1) Basic Consonants: Your Fast-Decoding Set
Hangul consonants (자음) are designed to be consistent: each letter maps to a predictable mouth action. To read quickly, focus on three pronunciation “modes” that create many of the contrasts you’ll see:
- Plain (lenis): light, unforced. Often sounds between English voiced/voiceless depending on position (e.g., ㄱ can sound like “g” or “k”).
- Aspirated: a strong burst of air (like English “k” in “key” with extra puff). Marked by ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅊ.
- Tense (fortis): tight, pressed articulation with little/no air. Marked by doubled letters ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ.
Use English approximations only as a temporary bridge. Korean contrasts are not identical to English “voiced vs voiceless.” Instead, train your ear and mouth for air (aspiration) and tension (tense).
Core consonant set (with mouth-position cues)
| Letter | Type | How to shape it | English-ish hint (limits apply) |
|---|---|---|---|
ㄱ | Plain | Back of tongue touches soft palate (like “k/g”). Light release. | Between “g” and “k” |
ㅋ | Aspirated | Same place as ㄱ, but add a strong puff of air. | Strong “k” |
ㄲ | Tense | Same place as ㄱ, but tighten throat/mouth; minimal air. | “kk” (pressed) |
ㄷ | Plain | Tongue tip touches ridge behind upper teeth (alveolar). Light release. | Between “d” and “t” |
ㅌ | Aspirated | Same place as ㄷ, with strong air burst. | Strong “t” |
ㄸ | Tense | Same place as ㄷ, tight/pressed, little air. | “tt” (pressed) |
ㅂ | Plain | Lips close then release lightly. | Between “b” and “p” |
ㅍ | Aspirated | Same as ㅂ, but release with strong air. | Strong “p” |
ㅃ | Tense | Lips pressed firmly; release with tension, little air. | “pp” (pressed) |
ㅅ | Plain | Teeth close; air passes like “s.” Before ㅣ/ㅑ/ㅕ/ㅛ/ㅠ it becomes more “sh”-like. | “s” (sometimes “sh”) |
ㅆ | Tense | Same as ㅅ but tighter/stronger friction. | Strong “ss” |
ㅈ | Plain | Start like “t” then release into “s” (affricate), light. | Between “j” and “ch” |
ㅊ | Aspirated | Same as ㅈ with strong air burst. | Strong “ch” |
ㅉ | Tense | Same as ㅈ but tight/pressed, little air. | “jj” (pressed) |
ㄴ | Sonorant | Tongue tip touches ridge; air through nose. | “n” |
ㅁ | Sonorant | Lips closed; air through nose. | “m” |
ㅇ | Silent/Ng | At the start of a syllable: silent placeholder. At the end: back-of-tongue nasal. | Silent / “ng” |
ㅎ | Fricative | Open throat; breathy friction. | “h” |
ㄹ | Liquid | Single quick tongue tap (between r/l). At end can sound more “l”-like. | Tap “r” / light “l” |
Step-by-step: feel the three-way contrast (plain vs aspirated vs tense)
Try this physical test: hold your palm 2–3 inches in front of your mouth.
- Aspirated (ㅋ/ㅌ/ㅍ/ㅊ): your palm should feel a clear puff.
- Plain (ㄱ/ㄷ/ㅂ/ㅈ): little air; softer.
- Tense (ㄲ/ㄸ/ㅃ/ㅉ): almost no puff; feels “clipped” and tight.
Listen-and-repeat prompts (no audio needed)
Read the prompts and imitate the described sensation. Keep them short and mechanical.
- ㄱ: “Say it like a light ‘k’—not a strong English K.”
- ㅋ: “Say ‘k’ with a big puff of air—your hand should feel it.”
- ㄲ: “Say ‘k’ while tightening your mouth—no puff, very crisp.”
- ㅂ: “Say a soft ‘p/b’—don’t explode it.”
- ㅍ: “Say ‘p’ with lots of air.”
- ㅃ: “Say ‘p’ pressed tight—short and tense.”
- ㅅ: “Say ‘s’—if the next vowel is like ‘ee,’ let it drift toward ‘sh.’”
- ㄹ: “Tap once like the quick ‘tt’ in American ‘butter’ (tongue tap).”
2) Basic Vowels: Shape Cues for Immediate Reading
Hangul vowels (모음) are highly regular. For fast decoding, use two anchors:
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- Tongue height: high vs mid vs low
- Lip rounding: rounded (like “oo”) vs unrounded (like “ah/eh”)
Romanization hints below are temporary scaffolding. Your goal is to recognize the Hangul shape and produce a consistent vowel quality.
Core vowel set (with tongue/lip cues)
| Letter | Mouth cue | Romanization hint | English-ish approximation (limits apply) |
|---|---|---|---|
ㅏ | Low, open, unrounded | a | “ah” (father) |
ㅓ | Mid-low, open, unrounded; tongue slightly back | eo | Between “uh/aw” (not exactly either) |
ㅗ | Mid, rounded; lips form a small circle | o | “oh” (but shorter/cleaner) |
ㅜ | High, rounded; lips forward | u | “oo” (food) but not too long |
ㅡ | High-ish, unrounded; lips relaxed; tongue back/flat | eu | No direct English match; think “oo” without rounding |
ㅣ | High, unrounded; lips spread | i | “ee” (see) |
ㅐ | Mid, unrounded | ae | “eh” (as in “bed”) |
ㅔ | Mid, unrounded | e | Also “eh”; often very close to ㅐ in modern speech |
Step-by-step: lock in the vowel contrasts
Do these in pairs. Keep consonants out at first—just pure vowel shapes.
- ㅗ vs ㅜ: Start with
ㅗ(rounded, mid). Then move toㅜby raising the tongue and pushing lips forward more. “Say it like ‘oh’ → ‘oo’.” - ㅏ vs ㅓ: Start with
ㅏ(open “ah”). Forㅓ, keep mouth open but pull tongue slightly back and relax the jaw a bit. “Say it like ‘ah’ → ‘uh/aw’ (Korean-style).” - ㅡ vs ㅜ: Make
ㅜ(“oo”) then keep the tongue position but relax lips (unround) to getㅡ. “Say ‘oo’ but flatten the lips.” - ㅐ vs ㅔ: For many learners, treat both as “eh” at first, then refine later by listening. The key now is recognition and consistent reading.
Listen-and-repeat prompts (vowels)
- ㅏ: “Say ‘ah’ with a relaxed throat.”
- ㅓ: “Say ‘uh’ but keep it clear, not swallowed.”
- ㅗ: “Say ‘oh’ with rounded lips—short and clean.”
- ㅜ: “Say ‘oo’ with lips forward.”
- ㅡ: “Say ‘oo’ but remove the lip rounding.”
- ㅣ: “Say ‘ee’ with a small smile.”
3) Quick Recognition Drills (Fast Visual Decoding)
Do these like flashcards. Cover the labels and answer out loud: “This is…”. Aim for speed first, perfection second.
Mixed letter identification (10-second bursts)
Read each character aloud (name it or pronounce it). Repeat the line 3 times, faster each time.
ㄱ ㅏ ㅁ ㅗ ㄴ ㅜ ㅇ ㅣ ㅎ ㅡ ㅂ ㅓ ㄹ ㅅ ㅐ ㅈ ㅔ ㅍ ㅊ ㄷㅜ ㄲ ㅏ ㅆ ㅣ ㅋ ㅗ ㅃ ㅓ ㄸ ㅡ ㅍ ㅐ ㅈ ㅣ ㅊ ㅔ ㄴ ㅁ ㅎMinimal-pair contrasts (consonants)
For each set, keep the mouth position the same and change only air (aspiration) or tension (tense). Use your palm test.
| Set | What to feel | Say it like… |
|---|---|---|
ㄱ / ㅋ / ㄲ | light → puff → tight | “soft k” → “strong k (air)” → “pressed kk” |
ㄷ / ㅌ / ㄸ | light → puff → tight | “soft t” → “strong t (air)” → “pressed tt” |
ㅂ / ㅍ / ㅃ | light → puff → tight | “soft p/b” → “strong p (air)” → “pressed pp” |
ㅈ / ㅊ / ㅉ | light → puff → tight | “soft j/ch” → “strong ch (air)” → “pressed jj” |
ㅅ / ㅆ | normal friction → tighter friction | “s” → “strong ss” |
Vowel contrasts (train your eyes and mouth)
Point to each vowel and say it. Then alternate quickly: A–B–A–B.
ㅗvsㅜ: rounded mid vs rounded high (“oh” vs “oo”).ㅓvsㅏ: backer/open-mid vs open-low (“eo” vs “a”).ㅐvsㅔ: both “eh” for now; focus on recognizing the shapes accurately.
ㅗ ㅜ ㅗ ㅜ ㅗ ㅜㅓ ㅏ ㅓ ㅏ ㅓ ㅏㅐ ㅔ ㅐ ㅔ ㅐ ㅔ4) Focused Mastery Check (Isolated Jamo Reading)
Self-test: read each set aloud without pausing. Then self-verify using the pronunciation notes under each set.
Set A: Plain vs aspirated vs tense
ㄱ ㅋ ㄲ ㄷ ㅌ ㄸ ㅂ ㅍ ㅃ ㅈ ㅊ ㅉ ㅅ ㅆ- Check: aspirated letters (ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅊ) must have a clear puff of air.
- Check: tense letters (ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅉ ㅆ) must feel tight/pressed with minimal air.
- Check: plain letters (ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅈ ㅅ) should be lighter than English “hard” consonants.
Set B: Sonorants and special consonants
ㄴ ㅁ ㅇ ㅎ ㄹ- Check:
ㅇis silent at the start of a syllable (placeholder), but “ng” at the end. - Check:
ㄹshould be a single tap when starting a syllable; avoid a heavy English “r.”
Set C: Vowels (shape-based verification)
ㅏ ㅓ ㅗ ㅜ ㅡ ㅣ ㅐ ㅔ- Check:
ㅗvsㅜ: both rounded, butㅜis higher with more forward lip rounding. - Check:
ㅡ: unrounded—if your lips are rounded, you drift towardㅜ. - Check:
ㅓshould not becomeㅏ; keep it slightly backer/less “bright.”
Set D: Rapid random mix (true decoding)
Read aloud in one pass. If you hesitate, circle that character and drill it again for 20 seconds.
ㅃ ㅏ ㄴ ㅜ ㄲ ㅗ ㅅ ㅡ ㅈ ㅣ ㅎ ㅓ ㅋ ㅜ ㄹ ㅐ ㅌ ㅗ ㅇ ㅣ ㅆ ㅔ- Self-verify: identify every tense consonant (ㅃ, ㄲ, ㅆ) and ensure it is tight with little air.
- Self-verify: identify every rounded vowel (ㅗ, ㅜ) and ensure lips are rounded.
