Example	Arrangement
Vertical	가	consonant left, vowel right
Horizontal	고	consonant top, vowel bottom

This distinction is essential when handwriting Hangul.

Vowel Direction Changes the Block

Use the same consonant:

ㄴ

With vertical vowels:

나

너

니

With horizontal vowels:

노

누

느

So the consonant ㄴ changes its size and position to fit the vowel type.

Block Proportions

Compare:

가

The consonant and vowel share the block side-by-side.

But:

고

the consonant uses the upper area.

The vowel uses the lower area.

The entire result should still look like one balanced square-like unit.

Do Not Write Horizontal Vowels Beside the Consonant

Incorrect:

❌ ㄱ ㅗ

or an awkward left-right arrangement.

Correct:

고

Likewise:

❌ ㅁ ㅜ

Correct:

무

The vowel belongs underneath the consonant.

Initial ㅇ with Horizontal Vowels

When a syllable begins with a vowel sound, use silent:

ㅇ

Examples:

ㅇ + ㅗ → 오

ㅇ + ㅛ → 요

ㅇ + ㅜ → 우

ㅇ + ㅠ → 유

ㅇ + ㅡ → 으

Initial ㅇ does not contribute a consonant sound.

Compare These Vowel-Only Syllables

Read:

오

요

우

유

으

Breakdown:

오 = ㅇ + ㅗ
요 = ㅇ + ㅛ
우 = ㅇ + ㅜ
유 = ㅇ + ㅠ
으 = ㅇ + ㅡ

This pattern appears constantly in Korean.

Double Consonants with Horizontal Vowels

The same structure applies to tense consonants.

Examples:

ㄲ + ㅗ → 꼬

ㄸ + ㅗ → 또

ㅃ + ㅜ → 뿌

ㅆ + ㅡ → 쓰

ㅉ + ㅗ → 쪼

The top-bottom arrangement does not change.

Aspirated Consonants with Horizontal Vowels

Examples:

ㅋ + ㅗ → 코

ㅌ + ㅗ → 토

ㅍ + ㅜ → 푸

ㅊ + ㅜ → 추

Again, the syllable follows the normal horizontal-vowel pattern.

Building Syllables with Complex Vowels (복합 모음으로 음절 만들기)

In Lesson 4, you learned the Korean complex vowels (복합 모음) individually.

Now we will use those vowels inside complete syllable blocks.

The main complex vowels in this section are:

ㅘ · ㅙ · ㅚ · ㅝ · ㅞ · ㅟ · ㅢ

These vowels are especially important because their shapes combine horizontal and vertical elements, so the syllable block often has a more complex internal layout.

Examples:

과 · 괘 · 괴 · 워 · 웨 · 위 · 의

What Makes Complex Vowels Different?

Basic vowels such as:

ㅏ, ㅓ, ㅗ, ㅜ

have relatively simple shapes.

Complex vowels combine two vowel elements.

For example:

ㅘ

comes from:

ㅗ + ㅏ

ㅝ

comes from:

ㅜ + ㅓ

ㅢ

comes from:

ㅡ + ㅣ

When these vowels appear inside a syllable block, the block must make space for both parts.

Main Complex Vowel Families

It is helpful to divide them into three groups.

ㅗ-based complex vowels

ㅘ · ㅙ · ㅚ

ㅜ-based complex vowels

ㅝ · ㅞ · ㅟ

ㅡ-based complex vowel

ㅢ

This grouping makes syllable construction much easier to understand.

Basic Layout Principle

Look at:

과

This contains:

ㄱ + ㅘ

And ㅘ itself contains:

ㅗ + ㅏ

So the syllable includes:

But all three elements still fit into one syllable block.

The vowel is not split into separate syllables.

Building with ㅘ

The complex vowel:

ㅘ

is formed from:

ㅗ + ㅏ

Example:

ㄱ + ㅘ → 과

The syllable block combines the consonant with the full complex vowel.

More examples:

Combination	Result
ㄱ + ㅘ	과
ㄴ + ㅘ	놔
ㄷ + ㅘ	돠
ㄹ + ㅘ	롸
ㅁ + ㅘ	뫄
ㅂ + ㅘ	봐
ㅅ + ㅘ	솨
ㅇ + ㅘ	와
ㅈ + ㅘ	좌
ㅊ + ㅘ	촤
ㅋ + ㅘ	콰
ㅌ + ㅘ	톼
ㅍ + ㅘ	퐈
ㅎ + ㅘ	화

Some combinations are common, while others are rare.

Pronunciation Practice with ㅘ

Read:

Do not separate the vowel into two syllables.

Incorrect idea:

❌ 고 + 아

Correct:

✅ 과

It is one syllable.

Common Words with ㅘ

For beginners, focus first on recognizing the syllables:

과 · 와 · 화 · 봐

Building with ㅙ

The vowel:

ㅙ

comes from:

ㅗ + ㅐ

Examples:

Combination	Result
ㄱ + ㅙ	괘
ㄴ + ㅙ	놰
ㄷ + ㅙ	돼
ㄹ + ㅙ	뢔
ㅁ + ㅙ	뫠
ㅂ + ㅙ	봬
ㅅ + ㅙ	쇄
ㅇ + ㅙ	왜
ㅈ + ㅙ	좨
ㅊ + ㅙ	쵀
ㅋ + ㅙ	쾌
ㅌ + ㅙ	퇘
ㅍ + ㅙ	퐤
ㅎ + ㅙ	홰

Common combinations include:

돼

왜

쇄

쾌

Common Words with ㅙ

The most important beginner forms are:

왜

and:

돼

Building with ㅚ

The vowel:

ㅚ

comes historically from:

ㅗ + ㅣ

Examples:

Combination	Result
ㄱ + ㅚ	괴
ㄴ + ㅚ	뇌
ㄷ + ㅚ	되
ㄹ + ㅚ	뢰
ㅁ + ㅚ	뫼
ㅂ + ㅚ	뵈
ㅅ + ㅚ	쇠
ㅇ + ㅚ	외
ㅈ + ㅚ	죄
ㅊ + ㅚ	최
ㅋ + ㅚ	쾨
ㅌ + ㅚ	퇴
ㅍ + ㅚ	푀
ㅎ + ㅚ	회

Common Words with ㅚ

These syllables appear very frequently in Korean.

Important Pronunciation Note: ㅚ

Modern Korean pronunciation of ㅚ is often close to 웨 for many speakers.

So:

외

is commonly heard similarly to:

웨

However, the spelling remains:

ㅚ

This is another example where spelling and modern pronunciation do not always match perfectly one-to-one.

Compare ㅘ, ㅙ, and ㅚ

Look at the same consonant:

ㄱ

과

ㄱ + ㅘ

괘

ㄱ + ㅙ

괴

ㄱ + ㅚ

All three belong to the ㅗ-based complex vowel family.

This makes them especially useful for comparison practice.

Building with ㅝ

The vowel:

ㅝ

comes from:

ㅜ + ㅓ

Examples:

Combination	Result
ㄱ + ㅝ	궈
ㄴ + ㅝ	눠
ㄷ + ㅝ	둬
ㄹ + ㅝ	뤄
ㅁ + ㅝ	뭐
ㅂ + ㅝ	붜
ㅅ + ㅝ	숴
ㅇ + ㅝ	워
ㅈ + ㅝ	줘
ㅊ + ㅝ	춰
ㅋ + ㅝ	쿼
ㅌ + ㅝ	퉈
ㅍ + ㅝ	풔
ㅎ + ㅝ	훠

Common syllables include:

뭐

워

줘

둬

Common Words and Expressions with ㅝ

For beginners:

뭐

is particularly useful.

Building with ㅞ

The vowel:

ㅞ

comes from:

ㅜ + ㅔ

Examples:

Combination	Result
ㄱ + ㅞ	궤
ㄴ + ㅞ	눼
ㄷ + ㅞ	뒈
ㄹ + ㅞ	뤠
ㅁ + ㅞ	뭬
ㅂ + ㅞ	붸
ㅅ + ㅞ	쉐
ㅇ + ㅞ	웨
ㅈ + ㅞ	줴
ㅊ + ㅞ	췌
ㅋ + ㅞ	퀘
ㅌ + ㅞ	퉤
ㅍ + ㅞ	풰
ㅎ + ㅞ	훼

Some forms are uncommon in native vocabulary, but several occur in loanwords and Sino-Korean vocabulary.

Common Examples with ㅞ

For beginners, recognize especially:

웨

Building with ㅟ

The vowel:

ㅟ

comes from:

ㅜ + ㅣ

Examples:

Combination	Result
ㄱ + ㅟ	귀
ㄴ + ㅟ	뉘
ㄷ + ㅟ	뒤
ㄹ + ㅟ	뤼
ㅁ + ㅟ	뮈
ㅂ + ㅟ	뷔
ㅅ + ㅟ	쉬
ㅇ + ㅟ	위
ㅈ + ㅟ	쥐
ㅊ + ㅟ	취
ㅋ + ㅟ	퀴
ㅌ + ㅟ	튀
ㅍ + ㅟ	퓌
ㅎ + ㅟ	휘

Many of these are very common.

Common Words with ㅟ

Pronunciation Note: ㅟ

In careful pronunciation, ㅟ can have a glide quality, but in modern speech it is often pronounced close to a simple wi-like sound.

For learners, it is most useful to recognize:

위

귀

뒤

쉬

취

as common syllables.

Building with ㅢ

The vowel:

ㅢ

comes from:

ㅡ + ㅣ

Example:

ㅇ + ㅢ → 의

More combinations:

Combination	Result
ㄱ + ㅢ	긔
ㄴ + ㅢ	늬
ㄷ + ㅢ	듸
ㄹ + ㅢ	릐
ㅁ + ㅢ	믜
ㅂ + ㅢ	븨
ㅅ + ㅢ	싀
ㅇ + ㅢ	의
ㅈ + ㅢ	즤
ㅊ + ㅢ	츼
ㅋ + ㅢ	킈
ㅌ + ㅢ	틔
ㅍ + ㅢ	픠
ㅎ + ㅢ	희

Many of these are rare in modern everyday vocabulary.

Common Words with ㅢ

Important Pronunciation Note: ㅢ

The vowel ㅢ is special because its pronunciation changes depending on position and grammatical function.

For beginners, the safest approach is:

learn the spelling correctly;
recognize 의 as a very common syllable;
become familiar with pronunciation variations gradually.

For example, the possessive particle 의 is often pronounced closer to 에 in everyday speech.

This section focuses mainly on syllable construction, not all advanced pronunciation rules.

Complex Vowel Structure Summary

Complex Vowel	Components	Example
ㅘ	ㅗ + ㅏ	과
ㅙ	ㅗ + ㅐ	괘
ㅚ	ㅗ + ㅣ	괴
ㅝ	ㅜ + ㅓ	궈
ㅞ	ㅜ + ㅔ	궤
ㅟ	ㅜ + ㅣ	귀
ㅢ	ㅡ + ㅣ	긔

This decomposition is excellent for helping learners remember the shapes.

How Complex Vowels Fit Inside the Block

Look at:

과

The block must fit:

ㄱ
the horizontal part ㅗ
the vertical part ㅏ

The components resize so everything fits inside one square-like syllable.

Likewise:

워

contains:

and:

의

contains:

Do Not Split the Complex Vowel

A common beginner mistake is to think:

과 = 고 + 아

That is incorrect.

과 is one syllable.

Similarly:

❌ 워 = 우 + 어

Correct:

✅ 워 = ㅇ + ㅝ

And:

❌ 위 = 우 + 이

Correct:

✅ 위 = ㅇ + ㅟ

Count the Syllables Carefully

Example:

사과

Breakdown:

사 + 과

So it has:

2 syllables

Not:

사 + 고 + 아

Likewise:

의자

Breakdown:

의 + 자

Again:

2 syllables

Compare ㅘ and ㅝ

These two are easy to confuse visually.

ㅘ

= ㅗ + ㅏ

Example:

과

ㅝ

= ㅜ + ㅓ

Example:

궈

Notice:

ㅘ starts with ㅗ
ㅝ starts with ㅜ

This changes the overall position of the small horizontal-vowel component.

Compare 와 and 워

와

= ㅇ + ㅘ

워

= ㅇ + ㅝ

Practice:

와 — 워

과 — 궈

화 — 훠

Visual recognition is just as important as pronunciation.

Compare ㅙ, ㅚ, and ㅞ

These can be difficult for beginners.

Compare:

왜

ㅙ

외

ㅚ

웨

ㅞ

Their modern pronunciations can be very similar for many Korean speakers.

Therefore:

Learn the spelling together with vocabulary rather than relying only on sound.

Spelling Matters

Consider:

왜 — why

외 — outside / foreign, in many words

웨 — often used in loanwords

Even if their pronunciation sounds similar, they are not interchangeable in writing.

This is why vocabulary-based spelling practice is important.

Break the Complex Vowel Further

Now analyze the vowel itself.

과

ㄱ + ㅘ

and:

ㅘ = ㅗ + ㅏ

So:

과 = ㄱ + ㅗ + ㅏ

Likewise:

워 = ㅇ + ㅜ + ㅓ

위 = ㅇ + ㅜ + ㅣ

의 = ㅇ + ㅡ + ㅣ

This is useful for understanding the visual structure.

Syllable Counting

사과

사 + 과

2 syllables

의자

의 + 자

2 syllables

외국어

외 + 국 + 어

3 syllables

화요일

화 + 요 + 일

3 syllables

Complex vowels do not create extra syllables.

Adding a Final Consonant: C + V + C (받침이 있는 음절)

Until now, you have mainly built syllables such as:

가 · 너 · 고 · 무 · 과 · 위

These syllables contain:

Initial consonant + vowel

or:

C + V

Now we will add another consonant at the bottom of the syllable.

For example:

ㄱ + ㅏ + ㄴ → 간

ㅁ + ㅜ + ㄹ → 물

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ → 한

This creates one of the most important Hangul structures:

C + V + C

In Korean, the consonant at the end of a syllable is called:

종성

and it is commonly referred to as:

받침

What Is 받침?

받침 literally has the idea of something that supports from underneath.

In Hangul, 받침 refers to the consonant written at the bottom of a syllable block.

For example:

한

contains:

ㅎ = initial consonant
ㅏ = vowel
ㄴ = final consonant

So:

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ → 한

The final ㄴ is the:

받침

Korean Terms for the Three Positions

A full syllable may contain three structural positions.

Position	Korean	Function
Initial	초성	beginning consonant
Medial	중성	vowel
Final	종성	final consonant

Example:

한

Position	Letter
초성	ㅎ
중성	ㅏ
종성	ㄴ

C + V + C Structure

The general structure is:

Initial Consonant + Vowel + Final Consonant

or:

초성 + 중성 + 종성

Example:

ㄱ + ㅏ + ㄴ → 간

Another:

ㅂ + ㅏ + ㅂ → 밥

Another:

ㅁ + ㅜ + ㄹ → 물

Each of these is still:

one syllable

One Block, Three Components

Look at:

국

This contains:

ㄱ + ㅜ + ㄱ

Even though there are three letters, they all belong to one syllable block.

Do not write:

❌ ㄱ ㅜ ㄱ

Instead:

✅ 국

The entire combination becomes one compact square-like unit.

Where Does the Final Consonant Go?

The final consonant is placed at the:

bottom of the syllable block

For example:

간

The vowel ㅏ is vertical, so:

ㄱ goes on the left
ㅏ goes on the right
ㄴ goes underneath

Conceptually:

ㄱ | ㅏ

ㄴ

The result is:

간

Vertical Vowel + 받침

When the vowel is vertical, the initial consonant and vowel occupy the upper section side-by-side.

The final consonant goes underneath both.

Example:

ㄴ + ㅏ + ㅁ → 남

Structure:

ㄴ = upper left
ㅏ = upper right
ㅁ = bottom

Result:

남

Other examples:

간

난

밤

산

집

Horizontal Vowel + 받침

When the vowel is horizontal, the block is divided more like three levels.

Example:

ㄱ + ㅜ + ㄱ → 국

The structure is:

ㄱ at the top
ㅜ in the middle
ㄱ at the bottom

Result:

국

Other examples:

문

눈

물

손

돈

Compare Open and Closed Syllables

A syllable without 받침:

가

Structure:

ㄱ + ㅏ

A syllable with 받침:

간

Structure:

ㄱ + ㅏ + ㄴ

Compare:

가 → 간

The vowel stays the same.

Only the final consonant is added.

받침 with ㄱ

Add final:

ㄱ

Examples:

각

먹

국

북

책

The final ㄱ is written at the bottom.

Example:

ㄱ + ㅜ + ㄱ → 국

받침 with ㄴ

Examples:

간

난

돈

눈

산

Breakdown:

ㅅ + ㅏ + ㄴ → 산

ㄴ + ㅜ + ㄴ → 눈

받침 with ㄷ

Examples can be written with final ㄷ, such as:

곧

믿

However, final-consonant pronunciation becomes more complicated than spelling alone suggests.

For now, the most important skill is recognizing that:

ㄷ can occupy the final position.

Advanced 받침 pronunciation rules will be studied later.

Examples include:

옷

맛

The written final consonant is ㅅ.

However, final ㅅ does not always sound exactly like initial ㅅ.

For now:

Learn the spelling and position first.

Detailed final-consonant pronunciation comes later.

받침 with ㅇ

When ㅇ appears in the final position, it is not silent.

It represents an ng sound.

Compare:

아

Initial ㅇ is silent.

But:

앙

Final ㅇ sounds like:

This is one of the most important contrasts in Hangul.

Initial ㅇ vs Final ㅇ

Compare:

아

Breakdown:

ㅇ + ㅏ

Initial ㅇ:

silent

Now:

앙

Breakdown:

ㅇ + ㅏ + ㅇ

The first ㅇ is silent.

The final ㅇ is pronounced:

Examples with Final ㅇ

Examples:

강

방

공

영

왕

빵

Breakdown:

ㄱ + ㅏ + ㅇ → 강

ㅂ + ㅏ + ㅇ → 방

ㅇ + ㅕ + ㅇ → 영

Common Single Final Consonants

Many consonants can appear as 받침.

Important examples include:

ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ ㅈ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ

However, their actual pronunciation at the end of a syllable follows special rules.

At this stage, focus on:

recognizing the final position;
building the syllable correctly;
separating the letters correctly.

Important Beginner Note About Pronunciation

Hangul spelling allows many different consonants in the final position.

But spoken Korean reduces many of them to a smaller set of final sounds.

For example, several written consonants may sound alike in 받침 position.

This is called part of:

받침 pronunciation rules

Do not try to memorize all of those rules yet.

First master the visual structure:

C + V + C

Building 간 Step by Step

Start with:

ㄱ

Add:

ㅏ

Create:

가

Now add final:

ㄴ

Result:

간

So:

ㄱ + ㅏ + ㄴ → 간

Building 밥 Step by Step

Initial:

ㅂ

Vowel:

ㅏ

First:

바

Add final:

ㅂ

Result:

밥

So:

ㅂ + ㅏ + ㅂ → 밥

Building 물 Step by Step

Initial:

ㅁ

Vowel:

ㅜ

First:

무

Add final:

ㄹ

Result:

물

Therefore:

ㅁ + ㅜ + ㄹ → 물

Building 한 Step by Step

Initial:

ㅎ

Vowel:

ㅏ

Final:

ㄴ

Combine:

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ → 한

This syllable appears in:

한국

and:

한글

Building 국 Step by Step

Initial:

ㄱ

Vowel:

ㅜ

Final:

ㄱ

Combine:

ㄱ + ㅜ + ㄱ → 국

Now combine:

한 + 국 → 한국

Meaning:

Korea

This is a useful demonstration of how individual syllable blocks form complete words.

Analyze 한국

The word:

한국

contains two blocks.

한

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ

국

ㄱ + ㅜ + ㄱ

So:

한국 = 한 + 국

Each block has:

C + V + C

Analyze 한글

The word:

한글

contains:

한

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ

and:

글

ㄱ + ㅡ + ㄹ

So:

한글 = 한 + 글

Notice that:

한 uses a vertical vowel
글 uses a horizontal vowel

but both contain 받침.

Compare Different Final Consonants

Keep:

가

and add different 받침.

각

간

갈

감

갑

강

The initial consonant and vowel remain:

ㄱ + ㅏ

Only the final consonant changes.

This is an excellent reading exercise.

Compare Vertical Vowel Blocks

Examples:

산

ㅅ + ㅏ + ㄴ

집

ㅈ + ㅣ + ㅂ

말

ㅁ + ㅏ + ㄹ

밤

ㅂ + ㅏ + ㅁ

Each uses a vertical vowel and a final consonant.

Compare Horizontal Vowel Blocks

Examples:

국

ㄱ + ㅜ + ㄱ

문

ㅁ + ㅜ + ㄴ

물

ㅁ + ㅜ + ㄹ

공

ㄱ + ㅗ + ㅇ

The 받침 remains at the bottom.

Complex Vowel + 받침

받침 can also appear with complex vowels.

Examples:

광

ㄱ + ㅘ + ㅇ

원

ㅇ + ㅝ + ㄴ

된

ㄷ + ㅚ + ㄴ

권

ㄱ + ㅝ + ㄴ

The complex vowel still counts as the vowel portion of the syllable.

Example: 원

Breakdown:

ㅇ + ㅝ + ㄴ → 원

Here:

ㅇ = 초성
ㅝ = 중성
ㄴ = 종성

It is still one syllable.

Example: 광

Breakdown:

ㄱ + ㅘ + ㅇ → 광

The vowel ㅘ itself is complex:

ㅗ + ㅏ

But structurally:

ㄱ = initial
ㅘ = vowel
ㅇ = final

받침 Changes the Shape of the Block

Compare:

과

with:

관

The open syllable:

과

has no bottom consonant.

The closed syllable:

관

adds ㄴ underneath.

Similarly:

워 → 원

위 → 윗 in spelling contexts

The block becomes visually denser but remains one syllable.

Vocabulary with Simple 받침

These are excellent beginner 받침 words.

More Beginner Vocabulary

Word Breakdown Practice

물

ㅁ + ㅜ + ㄹ

밥

ㅂ + ㅏ + ㅂ

손

ㅅ + ㅗ + ㄴ

집

ㅈ + ㅣ + ㅂ

방

ㅂ + ㅏ + ㅇ59. Analyze 가방

The word:

가방

contains:

가

ㄱ + ㅏ

No 받침.

방

ㅂ + ㅏ + ㅇ

받침:

ㅇ

So a Korean word can freely combine syllables with and without 받침.

Analyze 사람

사

ㅅ + ㅏ

No 받침.

람

ㄹ + ㅏ + ㅁ

받침:

ㅁ

Together:

사람

meaning:

person

Analyze 신발

신

ㅅ + ㅣ + ㄴ

발

ㅂ + ㅏ + ㄹ

Both syllables contain 받침.

Result:

신발

meaning:

shoes

Basic 받침 Pronunciation: The Seven Final Sounds (받침의 7가지 기본 소리)

In Section 6, you learned how a final consonant, or 받침, is placed at the bottom of a Korean syllable block.

Now we will study an extremely important pronunciation rule:

Many different consonants can be written as 받침, but in the final position they are pronounced using only a small number of basic final sounds.

These are commonly taught as the seven representative final sounds:

ㄱ · ㄴ · ㄷ · ㄹ · ㅁ · ㅂ · ㅇ

Learning these seven sounds will make Korean reading much easier.

Why Are There Only Seven Basic Final Sounds?

Korean has many consonant letters.

For example:

ㄱ ㄲ ㅋ

are different consonants when they begin a syllable.

Compare:

가 · 까 · 카

They sound different.

However, when these consonants appear at the end of a syllable, the distinction becomes much smaller.

For example:

각

밖

부엌

Their final written consonants are different, but they belong to the same basic final pronunciation group.

This is why 받침 pronunciation must be learned differently from initial-consonant pronunciation.

The Seven Final Sound Groups

The seven representative final sounds are:

Representative Sound	Common Written 받침
ㄱ	ㄱ, ㄲ, ㅋ
ㄴ	ㄴ
ㄷ	ㄷ, ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ, ㅎ
ㄹ	ㄹ
ㅁ	ㅁ
ㅂ	ㅂ, ㅍ
ㅇ	ㅇ

This chart is one of the most important beginner 받침 charts.

Important Principle

The consonant you see and the final sound you hear may not always be exactly the same.

For example:

옷

Written 받침:

ㅅ

But its isolated final sound belongs to the:

ㄷ sound group

So a learner must recognize both:

the written letter;
the representative final sound.

The ㄱ Final Sound

The first representative 받침 sound is:

ㄱ

This group includes:

ㄱ · ㄲ · ㅋ

At the end of a syllable, they are pronounced with a short, unreleased k-like ending.

Examples:

ㄱ 받침

국

목

책

ㄲ 받침

밖

ㅋ 받침

부엌

Although their spelling differs, the final consonant belongs to the same basic sound category.

How to Pronounce Final ㄱ

Do not strongly release the consonant as you might in English.

For:

국

Avoid an exaggerated:

❌ “guk-uh”

Instead, finish the syllable by closing the sound at the back of the mouth.

Think of the final consonant as being cut off gently.

Examples of the ㄱ Group

Read:

국 · 책 · 밖 · 부엌

Focus on the similar final stopping quality.

Vocabulary with the ㄱ Final Sound

These are useful words for practicing the final ㄱ sound.

The ㄴ Final Sound

The second representative sound is:

ㄴ

This group is simple because:

ㄴ → ㄴ

The spelling and basic final pronunciation correspond directly.

Examples:

산

눈

문

손

돈

How to Pronounce Final ㄴ

For final ㄴ:

place the tongue near the upper gum ridge;
let the sound end through the nose.

It is similar to an n sound.

Examples:

산

문

손

Unlike ㄱ or ㄷ, the airflow is not completely blocked and cut off.

Vocabulary with Final ㄴ

The ㄷ Final Sound

The third representative final sound is:

ㄷ

This is especially important because many different written consonants belong to this group.

These include:

ㄷ · ㅅ · ㅆ · ㅈ · ㅊ · ㅌ · ㅎ

When pronounced in isolation at the end of a syllable, these collapse to a ㄷ-type final sound.

ㄷ as 받침

Example:

곧

Written final:

ㄷ

Representative sound:

ㄷ

The syllable ends with a short, unreleased t-like closure.

ㅅ as 받침

Example:

옷

Written final:

ㅅ

But as a final consonant in isolation, it belongs to the:

ㄷ group

This is a very important beginner rule.

Another example:

맛

Written:

ㅅ

Final sound category:

ㄷ

ㅆ as 받침

Example:

있

as in forms derived from 있다

The written final consonant is:

ㅆ

But it belongs to the final:

ㄷ sound group

Later, when another syllable follows, additional pronunciation rules may change what you hear.

For now, learn the base final category.

ㅈ as 받침

Example:

낮

Written final:

ㅈ

Representative final sound:

ㄷ

So:

낮

does not end with the same strong “j” quality heard in initial:

자

ㅊ as 받침

Example:

꽃

Written final:

ㅊ

Representative final sound:

ㄷ

This is another common word that learners encounter early.

ㅌ as 받침

Example:

밭

Written final:

ㅌ

Representative final sound:

ㄷ

Again, the aspirated quality of initial ㅌ is not strongly released at the end.

ㅎ as 받침

Example:

놓

in forms based on 놓다

Written final:

ㅎ

In isolated syllable-final classification, ㅎ is associated with the ㄷ-type final category, though ㅎ often triggers additional sound changes when followed by another syllable.

This is one reason Korean pronunciation is best learned step by step.

Examples of the ㄷ Group

Read the 받침-bearing syllables carefully:

곧 · 옷 · 있 · 낮 · 꽃 · 밭

Notice that the different written letters converge toward the same type of closed final sound.

How to Pronounce Final ㄷ

Place the tip of the tongue near the upper gum ridge.

Stop the airflow.

Avoid:

❌ 오스

when reading the word by itself.

The final sound should close the syllable.

The ㄹ Final Sound

The fourth representative 받침 sound is:

ㄹ

This group contains:

ㄹ

Examples:

말

물

길

달

불

How to Pronounce Final ㄹ

Final ㄹ is different from an English-style strong “r.”

In syllable-final position, the tongue typically makes contact around the upper gum ridge and produces an l-like quality.

Examples:

말

물

길

Do not pronounce it as a strong English “r.”

Vocabulary with Final ㄹ

The ㅁ Final Sound

The fifth representative final sound is:

ㅁ

This group contains:

ㅁ

Examples:

밤

몸

봄

곰

감

How to Pronounce Final ㅁ

Close both lips.

Allow the sound to resonate through the nose.

It is similar to an m sound.

Examples:

밤

몸

봄

The lips should remain closed at the end.

Vocabulary with Final ㅁ

The ㅂ Final Sound

The sixth representative final sound is:

ㅂ

This group includes:

ㅂ · ㅍ

Both become a short, unreleased p-like final sound.

ㅂ as 받침

Examples:

밥

집

입

The written final consonant is:

ㅂ

Stop the airflow.

Do not release a strong puff of air.

For:

밥

Avoid adding another vowel:

❌ 바브

Instead, close the lips and finish the syllable cleanly.

Examples of the ㅂ Group

The ㅇ Final Sound

The seventh representative final sound is:

ㅇ

This group contains:

ㅇ

Examples:

방

강

공

왕

영

How to Pronounce Final ㅇ

Final ㅇ represents the sound:

ng

as in the ending of the English word “sing.”

The back of the tongue rises toward the soft palate.

Air flows through the nose.

Examples:

방

강

공

Initial ㅇ and Final ㅇ Are Different

This distinction is essential.

Initial ㅇ

Example:

아

The ㅇ is:

silent

Final ㅇ

Example:

앙

The ㅇ is:

Compare:

아 — 앙

오 — 옹

우 — 웅

The Seven Sounds Summary Table

Final Sound	Written 받침 Examples	Example Words
ㄱ	ㄱ, ㄲ, ㅋ	국, 밖, 부엌
ㄴ	ㄴ	산, 문, 손
ㄷ	ㄷ, ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ, ㅎ	곧, 옷, 낮, 꽃, 밭
ㄹ	ㄹ	말, 물, 길
ㅁ	ㅁ	밤, 몸, 봄
ㅂ	ㅂ, ㅍ	밥, 집, 앞
ㅇ	ㅇ	방, 강, 공

This table is worth memorizing.

A Useful Memory Pattern

The seven representative consonants are:

ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅇ

Read them in order several times:

ㄱ — ㄴ — ㄷ — ㄹ — ㅁ — ㅂ — ㅇ

These seven cover the basic pronunciation categories of Korean syllable-final consonants.

Why Final Consonants Sound Short

In Korean, many final consonants are unreleased.

This means you form the consonant position but do not release it with a strong burst.

For example:

밥

The lips close for final ㅂ.

But you do not strongly release:

❌ 밥-uh

Likewise:

국

The back of the tongue closes the sound.

Do not add another vowel after it.

Common Beginner Mistake — Adding a Vowel

Beginners sometimes read:

밥

as:

❌ 바브

Or:

국

as:

❌ 구그

Or:

옷

as:

❌ 오스

This changes the syllable structure.

Correct Korean pronunciation keeps the 받침 inside the same syllable.

Common Beginner Mistake — Pronouncing Written ㅅ as “s”

Consider:

옷

A learner may see ㅅ and try to pronounce an English-style final “s.”

But in Korean syllable-final position:

ㅅ → ㄷ-type final sound

The letter remains ㅅ in spelling.

The pronunciation changes because of its position.

Common Beginner Mistake — Strong Aspiration

Compare initial:

카

The ㅋ has strong aspiration.

But final ㅋ in:

부엌

does not end with a strong released “kh” sound.

Instead, it belongs to the:

ㄱ final group

The same principle applies to final ㅍ and other consonants.

Written Letter vs Pronounced Group

Determine the written letter and final group.

밖

Written:

ㄲ

Final group:

ㄱ

옷

Written:

ㅅ

Final group:

ㄷ

앞

Written:

At the end:

raise the back of the tongue;
allow nasal airflow.

Practice:

방 · 강 · 공

받침 Before a Vowel: Sound Linking and Resyllabification (연음)

In Section 7, you learned that a 받침 normally has one of the seven representative final sounds when it ends a syllable.

But Korean pronunciation changes when the next syllable begins with:

ㅇ + vowel

Remember:

ㅇ is silent when it appears at the beginning of a syllable.

Because the following ㅇ has no consonant sound of its own, the previous 받침 can connect to the following vowel.

This important pronunciation process is called:

연음

연음 means that sounds are linked together across syllable boundaries.

Examples:

한국어 → [한구거]

집에 → [지베]

먹어요 → [머거요]

옷이 → [오시]

음악 → [으막]

The spelling does not change.

Only the pronunciation becomes connected.

What Is 연음?

The Korean word:

연음

literally refers to sounds being connected or linked.

The basic situation is:

Syllable 1

ends in 받침.

Syllable 2

begins with silent:

ㅇ

followed by a vowel.

The final consonant of the first syllable is then pronounced as though it begins the next syllable.

Basic Pattern

Consider:

집에

Written syllables:

집 + 에

Break them apart:

ㅈ + ㅣ + ㅂ

ㅇ + ㅔ

The second syllable begins with silent ㅇ.

Therefore, the final ㅂ can connect to the following ㅔ sound.

Pronunciation:

[지베]

You still write:

집에

not:

❌ 지베

Spelling vs Pronunciation

This distinction is extremely important.

Written

집에

Pronounced approximately

지베

The pronunciation changes naturally in connected speech, but Korean spelling preserves the original syllable structure.

Therefore:

Do not rewrite words according to 연음 pronunciation.

Why Does the 받침 Move in Pronunciation?

Look at:

집 + 에

The syllable 에 begins with:

ㅇ

But initial ㅇ has no sound.

This creates an open position before the vowel.

The previous consonant can connect naturally to that vowel:

집에

↓

지베

It sounds as though ㅂ has become the beginning consonant of 에.

This is pronunciation only.

Visualizing the Movement

Written:

집 | 에

Structural breakdown:

지 + ㅂ | ㅇ + ㅔ

Pronunciation connection:

지 | 베

So:

집에 → [지베]

A useful animation for learners would show the ㅂ moving visually toward the next vowel while leaving the spelling unchanged above it.

Simple 연음 with ㄱ 받침

Example:

한국어

Breakdown:

한 + 국 + 어

Focus on:

국 + 어

Written:

국어

The 받침 of 국 is:

ㄱ

The next syllable begins:

ㅇ + ㅓ

Because ㅇ is silent, ㄱ links with ㅓ.

So:

국어 → [구거]

Therefore:

한국어 → [한구거]

Meaning:

Korean language

Another ㄱ Linking Example

먹어요

Breakdown:

먹 + 어 + 요

The first syllable:

먹

contains final:

ㄱ

The next syllable:

어

begins with silent ㅇ.

So the ㄱ connects to ㅓ.

Pronunciation:

먹어요 → [머거요]

Meaning:

eat / eats, in polite conjugated usage depending on context.

Compare 먹다 and 먹어요

Look at:

먹다

The next syllable begins with:

ㄷ

There is no silent ㅇ.

So this is not the basic vowel-linking situation.

Now:

먹어요

The following syllable is:

어

which begins with silent ㅇ.

Therefore:

먹어요 → [머거요]

This comparison helps learners recognize when 연음 can occur.

Linking with ㄴ 받침

Example:

문을

Breakdown:

문 + 을

Final consonant of 문:

ㄴ

Next syllable:

을 = ㅇ + ㅡ + ㄹ

Initial ㅇ is silent.

Therefore ㄴ connects to ㅡ.

Approximate pronunciation:

문을 → [무늘]

The spelling remains:

문을

Another ㄴ Example

산에

Breakdown:

산 + 에

Final:

ㄴ

Next syllable begins:

ㅇ + ㅔ

Pronunciation:

산에 → [사네]

Meaning:

at/on/to the mountain, depending on context.

Linking with ㄹ 받침

Example:

물을

Breakdown:

물 + 을

Final consonant:

ㄹ

The next syllable begins with silent ㅇ.

The ㄹ links with the following vowel.

Pronunciation:

물을 → [무를]

Meaning:

water + object particle

The written form remains:

물을

Another ㄹ Example

달에

Breakdown:

달 + 에

Pronunciation:

달에 → [다레]

The ㄹ connects naturally with the vowel ㅔ.

Linking with ㅁ 받침

Example:

음악

The word is written:

음 + 악

The first syllable:

음

ends in:

ㅁ

The next syllable:

악

begins with silent ㅇ.

Therefore:

음악 → [으막]

Meaning:

music

This is a very useful beginner example.

Another ㅁ Example

마음이

Breakdown:

마음 + 이

The final syllable of 마음 is:

음

with 받침:

ㅁ

The next syllable:

이

begins with silent ㅇ.

Therefore, the final ㅁ links with ㅣ.

Approximate pronunciation:

마음이 → [마으미]

The spelling stays:

마음이

Linking with ㅂ 받침

Example:

집에

As you already saw:

집 + 에

Final:

ㅂ

ㅇ + ㅔ

Pronunciation:

집에 → [지베]

Another ㅂ Example

밥을

Breakdown:

밥 + 을

Final consonant:

ㅂ

Next syllable:

을

begins with silent ㅇ.

So:

밥을 → [바블]

Meaning:

rice/meal + object particle

This is very common in real Korean sentences.

Linking with ㅇ 받침

Final ㅇ also connects phonetically into the following vowel environment, but because its sound is ng, it remains a nasal sound.

Example:

방에

Breakdown:

방 + 에

Approximate pronunciation:

방에 → [방에]

There is no dramatic consonant change like:

집에 → 지베

because final ㅇ already forms a continuous nasal sound before the following vowel.

Learners should still pronounce the two syllables smoothly without an unnatural pause.

Important Difference with Final ㅇ

Do not try to turn final ㅇ into an initial ㅇ sound.

Remember:

Initial ㅇ

silent

Final ㅇ

So:

방에

does not become:

❌ 바에

The final ng sound remains.

Linking with Written ㅅ

Now we reach an especially important case.

Consider:

옷이

Written:

옷 + 이

Final consonant:

ㅅ

When 옷 stands alone, final ㅅ belongs to the representative:

ㄷ final group

But before a vowel, the original written consonant can link to the following syllable.

Therefore:

옷이

is pronounced approximately:

[오시]

not:

❌ [오디]

This is why learners must distinguish between:

final pronunciation;
pronunciation before a vowel.

Compare 옷 and 옷이

옷

By itself:

Final ㅅ is realized as a ㄷ-type final sound.

But:

옷이

The next syllable begins with a vowel.

The underlying ㅅ links forward.

Pronunciation:

옷이 → [오시]

This is a crucial pronunciation pattern.

Linking with ㅈ

Example:

낮에

Breakdown:

낮 + 에

Written 받침:

ㅈ

When 낮 is pronounced alone, its final belongs to the ㄷ sound category.

But before vowel-initial 에, the ㅈ links forward.

Approximate pronunciation:

낮에 → [나제]

Meaning:

during the daytime / in the daytime

Linking with ㅊ

Example:

꽃이

Breakdown:

꽃 + 이

Written 받침:

ㅊ

The next syllable begins:

ㅇ + ㅣ

The ㅊ links forward.

Pronunciation:

꽃이 → [꼬치]

Meaning:

flower + subject marker

This is another very important example.

Compare 꽃 and 꽃이

꽃

By itself, the final ㅊ is realized as a ㄷ-type final sound.

But:

꽃이

before the vowel-initial syllable 이:

ㅊ links to the next vowel.

Therefore:

꽃이 → [꼬치]

This shows why the original spelling must be remembered.

Linking with ㅋ

Example:

부엌에

Breakdown:

부엌 + 에

The final consonant of 부엌 is:

ㅋ

The next syllable:

에

begins with silent ㅇ.

The ㅋ connects to ㅔ.

Approximate pronunciation:

부엌에 → [부어케]

Meaning:

in/to the kitchen

Linking with ㅍ

Example:

앞에

Breakdown:

앞 + 에

Written final:

ㅍ

Next syllable begins with:

ㅇ + ㅔ

The ㅍ links forward.

Pronunciation:

앞에 → [아페]

Meaning:

in front / at the front

Compare 앞 and 앞에

앞

By itself:

ㅍ belongs to the final:

ㅂ sound group

But:

앞에

the original ㅍ moves into the next syllable's onset in pronunciation.

Therefore:

앞에 → [아페]

not:

❌ [아베]

This distinction is important.

The Core Rule

The beginner rule can be summarized as:

When a syllable with 받침 is followed by a syllable beginning with silent ㅇ + vowel, the 받침 is often pronounced as the beginning consonant of the following syllable.

Pattern:

CVC + V

can sound like:

CV + CV

Example:

집 + 에

↓

지 + 베

The Spelling Never Moves

This point deserves repetition.

For:

한국어

You write:

✅ 한국어

You do not write:

❌ 한구거

For:

집에

You write:

✅ 집에

not:

❌ 지베

For:

옷이

You write:

✅ 옷이

not:

❌ 오시

Pronunciation and spelling are related but not identical.

Common Particles That Trigger Linking

연음 frequently appears when 받침-bearing nouns are followed by particles beginning with ㅇ.

Important examples include:

이

subject marker

을

object marker

앞 + 에 → 앞에 → [아페]

부엌 + 에 → 부엌에 → [부어케]

This makes 에 excellent for practicing 연음.

Verb and Adjective Forms

연음 also appears when verb or adjective stems ending in 받침 are followed by vowel-initial endings.

Meaning:

wear / put on, depending on context.

먹어요 Step by Step

Written:

먹어요

Separate:

먹 + 어 + 요

Now examine:

먹 + 어

먹 ends with:

ㄱ

어 begins with:

ㅇ + ㅓ

Initial ㅇ is silent.

Therefore:

ㄱ + ㅓ

is pronounced together:

거

So:

먹어요 → [머거요]

입어요 Step by Step

Written:

입어요

Breakdown:

입 + 어 + 요

Final ㅂ links to ㅓ.

So:

입어요 → [이버요]

Again:

The spelling remains:

입어요

한국어 Step by Step

Written:

한국어

Syllables:

한 | 국 | 어

The relevant boundary is:

국 | 어

국 ends in:

ㄱ

어 begins with silent:

ㅇ

Link:

ㄱ + ㅓ → 거

Pronunciation:

[한구거]

This is one of the best examples for Korean learners.

음악 Step by Step

Written:

음악

Syllables:

음 | 악

The first syllable ends:

ㅁ

The second begins:

ㅇ + ㅏ

The ㅁ connects smoothly to the vowel.

Pronunciation:

[으막]

The spelling still shows:

음 + 악

Compare With No Linking

Consider:

먹다

Breakdown:

먹 + 다

The next syllable begins with:

ㄷ

not silent ㅇ.

Therefore, the basic 연음 rule does not apply.

Compare:

먹다

vs.

먹어요 → [머거요]

This is an important recognition exercise.

Another Comparison

집도

집 + 도

The next syllable begins with:

ㄷ

No basic linking.

But:

집에

집 + 에

에 begins with silent ㅇ.

Therefore:

집에 → [지베]

Does Every ㅇ Trigger This Rule?

No.

The relevant ㅇ must be:

initial ㅇ before a vowel

For example:

에

이

아

어

을

Here, ㅇ has no sound.

But final ㅇ, as in:

방

is pronounced ng.

Do not confuse initial and final ㅇ.

Written 받침 Can Recover Its Original Sound

This is an important consequence of 연음.

Compare:

옷

Final ㅅ sounds like the ㄷ group when the word ends there.

But:

옷이 → [오시]

Now the ㅅ is heard as an s-like onset.

Likewise:

꽃

final ㅊ is neutralized at the end.

But:

꽃이 → [꼬치]

The original ㅊ becomes audible again before the vowel.

Why Spelling Helps Pronunciation

Suppose a learner only remembers the isolated pronunciation of:

꽃

They might think the final consonant is effectively ㄷ.

But the spelling tells us that the underlying consonant is:

ㅊ

That becomes important in:

꽃이 → [꼬치]

Therefore:

Korean spelling preserves information that may reappear in connected pronunciation.

Linking Recognition Table

Written	받침	Next Vowel	Approx. Pronunciation
집에	ㅂ	ㅔ	지베
산에	ㄴ	ㅔ	사네
물을	ㄹ	ㅡ	무를
먹어요	ㄱ	ㅓ	머거요
옷이	ㅅ	ㅣ	오시
꽃이	ㅊ	ㅣ	꼬치
앞에	ㅍ	ㅔ	아페
한국어	ㄱ	ㅓ	한구거

This is a valuable reference table for beginners.

Common Beginner Mistake — Pausing Between Syllables

A beginner may pronounce:

집 | 에

with a strong pause.

But natural Korean links the sounds more smoothly:

지베

Similarly:

❌ 한-국-어 with every syllable separated unnaturally

Natural connected pronunciation:

[한구거]

Common Beginner Mistake — Changing the Spelling

Because:

집에

sounds like:

[지베]

a learner might write:

❌ 지베

This is incorrect.

Always write:

✅ 집에

The pronunciation rule does not change Korean orthography.

Common Beginner Mistake — Using the Seven-Sound Form Before a Vowel

Remember:

옷

by itself has a ㄷ-type final pronunciation.

But before 이:

옷이 → [오시]

Do not apply the isolated ㄷ sound first and say:

❌ [오디]

The written ㅅ links forward.

Common Beginner Mistake — Ignoring Original Spelling

Compare:

옷이

and:

꽃이

The spelling determines which consonant appears before the following vowel.

옷이:

ㅅ → 시

꽃이:

ㅊ → 치

Therefore:

옷이 → [오시]

꽃이 → [꼬치]

Double Final Consonants (겹받침): Building and Reading Complex 받침

In the previous sections, you learned syllables with a single final consonant:

산 · 물 · 밥 · 집 · 한국

You also learned how 받침 pronunciation changes at the end of a syllable and before a following vowel.

Now we will study a more advanced syllable structure:

겹받침

겹받침 means a final-consonant position containing two written consonants.

Examples:

앉 · 읽 · 삶 · 값 · 없 · 닭

A syllable with 겹받침 may contain:

Initial consonant + vowel + two final consonant letters

For example:

ㄷ + ㅏ + ㄹ + ㄱ → 닭

Even though four jamo are visible, 닭 is still one syllable block.

What Does 겹받침 Mean?

The word:

겹받침

can be understood as:

겹 — layered, doubled, overlapping
받침 — final consonant

Therefore:

겹받침 is a 받침 written using two consonant letters together.

Example:

값

Breakdown:

ㄱ + ㅏ + ㅂ + ㅅ

The final consonant cluster is:

ㅄ

This is one 겹받침.

Single 받침 vs 겹받침

Compare:

밥

받침:

ㅂ

One consonant.

Now:

값

받침:

ㅄ

Two consonants.

So:

Type	Example	받침
Single 받침	밥	ㅂ
겹받침	값	ㅄ

Both are still single syllable blocks.

The 11 Standard 겹받침

Modern Korean commonly uses these 11 double-final combinations:

ㄳ · ㄵ · ㄶ · ㄺ · ㄻ · ㄼ · ㄽ · ㄾ · ㄿ · ㅀ · ㅄ

It is useful to memorize them as families.

겹받침 Master Chart

겹받침	Components	Example
ㄳ	ㄱ + ㅅ	넋
ㄵ	ㄴ + ㅈ	앉다
ㄶ	ㄴ + ㅎ	많다
ㄺ	ㄹ + ㄱ	읽다
ㄻ	ㄹ + ㅁ	삶
ㄼ	ㄹ + ㅂ	넓다
ㄽ	ㄹ + ㅅ	외곬
ㄾ	ㄹ + ㅌ	핥다
ㄿ	ㄹ + ㅍ	읊다
ㅀ	ㄹ + ㅎ	싫다
ㅄ	ㅂ + ㅅ	없다

These combinations cannot simply be pronounced as two fully released consonants at the end of a syllable.

Special pronunciation rules apply.

How 겹받침 Fits Inside a Syllable

Look at:

값

The syllable contains:

ㄱ = 초성
ㅏ = 중성
ㅄ = 종성

The two final consonants share the bottom portion of the block.

Conceptually:

ㄱ + ㅏ

with:

ㅂㅅ

underneath.

Everything remains inside:

one syllable block

Another Example: 앉

Consider:

앉

Breakdown:

ㅇ + ㅏ + ㄴ + ㅈ

Structural analysis:

초성: ㅇ
중성: ㅏ
종성: ㄵ

The final consonant:

ㄵ

contains:

ㄴ + ㅈ

Another Example: 읽

Consider:

읽

Breakdown:

ㅇ + ㅣ + ㄹ + ㄱ

Structural positions:

초성: ㅇ
중성: ㅣ
종성: ㄺ

The 겹받침 is:

ㄺ

Do We Pronounce Both Consonants at the End?

Usually, when a 겹받침 is followed by another consonant or occurs at the end of an utterance, only one consonant is normally realized as the main final sound.

For example:

닭

Spelling:

ㄷ + ㅏ + ㄹ + ㄱ

받침:

ㄺ

Standard isolated pronunciation:

[닥]

The ㄹ is not separately released.

Why 겹받침 Looks Harder Than It Sounds

A learner may see:

ㄺ

and attempt to pronounce:

❌ ㄹ + ㄱ as two separate final sounds

But Korean syllable-final pronunciation does not normally allow both consonants to be released independently.

Instead, the cluster follows a pronunciation rule.

This means you need to learn:

how the word is spelled;
which consonant is heard in final position;
what happens if a vowel follows.

Basic Final Pronunciation Chart

For beginner learning, the common base patterns can be summarized as follows:

There are important exceptions and additional sound changes, so learners should memorize common words together with their pronunciation.

겹받침 ㄳ

ㄳ = ㄱ + ㅅ

Example:

넋

Meaning:

soul / spirit

When pronounced by itself:

넋 → [넉]

The main final sound is:

ㄱ

Building ㄳ

Take:

넉

Structurally:

ㄴ + ㅓ + ㄱ

Now the spelling of:

넋

uses:

ㄴ + ㅓ + ㄳ

So:

ㄴ + ㅓ + ㄱ + ㅅ → 넋

The two bottom consonants form one 겹받침.

ㄳ Before a Vowel

When a vowel-initial syllable follows, the two consonants may split across the syllable boundary.

A useful example is:

넋이

Written:

넋 + 이

The first consonant of the cluster stays with the first syllable, while the second consonant can link to the following vowel.

Approximate pronunciation:

[넉씨]

This example also involves consonant strengthening, so it is more advanced.

For beginner study, the important concept is:

겹받침 can behave differently before a following vowel.

겹받침 ㄵ

ㄵ = ㄴ + ㅈ

Common example:

앉다

Meaning:

to sit

The stem syllable:

앉

contains:

ㅇ + ㅏ + ㄵ

Pronouncing 앉다

Written:

앉다

The ㄵ cluster does not produce two separate final sounds.

The common pronunciation is:

[안따]

Important changes include:

ㄴ remains as the final sound;
the following ㄷ becomes tense ㄸ.

At this stage, recognize the word and imitate native audio rather than trying to derive every advanced rule at once.

ㄵ Before a Vowel

Now compare:

앉다

with:

앉아요

Written:

앉 + 아요

Because 아 begins with silent ㅇ, the second consonant ㅈ can link forward.

Pronunciation:

앉아요 → [안자요]

Notice:

앉다 → [안따]

but:

앉아요 → [안자요]

This is an excellent example of how a following vowel changes 겹받침 pronunciation.

겹받침 ㄶ

ㄶ = ㄴ + ㅎ

Common example:

많다

Meaning:

to be many / much

The syllable:

많

contains:

ㅁ + ㅏ + ㄶ

Pronouncing 많다

Written:

많다

Standard pronunciation:

[만타]

Here, the ㅎ affects the following ㄷ and helps produce an aspirated:

ㅌ

This is different from a simple single 받침 rule.

ㄶ Before a Vowel

Example:

많아요

Written:

많 + 아요

Common pronunciation:

[마나요]

The ㄴ remains, while ㅎ is not pronounced as a separate onset.

Compare:

많다 → [만타]

많아요 → [마나요]

The spelling remains based on:

많-

겹받침 ㄺ

ㄺ = ㄹ + ㄱ

This is one of the most common 겹받침.

Examples:

읽다

닭

맑다

Example: 닭

닭

Breakdown:

ㄷ + ㅏ + ㄹ + ㄱ

The 겹받침 is:

ㄺ

Standard isolated pronunciation:

[닥]

Meaning:

chicken

Example: 읽다

Written:

읽다

Meaning:

to read

The stem:

읽-

contains ㄺ.

Common pronunciation:

읽다 → [익따]

Here:

ㄱ is heard from the cluster;
ㄷ becomes tense.

ㄺ Before a Vowel

Compare:

읽다 → [익따]

with:

읽어요

Breakdown:

읽 + 어요

The following syllable begins with silent ㅇ.

The ㄱ can link forward while ㄹ remains.

Pronunciation:

읽어요 → [일거요]

This pattern is extremely important.

Compare 읽다 and 읽어요

읽다

[익따]

읽어요

[일거요]

Same spelling stem:

읽-

But different following sounds create different pronunciation behavior.

This is why 겹받침 should always be practiced in actual words and forms.

Special ㄺ Pattern Before ㄱ

Some ㄺ words behave specially before a following ㄱ.

For example:

읽고

is commonly pronounced:

[일꼬]

This is more advanced.

At beginner level, learn these forms through high-frequency vocabulary and native audio.

겹받침 ㄻ

ㄻ = ㄹ + ㅁ

Common examples:

삶

life

젊다

to be young

Pronouncing 삶

Written:

삶

Breakdown:

ㅅ + ㅏ + ㄹ + ㅁ

Common pronunciation:

[삼]

The final main sound is:

ㅁ

The ㄹ is not separately released.

ㄻ Before a Vowel

Consider:

삶이

Breakdown:

삶 + 이

Before the following vowel, the cluster can split.

Approximate pronunciation:

삶이 → [살미]

So compare:

삶 → [삼]

삶이 → [살미]

The spelling remains:

삶

Example: 젊다

Written:

젊다

Meaning:

to be young

Common pronunciation:

[점따]

The stem contains:

ㄻ

Again, ㅁ provides the main final sound before the following consonant.

겹받침 ㄼ

ㄼ = ㄹ + ㅂ

Common examples include:

넓다

얇다

밟다

This group is particularly important because it contains pronunciation exceptions.

Example: 넓다

Written:

넓다

Meaning:

to be wide / spacious

Common pronunciation:

[널따]

Here, ㄹ is heard as the final sound.

Example: 얇다

Written:

얇다

Meaning:

to be thin

Common pronunciation:

[얄따]

Again, ㄹ is the main final sound.

Important Exception: 밟다

Written:

밟다

Meaning:

to step on

Unlike 넓다 and 얇다, 밟다 is commonly pronounced:

[밥따]

This is an important exception.

Therefore:

Do not assume every ㄼ word behaves identically.

Common words must sometimes be memorized individually.

ㄼ Before a Vowel

Example:

넓어요

Written:

넓 + 어요

Common pronunciation:

[널버요]

The second consonant ㅂ links into the next vowel-initial syllable.

Compare:

넓다 → [널따]

넓어요 → [널버요]

겹받침 ㄽ

ㄽ = ㄹ + ㅅ

This 겹받침 is relatively uncommon.

One example:

외곬

Meaning:

a single path / one-track course, often used figuratively.

Final pronunciation keeps the ㄹ-type sound:

외곬 → [외골]

For beginners, the main goal is to recognize ㄽ, not memorize many rare words containing it.

겹받침 ㄾ

ㄾ = ㄹ + ㅌ

Common example:

핥다

Meaning:

to lick

Common pronunciation:

[할따]

The main final sound is ㄹ before ㄷ, and the following ㄷ becomes tense.

ㄾ Before a Vowel

Example:

핥아요

Written:

핥 + 아요

The ㅌ links forward to the following vowel.

Pronunciation is approximately:

[할타요]

The ㄹ remains associated with the previous syllable.

겹받침 ㄿ

ㄿ = ㄹ + ㅍ

Common example:

읊다

Meaning:

to recite

Common pronunciation:

[읍따]

The main final sound is:

ㅂ-type

ㄿ Before a Vowel

Example:

읊어요

Written:

읊 + 어요

The ㅍ can link to the following vowel.

Common pronunciation:

[을퍼요]

Compare:

읊다 → [읍따]

읊어요 → [을퍼요]

겹받침 ㅀ

ㅀ = ㄹ + ㅎ

Common examples:

싫다

잃다

Example: 싫다

Meaning:

to dislike / to be unpleasant

Written:

싫다

Common pronunciation:

[실타]

The ㄹ remains, while ㅎ affects the following ㄷ, producing aspirated ㅌ.

Example: 잃다

Meaning:

to lose

Written:

잃다

Common pronunciation:

[일타]

Again:

ㅎ influences the following consonant.

ㅀ Before a Vowel

Example:

싫어요

Written:

싫 + 어요

Common pronunciation:

[시러요]

The ㅎ is not pronounced as a separate consonant here.

Compare:

싫다 → [실타]

싫어요 → [시러요]

겹받침 ㅄ

ㅄ = ㅂ + ㅅ

This is a very important double final.

Common examples:

없다

값

Example: 없다

Meaning:

to not exist / not have

Written:

없다

The stem contains:

ㅄ

Common pronunciation:

[업따]

The main final sound is:

ㅂ

and the following ㄷ becomes tense.

Example: 값

Meaning:

price / value

Written:

값

Breakdown:

ㄱ + ㅏ + ㅂ + ㅅ

Standard isolated pronunciation:

[갑]

The final sound is ㅂ-type.

ㅄ Before a Vowel

Consider:

값이

Written:

값 + 이

The ㅂ stays in the first syllable while ㅅ links forward.

The resulting pronunciation includes a strengthened ㅆ sound:

값이 → [갑씨]

This is more advanced than simple 연음, but it shows why remembering the full spelling ㅄ matters.

Another ㅄ Example Before a Vowel

Consider:

없어요

Written:

없 + 어요

Common pronunciation:

[업써요]

This form includes sound strengthening.

Compare:

없다 → [업따]

없어요 → [업써요]

The spelling stem remains:

없-

The Main 겹받침 Principle

You should understand three different situations.

Situation 1 — Word ends or another consonant follows

Usually only one main final sound is heard.

Example:

삶 → [삼]

읽다 → [익따]

없다 → [업따]

Situation 2 — A vowel follows

The two consonants may divide between the syllables.

Example:

삶이 → [살미]

읽어요 → [일거요]

넓어요 → [널버요]

Situation 3 — ㅎ or strengthening rules interact

Additional sound changes can occur.

Examples:

많다 → [만타]

싫다 → [실타]

값이 → [갑씨]

Therefore, 겹받침 pronunciation is more than simple letter movement.

Important Beginner Strategy

Do not try to memorize every possible phonological rule at once.

Use this sequence:

Step 1

Recognize the 겹받침 visually.

Step 2

Know its two consonant components.

Step 3

Learn one common word containing it.

Step 4

Learn the word's isolated or consonant-following pronunciation.

Step 5

Compare it with a form followed by a vowel.

This approach is much easier than memorizing abstract rules alone.

Master Comparison Table

Word	겹받침	Before Consonant / Word End	Before Vowel Example
넋	ㄳ	넋 [넉]	넋이 [넉씨]
앉다	ㄵ	[안따]	앉아요 [안자요]
많다	ㄶ	[만타]	많아요 [마나요]
읽다	ㄺ	[익따]	읽어요 [일거요]
삶	ㄻ	[삼]	삶이 [살미]
넓다	ㄼ	[널따]	넓어요 [널버요]
외곬	ㄽ	[외골]	—
핥다	ㄾ	[할따]	핥아요 [할타요]
읊다	ㄿ	[읍따]	읊어요 [을퍼요]
싫다	ㅀ	[실타]	싫어요 [시러요]
없다	ㅄ	[업따]	없어요 [업써요]

Use native audio alongside this table.

Vocabulary Practice

Learn these high-value words:

Common Beginner Mistake — Pronouncing Both Finals Fully

For:

닭

Do not try to release:

❌ 달-ㄱ

as two independent consonants.

Natural pronunciation:

[닥]

Similarly:

삶

not two fully released finals.

Natural pronunciation:

[삼]

Common Beginner Mistake — Ignoring the Hidden Letter

After learning:

삶 → [삼]

a learner might think the ㄹ is unnecessary.

But compare:

삶이 → [살미]

The ㄹ becomes audible again.

Therefore:

Never remove a consonant from the spelling simply because it is not clearly heard in one pronunciation environment.

Common Beginner Mistake — Applying One Rule to Every ㄼ Word

Many ㄼ words use ㄹ as the main final sound.

Examples:

넓다 → [널따]

얇다 → [얄따]

But:

밟다 → [밥따]

is an important exception.

So high-frequency exceptions must be learned separately.

Common Beginner Mistake — Treating ㅎ Like a Normal Second Final

In:

많다

and:

싫다

the ㅎ often affects the following consonant.

Compare:

많다 → [만타]

싫다 → [실타]

So ㅎ-based clusters frequently involve aspiration or other special changes.

How Korean Syllable Blocks Form Complete Words (음절에서 단어 만들기)

Until now, you have learned how individual Korean syllable blocks are constructed.

You can build simple syllables:

가 · 너 · 고 · 무

You can build syllables with complex vowels:

과 · 워 · 위 · 의

You can build syllables with 받침:

한 · 국 · 물 · 집

And you have learned more advanced blocks containing 겹받침:

읽 · 앉 · 없 · 삶

Now it is time to connect these individual blocks and understand how they form:

Korean Words

For example:

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ → 한

ㄱ + ㅡ + ㄹ → 글

Then:

한 + 글 → 한글

Meaning:

Hangul / the Korean alphabet

The ability to recognize syllable boundaries is one of the most important foundations of Korean reading.

From Letters to Syllables to Words

Korean writing can be understood in three levels:

Level 1 — Letters (자모)

Individual consonants and vowels:

ㅎ · ㅏ · ㄴ · ㄱ · ㅡ · ㄹ

↓

Level 2 — Syllable Blocks (음절)

Combine the letters:

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ → 한

ㄱ + ㅡ + ㄹ → 글

↓

Level 3 — Words (단어)

Combine the syllables:

한 + 글 → 한글

This gives us the basic learning sequence:

Letters → Syllables → Words

What Is a Syllable Boundary?

Look at:

한국

This word contains two visible blocks:

한 | 국

The space between these blocks represents a:

syllable boundary

Each square-like Hangul block normally represents one syllable.

Therefore:

한국 = 2 syllables

Counting Korean Syllables

Counting syllables in written Hangul is usually straightforward.

Count the syllable blocks.

Examples:

나

1 syllable

나무

나 | 무

2 syllables

사람

사 | 람

2 syllables

한국어

한 | 국 | 어

3 syllables

바나나

바 | 나 | 나

3 syllables

Syllable Blocks Are Not Individual Letters

Consider:

한국

A beginner may see many jamo:

ㅎ ㅏ ㄴ ㄱ ㅜ ㄱ

There are six individual letters.

But they are grouped into only:

2 syllables

한

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ

국

ㄱ + ㅜ + ㄱ

So:

The number of letters is not the same as the number of syllables.

Example — 한글

The word:

한글

contains two syllables.

First syllable

한

Breakdown:

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ

초성: ㅎ
중성: ㅏ
종성: ㄴ

Second syllable

글

Breakdown:

ㄱ + ㅡ + ㄹ

초성: ㄱ
중성: ㅡ
종성: ㄹ

Combine:

한 + 글 → 한글

Example — 한국

The word:

한국

means:

Korea

Break it into syllables:

한 | 국

First:

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ → 한

Second:

ㄱ + ㅜ + ㄱ → 국

Then:

한 + 국 → 한국

Both syllables contain 받침.

Example — 한국어

Now add:

어

Breakdown:

ㅇ + ㅓ → 어

Then:

한 + 국 + 어

↓

한국어

Meaning:

Korean language

Number of syllables:

3

Written:

한 | 국 | 어

Natural pronunciation involves the 연음 rule you learned earlier:

한국어 → [한구거]

Example — 사람

The word:

사람

means:

person

Break it into:

사 | 람

First:

ㅅ + ㅏ → 사

Second:

ㄹ + ㅏ + ㅁ → 람

Combine:

사 + 람 → 사람

The first syllable has no 받침.

The second syllable has:

ㅁ 받침

Open and Closed Syllables in the Same Word

A syllable without 받침 can be called an:

open syllable

A syllable ending in 받침 is a:

closed syllable

Example:

사람

사

Open syllable

람

Closed syllable

Therefore, one Korean word can contain different syllable structures.

Example — 친구

The word:

친구

means:

friend

Breakdown:

친

ㅊ + ㅣ + ㄴ

구

ㄱ + ㅜ

So:

친 + 구 → 친구

The first syllable is closed.

The second is open.

Pattern:

CVC + CV

Example — 학교

The word:

학교

means:

school

Syllables:

학 | 교

First:

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄱ → 학

Second:

ㄱ + ㅛ → 교

Combine:

학 + 교 → 학교

The word contains:

one closed syllable;
one open syllable;
a horizontal y-vowel ㅛ.

Different Block Shapes Can Appear Together

Korean words do not require every syllable to have the same visual structure.

Example:

가구

가

uses vertical vowel:

ㅏ

구

uses horizontal vowel:

ㅜ

So:

가 + 구 → 가구

Meaning:

furniture

A word can freely mix different block shapes.

Vertical + Horizontal Combination

Example:

나무

나

ㄴ + ㅏ

Vertical structure

무

ㅁ + ㅜ

So:

과 + 자 → 과자

The first syllable contains the complex vowel:

ㅘ

Example — 의자

The word:

의자

means:

chair

Breakdown:

의

ㅇ + ㅢ

자

ㅈ + ㅏ

Combine:

의 + 자 → 의자

The first syllable contains:

ㅢ

which is a complex vowel.

Example — 회사

The word:

회사

means:

company

Breakdown:

회

ㅎ + ㅚ

사

ㅅ + ㅏ

Combine:

회 + 사 → 회사

The first syllable contains complex vowel:

ㅚ

Example — 과일

The word:

과일

means:

fruit

Breakdown:

과

ㄱ + ㅘ

일

ㅇ + ㅣ + ㄹ

Combine:

과 + 일 → 과일

The word contains:

a complex vowel;
an initial silent ㅇ;
a final ㄹ 받침.

One Word Can Use Several Rules

Consider:

한국어

To read this one word correctly, you need several concepts:

consonants;
vowels;
vertical/horizontal block arrangement;
받침;
silent initial ㅇ;
syllable boundaries;
연음.

This demonstrates why mastering syllable construction first makes later Korean learning much easier.

Word Construction — 나무

Start with letters:

ㄴ ㅏ ㅁ ㅜ

Step 1:

ㄴ + ㅏ → 나

ㅅ + ㅣ + ㄴ → 신

ㅂ + ㅏ + ㄹ → 발

Combine:

신 + 발 → 신발

Meaning:

shoes

Both syllables contain 받침.

Word Construction — 음식

The word:

음식

means:

food

Break it into:

음 | 식

First:

ㅇ + ㅡ + ㅁ → 음

Second:

ㅅ + ㅣ + ㄱ → 식

Combine:

음 + 식 → 음식

Both syllables are closed.

Word Construction — 여자

The word:

여자

means:

woman

Breakdown:

여

ㅇ + ㅕ

자

ㅈ + ㅏ

Combine:

여 + 자 → 여자

Number of syllables:

2

Word Construction — 물고기

The word:

물고기

means:

fish

Breakdown:

물 | 고 | 기

물

ㅁ + ㅜ + ㄹ

고

ㄱ + ㅗ

기

ㄱ + ㅣ

Combine:

물 + 고 + 기 → 물고기

Number of syllables:

3

Three-Syllable Words

Examples:

바나나

This is an important reminder:

Do not count letters or visual complexity. Count completed Hangul blocks.

A true four-syllable example:

할아버지

할 | 아 | 버 | 지

4 syllables

Meaning:

grandfather

Another Four-Syllable Example

Answer:

과 | 일

한국어

Answer:

한 | 국 | 어

Identify the Syllable Structure

Look at:

가방

First syllable:

가 = CV

Second syllable:

방 = CVC

Which syllable has 받침?

사

No.

람

Yes:

ㅁ

Now:

한국

한

받침:

ㄴ

국

받침:

ㄱ

Find All 받침

친구

친 → ㄴ
구 → none

학교

학 → ㄱ
교 → none

음식

음 → ㅁ
식 → ㄱ

신발

신 → ㄴ
발 → ㄹ

Words with 겹받침

Words may also contain syllables with double final consonants.

Example:

읽다

Breakdown:

읽 | 다

The first syllable:

읽

contains:

ㄺ

The second:

다

contains no 받침.

Example — 앉아요

Breakdown:

앉 | 아 | 요

Number of written syllables:

The first syllable:

앉

contains:

ㄵ

Natural pronunciation:

[안자요]

The written syllable boundaries and pronunciation flow are not always identical.

Example — 없어요

Breakdown:

없 | 어 | 요

Written syllables:

The first contains:

ㅄ

Natural pronunciation:

[업써요]

Again, written structure remains important even when pronunciation changes.

Written Syllables vs Spoken Flow

Consider:

먹어요

Written:

먹 | 어 | 요

Three syllable blocks.

Natural pronunciation:

[머거요]

The ㄱ links to the following vowel.

However, the spelling remains:

먹 | 어 | 요

This is why learners should practice both:

written syllable analysis

and:

natural connected pronunciation

Another Example — 읽어요

Written:

읽 | 어 | 요

Three blocks.

Natural pronunciation:

[일거요]

The 겹받침 ㄺ behaves according to the rules from Section 9.

The spelling still clearly shows the word structure.

Korean Reading Direction

Once letters have been combined into blocks, Korean words are read:

left → right

For example:

한 → 국 → 어

not by reading individual jamo across the entire word.

Do not read:

❌ ㅎ → ㅏ → ㄴ → ㄱ → ㅜ → ㄱ → ㅇ → ㅓ

Instead recognize:

한 → 국 → 어

This is the key transition toward fluent Hangul reading.

Chunking Instead of Decoding Every Letter

Beginning learners often read:

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ = 한

then:

ㄱ + ㅜ + ㄱ = 국

This is useful at first.

But eventually, the goal is to recognize:

한

immediately as one syllable.

Then recognize:

한국

as a complete word.

This process is called developing:

automaticity

The faster you recognize blocks, the more attention you can give to meaning.

Three Stages of Reading Development

Stage 1 — Letter-by-Letter

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ

↓

한

Stage 2 — Syllable-by-Syllable

한 + 국

↓

한국

Stage 3 — Whole Word Recognition

한국

Learners should gradually move through these stages.

Common Beginner Mistake — Reading Jamo Across a Word

For:

친구

Do not read the letters independently across the entire word:

❌ ㅊ → ㅣ → ㄴ → ㄱ → ㅜ

Instead:

친

then:

구

Then combine:

친구

Common Beginner Mistake — Ignoring 받침

For:

한국

Do not read:

❌ 하구

The first block contains:

ㄴ

and the second contains:

ㄱ

Recognize the entire blocks:

한 + 국

Common Beginner Mistake — Creating Extra Syllables

For:

물

Do not turn:

ㅁ + ㅜ + ㄹ

into:

❌ 무르

The ㄹ is the 받침 of the same syllable.

Correct:

물

This remains one syllable.

Common Beginner Mistake — Splitting Complex Vowels

For:

과

Do not interpret ㅗ and ㅏ as two separate syllables.

The combination:

ㅗ + ㅏ → ㅘ

functions as one vowel.

Therefore:

ㄱ + ㅘ → 과

One syllable.

Common Beginner Mistake — Confusing Written and Spoken Boundaries

Consider:

한국어

Written:

한 | 국 | 어

Natural pronunciation:

[한구거]

Do not change the written blocks because of pronunciation.

The correct spelling remains:

한국어

Reading and Building Korean Phrases and Short Sentences (한국어 구와 짧은 문장 읽기)

You have now learned how Korean develops from:

Letters → Syllables → Words

For example:

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ → 한

ㄱ + ㅡ + ㄹ → 글

한 + 글 → 한글

Now we will take the next important step:

Words → Phrases → Sentences

For example:

한국어

Korean language

공부해요

study

Combine them with other words:

저는 한국어를 공부해요.

I study Korean.

At this stage, your goal is not to learn every Korean grammar rule in detail. The main goal is to understand how the Hangul blocks you have learned work together in real Korean phrases and sentences.

From Syllables to Complete Sentences

Korean writing can now be understood at four levels:

Level 1 — Letters (자모)

ㅎ · ㅏ · ㄴ

↓

Level 2 — Syllables (음절)

한

↓

Level 3 — Words (단어)

한국

↓

Level 4 — Phrases and Sentences (구와 문장)

한국에 가요.

Meaning:

I go to Korea.

This gives us the complete progression:

Letters → Syllables → Words → Sentences

Syllable Boundaries vs Word Boundaries

Consider:

한국 사람

There are two words:

한국

and:

사람

But there are four syllable blocks:

한 | 국 | 사 | 람

Therefore, learners need to recognize two different kinds of boundaries.

Syllable boundary

Between individual Hangul blocks:

한 | 국

Word boundary

Shown by a visible space:

한국 ␣ 사람

Spaces in Korean

Modern Korean uses spaces between words and grammatical units according to Korean spacing conventions.

Example:

저는 학생이에요.

You can visually divide it as:

저는 | 학생이에요

Within those written units are individual syllable blocks:

저 | 는 | 학 | 생 | 이 | 에 | 요

The spaces help readers understand how the sentence is organized.

Do Not Put Spaces Between Syllables of One Word

The word:

한국어

contains three syllables:

한 | 국 | 어

But they belong together as one word.

Correct:

한국어

Incorrect:

❌ 한 국 어

Likewise:

Correct:

친구

Incorrect:

❌ 친 구

Correct:

학교

Incorrect:

❌ 학 교

Example — 한국 사람

The phrase:

한국 사람

means:

Korean person

Break it into words:

한국

Korea / Korean in this phrase

사람

person

Now break it into syllables:

한 | 국

사 | 람

Total:

2 words
4 syllable blocks

Example — 좋은 친구

The phrase:

좋은 친구

means:

a good friend

Word division:

좋은 | 친구

Syllable division:

좋 | 은 | 친 | 구

Total:

2 written words
4 syllable blocks

Notice that 좋은 contains 받침 and connected pronunciation rules that learners will encounter naturally.

Example — 한국 음식

Phrase:

한국 음식

Meaning:

Korean food

Words:

한국 | 음식

Syllables:

한 | 국 | 음 | 식

Again:

2 words
4 syllables

The phrase contains several 받침-bearing blocks.

Example — 학교 친구

Phrase:

학교 친구

Meaning:

school friend / friend from school

Words:

학교 | 친구

Syllables:

학 | 교 | 친 | 구

The word boundary appears between:

학교

and:

친구

What Is a Sentence?

A sentence expresses a complete thought.

For example:

학교

means:

school

This is a word.

학교에

adds a grammatical particle.

학교에 가요.

expresses:

(Someone) goes to school.

This is a complete sentence in context.

Korean Can Omit the Subject

English often requires an explicit subject:

I go to school.

Korean frequently omits a subject when it is already understood.

So:

학교에 가요.

can mean:

I go to school.

You go to school.

He/she goes to school.

The exact subject depends on context.

For this lesson, focus primarily on reading the Hangul correctly.

Basic Korean Sentence Pattern

A common beginner Korean sentence pattern is:

Subject + Object + Verb

For example:

저는 밥을 먹어요.

Breakdown:

저는 — as for me / I

밥을 — meal/rice + object marker

먹어요 — eat

Natural English:

I eat a meal.

Notice that the verb:

먹어요

appears at the end.

Korean Verbs Commonly Come at the End

Compare:

English:

I study Korean.

Korean:

저는 한국어를 공부해요.

Structural order:

저는

I / as for me

한국어를

Korean language + object marker

공부해요

study

So:

저는 + 한국어를 + 공부해요.

Building 저는 학생이에요

Sentence:

저는 학생이에요.

Meaning:

I am a student.

Break into written units:

저는 | 학생이에요

Now into syllables:

저 | 는 | 학 | 생 | 이 | 에 | 요

This sentence gives learners practice reading several different block structures.

Building 저는 한국 사람입니다

Sentence:

저는 한국 사람입니다.

Meaning:

I am a Korean person.

Written units:

저는 | 한국 | 사람입니다

Syllables:

저 | 는

한 | 국

사 | 람 | 입 | 니 | 다

This sentence introduces a more formal ending:

입니다

At this stage, learners only need to recognize and read it.

Building 친구가 학교에 가요

Sentence:

친구가 학교에 가요.

Meaning:

My friend / a friend goes to school.

Breakdown:

친구가

friend + subject marker

학교에

school + location/destination particle

가요

goes

Word-level reading:

친구가 | 학교에 | 가요

Syllable Breakdown

Now divide:

친구가

친 | 구 | 가

학교에

학 | 교 | 에

가요

가 | 요

Full sentence:

친 | 구 | 가 / 학 | 교 | 에 / 가 | 요

The slash represents a word-level boundary here, not part of Korean writing.

Building 밥을 먹어요

Sentence:

밥을 먹어요.

Meaning:

I eat a meal / rice.

Words:

밥을 | 먹어요

Syllables:

밥 | 을 | 먹 | 어 | 요

This sentence is especially useful because it contains two linking environments.

Pronouncing 밥을

Written:

밥 + 을

Because 을 begins with silent ㅇ:

밥을 → [바블]

The spelling remains:

밥을

Pronouncing 먹어요

Written:

먹 + 어요

Because 어 begins with silent ㅇ:

먹어요 → [머거요]

Therefore, the sentence:

밥을 먹어요.

is written exactly this way even though connected pronunciation differs from a letter-by-letter reading.

Building 물을 마셔요

Sentence:

물을 마셔요.

Meaning:

I drink water.

Breakdown:

물을

water + object marker

마셔요

drink

Syllables:

물 | 을 | 마 | 셔 | 요

The ㄹ of 물 connects naturally before 을:

물을 → [무를]

Building 책을 읽어요

Sentence:

책을 읽어요.

Meaning:

I read a book.

Breakdown:

책을

book + object marker

읽어요

read

Written syllables:

책 | 을 | 읽 | 어 | 요

This sentence combines several concepts from earlier sections.

Pronunciation Inside 책을 읽어요

책을

Final ㄱ links to 을:

책을 → [채글]

Then:

읽어요

contains 겹받침 ㄺ.

As learned previously:

읽어요 → [일거요]

This is an excellent sentence for advanced Hangul decoding practice.

Building 한국어를 공부해요

Sentence:

한국어를 공부해요.

Meaning:

I study Korean.

Breakdown:

한국어를

Korean language + object marker

공부해요

study

Syllables:

한 | 국 | 어 | 를

공 | 부 | 해 | 요

Add the Topic

Now add:

저는

The complete sentence becomes:

저는 한국어를 공부해요.

Meaning:

I study Korean.

Written units:

저는 | 한국어를 | 공부해요

This is an excellent sentence for learners using HangulLearn.

Building 음악을 들어요

Sentence:

음악을 들어요.

Meaning:

I listen to music.

Breakdown:

음악을

music + object marker

들어요

listen

Syllables:

음 | 악 | 을

들 | 어 | 요

This sentence provides useful 받침 and 연음 practice.

Building 친구를 만나요

Sentence:

친구를 만나요.

Meaning:

I meet a friend.

Breakdown:

친구를

friend + object marker

만나요

meet

Syllables:

친 | 구 | 를 | 만 | 나 | 요

Practice reading it first by blocks, then naturally.

Building 집에 가요

Sentence:

집에 가요.

Meaning:

I go home / to the house.

Breakdown:

집에

house/home + 에

가요

Written syllables:

집 | 에 | 가 | 요

Connected pronunciation:

집에 → [지베]

28. Building 집에서 공부해요

Sentence:

집에서 공부해요.

Meaning:

I study at home.

Breakdown:

집에서

at home

공부해요

study

Syllables:

집 | 에 | 서 | 공 | 부 | 해 | 요

This is useful for longer reading practice.

Building 학교에서 공부해요

Sentence:

학교에서 공부해요.

Meaning:

I study at school.

Words:

학교에서 | 공부해요

Syllables:

학 | 교 | 에 | 서

공 | 부 | 해 | 요

Read the sentence without inserting pauses between every syllable.

From Slow Reading to Natural Reading

Take:

친구가 학교에 가요.

Stage 1 — Decode individual blocks

친 | 구 | 가 | 학 | 교 | 에 | 가 | 요

Stage 2 — Group written units

친구가 | 학교에 | 가요

Stage 3 — Read naturally

친구가 학교에 가요.

This progression is essential for reading fluency.

Do Not Pause After Every Syllable

A beginner might read:

❌ 친 — 구 — 가 — 학 — 교 — 에 — 가 — 요

This sounds unnatural.

Instead, recognize larger units:

친구가

학교에

가요

Then read:

친구가 학교에 가요.

But Do Not Ignore Syllable Blocks

Natural reading does not mean forgetting Hangul structure.

If you encounter an unfamiliar word, return to block analysis.

For example:

공부해요

Break into:

공 | 부 | 해 | 요

Then read the whole expression:

공부해요

So fluent reading alternates between:

block decoding when necessary;
whole-word recognition when familiar.

Punctuation in Korean Sentences

Korean commonly uses punctuation familiar to English learners.

Examples:

Period

Question mark

Exclamation mark

Example:

학교에 가요.

Statement.

학교에 가요?

Question.

안녕하세요!

Greeting with emphasis.

Sentence-End Recognition

Look at:

밥을 먹어요.

The period tells you the sentence ends.

Look at:

한국어를 공부해요?

The question mark indicates a question in writing.

Punctuation helps organize complete written Korean.

Phrase or Sentence?

한국 음식

This is a phrase:

Korean food

한국 음식을 먹어요.

This expresses:

I eat Korean food.

This functions as a sentence in context.

Phrase or Sentence?

좋은 친구

good friend

Phrase.

좋은 친구가 있어요.

I have a good friend / There is a good friend.

Sentence.

This helps learners see how words expand into meaningful structures.

Count the Words

Sentence:

저는 학생이에요.

For beginner visual grouping:

저는 | 학생이에요

Count:

2 written units separated by a space

Now:

친구가 학교에 가요.

Visible groups:

친구가 | 학교에 | 가요

Count:

3 Count the Syllable Blocks

저는 학생이에요.

Blocks:

저 | 는 | 학 | 생 | 이 | 에 | 요

Total:

7

집에 가요.

Blocks:

집 | 에 | 가 | 요

Total:

4 Words and Syllables Are Different

Consider:

한국어를 공부해요.

Visible written groups:

한국어를 | 공부해요

But syllable blocks:

밥을 먹어요.

Remove Incorrect Spaces

Incorrect:

한 국 어 를 공 부 해 요.

Correct:

한국어를 공부해요.

Do not put a space after every Hangul block.

Common Beginner Particles

At this stage, learners will frequently see:

은 / 는

topic markers

이 / 가

subject markers

을 / 를

object markers

에

time/destination/location-related particle depending on context

에서

location where an action occurs

Detailed grammar can be taught in later lessons.

For now:

Learn to recognize these as pieces attached to Korean words.

Particles Attach to Words

Example:

밥 + 을

↓

밥을

Not:

❌ 밥 을

Likewise:

친구 + 가

↓

친구가

학교 + 에

↓

학교에

한국어 + 를

↓

한국어를

This is an important spacing concept.

Recognizing Attached Particles

Look at:

Careful block reading is essential for beginners, but natural speech may connect sounds.

Written:

집에

Natural:

[지베]

Written:

먹어요

Natural:

[머거요]

Learn both:

correct spelling + natural pronunciation

Common Beginner Mistake — English Word Order

A learner may try to build:

❌ 저는 공부해요 한국어를.

For the basic pattern taught here:

저는 한국어를 공부해요.

The verb normally appears at the end.

Detailed Korean word order will be studied later.

Comprehensive Syllable-Building Practice and Lesson Review (한글 음절 만들기 종합 연습 및 복습)

Congratulations! You have reached the final section of:

Lesson 4 — Making Korean Syllables

Throughout this lesson, you learned how individual Korean consonants and vowels combine into syllable blocks, how those blocks become words, and how words begin to form real Korean sentences.

You progressed from:

ㄱ + ㅏ → 가

to:

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ → 한

to:

한 + 글 → 한글

and finally to sentences such as:

저는 한국어를 공부해요.

Now it is time to bring everything together.

This section introduces very little new theory. Instead, it gives you a complete review and progressively harder practice activities to check whether you can actually build, recognize, read, write, hear, and pronounce Korean syllables.

Your Hangul-Building Journey

You began with individual letters:

ㄱ

ㄴ

ㅏ

ㅗ

Then you combined consonants and vowels:

ㄱ + ㅏ → 가

ㄴ + ㅗ → 노

Then you added final consonants:

ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ → 한

ㄱ + ㅜ + ㄱ → 국

Then you combined blocks:

한 + 국 → 한국

Then you built longer words:

한 + 국 + 어 → 한국어

Finally, you began reading complete sentences:

저는 한국어를 공부해요.

This progression can be summarized as:

자모 → 음절 → 단어 → 구 → 문장

Letters → Syllables → Words → Phrases → Sentences

Review — The Basic C + V Pattern

The simplest Hangul syllable contains:

Initial consonant + vowel

Korean terminology:

초성 + 중성

Examples:

가 · 너 · 도 · 무 · 비 · 소

Formula:

C + V

Examples:

ㄱ + ㅏ → 가

ㄴ + ㅓ → 너

ㄷ + ㅗ → 도

ㅁ + ㅜ → 무

Review — Vertical Vowels

Important vertical vowels include:

ㅏ · ㅑ · ㅓ · ㅕ · ㅣ

and vertical-style vowels such as:

ㅐ · ㅒ · ㅔ · ㅖ

With these vowels:

The initial consonant normally appears on the left, and the vowel appears on the right.

Examples:

가

ㄱ + ㅏ

너

ㄴ + ㅓ

시

ㅅ + ㅣ

여

ㅇ + ㅕ

세

ㅅ + ㅔ

Review — Horizontal Vowels

The main horizontal vowels are:

ㅗ · ㅛ · ㅜ · ㅠ · ㅡ

With these vowels:

The initial consonant appears above, and the vowel appears below.

Examples:

고

ㄱ + ㅗ

교

ㄱ + ㅛ

무

ㅁ + ㅜ

유

ㅇ + ㅠ

그

ㄱ + ㅡ

Review — Silent Initial ㅇ

A Korean syllable cannot begin visually with a vowel alone.

When a syllable begins with a vowel sound, Korean uses:

ㅇ

in the initial position.

Initial ㅇ is:

silent

Examples:

아

ㅇ + ㅏ

어

ㅇ + ㅓ

오

ㅇ + ㅗ

우

ㅇ + ㅜ

이

ㅇ + ㅣ

의

ㅇ + ㅢ

Review — Complex Vowels

Important complex vowels include:

ㅘ

ㅗ + ㅏ

ㅙ

ㅗ + ㅐ

ㅚ

ㅗ + ㅣ

ㅝ

ㅜ + ㅓ

ㅞ

ㅜ + ㅔ

ㅟ

ㅜ + ㅣ

ㅢ

ㅡ + ㅣ

Although these vowels contain multiple components, each functions as:

one medial vowel within one syllable

❌ 우 + 이

Review — C + V + C

A syllable may contain a final consonant.

Formula:

C + V + C

Korean structural terminology:

초성 + 중성 + 종성

The final consonant position is commonly called:

받침

Examples:

간

ㄱ + ㅏ + ㄴ

물

ㅁ + ㅜ + ㄹ

밥

ㅂ + ㅏ + ㅂ

집

ㅈ + ㅣ + ㅂ

국

ㄱ + ㅜ + ㄱ

Open vs Closed Syllables

A syllable without 받침 is:

Open

Examples:

가 · 나 · 모 · 우

A syllable with 받침 is:

Closed

Examples:

한 · 국 · 밥 · 물

Review — Initial ㅇ vs Final ㅇ

Initial:

아

ㅇ is silent.

Final:

앙

ㅇ is pronounced:

[ŋ]

Compare:

아

vs.

앙

Other final-ㅇ examples:

방

강

공

영

Never treat final ㅇ as silent.

Review — The Seven Representative Final Sounds

Many written final consonants are reduced to seven representative coda sounds.

The seven categories are:

ㄱ · ㄴ · ㄷ · ㄹ · ㅁ · ㅂ · ㅇ

Basic grouping:

Written 받침	Final Sound Category
ㄱ, ㅋ, ㄲ	ㄱ
ㄴ	ㄴ
ㄷ, ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ, ㅎ	ㄷ
ㄹ	ㄹ
ㅁ	ㅁ
ㅂ, ㅍ	ㅂ
ㅇ	ㅇ

Remember that ㅎ can participate in additional sound changes depending on what follows.

No Extra Vowel

A very common beginner mistake is adding a vowel after a final consonant.

For:

밥

Do not say something like:

❌ ba-buh

It is:

one syllable

Likewise:

Approximate pronunciation:

[지베]

The spelling does not change.

연음 Review Examples

한국어

Approximate pronunciation:

[한구거]

먹어요

[머거요]

집에

[지베]

밥을

[바블]

음악

[으막]

Original Consonant Before a Vowel

Compare:

옷

The written ㅅ belongs to the ㄷ final category when realized as a coda.

But:

옷이

Approximate pronunciation:

[오시]

Similarly:

꽃이 → [꼬치]

앞에 → [아페]

The original written consonant becomes important when a vowel follows.

Review — 겹받침

A 받침 containing two written consonants is:

겹받침

The 11 standard combinations are:

ㄳ · ㄵ · ㄶ · ㄺ · ㄻ · ㄼ · ㄽ · ㄾ · ㄿ · ㅀ · ㅄ

Examples:

앉

ㄵ

읽

ㄺ

삶

ㄻ

싫

ㅀ

없

ㅄ

겹받침 Pronunciation Review

Compare:

앉다 → [안따]

앉아요 → [안자요]

읽다 → [익따]

읽어요 → [일거요]

삶 → [삼]

삶이 → [살미]

싫다 → [실타]

싫어요 → [시러요]

없다 → [업따]

없어요 → [업써요]

These examples show why both spelling and pronunciation must be learned.

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