Hangul basics

Hangul (한글) is the native alphabet used to write Korean. It is a phonetic script: consonant and vowel letters are grouped into square syllable blocks, and each letter stands for a sound rather than a meaning. Because it has relatively few letters and clear rules, learning to read it pays off quickly when you see Korean signs, menus and subway maps.

Hangul was created by King Sejong the Great of the Joseon dynasty. The script was completed in 1443, and in 1446 it was proclaimed with the publication of Hunminjeongeum Haerye (훈민정음 해례본), a book explaining the new letters. Hunminjeongeum means roughly "the correct sounds for instructing the people." The goal was to let ordinary people who could not read Chinese characters write their own language.

Modern Hangul has 24 basic letters: 14 consonants and 10 vowels. When you add the double consonants such as ㄲ and ㄸ and the combined vowels such as ㅐ and ㅘ, there are 19 consonants and 21 vowels in everyday use. Start with the 24 basic letters, then learn the others as combinations of those.

Not very. Hangul has a small number of letters and a fairly consistent link between letters and sounds, so many learners can sound out words within a few days of practice. Keep in mind that reading the letters is not the same as understanding Korean. Memorize the basic consonant and vowel sounds first, then practice by reading short words on signs and menus aloud.

Letters are stacked into square syllable blocks. A block is either consonant + vowel, as in 가 (ga), or consonant + vowel + final consonant, as in 강 (gang). Vertical vowels like ㅏ and ㅣ sit to the right of the first consonant, while horizontal vowels like ㅗ and ㅜ sit below it. For example, 한 (han) is built from ㅎ, ㅏ and ㄴ.

A Korean syllable block must start with a consonant, so syllables that begin with a vowel use ㅇ as a silent placeholder. That is why 아 is read simply as "a." When ㅇ appears as a final consonant at the bottom of a block, it is pronounced like the "ng" in "sing." In 앙 (ang), the first ㅇ is silent and the final ㅇ gives the ng sound.

According to the Hunminjeongeum Haerye, the original explanatory text, the five basic consonants ㄱ, ㄴ, ㅁ, ㅅ and ㅇ imitate the shape of the speech organs. ㄱ shows the back of the tongue blocking the throat, ㄴ the tongue tip touching the gum ridge, and ㅁ the shape of the mouth. Other consonants add strokes to show a stronger sound.

The Haerye text explains that vowels were built from three elements: a dot (·) for heaven, a horizontal line (ㅡ) for earth and a vertical line (ㅣ) for humans. Combining them produced vowels such as ㅏ, ㅓ, ㅗ and ㅜ. The original dot vowel, called arae-a, is no longer used in standard modern Korean, and the dot became a short stroke.

ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ and ㅉ are tense consonants. You say them with a tight throat and almost no puff of air, similar to the p in "speak" or the t in "stop." For example, 빵 (ppang, bread) sounds sharper than 방 (bang, room). In Revised Romanization they are written kk, tt, pp, ss and jj.

Combined vowels join two basic vowels. ㅗ + ㅏ gives ㅘ (wa), ㅜ + ㅓ gives ㅝ (wo), and adding ㅣ produces ㅐ (ae) and ㅔ (e). Vowels with an extra stroke, ㅑ, ㅕ, ㅛ and ㅠ, add a y sound in front: ya, yeo, yo and yu. A good rule of thumb is to glide quickly from the first vowel into the second.

Hangul Day (한글날, Hangeullal) falls on October 9 every year and celebrates the proclamation of Hunminjeongeum. It is one of Korea's national days, and after a 2012 decision it has again been a public holiday since 2013, so many offices are closed. Events related to Hangul are often held around this time, including in the Gwanghwamun area of Seoul, but check official announcements for details.

Consonants are usually listed in this order: ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅅ, ㅇ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅎ. Koreans often memorize it as 가나다라마바사 (ganadaramabasa). Basic vowels follow ㅏ, ㅑ, ㅓ, ㅕ, ㅗ, ㅛ, ㅜ, ㅠ, ㅡ, ㅣ. Knowing this order helps you use dictionaries and alphabetical lists.

Today Korean is mostly written horizontally from left to right, just like English. In the past it was often written vertically, top to bottom with columns running right to left, and you can still see vertical text on some book spines and signs. Within a single syllable block, you read from top to bottom and left to right.

Everyday Korean is written almost entirely in Hangul, but a large share of Korean vocabulary comes from Chinese roots. You may still see Chinese characters, called hanja (한자), in some newspaper headlines, personal names, family records, traditional documents and certain signs. Travelers can get by perfectly well reading only Hangul.

No. Korean (한국어, hangugeo) is the language, while Hangul (한글, hangeul) is the writing system used for it. The relationship is similar to that between English and the Latin alphabet. So "learning Hangul" means learning to read and write the letters, while "learning Korean" covers vocabulary, grammar and conversation as well.

As a general rule, write strokes from top to bottom and from left to right. For ㅁ, for example, draw the left vertical line first, then the top and right side in one stroke, and finally the bottom line. Following the standard order makes your handwriting look more natural and lets you write faster. Most textbooks include stroke-order charts.

Yes. The Hunminjeongeum Haerye, the book that explains how Hangul was designed, was inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 1997. Note that it is this document, not the alphabet itself, that is listed. The book is also a designated National Treasure of Korea, and places such as the National Hangeul Museum in Seoul cover the history of the script.

Link each consonant's shape to its sound, and tell vowels apart by the direction of the short stroke: ㅏ points right, ㅓ points left. Learn a few letters a day and immediately practice them with a syllable chart such as 가, 나, 다. Writing Korean words you already know, or names of your favorite K-pop artists, in Hangul also helps the letters stick.

These are aspirated consonants, pronounced with a strong puff of air, like k, t and p at the start of English words. You can feel the air if you hold your hand in front of your mouth. Each one looks like a basic consonant with an extra stroke: ㄱ to ㅋ, ㄷ to ㅌ, ㅂ to ㅍ and ㅈ to ㅊ. They are romanized k, t, p and ch.

Add a Korean keyboard in your phone's language settings. The standard layout, called dubeolsik (두벌식), mostly puts consonants on the left and vowels on the right, with a few exceptions such as ㅠ on the left. Just tap the letters in order and the phone assembles them into syllable blocks automatically. Phones also offer other compact input styles, so choose whichever feels easiest.