Common Hangul Spelling Patterns: Double Consonants, Compound Vowels, and Frequent Endings

1) Double Consonants (쌍자음): ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ

Double consonants are not “two sounds.” They are single consonants produced with a tighter, tenser articulation. For reading, treat them as one unit that signals a stronger start to the syllable.

How they look (fast visual recognition)

• ㄲ = ㄱ doubled (two corners)
• ㄸ = ㄷ doubled (two “tables”)
• ㅃ = ㅂ doubled (two boxes)
• ㅆ = ㅅ doubled (two peaks)
• ㅉ = ㅈ doubled (ㅉ has the extra top stroke like ㅈ, but doubled)

How they feel in pronunciation (tighter/tenser cue)

Use this physical cue: say the plain consonant once, then say the double consonant while lightly “bracing” the mouth and keeping the airflow shorter and firmer. It should feel more clipped and tense, not breathy.

Common confusions (and how to avoid them)

• ㅅ vs ㅆ: ㅆ has two “mountain peaks.” When scanning, look for the doubled peaks before you read the vowel.
• ㅈ vs ㅉ: both have the top stroke, but ㅉ is doubled. If the top stroke is there and you see two bodies, it’s ㅉ.
• ㄷ vs ㄸ and ㅂ vs ㅃ: in small fonts, doubling can be subtle. Train your eyes to count the repeated shapes: two “tables” (ㄸ), two “boxes” (ㅃ).

Micro-drills: read as a single unit

Read each pair quickly, focusing on the first consonant only (don’t overthink the rest of the syllable):

• 가 / 까, 고 / 꼬, 구 / 꾸
• 다 / 따, 도 / 또, 두 / 뚜
• 바 / 빠, 보 / 뽀, 부 / 뿌
• 사 / 싸, 소 / 쏘, 수 / 쑤
• 자 / 짜, 조 / 쪼, 주 / 쭈

2) Compound Vowels: ㅘ, ㅙ, ㅚ, ㅝ, ㅞ, ㅟ, ㅢ

Compound vowels are single vowel units made from two vowel shapes. For faster decoding, learn them as “one picture” and attach a mouth-movement cue: start shape → glide → end shape.

Mouth movement cues (what your lips do)

Step-by-step: practice ladders (simple → compound)

Use these ladders to train your eyes to “upgrade” a familiar vowel into a compound without pausing.

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ㅗ-family ladder: ㅗ → ㅘ/ㅙ/ㅚ

ㅗ  →  ㅘ  →  ㅙ  →  ㅚ

Now read these syllables in order, keeping the consonant constant so your brain focuses on the vowel change:

• 도 → 돠 → 돼 → 되
• 고 → 과 → 괘 → 괴
• 소 → 사? (stop) (Notice: if you see ㅏ without the ㅗ element, it’s not a compound. Train your eyes to look for the “ㅗ hook” first.)

ㅜ-family ladder: ㅜ → ㅝ/ㅞ/ㅟ

ㅜ  →  ㅝ  →  ㅞ  →  ㅟ

• 수 → 숴 → 쉐 → 쉬
• 주 → 줘 → 줴 → 쥐

ㅡ-family ladder: ㅡ → ㅢ

ㅡ  →  ㅢ

• 으 → 의
• 그 → 기? (stop) (If you see ㅣ alone, it’s not ㅢ. Look for the ㅡ line plus ㅣ.)

Common confusions (visual checkpoints)

• ㅙ vs ㅚ: ㅙ contains the extra stroke of ㅐ. If you see “ㅐ-like” two vertical strokes, it’s ㅙ, not ㅚ.
• ㅞ vs ㅟ: ㅞ contains the extra stroke of ㅔ. If it looks like ㅔ attached to ㅜ, it’s ㅞ.
• ㅘ vs ㅝ: check the base: ㅘ starts from ㅗ (top hook), ㅝ starts from ㅜ (bottom cup).
• ㅢ: it is visually “ㅡ + ㅣ.” If you only see ㅣ, it’s not ㅢ.

3) High-Frequency Reading Units (common syllables/endings)

The goal here is not grammar. Treat these as pre-chunked reading units that appear constantly in everyday text. Recognize them quickly so you stop decoding letter-by-letter.

Core polite endings you’ll see everywhere

• -요 (요): practice spotting the single syllable 요 at the end of words
• -니다 (니다): read as two syllables 니-다
• -습니다 (습니다): read as three syllables 습-니-다 (don’t pause inside 습)
• -세요 (세요): read as 세-요

Very common location/connection chunks

• -에서 (에서): read as 에-서
• -하고 (하고): read as 하-고
• -까지 (까지): watch the double consonant ㄲ
• -부터 (부터)
• -지만 (지만)
• -그리고 (그리고): read as 그-리-고

Mini speed lines (decode as chunks)

Read each line twice: first slowly, then again without stopping at each syllable boundary.

• 에서 / 하고 / 까지 / 부터
• 요 / 세요 / 니다 / 습니다
• 그리고 / 하지만 / 그래서

4) Chunking Exercises: Circle Repeated Patterns, Then Read by Chunks

Do this in two passes: (1) visually scan and circle the repeated pattern, (2) read the whole item in 2–3 chunks instead of letter-by-letter.

Exercise A: Circle the double consonants (ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ)

Circle every double consonant you see, then read each word once smoothly.

• 까다 / 따로 / 빨리 / 쓰다 / 짜다
• 꼭 / 똑 / 쏙 / 쭉
• 깨끗 / 똑똑 / 빼빼 / 씻다 / 쪽

Exercise B: Circle the compound vowels (ㅘ ㅙ ㅚ ㅝ ㅞ ㅟ ㅢ)

Circle the compound vowel inside each syllable block, then read without separating it into two vowels.

• 과 / 괘 / 괴
• 줘 / 줴 / 쥐
• 돼 / 되
• 쉬 / 쉐
• 의

Exercise C: Circle the high-frequency chunks (-요, -니다, -에서, -하고)

Circle the chunk, then read the whole phrase by chunks (not syllable-by-syllable).

• 여기에서 (chunk: 에서)
• 친구하고 (chunk: 하고)
• 감사합니다 (chunk: 합니다 as a reading unit)
• 괜찮아요 (chunk: 아요 ending sound pattern; spot 요)

5) Mixed Review Passages (with “what to notice” annotations)

Read each line twice. First pass: point to the target patterns. Second pass: read in chunks.

Passage 1

여기에서 같이 가요.

Notice: circle 에서 as a chunk; circle the double consonant in 같이 (ㅌ is not double—don’t “invent” doubles); spot 요 at the end and read it as one unit.

Passage 2

친구하고 과일을 사요.

Notice: circle 하고; circle the compound vowel ㅘ in 과; read 사요 as 사-요 (ending chunk 요).

Passage 3

빨리 와요. 괜찮아요.

Notice: circle ㅃ in 빨리; circle ㅘ in 와; spot 요 twice and keep it light and quick as a repeated ending.

Passage 4

쭉 읽어요. 또 읽어요.

Notice: circle ㅉ in 쭉; circle ㄸ in 또; read each sentence in two chunks: 쭉 / 읽어요, 또 / 읽어요.

Passage 5

의자 위에 있어요.

Notice: circle ㅢ in 의; circle ㅟ in 위; keep compound vowels as single units (don’t split into ㅡ+ㅣ or ㅜ+ㅣ while reading).

Passage 6

저는 여기에서 공부합니다.

Notice: circle 에서; circle the ending chunk 니다 inside 합니다 as a familiar reading tail; read by chunks: 저는 / 여기에서 / 공부합니다.