HANGEUL 03 · START FROM ZERO · 10–15 MIN
Keep the vowel. Change the consonant.
Goal: identify five consonant letters and find them in new syllable blocks. First study the six vowel shapes.
Letter names are not the same as a consonant sound inside a word. This visual lesson does not yet include verified audio or pronunciation scoring.
1. Five letters, one vowel
ㄱ + ㅏ → 가
ㄴ + ㅏ → 나
ㄷ + ㅏ → 다
ㅁ + ㅏ → 마
ㅂ + ㅏ → 바
The vowel stays on the right in all five examples. Look for the consonant on the left. You do not need to memorise all letter names before beginning simple reading.
The fourteen basic consonants and their names
- ㄱ
- 기역
- ㄴ
- 니은
- ㄷ
- 디귿
- ㄹ
- 리을
- ㅁ
- 미음
- ㅂ
- 비읍
- ㅅ
- 시옷
- ㅇ
- 이응
- ㅈ
- 지읒
- ㅊ
- 치읓
- ㅋ
- 키읔
- ㅌ
- 티읕
- ㅍ
- 피읖
- ㅎ
- 히읗
Five doubled consonant letters and their sound contrasts will be studied later. This reference is not a complete course in consonant pronunciation.
2. Notice the shapes inside a word
나무 → 나 / 무
나 → ㄴ + ㅏ
무 → ㅁ + ㅜ
나무 means tree. In the first block, the vowel is on the right. In the second, the horizontal vowel is below the consonant. Recognising both shapes is a step towards reading; listening practice will be separate.
3. Try it yourself
1. Which consonant appears in 마?
A. ㄴ · B. ㄷ · C. ㅁ
Answer and reason
C. ㅁ is on the left of ㅏ.
2. Keep ㅏ but change the consonant in 가 to ㅂ. Write the new block.
Answer and reason
ㅂ + ㅏ = 바
Only the initial consonant changed.
3. Cover the diagrams. Combine ㄴ + ㅗ. Where does the vowel go?
Answer and reason
ㄴ + ㅗ = 노
The vowel goes underneath the consonant. This combines two familiar parts in a new block.
Explain it to another learner
Choose two consonants. Write each with ㅏ and then with ㅗ. Explain the placement in your own language. Do not claim to know their sounds from their shapes alone.
Original examples, AI-assisted. Reference: National Institute of Korean Language: Korean orthography, alphabet section. Human pronunciation review and recorded audio are not yet complete.