Korean writing has 24 letters. Those 24 come from 8 shapes. That is the whole size of the thing you are about to learn — fewer letters than the 26 of the English alphabet.
Today you learn five of the eight, and by the end of this lesson you will read your first block out loud.
1 · The five places
| Letter | Sound | Word |
|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | g / k | 고기 gogi |
| ㄴ | n | 나무 namu |
| ㅁ | m | 물 mul |
| ㅅ | s | 산 san |
| ㅇ | — / ng | 아이 ai |
ㄱ is the back of your tongue rising to block the throat. ㄴ is the tongue tip touching the ridge behind your teeth — look at the letter sideways and it is that tongue. ㅁ is the closed mouth seen from the front. ㅅ is the narrowing gap air hisses through. ㅇ is the open throat.
Say each sound slowly and watch what you do. The letter is already a picture of it.