Final Consonants — 받침

A Korean syllable can end with a consonant written at the bottom of the block. This is called 받침 (batchim). There are many letters that can sit there, but only 7 final sounds. In this lesson you learn those 7 sounds and read your first words with them.

1. Why learn this

So far you can read blocks with a consonant and a vowel, like 가 and 나. But most Korean words have blocks with a third letter at the bottom. Words like 밥, 물 and 한국 all use it.

The good news is that the final position is simple. Many different letters can go there, but they collapse into just 7 sounds. You do not need to learn dozens of new sounds.

The bad news is that final sounds feel different from English. They are short and closed, and you do not release them with a puff of air. This lesson trains your mouth to stop the sound cleanly.