Korean Alphabet (Hangeul)All 40 letters with romanization — read Korean in a day
Hangeul (한글) is the Korean alphabet — just 40 letters: 19 consonants and 21 vowels. It was designed so the shapes hint at their sounds, which is why most learners can read Korean within a day. This free guide lists every letter with romanization, then shows how they stack into syllable blocks — by a certified Korean teacher (한국어교원 2급).
Basic consonants (14)
ㄱ
g / k
ㄴ
n
ㄷ
d / t
ㄹ
r / l
ㅁ
m
ㅂ
b / p
ㅅ
s
ㅇ
ng / silent
silent at the start, "ng" at the end
ㅈ
j
ㅊ
ch
ㅋ
k
ㅌ
t
ㅍ
p
ㅎ
h
Double consonants (5)
ㄲ
kk
ㄸ
tt
ㅃ
pp
ㅆ
ss
ㅉ
jj
Basic vowels (10)
ㅏ
a
ㅑ
ya
ㅓ
eo
ㅕ
yeo
ㅗ
o
ㅛ
yo
ㅜ
u
ㅠ
yu
ㅡ
eu
ㅣ
i
Compound vowels (11)
ㅐ
ae
ㅒ
yae
ㅔ
e
ㅖ
ye
ㅘ
wa
ㅙ
wae
ㅚ
oe
ㅝ
wo
ㅞ
we
ㅟ
wi
ㅢ
ui
How syllable blocks work
Korean letters are not written in a line — they stack into a square block, one per syllable. A block is consonant + vowel (+ optional final consonant). For example 한 = ㅎ (h) + ㅏ (a) + ㄴ (n) → han, and 국 = ㄱ (g) + ㅜ (u) + ㄱ (k) → guk. Together: 한국 (Hanguk = Korea).
Lesson: Hangeul vowels & consonants → Lesson: Batchim (final consonants) → Start the beginner course →
FAQ
- How many letters are in the Korean alphabet?
- Hangeul (한글) has 40 letters in total: 19 consonants (14 basic + 5 double) and 21 vowels (10 basic + 11 compound). Every Korean syllable is built by stacking these into a block.
- How long does it take to learn Hangeul?
- Most learners can read Hangeul in a few hours to a few days. It is a featural alphabet — the letter shapes hint at how they are pronounced — so it is far faster to learn than it looks.
- Is Hangeul hard to learn?
- No. Unlike Chinese characters, Hangeul is a small alphabet of 40 letters. Learn the consonants and vowels above, then practise combining them into syllable blocks like 한 (h + a + n).
- Is this Korean pronunciation guide free?
- Yes — free with no sign-up, by a certified Korean teacher (한국어교원 2급). Open the linked Hangeul lessons to practise reading.
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Written by Alvin Lim Certified Korean Language Teacher (Level 2)