Step 1 · Consonants
Five shapes, drawn from your mouth
Korean has 14 basic consonants, but you only have to learn five. Eight of the other nine are those five with strokes added; the ninth, ㄹ, is a shape of its own.
Back of the tongue
어금닛소리 · 牙音
The shape of the tongue root blocking the throat. The back of your tongue rises and touches the soft palate.
훈민정음 해례본: 혀뿌리가 목구멍을 막는 모양
The base shape: the tongue root blocking the throat.
One stroke added to ㄱ. Same place in the mouth, but with a puff of air.
Tip of the tongue
혓소리 · 舌音
The shape of the tongue tip touching the ridge behind the teeth. The tip of your tongue touches just behind your upper teeth.
훈민정음 해례본: 혀끝이 윗잇몸에 닿는 모양
The base shape: the tongue tip touching the ridge behind the teeth.
One stroke on ㄴ. The tongue stops the air completely instead of letting it through the nose.
One more stroke on ㄷ. Now with a puff of air.
A variant form, not made by adding strokes. Between vowels it flaps like the r in Spanish “pero”; at the end of a syllable it is an l.
Lips
입술소리 · 脣音
The shape of the mouth, seen from the front. Both lips close and open.
훈민정음 해례본: 입의 모양
The base shape: the mouth, drawn from the front.
Strokes added to ㅁ. The lips burst open instead of humming.
One more step from ㅂ. Now with a puff of air.
Teeth
잇소리 · 齒音
The shape of a tooth. Air hisses through a narrow gap near your teeth.
훈민정음 해례본: 이의 모양
The base shape: a tooth.
One stroke on ㅅ. The air is stopped first, then released as a hiss.
One more stroke on ㅈ. Now with a puff of air.
Throat
목구멍소리 · 喉音
The shape of the throat opening. The sound is made at the throat, with the mouth open.
훈민정음 해례본: 목구멍의 모양
The base shape: the throat. Silent at the start of a syllable — it just holds the place. At the end it is the ng of “sing”.
Strokes added above ㅇ. Breath pushed out through the open throat.
Written twice, said tighter
Five more sounds are written by doubling a letter. They are not new letters — that is why the alphabet is still counted as 24. Say them with a tense throat and no puff of air at all: the opposite of the aspirated column above.
Now write it yourself
Trace over the grey letter with your finger or the mouse. Nothing is marked — this is the paper, not the test.