Building Syllable Blocks

By the end of this lesson you can:

• Build any Korean syllable from scratch using the three block shapes, choosing the layout from the vowel’s shape (vertical or horizontal)
• Read a full row of the Korean syllable chart (가나다라…) by deriving each syllable from its letters
• Sound out 12 real Korean words by breaking them into syllable blocks

TOPIK 1 skills: Reading Hangul

You know all 24 letters. Now learn to stack them into Korean words.

RECALL: Quick recall from Lessons 1–3. All 24 letters: ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ ㅈ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ · ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ ㅣ. Say each aloud. Mark any that feel slow and drill those first.

Part 1 · The Core Rule

One Rule That Governs Everything

Korean is never written letter by letter in a row. Every syllable is compressed into a square block. You already know the letters. Now you need to know how they fit together.

TIP: The single rule: Every syllable block must contain exactly one vowel. The vowel’s shape (vertical or horizontal) determines where the consonant goes. Add a final consonant (받침) at the bottom if the syllable ends in one.

There are three block shapes. Once you have these, you can write any Korean syllable.

Part 2 · Three Block Shapes

The vowel shape determines the layout. Vertical vowels sit to the right. Horizontal vowels sit below. Batchim always goes underneath everything.

TIP: Which vowels are vertical vs horizontal? Vertical → consonant goes LEFT: ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅣ (and their compounds). Horizontal → consonant goes TOP: ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ (and their compounds). You don’t memorise this. After a dozen words your eye just knows.

Part 3 · 가나다라 Syllable Chart Drill

The 가나다라 Table

This is how Korean children learn to read. Each cell shows the Korean syllable with its romanization. Study each. If you know the consonant and vowel, you should be able to derive the sound yourself.

TIP: You don’t need to memorise this table. The goal is to derive any syllable from the letters you know. If you know ㄴ and ㅓ, you can work out 너 without having seen it before.

Part 4 · 단어 (Dan-eo): Read These Words, Block by Block

Cover the Notes column and try to read each word. The breakdown shows exactly which letters form each syllable block.

Part 5 · 쓰기 연습 (Writing Practice)

Write each block as a unit: consonant and vowel compressed into one square. The breakdown is shown for each model syllable.

CULTURE: Why Koreans say 밥 먹었어요? instead of hello. One of the most common greetings is 밥 먹었어요? (“have you eaten?”). You just decoded 밥 (bap = rice/meal) in this lesson. The greeting reflects Korea’s food culture, where sharing a meal is an act of care. The correct response is 네, 먹었어요.

Homework

Before Lesson 5:

1. Write the full 가나다라 row for every consonant (all 14). That is 140 syllables (14 × 10 vowels). The classic Korean alphabet drill.
2. Pick 5 words from Part 4 and write each one 5 times, saying the syllables aloud as you write. Focus on forming block shapes.
3. Try reading these words cold (no hints): 소리 · 머리 · 나비 · 구두 · 하나. Write what you think they mean, then look them up.
4. Review your flashcard deck for all vocabulary from Lessons 1–3. Lesson 5 is the first review: it tests everything from Week 1.
5. Find one Korean word you already know (from a song, drama, or menu) and write it in Hangul using today’s block rules.

Coming up in Lesson 5: Week 1 Review: all 24 letters, block shapes, and your first 30+ vocab words tested in one complete session.