Building Syllables · 글자 만들기

2. How it works

2.1 One block is one syllable

A Korean syllable is a block made of letters. The simplest block has two parts, an initial consonant and a vowel.

consonant + vowel  →  syllable block

ㄱ + ㅏ  →  가    ga
ㄴ + ㅗ  →  노    no
ㅁ + ㅣ  →  미    mi

Each block is read as one sound beat. Count the blocks, and you know how many syllables a word has.

2.2 Vertical vowels go on the right

The vowels ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅣ are tall and thin. They stand to the right of the consonant, side by side.

┌───────┬───────┐
│       │       │
│   ㄱ  │   ㅏ  │   →  가  ga
│       │       │
└───────┴───────┘
 consonant   vowel
 on the left on the right

Other vertical examples are 나 na, 마 ma, 서 seo, 여 yeo and 비 bi. In every one, the consonant is on the left.

2.3 Horizontal vowels go below

The vowels ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ are wide and flat. They sit under the consonant, like a floor.

┌───────────────┐
│      ㄱ       │   consonant on top
├───────────────┤
│      ㅗ       │   vowel below
└───────────────┘
       →  고  go

Other horizontal examples are 노 no, 모 mo, 수 su, 유 yu and 크 keu. In every one, the consonant is on top.

2.4 The silent ㅇ as a placeholder

Every block needs a consonant in the first place. When a syllable starts with a vowel sound, you write ㅇ there. At the start of a block, ㅇ makes no sound.

ㅇ + ㅏ  →  아    a
ㅇ + ㅗ  →  오    o
ㅇ + ㅣ  →  이    i

You know this from lesson 1. The empty circle only holds the place, so the block keeps its shape.

2.5 Reading order and block size

Read each block from top to bottom and from left to right. Then move on to the next block on the right.

Inside one block:   left → right,  then top → bottom
Between blocks:     left → right

바 + 나 + 나   →   바나나   ba-na-na

All blocks have about the same size. A wide vowel such as ㅗ makes the consonant a little flatter, and a tall vowel such as ㅏ makes it a little narrower. The shapes bend to fit the block.

가   consonant a bit narrow, vowel tall
고   consonant a bit flat, vowel wide

2.6 Reading a syllable chart

A syllable chart takes one consonant and joins it with all 10 vowels. This is the best way to practice. Here is the chart for ㄱ.

The first four use vertical vowels, so the vowel is on the right. The next five use horizontal vowels, so the vowel is below, and the last, ㅣ, is vertical again. Make the same chart for ㄴ, ㄷ, ㅁ and ㅅ to learn the system fast.