Introduction

Can you really learn the Korean alphabet in one day? Yes, you can. I’m not saying you’ll be perfect. But you can learn all 40 letters and start reading Korean words.

My name is Anna. I have TOPIK level 6. I’m not a native speaker. I learned Korean myself. Now I help others learn Korean.

Many beginners delay learning Hangeul. They use romanization instead. This is a mistake. Romanization slows you down. It makes everything harder later.

Hangeul is actually simple. King Sejong created it in 1443. He wanted it to be easy. He said a wise person can learn it in a morning. A fool can learn it in 10 days.

You’re not a fool. You can do this.

Why Hangeul is Easy

Korean looks scary at first. But it’s not like Chinese or Japanese. Those languages have thousands of characters. Hangeul has only 40 letters.

That’s it. Just 40 letters.

Each letter makes one sound. Always. No exceptions. Once you learn the 40 letters, you can read anything.

Compare this to English. English has 26 letters. But they make different sounds in different words. Think about “read” and “read.” Same letters, different sounds. Korean doesn’t do this.

In Korean, ㄱ is always “g” or “k.” Always. No confusion.

The 19 Consonants

Let’s start with consonants. There are 19 of them.

Basic Consonants (14):

ㄱ (g/k) - like “g” in “go” but softer ㄴ (n) - like “n” in “no” ㄷ (d/t) - like “d” in “do” ㄹ (r/l) - like “r” or “l” depending on position ㅁ (m) - like “m” in “me” ㅂ (b/p) - like “b” in “be” ㅅ (s) - like “s” in “see” ㅇ (silent/ng) - silent at start, “ng” at end ㅈ (j) - like “j” in “jump” ㅊ (ch) - like “ch” in “chair” ㅋ (k) - like “k” with a puff of air ㅌ (t) - like “t” with a puff of air ㅍ (p) - like “p” with a puff of air ㅎ (h) - like “h” in “hello”

Double Consonants (5):

ㄲ (gg) - tense “g” ㄸ (dd) - tense “d” ㅃ (bb) - tense “b” ㅆ (ss) - tense “s” ㅉ (jj) - tense “j”

Here’s a trick. Notice how some look similar? ㄱ, ㅋ, ㄲ. They’re all “k” sounds. But different strengths.

•ㄱ is soft

•ㅋ has a puff of air

•ㄲ is tense

Think of it like this: gentle, strong breath, tense.

Your task: Practice saying each consonant. Write each one 5 times. Say it out loud as you write.

Goal: Recognize all 19 consonants.

The 21 Vowels

Now for vowels. This is where it gets logical.

Korean vowels are based on three things: - The dot (·) - The horizontal line (ㅡ) - The vertical line (ㅣ)

Basic Vowels (6):

ㅏ (a) - like “a” in “father” ㅓ (eo) - like “u” in “up” ㅗ (o) - like “o” in “go” ㅜ (u) - like “oo” in “moon” ㅡ (eu) - like “u” in “put” ㅣ (i) - like “ee” in “see”

Y-Vowels (4):

ㅑ (ya) - ㅏ + y sound ㅕ (yeo) - ㅓ + y sound ㅛ (yo) - ㅗ + y sound ㅠ (yu) - ㅜ + y sound

Combination Vowels (11):

ㅐ (ae) - like “e” in “bed” ㅔ (e) - like “e” in “bed” (sounds same as ㅐ now) ㅒ (yae) - ㅐ + y sound ㅖ (ye) - ㅔ + y sound ㅘ (wa) - ㅗ + ㅏ ㅙ (wae) - ㅗ + ㅐ ㅚ (oe) - ㅗ + ㅣ ㅝ (wo) - ㅜ + ㅓ ㅞ (we) - ㅜ + ㅔ ㅟ (wi) - ㅜ + ㅣ ㅢ (ui) - ㅡ + ㅣ

Here’s a memory trick. The vertical line ㅣ is “ee.” When you add a dot to the right (ㅏ), it’s “ah.” Dot to the left (ㅓ) is “eo.”

Your task: Practice all 21 vowels. Write each one. Say each one out loud.

Goal: Know all 21 vowels.

How do We Combine Letters?

At first, this looks complicated. But it’s not, I promise. This is the magic part. Korean letters combine into syllable blocks like this:

Every syllable follows this pattern: 

Consonant + Vowel 

Or: Consonant + Vowel + Consonant

The structure looks like a block. For example:

한 (han) = ㅎ (h) + ㅏ (a) + ㄴ (n) 글 (geul) = ㄱ (g) + ㅡ (eu) + ㄹ (l) 안녕 (annyeong) = 안 (an) + 녕 (nyeong)

Notice how each syllable is a block? That’s Hangeul. It’s organized. It will take you about half an hour of practice to get the hang of it.

Your task: Practice reading some easy words in Korean: 

• 안녕 (annyeong) - hello 
• 한국 (hanguk) - Korea 
• 사랑 (sarang) - love 
• 물 (mul) - water 
• 가족 (gajok) - family

Goal: Read simple Korean words.Start with words you may have heard in K-dramas, your favorite K-Pop songs.

Common Beginner Mistakes You Should Avoid

Here are some of the most common mistakes Korean learners make when learning Hangul:

Mistake 1: Trying to learn everything at once

Don’t do this. Focus on basic 14 consonants and 6 basic vowels first. The double consonants and complex vowels can wait.

Mistake 2: Confusing ㅓ and ㅗ

Many beginners struggle here. ㅓ (eo) is like “uh” in “up.” ㅗ (o) is like “oh” in “go.”

Practice: 어디 (eodi - where) vs 오디 (odi - not a word, but shows the difference).

Mistake 3: The silent ㅇ

When ㅇ is at the beginning, it’s silent. When it’s at the end, it’s not silent anymore. It’s a nasal sounding “ng”. It’s as if you want to say the letter “a” but you position your tongue so, that it doesn’t let the air come out of your mouth, and instead it goes through your nose. You don’t explicitly pronounce “n” and “g”, both are just more nasal. 

Here are some examples with pronunciation. Notice how the word 은행 (bank) has ㅇ twice. The first one is silent, the second one is pronounced.

Mistake 4: Worrying about perfect pronunciation

You don’t need to stress about this. Chances of a beginner pronouncing everything perfectly are low. Most learners mispronounce certain words even when they are intermediate or advanced. Pronunciation will improve with practice. Just start with what you have at the moment.

Your task: Review these mistakes and practice!

Practice Exercises

Let’s practice reading together. Try reading the words on your own, then listen to the pronunciation. 

Great job if you could read even one of those. You’re already reading Korean.

Summary

Let’s recap what you learned today:

1. Hangeul has 40 letters - 19 consonants and 21 vowels
2. Each letter makes one consistent sound
3. Letters combine into syllable blocks
4. Focus on basics first, then add complexity
5. Practice daily - even 10 minutes helps

And most importantly: Hangeul was designed to be easy. King Sejong created it so anyone could learn it. You can do this.

Don’t try to be perfect on day one. That’s okay. Just keep practicing consistently, preferably - daily. In a week, you’ll be reading Korean comfortably and ready to form proper sentences in Korean.

Next Steps

Now that you know Hangeul, what’s next?

1. Practice reading daily (try to read anything you see in Korean)
2.  Learn your first Korean words (start with words you use in your daily life)
3. Start building simple sentences

Have questions? Leave them in the comments. I’ll answer them.

Good luck with your Korean learning journey. 화이팅!