1

Lesson

한글
 Have you ever learned other languages before? Why do
you want to learn Korean? Discuss what you know about
들어가기
the Korean language.

Learning Objectives
Reading Korean vowels and consonants
Building Korean syllables in the correct order
Reading Korean words

Vocabulary Korean alphabet

Grammar Korean vowel sounds and letters
Korean consonant sounds and letters
Syllable block building
Basic pronunciation rules
Korean Culture Essential Expressions

14 NEW GENERATION KOREAN 1

Vowels
1 Simple Vowels
Hangǔl is the name of the Korean alphabet. It was created in 1443 by King Sejong
and his royal scholars. Like the English alphabet, Hangǔl consists of letters that
represent vowel sounds and consonant sounds.
A vowel is a necessary part of the Korean syllable structure. There are eight simple
vowels and thirteen diphthongs. The pronunciation, similar sound in English, and
graphical representation in Hangǔl of the eight simple vowels are shown in the table
below. When a syllable begins with a vowel, the silent consonant letter ㅇ is written
before the vowel.

Similar Sound 
Sound* Hangǔl Letter With silent ㅇ
in English

ɑ arm ㅏ 아

ŏ saw ㅓ 어

o mow ㅗ 오

u moon ㅜ 우

ǔ put ㅡ 으

i bee ㅣ 이

ɑe apple ㅐ 애

e every ㅔ 에

* Using the McCune-Reischauer Romanization System

Lesson 1 한글 15
 연습

❖ Practice reading and writing simple vowels while keeping the basic stroke
order: left to right and top to bottom.

Vowel Vowel Stroke

Writing Practice
Sound Letter Order

ɑ ㅏ
①

ㅏ ②

ŏ ㅓ
②

ㅓ ①

o ㅗ
①
ㅗ ②

u ㅜ ㅜ
①
②

ǔ ㅡ ㅡ
①

i ㅣ
①

ɑe
① ③

ㅐ
②

②③

e ㅔ ㅔ
①

16 NEW GENERATION KOREAN 1

 2 Diphthongs
By combining a simple vowel with a semivowel that has a y or w sound,
diphthongs can be made. There are a total of 13 diphthongs in Korean. Six of the
eight simple vowels can be combined with the semivowel y to create six diphthongs.
The diphthong letters are graphically created by adding one additional short stroke to
the simple vowels ㅏ, ㅓ, ㅗ, ㅜ, ㅐ, and ㅔ.

Semivowel y + Simple Vowels

ㅏ ɑ ㅑ yɑ
ㅓ ŏ ㅕ yŏ
ㅗ o ㅛ yo
y + →
ㅜ u ㅠ yu
ㅐ ɑe ㅒ yɑe
ㅔ e ㅖ ye

Five of the eight simple vowels can be combined with the semivowel w to
create six diphthongs. The diphthong letters are graphically created by combining
the semivowel w with the simple vowels ㅏ, ㅓ, ㅣ, ㅐ, and ㅔ. The semivowel w
sound is represented as ㅗ when it is combined with the bright vowels ㅏ and ㅐ. It
is represented as ㅜ when it is combined with the dark vowel ㅓ and ㅔ. When the
semivowel w sound is combined with the neutral vowel ㅣ, two different diphthongs
can be created using each of the semivowel w graphic representations, ㅗ or ㅜ.

Semivowel w + Simple Vowels

ㅏ ɑ ㅗ + ㅏ = ㅘ wɑ
ㅓ ŏ ㅜ + ㅓ = ㅝ wŏ
w + ㅣ i → ㅗ/ㅜ + ㅣ = ㅚ/ㅟ we/wi
ㅐ ɑe ㅗ + ㅐ = ㅙ wɑe
ㅔ e ㅜ + ㅔ = ㅞ we

One more combination of vowels creates the final diphthong. Combining

the simple vowel ㅡ with the simple vowel ㅣ creates the diphthong ㅢ, which is
pronounced as ǔi.

Lesson 1 한글 17
 연습

1 Practice reading and writing diphthongs while keeping the basic stroke
order: left to right and top to bottom.

Vowel Vowel Stroke

Writing Practice
Sound Letter Order

ㅑ
①

yɑ
②

ㅑ
③

yŏ ㅕ
①

② ㅕ
yo ㅛ
①

③
②

ㅛ
yu ㅠ ②
①
③
ㅠ
① ④

yɑe
ㅒ
②

ㅒ
③

③ ④

ye ㅖ
①
②
ㅖ
③

wɑ ㅘ ②
①

④ ㅘ
④

wŏ ㅝ ①

②
③
ㅝ

18 NEW GENERATION KOREAN 1

 Vowel Vowel Stroke
Writing Practice
Sound Letter Order

we
ㅚ
③

ㅚ ②
①

wi ㅟ ①

② ㅟ
③ ⑤

wɑe ㅙ ①

②
④

ㅙ
④⑤

we ㅞ ①
②
③
ㅞ
②

ǔi ㅢ ① ㅢ

2 Choose the vowel that you hear.

1)  ㅏ ㅓ 2)  ㅗ ㅜ

3)  ㅡ ㅣ 4)  ㅑ ㅕ

5)  ㅛ ㅠ 6)  ㅏ ㅗ

7)  ㅓ ㅜ 8)  ㅜ ㅡ

9)  ㅏ ㅑ 10)  ㅓ ㅕ

11)  ㅗ ㅛ 12)  ㅜ ㅠ

13)  ㅗ ㅓ

Lesson 1 한글 19
Consonants
! Consonants
When King Sejong and his royal scholars designed the consonant letters, they
considered the shape of the speech organs, that is, the tongue, gum-ridge, lips, tooth,
and throat. These are represented as the basic consonants ㄱ, ㄴ, ㅁ, ㅅ, and ㅇ, from
which the remaining fourteen consonants are derived by adding extra strokes. As
demonstrated in the table below, each letter is designed according to the speech organ
involved in articulation of the sound of the letter.

14 derived consonant
5 Basic Consonants
Speech letters and sounds
Organs Pictures of
Sound Letter Plain Aspirated Tensed
Speech Organs
Back of the
tongue / k ㄱ ㄱ ㅋ (k’) ㄲ (kk)
soft palate

Tongue tip / ㄷ (t) ㅌ (t’) ㄸ (tt)

n
gum-ridge
ㄴ
ㄹ (r, l)
ㄴ

Lips m ㅁ ㅂ (p) ㅍ (p’) ㅃ (pp)

ㅆ (ss)
Teeth s ㅅ
ㅈ (ch) ㅊ (ch’) ㅉ (tch)
ㅅ

Throat ng ㅇ ㅎ (h)
ㅇ

The names of the consonant letters contain two syllables. The first one consists
of the consonant plus the vowel ㅣ (e.g., 티) and the second syllable the vowel ㅡ
followed by the consonant (e.g., 읕). Putting the two syllables together forms the name
of the letter ㅌ (티읕). Since the second syllable does not begin with a consonant, it is
necessary to insert the silent ㅇ before the vowel ㅡ. While the names of ‘ㄱ,’ ‘ㄷ,’ and
‘ㅅ’ in Korean do not follow the regular pattern (기역, 디귿, and 시옷), the regularized
names of the letters can alternatively be used (기윽, 디읃, 시읏).

20 NEW GENERATION KOREAN 1

 연습

1 Practice reading and writing consonants while keeping the basic stroke
order: left to right and top to bottom.

Stroke
Sound Letter Name Writing Practice
Order

k
ㄱ
①

ㄱ 기역

n ㄴ 니은
ㄴ
①

t
ㄷ
①

ㄷ 디귿 ②

r, l
ㄹ
①

ㄹ 리을 ③ ②

m
ㅁ
②

ㅁ
①
미음
③

p ㅂ 비읍
ㅂ
①
③
④
②

s ㅅ 시옷
ㅅ ① ②

ø, ng
ㅇ
①

ㅇ 이응

ch
ㅈ
①

ㅈ 지읒 ②

ㅊ
①

ch’
②

ㅊ 치읓 ③

Lesson 1 한글 21
 Stroke
Sound Letter Name Writing Practice
Order

k’
ㅋ
①

ㅋ 키읔 ②

t’
ㅌ
①

ㅌ 티읕 ③
②

p’
ㅍ
①

ㅍ 피읖 ②

④
③

ㅎ
①

h
②

ㅎ 히읗 ③

kk
ㄲ
① ②

ㄲ 쌍기역

tt
ㄸ
① ③

ㄸ 쌍디귿 ② ④

pp ㅃ 쌍비읍
ㅃ
①
③②⑦

④
⑤ ⑥

ss ㅆ 쌍시옷
ㅆ ①

②
③

tch
ㅉ
① ③

ㅉ 쌍지읒 ② ④

2 Choose the syllable that you hear.

1)  나 다 라 2)  라 아 차

3)  가 카 까 4)  달 탈 딸

5)  발 팔 빨 6)  살 쌀 잘

7)  자 차 짜 8)  불 풀 뿔

22 NEW GENERATION KOREAN 1

Syllable Blocks
! Syllable Block Building
When writing in Korean, letters form a syllable block. There are two types of
syllable block structures in Korean writing. The first is the combination of an initial
consonant and a vowel (e.g., 나). The other is the combination of an initial consonant,
a vowel, and a final consonant (e.g., 날). The position of the initial consonant depends
on the shape of the vowel in the syllable.

If the vowel contains a long vertical line such as ㅏ, ㅑ, ㅓ,

ㅕ, ㅣ, and ㅐ, the consonant is located at the left side of C V
the vowel (e.g., 파).

If the vowel contains a long horizontal line such as ㅗ, ㅛ,

ㅜ, and ㅠ, the consonant is placed on top of the vowel
C
(e.g., 포).
V

If the vowel is a diphthong with both a long vertical and

long horizontal lines such as 와, 워, 외, and 왜, the consonant
C
V
is placed at the upper left corner of the syllable (e.g., 과). V

In the second type of structure, the position of the final consonant is below the
initial consonant and the vowel (e.g., 달, 국, 흰).

C V C C
V
V V
C C C

In either type of structure, if the syllable does not have an initial consonant, the
letter ㅇ becomes the initial letter. But the letter ㅇ in that position is silent. It is a place
holder for consistency of syllable structure (e.g., 안).

Lesson 1 한글 23
 연습

1 Fill in each box with a syllable consisting of a consonant and a vowel.

모음
자음
ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ ㅣ

ㄱ 가 갸 거 겨 고 교 구 규 그 기
ㄴ

24 NEW GENERATION KOREAN 1

2 Write down the following words in Hang l.

k’o 코

mu

kae

mo.cha 모자

p’o.to

ra.myŏn

sŏn.saeng.nim

Lesson 1 한글 25
Pronunciation rules
1 Resyllabification
When a syllable with a final consonant is followed by a syllable that begins with
a vowel, such as 단어, the sound of the final consonant becomes the initial consonant
sound of the following syllable. Therefore, 단어 would be pronounced as 다 followed by 너.
E.g., 앉으세요[안즈세요], 일어나세요[이러나세요], 이름이[이르미]

2 Syllable final closure

When a syllable with a final consonant is at the end of a word or is followed by a
syllable that begins with a consonant, such as 옷 or 책상, the speech organs should be
closed to make the sound for the final consonant. Only the consonants ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ,
and ㅇ have closed sounds, so the pronunciation of the other consonants is changed to
one of the following closed sounds.

Syllable final consonant Pronunciation

ㅋㄲ [ㄱ]
ㅍ [ㅂ]
ㅌㅅㅆㅈㅊㅎ [ㄷ]

E.g., 옷[옫], 부엌[부억], 낚시[낙씨], 옆[엽], 빛[빋], 빗[빋]

3 Double consonant reduction

Consonant clusters, such as “fr” or “str” in English, do not exist in Korean speech.
So in a syllable where two consonant letters appear together in the final consonant
position, such as 닭, one of the two is not pronounced. Due to the complexity
of standard pronunciation rules, it is recommended to be familiarized with the
pronunciation of individual words.
E.g., 닭[닥], 여덟[여덜], 앉다[안따], 없다[업따], 읽다[익따]

4 Aspiration
When a plain consonant (ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅈ) comes before or after the consonant ㅎ, they
combine and form a consonant that has a sound made by an exhaling breath (ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅊ).
E.g., 좋다[조타], 많다[만타], 어떻게[어떠케], 백화점[배콰점]

26 NEW GENERATION KOREAN 1

 연습

1 Choose the correct pronunciation.

1) 밥이 ① [밥이] ② [바비]

2) 책을 ① [채글] ② [책을]

3) 낮에 ① [낟에] ② [나제]

4) 들으세요 ① [드르세요] ② [들으세요]

5) 꽃이 ① [꼬치] ② [꼬시]

6) 부엌 ① [부억] ② [부엌]

7) 잎을 ① [이블] ② [이플]

8) 앞 ① [압] ② [앞]

9) 티읕 ① [티읏] ② [티읃]

10) 갔어요 ① [갇어요] ② [가써요]

2 Choose the correct pronunciation.

1) 앉으세요 ① [안즈세요] ② [안느세요]

2) 닭 ① [닥] ② [달]

3) 읽다 ① [일따] ② [익따]

4) 여덟 ① [여덜] ② [여덥]

5) 넓어요 ① [넙어요] ② [널버요]

6) 없어요 ① [업써요] ② [업어요]

7) 백화점 ① [백하점] ② [배콰점]

8) 좋지요 ① [좋죠] ② [조치요]

9) 대답하세요 ① [대다파세요] ② [대답파세요]

10) 어떻게 ① [어떡해] ② [어떠케]

Lesson 1 한글 27
 Essential Expressions

Greetings & Courtesies

✓ 안녕하세요. Hello.
✓ 안녕히 계세요. Good-bye. (to the person who is staying)
✓ 안녕히 가세요. Good-bye. (to the person who is leaving)
✓ 실례합니다. Excuse me.
✓ 감사합니다. / 고맙습니다. Thank you.
✓ 미안합니다. / 죄송합니다. I am sorry.
✓ 늦어서 죄송합니다. I am sorry for being late.

Classroom Expressions
✓ 잘했어요. Good job!
✓ 앉으세요. Please sit down.
✓ 일어나세요. Please stand up.
✓ 읽어 보세요. Please read.
✓ 따라 하세요. Repeat after me.
✓ 잘 들으세요. Listen carefully.
✓ 해 보세요. Please try it.
✓ 다시 해 보세요. Please try it again.
✓ 나오세요. Please come out here.
✓ 들어가세요. Please go back to your seat.

28 NEW GENERATION KOREAN 1