Hangul letters are written together in syllable blocks, not as a string of separate jamo. The tables show 19 initial consonants and 21 vowels.
γ is silent at the beginning of a syllable but ng at the end. The character drill accepts ng for the isolated letter. γ±/γ·/γ are g/d/b before vowels and k/t/p at the end; γΉ is generally r before a vowel and l at the end.
Tense consonants are not the same as aspirated consonants: compare γ²/γ , γΈ/γ , γ /γ and γ /γ . Keep eo (γ ) separate from eu (γ ‘).
Basic consonants
| Letter | Name | Transcription |
|---|---|---|
| γ± | κΈ°μ | g / k |
| γ΄ | λμ | n |
| γ· | λκ·Ώ | d / t |
| γΉ | 리μ | r / l |
| γ | λ―Έμ | m |
| γ | λΉμ | b / p |
| γ | μμ· | s |
| γ | μ΄μ | ng |
| γ | μ§μ | j |
| γ | μΉμ | ch |
| γ | ν€μ | k |
| γ | ν°μ | t |
| γ | νΌμ | p |
| γ | νμ | h |
Tense consonants
| Letter | Name | Transcription |
|---|---|---|
| γ² | μκΈ°μ | kk |
| γΈ | μλκ·Ώ | tt |
| γ | μλΉμ | pp |
| γ | μμμ· | ss |
| γ | μμ§μ | jj |
Basic vowels
| Letter | Transcription | Syllable with silent γ |
|---|---|---|
| γ | a | μ |
| γ | ya | μ |
| γ | eo | μΌ |
| γ | yeo | μ |
| γ | o | μ΄ |
| γ | yo | μ |
| γ | u | μ¬ |
| γ | yu | μ |
| γ ‘ | eu | μ€ |
| γ £ | i | μ |
Combined vowels
| Letter | Transcription | Syllable with silent γ |
|---|---|---|
| γ | ae | μ |
| γ | yae | μΈ |
| γ | e | μ |
| γ | ye | μ° |
| γ | wa | μ |
| γ | wae | μ¨ |
| γ | oe | μ |
| γ | wo | μ |
| γ | we | μΌ |
| γ | wi | μ |
| γ ’ | ui | μ΄ |
Building a syllable block
| Parts | Block | Reading | Pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| γ + γ | μ | a | Silent onset + vowel |
| γ± + γ | κ° | ga | Consonant + vertical vowel |
| γ± + γ | κ³ | go | Consonant + horizontal vowel |
| γ± + γ + γ | κ° | gang | Consonant + vowel + final consonant |
| γ± + γ + γ | κ³° | gom | Final consonant sits underneath |
Final consonant sounds (batchim)
These are the seven basic final sounds before a pause or consonant. Liaison, assimilation and consonant clusters need context; this summary does not replace those rules.
| Final sound | Common written endings | Example |
|---|---|---|
| k | γ± γ² γ | λ° bak |
| n | γ΄ | μ° san |
| t | γ· γ γ γ γ γ γ | μ· ot |
| l | γΉ | λ¬ dal |
| m | γ | λ°€ bam |
| p | γ γ | λ°₯ bap |
| ng | γ | κ° gang |
Sources and conventions
Letter names, sounds, and transcription serve different purposes. Latin spellings are reading aids; consult the linked teaching sources for pronunciation and contextual rules.