Learn Korean with Mia Level1 Lesson3: Free Korean Lesson for Beginner

# Lesson 1‑3 – Understanding Korean Consonants: The Basics of Hangeul Sounds

A beginner’s guide to Korean consonants! Learn how Korean sounds are made using different parts of your mouth, tongue, and throat. Master the basics of Hangeul consonants with clear, easy explanations.

Introduction: Why Consonants Matter in Korean

After learning about the history and creation of Hangeul, the next important step is to understand how Korean consonants work. Just like the English alphabet has sounds like b, c, d, and m, Hangeul also has its own consonant letters that form the foundation of the Korean language.

In this post, we’ll explain:

• What Korean consonants are
• How they’re created using your mouth, tongue, and throat
• The scientific principles behind their design
• And how beginners can easily remember and pronounce them

If you’re just starting your Korean learning journey, mastering these basics will make reading, writing, and speaking Korean so much easier.

What Are Korean Consonants?

In Korean, consonants are called ‘자음 (ja-eum).’

There are 14 basic consonants in Hangeul, and each one represents a unique sound made by blocking or restricting airflow in some way.

While English has over 20 consonant sounds, Korean simplifies this to 14 core sounds, making it more beginner-friendly.

How Are Korean Consonant Sounds Made?

The beauty of Hangeul is that its consonants were intentionally designed based on the shape and position of the speech organs (발음 기관) when making each sound.

These organs include:

• Mouth
• Tongue
• Teeth
• Throat (larynx)
• Lips

King Sejong and his scholars cleverly designed each letter to resemble the physical formation of the mouth when pronouncing the sound.

Categories of Korean Consonants by Articulation

To help you learn effectively, we can divide Korean consonants into categories based on where and how the sound is made.

This is called the “place of articulation” in phonetics. Here’s a simple breakdown:
 

The 14 Basic Korean Consonants

Let’s introduce each one with its shape, pronunciation, and an easy way to remember how it’s formed.

ㄱ (g/k)
    Shape Meaning: Tongue touching the back of the throat.
    Sound: Similar to g in go, or k at the end of words like talk.

ㄴ (n)
    Shape Meaning: Tongue touching the roof of the mouth behind the upper teeth.
    Sound: Like n in nice.

ㄷ (d/t)
    Shape Meaning: Similar to ㄴ but with a stronger touch.
    Sound: Like d in dog, or t at the end of words like cat.

ㄹ (r/l)
    Shape Meaning: Tongue flicking against the roof of the mouth.
    Sound: A mix between r in ring and l in love.

ㅁ (m)
    Shape Meaning: Closed lips.
    Sound: Like m in mom.

ㅂ (b/p)
    Shape Meaning: Lips touching together.
    Sound: Like b in boy, or p at the end of words like hop.

ㅅ (s)
    Shape Meaning: Teeth slightly together.
    Sound: Like s in sun.

ㅇ (ng/silent)
    Shape Meaning: Open throat.
    Sound: Silent at the start of a syllable (as in 안 (an)) and like ng in song at the end.

ㅈ (j)
    Shape Meaning: Tongue close to teeth.
    Sound: Like j in jam.

ㅊ (ch)
    Shape Meaning: Similar to ㅈ but with a puff of air.
    Sound: Like ch in chop.

ㅋ (k)
    Shape Meaning: Like ㄱ but with a stronger burst of air.
    Sound: Like k in kite.

ㅌ (t)
    Shape Meaning: Like ㄷ but with a puff of air.
    Sound: Like t in top.

ㅍ (p)
    Shape Meaning: Like ㅂ but with more air.
    Sound: Like p in pop.

ㅎ (h)
    Shape Meaning: Breath from throat.
    Sound: Like h in hat.

Tips for Pronouncing Korean Consonants

• Pay attention to aspiration (strong burst of air).
• Sounds like ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅊ have a strong puff of air compared to their unaspirated counterparts ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅈ.
• Practice with your hand in front of your mouth.
• You should feel a burst of air for aspirated sounds.
•  Watch native speakers’ mouth movements.
• Mimicking their pronunciation and lip position is very helpful.

Fun Fact: The Hidden Logic in the Shapes

Many new learners don’t realize that the original design of Hangeul consonants reflects how your mouth is positioned.

For example:

• ㄱ (g/k) represents the back of the tongue against the soft palate.
• ㅁ (m) resembles a closed mouth.
• ㅅ (s) looks like a pair of teeth.

Understanding this logic makes Hangeul one of the easiest writing systems to memorize.

How to Practice Korean Consonants

1. Start with one consonant a day.
2. Write it 10 times while saying the sound aloud.
3. Combine it with basic vowels (like ㅏ) to form simple syllables:
1. 가 (ga), 나 (na), 다 (da)
4. Listen to native pronunciation on apps or YouTube.
5. Repeat and shadow (imitate aloud) to build muscle memory.

Final Thoughts: Mastering Korean Consonants

Learning Korean consonants is much easier once you understand the speech organ-based logic behind them. Rather than memorizing random shapes, you’re learning how the human mouth naturally makes sounds.

With just 14 letters, you can unlock the building blocks of the Korean language.

In the next lesson, we’ll explore the first set of consonants in detail (ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ) — stay tuned!