Learn the Korean alphabet, one stroke at a time
Tap any of the 40 letters. Watch how it's written, trace it, then hear it and write it from memory. Free, no sign-up.
ㄱ (giyeok) is written in 1 stroke: start at the top left and go right, then down.
The Korean alphabet: all 40 letters
Hangul has 24 basic letters: 14 consonants and 10 vowels. Another 16 are built from them, 5 double consonants and 11 double vowels, which makes 40. Tap a letter for its stroke order, sound and example words.
Consonants (14)
| Letter | Name | Sounds like | Strokes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | 기역 giyeok | g / k | 1 |
| ㄴ | 니은 nieun | n | 1 |
| ㄷ | 디귿 digeut | d / t | 2 |
| ㄹ | 리을 rieul | r / l | 3 |
| ㅁ | 미음 mieum | m | 3 |
| ㅂ | 비읍 bieup | b / p | 4 |
| ㅅ | 시옷 siot | s | 2 |
| ㅇ | 이응 ieung | silent / ng | 1 |
| ㅈ | 지읒 jieut | j | 3 |
| ㅊ | 치읓 chieut | ch | 4 |
| ㅋ | 키읔 kieuk | k | 2 |
| ㅌ | 티읕 tieut | t | 3 |
| ㅍ | 피읖 pieup | p | 4 |
| ㅎ | 히읗 hieut | h | 3 |
Double consonants (5)
| Letter | Name | Sounds like | Strokes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㄲ | 쌍기역 ssanggiyeok | kk | 2 |
| ㄸ | 쌍디귿 ssangdigeut | tt | 4 |
| ㅃ | 쌍비읍 ssangbieup | pp | 8 |
| ㅆ | 쌍시옷 ssangsiot | ss | 4 |
| ㅉ | 쌍지읒 ssangjieut | jj | 6 |
Vowels (10)
| Letter | Name | Sounds like | Strokes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㅏ | 아 a | a | 2 |
| ㅑ | 야 ya | ya | 3 |
| ㅓ | 어 eo | eo | 2 |
| ㅕ | 여 yeo | yeo | 3 |
| ㅗ | 오 o | o | 2 |
| ㅛ | 요 yo | yo | 3 |
| ㅜ | 우 u | u | 2 |
| ㅠ | 유 yu | yu | 3 |
| ㅡ | 으 eu | eu | 1 |
| ㅣ | 이 i | i | 1 |
Double vowels (11)
How hangul letters build syllables
Korean is written in syllable blocks, not in a line of separate letters. Each block starts with a consonant and adds a vowel. Some blocks end with one more consonant at the bottom, called 받침 (batchim).
ga. Tall vowels such as ㅏ go on the right.
go. Flat vowels such as ㅗ go underneath.
gam. The final consonant, the batchim, sits at the bottom.
a. A block that starts with a vowel sound begins with a silent ㅇ.
Put blocks side by side and you have words: 한 (han) + 글 (geul) = 한글, the Korean name for the alphabet.
Questions beginners ask
How many letters are in the Korean alphabet?
Hangul has 24 basic letters: 14 consonants and 10 vowels. Another 16 are built from them, 5 double consonants and 11 double vowels, so you will see 40 letters in total.
Is it hangul or hangeul?
Both spellings name the same alphabet, 한글. Hangeul is the official romanization used in South Korea; hangul is the older spelling most English sites use.
Does hangul have a stroke order?
Yes. Strokes run from top to bottom and from left to right, and each letter has a fixed order. Every letter page shows it stroke by stroke, with arrows.
How long does it take to learn hangul?
Many learners can sound out simple words after a day of practice, because the letters map closely to sounds and the blocks follow a few rules. Reading at a natural speed takes a few weeks of regular reading.
Who invented hangul?
King Sejong the Great and scholars of his court created hangul in 1443 and published it in 1446 as Hunminjeongeum, "the proper sounds for teaching the people". South Korea celebrates it every October 9, Hangul Day.
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