Korean Alphabet Pronunciation Rules21

The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, is a unique and systematic writing system that was created in the 15th century. Hangul consists of 24 basic letters, which can be combined to form syllables. Each syllable is represented by a single block, making Hangul a very easy-to-learn alphabet.

The Korean alphabet is divided into two categories: consonants and vowels. There are 14 consonants in Hangul, and they are all pronounced with a different sound. The vowels in Hangul are divided into two groups: single vowels and diphthongs. There are 10 single vowels, and they are all pronounced with a different sound. The diphthongs are combinations of two single vowels, and they are pronounced with a different sound than either of the individual vowels.

The pronunciation of the Korean alphabet is fairly straightforward. However, there are a few rules that you need to know in order to pronounce the letters correctly.

Consonant Pronunciation Rules

The consonants in Hangul are pronounced with a different sound depending on their position in the syllable. The following are the rules for pronouncing the consonants:
Initial consonants are pronounced with a strong, aspirated sound.
Medial consonants are pronounced with a weak, unaspirated sound.
Final consonants are pronounced with a weak, unaspirated sound, and they are often devoiced.

The following table shows the pronunciation of the consonants in Hangul:

Initial
Medial
Final

ㄱ (g)
ㅋ (k)
ㄱ (g)

ㄴ (n)
ㄴ (n)
ㄴ (n)

ㄷ (d)
ㅌ (t)
ㄷ (d)

ㄹ (r)
ㄹ (r)
ㄹ (r)

ㅁ (m)
ㅁ (m)
ㅁ (m)

ㅂ (b)
ㅍ (p)
ㅂ (b)

ㅅ (s)
ㅆ (ss)
ㅅ (s)

ㅇ (ng)
ㅇ (ng)
ㅇ (ng)

ㅈ (j)
ㅊ (ch)
ㅈ (j)

ㅊ (ch)
ㅊ (ch)
ㅊ (ch)

ㅋ (k)
ㅋ (k)
ㅋ (k)

ㅌ (t)
ㅌ (t)
ㅌ (t)

ㅍ (p)
ㅍ (p)
ㅍ (p)

ㅎ (h)
ㅎ (h)
ㅎ (h)

Vowel Pronunciation Rules

The vowels in Hangul are pronounced with a different sound depending on their position in the syllable. The following are the rules for pronouncing the vowels:
Initial vowels are pronounced with a long sound.
Medial vowels are pronounced with a short sound.
Final vowels are pronounced with a short sound, and they are often diphthongized.

The following table shows the pronunciation of the vowels in Hangul:

Initial
Medial
Final

ㅏ (a)
ㅏ (a)
ㅏ (a)

ㅑ (ya)
ㅑ (ya)
ㅑ (ya)

ㅓ (eo)
ㅓ (eo)
ㅓ (eo)

ㅕ (yeo)
ㅕ (yeo)
ㅕ (yeo)

ㅗ (o)
ㅗ (o)
ㅗ (o)

ㅛ (yo)
ㅛ (yo)
ㅛ (yo)

ㅜ (u)
ㅜ (u)
ㅜ (u)

ㅠ (yu)
ㅠ (yu)
ㅠ (yu)

ㅡ (eu)
ㅡ (eu)
ㅡ (eu)

ㅣ (i)
ㅣ (i)
ㅣ (i)

Diphthong Pronunciation Rules

The diphthongs in Hangul are pronounced with a different sound depending on their position in the syllable. The following are the rules for pronouncing the diphthongs:
Initial diphthongs are pronounced with a long sound.
Medial diphthongs are pronounced with a short sound.
Final diphthongs are pronounced with a short sound, and they are often devoiced.

The following table shows the pronunciation of the diphthongs in Hangul:

Initial
Medial
Final

ㅐ (ae)
ㅐ (ae)
ㅐ (ae)

ㅒ (yae)
ㅒ (yae)
ㅒ (yae)

ㅔ (e)
ㅔ (e)
ㅔ (e)

ㅖ (ye)
ㅖ (ye)
ㅖ (ye)

ㅘ (wa)
ㅘ (wa)
ㅘ (wa)

ㅙ (wae)
ㅙ (wae)
ㅙ (wae)

ㅚ (oe)
ㅚ (oe)
ㅚ (oe)

ㅝ (wo)
ㅝ (wo)
ㅝ (wo)

ㅞ (we)
ㅞ (we)
ㅞ (we)

ㅟ (wi)
ㅟ (wi)
ㅟ (wi)

ㅢ (ui)
ㅢ (ui)
ㅢ (ui)