Mastering the Hangul letters: ㅈ to ㅎ
Now that you have a handle on the first set of Hangul consonants, let’s dive into the remaining basic consonants from ㅈ to ㅎ. We will continue to build your vocabulary with useful words and provide pronunciation tips to help you master these new sounds.
As in the previous lesson, we will compare Korean sounds to English pronunciations. Remember that these are approximations, and the best way to learn is to listen carefully to the audio and try to mimic the sounds.
The words in this lesson are common and will help you practice the distinct sounds of these final basic consonants.
Basic Hangul letter chart
For your reference, here is the complete chart of basic Hangul letters. Take a moment to review it before we proceed.
Hangul Letters Chart
1. Select a Consonant (자음)
2. Select a Vowel (모음)
Your first ㅈ (j) words
Let’s begin with ㅈ, which has a sound that sits between an English ‘j’ and ‘ch’.
| Word | Meaning | Letters | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| to sleep | ㅈ, ㅏ, ㄷ, ㅏ | ja-da | |
| I/me (formal) | ㅈ, ㅓ | jeo |
Tips
- The Korean ㅈ sound is not as forcefully voiced as the English ‘j’ (like in “jungle”).
- Remember, voicing is the amount of vibration in your vocal folds. English generally has much more voicing than Korean.
- One tip to not voice the sound, like you would in English, is to pronounce ch sound in church, but without a puff of air leaving your mouth.
Your first ㅊ (ch) words
The consonant ㅊ is the aspirated version of ㅈ, meaning it is pronounced with a stronger puff of air.
| Word | Meaning | Letters | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| car/tea | ㅊ, ㅏ | cha | |
| friend | ㅊ, ㅣ, ㄴ, ㄱ, ㅜ | chin-gu |
Tips
- To properly pronounce ㅊ, you should feel a distinct puff of air when you say it.
- Hold your hand in front of your mouth when you say (cha) to feel the aspiration. It should be similar to the ‘ch’ in ‘charge.‘
Your first ㅋ (k) words
Similarly, ㅋ is the aspirated counterpart to ㄱ (g/k).
| Word | Meaning | Letters | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| coffee | ㅋ, ㅓ, ㅍ, ㅣ | keo-pi | |
| to be big | ㅋ, ㅡ, ㄷ, ㅏ | keu-da |
Tips
- ㅋ is aspirated, so pronounce ㅋ with a strong burst of air, like the ‘k’ in ‘key.’
- Compare with ㄱ, the unaspirated version: ( vs , vs )
Quiz 1: ㅈㅊㅋ
Time for a quick check-in. See how well you remember the words we’ve just learned.
Quiz 3: ㅈㅊㅋ
Practice your Korean words using the letters ㅈ, ㅊ, and ㅋ.
Your first ㅌ (t) words
Next up is ㅌ, which is the aspirated version of ㄷ (d/t).
| Word | Meaning | Letters | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| tomato | ㅌ, ㅗ, ㅁ, ㅏ, ㅌ, ㅗ | to-ma-to | |
| to ride | ㅌ, ㅏ, ㄷ, ㅏ | ta-da |
Tips
- The ㅌ sound is made with a strong puff of air, much like the ‘t’ in “top.”
- Contrast this with the softer ㄷ sound in (da).
Your first ㅍ (p) words
The consonant ㅍ is the aspirated equivalent of ㅂ (b/p).
| Word | Meaning | Letters | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| pizza | ㅍ, ㅣ, ㅈ, ㅏ | pi-ja | |
| grape | ㅍ, ㅗ, ㄷ, ㅗ | po-do |
Tips
- As with the other aspirated consonants, ㅍ is pronounced with a strong puff of air.
- It is similar to the ‘p’ in “pizza.”
Your first ㅎ (h) words
Finally, let’s look at ㅎ, which is similar to the English ‘h’.
| Word | Meaning | Letters | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| to do | ㅎ, ㅏ, ㄷ, ㅏ | ha-da | |
| sky | ㅎ, ㅏ, ㄴ, ㅡ, ㄹ | ha-neul |
Tips
- The ㅎ sound is much like the ‘h’ in “hello.”
- However, it can sometimes be very faint or even silent when it is between two vowels.
Quiz 2: ㅌㅍㅎ
Let’s test your knowledge of the last set of basic consonants.
Quiz 4: ㅌㅍㅎ
Practice your Korean words using the letters ㅌ, ㅍ, and ㅎ.
Final Quiz: ㅈ to ㅎ
Now, let’s bring it all together. This final quiz will cover all the words you’ve learned in this lesson for the consonants from ㅈ to ㅎ.
Final Quiz: ㅈ to ㅎ
Test your knowledge of the words you've learned in this lesson.
Congratulations! You’ve completed Lesson 3!
Continue to the next lesson to learn about the pronunciation of final consonants