Basic Consonants¶
Quick Reference
14 Basic Consonants with their sounds:
| Consonant | Sound | Position Example | Consonant | Sound | Position Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | g/k | 가 (ga) | ㅁ | m | 마 (ma) |
| ㄴ | n | 나 (na) | ㅂ | b/p | 바 (ba) |
| ㄷ | d/t | 다 (da) | ㅅ | s | 사 (sa) |
| ㄹ | r/l | 라 (ra) | ㅇ | silent/ng | 아 (a) |
| ㅈ | j | 자 (ja) | ㅊ | ch | 차 (cha) |
| ㅋ | k | 카 (ka) | ㅌ | t | 타 (ta) |
| ㅍ | p | 파 (pa) | ㅎ | h | 하 (ha) |
Detailed Explanation¶
Korean consonants are organized into groups based on their place and manner of articulation. Understanding these groups helps with both pronunciation and writing.
Plain Consonants (기본자음)¶
These are the fundamental consonants, some with aspiration variations:
ㄱ - g/k sound¶
- Initial position: Sounds like 'g' in "go"
- Final position: Unreleased 'k' sound
- Shape origin: The tongue touching the soft palate
- Examples: 가다 (to go), 고기 (meat), 국 (soup)
ㄴ - n sound¶
- All positions: Like 'n' in "no"
- Shape origin: The tongue touching the upper palate
- Examples: 나무 (tree), 노래 (song), 눈 (eye/snow)
ㄷ - d/t sound¶
- Initial position: Sounds like 'd' in "do"
- Final position: Unreleased 't' sound
- Shape origin: The tongue touching the upper teeth
- Examples: 다리 (leg/bridge), 도시 (city), 돈 (money)
ㄹ - r/l sound¶
- Initial position: Flapped 'r' sound (like Spanish 'r')
- Between vowels: Flapped 'r' sound
- Final position: Light 'l' sound
- Shape origin: Curled tongue
- Examples: 라디오 (radio), 리더 (leader), 말 (horse/word)
ㅁ - m sound¶
- All positions: Like 'm' in "moon"
- Shape origin: The shape of closed lips
- Examples: 마음 (heart/mind), 모자 (hat), 밤 (night/chestnut)
ㅂ - b/p sound¶
- Initial position: Sounds like 'b' in "box"
- Final position: Unreleased 'p' sound
- Shape origin: The shape of the mouth
- Examples: 바다 (sea), 보다 (to see), 밥 (rice/meal)
ㅅ - s sound¶
- Initial position: Like 's' in "sun"
- Before ㅣ or ㅑ,ㅕ,ㅛ,ㅠ: Closer to 'sh' sound
- Final position: Unreleased 't' sound
- Shape origin: Tooth shape
- Examples: 사과 (apple), 서울 (Seoul), 옷 (clothes)
ㅇ - silent/ng sound¶
- Initial position: Silent (placeholder only)
- Final position: 'ng' sound like in "sing"
- Shape origin: Throat shape
- Examples: 아이 (child), 오다 (to come), 강 (river)
ㅈ - j sound¶
- Initial position: Like 'j' in "jump"
- Final position: Unreleased 't' sound
- Shape origin: Derived from ㅅ
- Examples: 자다 (to sleep), 저기 (over there), 좋다 (to be good)
Aspirated Consonants (격음)¶
These are pronounced with a stronger burst of air:
ㅊ - ch sound¶
- Aspirated version of ㅈ
- Sound: Like 'ch' in "church" with more air
- Examples: 차 (tea/car), 처음 (beginning), 춤 (dance)
ㅋ - k sound¶
- Aspirated version of ㄱ
- Sound: Like 'k' in "kite" with strong aspiration
- Examples: 카페 (cafe), 코 (nose), 크다 (to be big)
ㅌ - t sound¶
- Aspirated version of ㄷ
- Sound: Like 't' in "top" with strong aspiration
- Examples: 타다 (to ride), 토마토 (tomato), 팀 (team)
ㅍ - p sound¶
- Aspirated version of ㅂ
- Sound: Like 'p' in "pop" with strong aspiration
- Examples: 파다 (to dig), 포도 (grape), 피 (blood)
ㅎ - h sound¶
- Sound: Like 'h' in "house"
- Note: Often weakens or disappears in certain positions
- Examples: 하다 (to do), 학교 (school), 형 (older brother)
Consonant Groups by Articulation¶
By Place of Articulation¶
| Type | Consonants | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Velar (목청소리) | ㄱ, ㅋ, ㄲ, ㅇ | Back of tongue to soft palate |
| Alveolar (잇몸소리) | ㄴ, ㄷ, ㅌ, ㄸ, ㄹ, ㅅ, ㅆ | Tongue to alveolar ridge |
| Bilabial (입술소리) | ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅍ, ㅃ | Both lips |
| Palatal (입천장소리) | ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅉ | Tongue to hard palate |
| Glottal (목청소리) | ㅎ | Glottis |
By Manner of Articulation¶
| Type | Consonants | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Stops (파열음) | ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅈ | Complete closure then release |
| Aspirated (격음) | ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅊ, ㅎ | Stops with strong air burst |
| Tense (경음) | ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ | Glottalized stops |
| Nasals (비음) | ㄴ, ㅁ, ㅇ | Air through nose |
| Liquid (유음) | ㄹ | Flapped or lateral |
| Fricative (마찰음) | ㅅ, ㅎ | Continuous airflow |
Writing Order¶
Each consonant has a specific stroke order. Follow these principles:
- Left to right: ㄱ, ㄴ, ㅁ, ㅅ, ㅈ
- Top to bottom: ㅂ, ㅍ, ㅎ
- Outside to inside: ㅇ (single stroke circle)
Examples:
- ㄱ: Start with vertical line, then horizontal line
- ㄴ: Start with vertical line, then horizontal line at bottom
- ㅁ: Start top-left, go right, down, left, then up
- ㅂ: Horizontal top, vertical left, vertical right, horizontal bottom
Common Patterns¶
Aspiration Series¶
Notice how consonants are related:
- ㄱ → ㅋ (plain to aspirated)
- ㄷ → ㅌ (plain to aspirated)
- ㅂ → ㅍ (plain to aspirated)
- ㅈ → ㅊ (plain to aspirated)
Minimal Pairs¶
Practice distinguishing sounds:
| ㄱ | ㅋ | ㄲ |
|---|---|---|
| 가다 (to go) | 카다 (to be big - archaic) | 까다 (to peel) |
| 고기 (meat) | 코 (nose) | 꼬리 (tail) |
| ㅂ | ㅍ | ㅃ |
|---|---|---|
| 바다 (sea) | 파다 (to dig) | 빠다 (to suck) |
| 불 (fire) | 풀 (grass) | 뿔 (horn) |
| ㄷ | ㅌ | ㄸ |
|---|---|---|
| 다리 (leg) | 타다 (to ride) | 따다 (to pick) |
| 돈 (money) | 톤 (ton) | 똥 (poop) |
Practice¶
- Which consonant is silent when it appears at the beginning of a syllable?
- Write the syllable: ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ = ?
- Which consonant sounds like 'r' at the beginning but 'l' at the end?
- What is the aspirated version of ㄱ?
- Name three nasal consonants.
- Which consonant changes to a 'sh' sound before ㅣ?
- Write these syllables: 가, 나, 다, 라, 마
- What sound does ㅇ make at the end of a syllable?
- Which consonants are aspirated (격음)?
- Write the syllable: ㅅ + ㅏ + ㅇ = ?
Show Answers
1. ㅇ (silent in initial position, 'ng' sound in final position) 2. 한 (like in 한국 - Korea) 3. ㄹ 4. ㅋ 5. ㄴ, ㅁ, ㅇ (any three of these) 6. ㅅ (sounds like 'sh' before ㅣ, ㅑ, ㅕ, ㅛ, ㅠ) 7. 가 (ga), 나 (na), 다 (da), 라 (ra), 마 (ma) 8. 'ng' sound (like in "sing") 9. ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅊ, ㅎ 10. 상 (like in 상자 - box)Next Steps¶
Now that you know the basic consonants, move on to Basic Vowels to start forming complete syllables!