Coffee chain names — easy first wins
- 스타벅스Starbucks (seu-ta-beok-seu)
- 투썸플레이스Twosome Place
- 이디야Ediya
- 커피빈Coffee Bean
- 메가커피Mega Coffee
Hangul in 30 min
Plan & reference
Read Hangul in 30 minutes
King Sejong created Hangul in 1443; its 1446 preface says a quick learner grasps it before the morning is out, and anyone within ten days. By the time you finish this page you’ll decode signs, subway stations, and most café names. Speaking comes later — reading is the unlock.
1
Vowels — the shape tells you the sound
Every vowel is built from three strokes — a dot for heaven, a flat line for earth, an upright line for a person. ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ sit on the flat line and are said with rounded lips. An extra short stroke adds a 'y' in front (ㅏ → ㅑ).
ㅏ
a
"a" as in "father".
ㅑ
ya
"ya" as in "yacht".
ㅓ
eo
"uh" sound, lips relaxed.
ㅕ
yeo
"yuh".
ㅗ
o
"o" as in "oh".
ㅛ
yo
"yo" as in "yo-yo".
ㅜ
u
"oo" as in "boot".
ㅠ
yu
"yoo".
ㅡ
eu
Like the "oo" in "good" but with spread lips.
ㅣ
i
"ee" as in "see".
1b
Compound vowels (slide two together)
Korean shows you when sounds glide — the vowels visually combine.
ㅐ
ae
"e" as in "bed".
ㅒ
yae
"yeah".
ㅔ
e
Most speakers now pronounce it the same as ㅐ.
ㅖ
ye
"ye" as in "yes".
ㅘ
wa
"wa" as in "watt".
ㅙ
wae
"weh".
ㅚ
oe
"weh" — in everyday speech ㅙ, ㅚ and ㅞ sound almost alike.
ㅝ
wo
"wuh".
ㅞ
we
"weh".
ㅟ
wi
"wee".
ㅢ
ui
"eu-ee" — quick glide.
2
Consonants — basic 14
The five base consonants picture the speech organs — ㄱ is the back of the tongue closing the throat, ㄴ the tongue tip, ㅁ the mouth, ㅅ a tooth, ㅇ the throat. Most others add strokes to these.
ㄱ
g / k
Like the tongue position of "g" in "go"; sounds harder at start of a word.
ㄴ
n
Same as English "n".
ㄷ
d / t
Like English "d"; harder at start ("t").
ㄹ
r / l
A flap between English "r" and "l".
ㅁ
m
Same as English "m".
ㅂ
b / p
Like English "b"; harder at start ("p").
ㅅ
s
Like English "s"; gets a slight "sh" before "i" sounds.
ㅇ
— / ng
Silent when leading a syllable; "ng" as final.
ㅈ
j
Like English "j" in "jump", a bit softer.
ㅊ
ch
Aspirated "ch" (extra puff of air).
ㅋ
k
Aspirated "k".
ㅌ
t
Aspirated "t".
ㅍ
p
Aspirated "p".
ㅎ
h
Same as English "h".
2b
Tense (doubled) consonants
Hold the muscle tight, no extra puff of air.
ㄲ
kk
Tense / glottal "k" — no aspiration.
ㄸ
tt
Tense "t".
ㅃ
pp
Tense "p".
ㅆ
ss
Tense "s" — sharp.
ㅉ
jj
Tense "j".
3
Stack them into syllable blocks
A syllable = consonant + vowel, optionally a closing consonant (받침 batchim). Each block is read top→bottom, left→right.
| Block | Sound | Means | How it stacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 가 | ga | "go" (verb stem) | ㄱ (g) + ㅏ (a) |
| 나 | na | I / me | ㄴ (n) + ㅏ (a) |
| 한 | han | one / Korean | ㅎ (h) + ㅏ (a) + ㄴ (n, batchim) |
| 국 | guk | country / soup | ㄱ (g) + ㅜ (u) + ㄱ (k, batchim) |
| 말 | mal | word / language / horse | ㅁ (m) + ㅏ (a) + ㄹ (l, batchim) |
| 안 | an | inside / no | ㅇ (silent) + ㅏ (a) + ㄴ (n, batchim) |
| 집 | jip | house | ㅈ (j) + ㅣ (i) + ㅂ (p, batchim) |
| 밥 | bap | rice / meal | ㅂ (b) + ㅏ (a) + ㅂ (p, batchim) |
| 물 | mul | water | ㅁ (m) + ㅜ (u) + ㄹ (l, batchim) |
| 돈 | don | money | ㄷ (d) + ㅗ (o) + ㄴ (n, batchim) |
4
Signs you'll start reading today
Once you can sound out blocks, most public signs become readable.
입구
Entrance (ip-gu)
You'll see this on every door.
출구
Exit (chul-gu)
Subways number them: 1번 출구 = Exit 1.
화장실
Restroom (hwa-jang-sil)
Universal — every building.
남자
Men (nam-ja)
Restroom doors.
여자
Women (yeo-ja)
Restroom doors.
주차
Parking (ju-cha)
주차장 = parking lot.
금연
No smoking (geum-yeon)
On most building entrances.
비상구
Emergency exit (bi-sang-gu)
Green running-figure sign.
식당
Restaurant (sik-dang)
On building directories.
카페
Cafe (ka-pe)
Borrowed word — easy first read.
편의점
Convenience store (pyeon-ui-jeom)
CU, GS25 logos around it.
약국
Pharmacy (yak-guk)
Signboards usually show a large 약 character.
병원
Hospital (byeong-won)
Smaller clinics are signed 의원 (ui-won).
지하철
Subway (ji-ha-cheol)
On all underground signage.
버스
Bus (beo-seu)
Above stops and on terminals.
5
Confidence drills — read these, you already know what they say
Brands you already know
- 맥도날드McDonald's
- 버거킹Burger King
- 서브웨이Subway (the sandwich chain)
- 아이폰iPhone (a-i-pon)
- 넷플릭스Netflix
Subway stations you'll need
- 서울역Seoul Station
- 명동Myeong-dong
- 홍대입구Hongik Univ. (Hongdae)
- 강남Gangnam
- 인천공항Incheon Airport