South Korean Alphabet: A Guide to the Hangul Letters387

Hangul, the South Korean alphabet, is a relatively young writing system, having been created in 1443 during the reign of King Sejong the Great. Despite its relative youth, Hangul has become one of the most widely used alphabets in the world, with over 78 million native speakers.

Hangul is a unique alphabet in that it is not based on any other writing system. Instead, it was designed to be easy to learn and use, even for people who are not familiar with Chinese characters or other Asian writing systems.

The Hangul alphabet consists of 24 basic letters: 14 consonants and 10 vowels. These letters can be combined to form syllables, which are then written in blocks.

Consonants

| ㄱ | n | g |
|---|---|---|
| ㄴ | d | n |
| ㄷ | r | d |
| ㄹ | l | r |
| ㅁ | b | m |
| ㅂ | p | b |
| ㅅ | s | sh |
| ㅇ | _ | ng |
| ㅈ | j | j |
| ㅊ | ch | ch |
| ㅋ | k | k |
| ㅌ | t | t |
| ㅍ | p | ph |
| ㅎ | h | h |

Vowels

| ㅏ | a |
|---|---|
| ㅑ | ya |
| ㅓ | eo |
| ㅕ | yeo |
| ㅗ | o |
| ㅛ | yo |
| ㅜ | u |
| ㅠ | yu |
| ㅡ | eu |
| ㅣ | i |

Syllables

Hangul syllables are written in blocks, with the consonant on the left and the vowel on the right. If there is no consonant, the vowel is written on its own.

For example, the syllable 가 (ga) is written with the consonant ㄱ (g) on the left and the vowel ㅏ (a) on the right.

Double Consonants

Double consonants are written by writing the consonant twice. For example, the syllable ㄲ (kk) is written with the consonant ㄱ (g) written twice.

Double Vowels

Double vowels are written by writing the vowel twice. For example, the syllable ㅏㅏ (aa) is written with the vowel ㅏ (a) written twice.

Tense Consonants

Tense consonants are written by adding a small circle to the bottom of the consonant. For example, the syllable ㄱ (k) is written with a small circle at the bottom to indicate that it is a tense consonant.

Aspirated Consonants

Aspirated consonants are written by adding a small line to the top of the consonant. For example, the syllable ㅋ (kh) is written with a small line at the top to indicate that it is an aspirated consonant.

Learning Hangul

Hangul is a relatively easy alphabet to learn, even for people who are not familiar with other Asian writing systems. The basic letters can be learned in a few hours, and with a little practice, you can start reading and writing Hangul in no time.

There are many resources available to help you learn Hangul, including online courses, books, and apps. You can also find many free resources online, such as the Hangul Institute's website.

2024-10-28

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