Hangul basics

The Korean alphabet, letter by letter.

Hangul has 24 basic letters: 14 consonants and 10 vowels. The letters are not written in a line. They are stacked into square syllable blocks, so 가 is ㄱ plus ㅏ.

Every table on this page is generated from the same tables the name converter uses. Romanization is Revised Romanization as the site writes it.

How a syllable block is built

A block has an initial consonant, a vowel and sometimes a final consonant. 한 is ㅎ plus ㅏ plus ㄴ. As an initial, ㅇ is silent, so 아 is only the vowel a.

In Unicode there are 19 initials, 21 vowels and 27 finals or none, and every combination has its own block, 11,172 in all. Look at the grid below to see where the vowel goes: ㅏ sits to the right of the consonant and ㅗ sits below it.

Consonants

The 14 basic consonants come first. The 5 tense consonants are doubled letters. The loanword norm of Korea says not to use tense consonants for plosives.

The 14 basic consonants
ㄱg	ㄴn	ㄷd	ㄹr	ㅁm	ㅂb	ㅅs
ㅇ-	ㅈj	ㅊch	ㅋk	ㅌt	ㅍp	ㅎh

The 5 tense consonants
ㄲkk	ㄸtt	ㅃpp	ㅆss	ㅉjj

Vowels

The 10 basic vowels are simple strokes. The 11 compound vowels combine them, for example ㅘ is ㅗ plus ㅏ.

The 10 basic vowels
ㅏa	ㅑya	ㅓeo	ㅕyeo	ㅗo	ㅛyo	ㅜu
ㅠyu	ㅡeu	ㅣi

The 11 compound vowels
ㅐae	ㅒyae	ㅔe	ㅖye	ㅘwa	ㅙwae	ㅚoe
ㅝwo	ㅞwe	ㅟwi	ㅢui

Sample syllable blocks

Each basic consonant with each basic vowel, with the romanization under the block. On a phone, slide the table sideways to see every column.

Sample blocks: each basic consonant with each basic vowel
	ㅏ	ㅑ	ㅓ	ㅕ	ㅗ	ㅛ	ㅜ	ㅠ	ㅡ	ㅣ
ㄱ	가ga	갸gya	거geo	겨gyeo	고go	교gyo	구gu	규gyu	그geu	기gi
ㄴ	나na	냐nya	너neo	녀nyeo	노no	뇨nyo	누nu	뉴nyu	느neu	니ni
ㄷ	다da	댜dya	더deo	뎌dyeo	도do	됴dyo	두du	듀dyu	드deu	디di
ㄹ	라ra	랴rya	러reo	려ryeo	로ro	료ryo	루ru	류ryu	르reu	리ri
ㅁ	마ma	먀mya	머meo	며myeo	모mo	묘myo	무mu	뮤myu	므meu	미mi
ㅂ	바ba	뱌bya	버beo	벼byeo	보bo	뵤byo	부bu	뷰byu	브beu	비bi
ㅅ	사sa	샤sya	서seo	셔syeo	소so	쇼syo	수su	슈syu	스seu	시si
ㅇ	아a	야ya	어eo	여yeo	오o	요yo	우u	유yu	으eu	이i
ㅈ	자ja	쟈jya	저jeo	져jyeo	조jo	죠jyo	주ju	쥬jyu	즈jeu	지ji
ㅊ	차cha	챠chya	처cheo	쳐chyeo	초cho	쵸chyo	추chu	츄chyu	츠cheu	치chi
ㅋ	카ka	캬kya	커keo	켜kyeo	코ko	쿄kyo	쿠ku	큐kyu	크keu	키ki
ㅌ	타ta	탸tya	터teo	텨tyeo	토to	툐tyo	투tu	튜tyu	트teu	티ti
ㅍ	파pa	퍄pya	퍼peo	펴pyeo	포po	표pyo	푸pu	퓨pyu	프peu	피pi
ㅎ	하ha	햐hya	허heo	혀hyeo	호ho	효hyo	후hu	휴hyu	흐heu	히hi

Final consonants

Seven consonants are pronounced at the end of a syllable. The table shows each one under the syllable 아 with its romanization.

The loanword norm allows only ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅅ and ㅇ as finals. That is why ㅅ writes the t sound at the end of a syllable in foreign words, as in 캣 (cat) and 삿포로 (Sapporo).

Consonants pronounced at the end of a syllable
Letter	Example	Romanization
ㄱ	악	k
ㄴ	안	n
ㄷ	앋	t
ㄹ	알	l
ㅁ	암	m
ㅂ	압	p
ㅇ	앙	ng

Writing your name in hangul

The name converter works out how your name sounds and writes it with these letters, following the loanword norm.

Name in Korean