Basic Consonants Part 2
By the end of this lesson you can:
- Recognize, pronounce, and write the final seven consonants ㅇ ㅈ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ, completing all 24 basic Hangul letters
- Tell the aspirated consonants ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ apart from their base forms ㅈ ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ using the puff-of-air test
- Read 10 real Korean words aloud using the full alphabet
TOPIK 1 skills: Reading Hangul
The final seven. After this lesson you know all 24 basic letters of Hangul. The entire alphabet: done.
RECALL: Before we start: can you name the sounds for all 7 consonants from last lesson without looking? ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ. Take 60 seconds and test yourself. Then we finish the alphabet.
Part 1 · The Final Seven Consonants
자음: The Last Seven. These seven complete Hangul. Four of them are aspirated: they’re the “breathier” versions of consonants you already know.
| Consonant | Sound | Memory tip | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㅇ | silent / ng | Silent at the start of a syllable (placeholder). “ng” at the end, like “sing”. | dual role |
| ㅈ | j | Like “j” in jump. Before 이 it softens slightly. | j sound |
| ㅊ | ch | ㅈ + strong breath. Like “ch” in cheese. | ㅈ + breath |
| ㅋ | k | ㄱ + strong breath. Like “k” in kite. Feel the air puff. | ㄱ + breath |
| ㅌ | t | ㄷ + strong breath. Like “t” in top. Puff of air. | ㄷ + breath |
| ㅍ | p | ㅂ + strong breath. Like “p” in pie. Strong puff. | ㅂ + breath |
| ㅎ | h | Like “h” in hello. Airy and open. Can soften between vowels. | breathy h |
TIP: The aspirated four: ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ. Each one is the “powered-up” version of a consonant you already know: ㅈ→ㅊ, ㄱ→ㅋ, ㄷ→ㅌ, ㅂ→ㅍ. The visual difference is that the aspirated version has an extra stroke. Hold your palm close to your mouth. You should feel a burst of air when you say them correctly.
Part 2 · The Aspirated Pairs
Base vs Aspirated: See the Difference. Each aspirated consonant is built from its base by adding a stroke. The visual logic reinforces the sound relationship: more strokes, more breath.
| Base → Aspirated | Sound change | Minimal pair |
|---|---|---|
| ㄱ → ㅋ | g/k → k (aspirated) | 가 (ga) vs 카 (ka) |
| ㄷ → ㅌ | d/t → t (aspirated) | 다 (da) vs 타 (ta) |
| ㅂ → ㅍ | b/p → p (aspirated) | 바 (ba) vs 파 (pa) |
| ㅈ → ㅊ | j → ch (aspirated) | 자 (ja) vs 차 (cha) |
Why does this matter? In Korean these are entirely different sounds that change word meanings. 불 (bul) means “fire”. 풀 (pul) means “grass”. One puff of air, completely different word. Your ear will tune in fast with practice.
Part 3 · The Complete Hangul Alphabet
All 14 Consonants: You Know Them All. This is the full consonant set: the first seven came from Lesson 2, and today’s seven complete the system.
| Consonant | Sound | Learned in |
|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | g/k | Lesson 2 |
| ㄴ | n | Lesson 2 |
| ㄷ | d/t | Lesson 2 |
| ㄹ | r/l | Lesson 2 |
| ㅁ | m | Lesson 2 |
| ㅂ | b/p | Lesson 2 |
| ㅅ | s | Lesson 2 |
| ㅇ | – / ng | Lesson 3 |
| ㅈ | j | Lesson 3 |
| ㅊ | ch | Lesson 3 |
| ㅋ | k | Lesson 3 |
| ㅌ | t | Lesson 3 |
| ㅍ | p | Lesson 3 |
| ㅎ | h | Lesson 3 |
MILESTONE: You now know all 14 Korean consonants. Add the 10 vowels from Lesson 1 and you have the complete Hangul alphabet: all 24 basic letters. Most learners reach this point after weeks. You got here in three lessons. Lesson 4 is about stacking them into syllables with full confidence.
Part 4 · 10 Words Using Today’s Consonants
단어: Read These Words. Every word below uses at least one of today’s seven consonants. Try reading each word aloud before looking at the romanization.
| # | Korean | Romanization | Meaning | Notes | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 자다 | ja-da | to sleep | uses ㅈ | m1-l03-v01 |
| 2 | 하다 | ha-da | to do | uses ㅎ | m1-l03-v02 |
| 3 | 오다 | o-da | to come | silent ㅇ placeholder at the start | m1-l03-v03 |
| 4 | 커피 | keo-pi | coffee | loanword; aspirated ㅋ and ㅍ | m1-l03-v04 |
| 5 | 차 | cha | tea / car | one syllable, two meanings | m1-l03-v05 |
| 6 | 파란 | pa-ran | blue | adnominal (before-a-noun) form of 파랗다 “to be blue” | m1-l03-v06 |
| 7 | 카메라 | ka-me-ra | camera | loanword; aspirated ㅋ | m1-l03-v07 |
| 8 | 타다 | ta-da | to ride / board | aspirated ㅌ | m1-l03-v08 |
| 9 | 사진 | sa-jin | photo / picture | uses ㅈ | m1-l03-v09 |
| 10 | 이해 | i-hae | understanding | silent ㅇ + ㅎ | m1-l03-v10 |
TIP: 커피 and 카메라: loan words again. 커피 is coffee. 카메라 is camera. Korean borrows from English constantly, especially for modern objects. The ㅋ at the start is the aspirated k: say it with a puff, not a soft g.
Part 5 · Writing Practice
쓰기 연습: Trace the Consonants. Top to bottom, left to right for every stroke. The aspirated consonants (ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ) each have one extra stroke compared to their base. Make sure you’re writing that extra line.
Trace each of today’s seven consonants:
ㅇ · ㅈ · ㅊ · ㅋ · ㅌ · ㅍ · ㅎ
CULTURE: How Korean Became the Language of K-Pop and K-Drama. The Korean Wave (한류, hal-lyu. Can you read that now? ㅎ+ㅏ+ㄴ = 한, ㄹ+ㅠ = 류) began in the late 1990s when Korean dramas spread across Asia. By the 2010s BTS, BLACKPINK and Netflix dramas had made Korean one of the most studied languages in the world. Duolingo has reported Korean as one of its fastest-growing languages globally. The script you just finished learning, Hangul, is one reason: it’s fast to learn, which lowers the barrier for new learners worldwide.
Homework
- Write all 14 consonants from memory in order (ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ ㅈ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ) with their romanization beside each one.
- Practice the aspiration test: hold a piece of paper in front of your mouth and say each aspirated consonant (ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ). The paper should move. Then say the base version (ㅈ ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ). The paper should barely move.
- Add today’s 10 vocabulary words to your flashcard deck.
- Try reading these words cold (no help): 피자 · 초코 · 버스 · 주스 · 키보드. All loan words. Write down what you think they mean, then look them up to check.
- Review flashcards for all three lessons before Lesson 4. Lesson 4 is pure syllable-building: the faster you can recall the letters, the smoother it goes.