Korean Basic Consonants1(ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ)

Unlike English, Korean combines consonants and vowels to form a single character.
In this post, you'll learn how to write and pronunciation of Korean consonants.

Why Korean Consonants is important?

Korean consonants are essential building blocks of the language, working together with vowels to form all Korean characters.
When you learn these, you can quickly grasp the pronunciation and structure of new letters.

This understanding not only expands your vocabulary but also accelerates your overall language learning.

ㄱ : 기역(Gi-yeok)

▶ How to write

1. start with the top left and draw a horizontal stroke
2. draw a vertical stroke downward

▶ Pronunciation

Koreans usually pronounce "ㄱ" similarly to the "g" in 'go'.
However depending on the context, it can also be pronounced somewhere between the "g"in 'go' and the "k" in 'key'.

▶ Examples

• 아기 : a-gi(baby)
• 가수 : ga-su(singer)
• 거리 : geo-li(street, distance)

ㄴ : 니은(Nieun)

▶ How to write

1. Start by drawing a short vertical line from top to bottom
2. Draw a horizontal line to the right

▶ Pronunciation

The pronunciation of "ㄴ" is similr to the "n".

▶ Examples

• 나무 : na-mu(tree)
• 눈 : nun(eye)
• 내일 : nae-il(tomorrow)

ㄷ : 디귿(Digeut)

▶ How to write

1. Start with the top left and draw a horizontal stroke
2. and write ㄴ

▶ Pronunciation

"ㄷ" is usually pronounced like the "d".
However depending on the context, it can also be pronounced like the "t".

▶ Examples

• 도시 : do-si(City)
• 다리 : da-ri(bridge, leg)
• 다시 : da-si(agian)

ㄹ : 리을(lieul)

▶ How to write

1. write "ㄱ"
2. write "ㄷ"

▶ Pronunciation

"ㄹ" is usually pronounced similar to the "l" sound.
However, when "ㄹ" appears at the beginning of a word, it is pronounced closer to an "r" sound than "l".

▶ Examples

• 물 : mul(water)
• 팔 : pal(arm)
• 유리 : yoo-lee(glass)

ㅁ : 미음(Mieum)

▶ How to write

1. draw a vertical stroke downward
2. write "ㄱ"
3. draw a horizontal line that connects the two vertical lines

▶ Pronunciation

"ㅁ" is pronounced like the "m".

▶ Examples

• 무지개 : mu-ji-gae(rainbow)
• 미소 : mi-so(smile)
• 머리 : meo-ri(head)

ㅂ : 비읍(Bieup)

▶ How to write

1. start with a vertical line
2. draw another vertical line
3. add a short horizontal line in the middle
4. and bottom to connect the two vertical lines

▶ Pronunciation

"ㅂ" is pronounced like the "b".
However, at the end of syllable, it sounds like a softer "p" in "stop".

▶ Examples

• 바다 : ba-da(sea)
• 바지 : ba-ji(pants)
• 비디오 : bi-di-o(video)