One block, one syllable
Look at 한국 (Korea). It has two blocks, so it has two syllables: 한 (han) and 국 (guk).
Each block holds two to four letters. Inside a block, read left to right, then top to bottom: ㅎ, then ㅏ, then ㄴ.
Rule 1: Every block starts with a consonant
When a syllable starts with a vowel sound, its block starts with ㅇ, which is silent there. 아 is just "a". 우유 (milk) is just "u-yu".
Rule 2: The vowel's shape decides where it goes
Tall vowels stand to the right of the consonant. Flat vowels sit below it. Vowels with a flat part and a tall part wrap around the corner.
Right ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅣ ㅐ ㅒ ㅔ ㅖ
Below ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ
Around ㅘ ㅙ ㅚ ㅝ ㅞ ㅟ ㅢ
Rule 3: A final consonant goes at the bottom
Some syllables end in a consonant. It sits at the bottom of the block and is called batchim (받침). 바 (ba) plus ㅁ makes 밤 (bam, night).
Many letters can sit at the bottom, but they make only 7 sounds. Learn the 7 final sounds
Rule 4: Read the blocks left to right
Blocks run left to right in a row, like English letters. Spaces go between words, not between blocks: 사랑해 is one word, sa-rang-hae (I love you).
Practice: read these words
Sound out each word first, then tap it to check.
Words don't always sound like their spelling
When a block ends in a consonant and the next block starts with ㅇ, the consonant usually slides over to fill the gap. 음악 (music) is read eu-mak, not eum-ak. A final ㅇ stays put, a final ㅎ goes silent, and Korean has a few more sound changes like these. Recordings teach them faster than rules, so listen as you read.
