Hangul alphabet for beginners. Korean alphabet

At first, it may seem that Korean, like Chinese similar to it, consists of hieroglyphs. But in fact, this is not the case: Koreans currently use their own unique alphabet. The Korean alphabet was developed in the middle of the 15th century, namely in 1443. It was created by a group of Korean scientists led by the fourth van Joseon (king) Sejong the Great. Currently, Korean writing is commonly called Hangul (한글), it is the main one in the DPRK and South Korea.

In total, there are 24 letters in Korean, of which 14 are consonants and 10 are vowels. In addition, there are diphthongs in Hangul (there are 11 of them) and 5 double consonants, that is, connected letters. It turns out that in the end the Korean alphabet consists of a total of 40 letters.

Vowels

First, let's take a look at the vowels. Korean letters are written from bottom to top and from left to right. Don't miss this fact: correct spelling of letters in Korean is really important.

Writing a letter Pronunciation How to pronounce
ㅏ A Pronounced a little wider than our Russian "a" sound.
ㅑ ya This letter sounds like a very sharp "ya".
ㅓ O This letter is something between "a" and "o". Pronounce it like the more "rounded" letter o in Russian.
ㅕ yo Pronounce the letter ㅓ as you learned how to pronounce it, just add a harsh "y" sound in front of it.
ㅗ O This letter is something between "u" and "o". To pronounce it, purse your lips as if you were going to say "y", but actually say "o".
ㅛ yo Make your lips look like a bow and say "y" in front of the letter ㅗ, the pronunciation of which we analyzed above.
ㅜ at It sounds like a very deep and firm "y".
ㅠ yo A deep "yoo" sound.
ㅡ s Sounds like a deeper "s".
ㅣ And Soft "and".

diphthongs

Diphthongs are double vowels. In Korean, we repeat, there are 11 of them. Below we will analyze all the diphthongs and their correct pronunciation.

Writing a letter Pronunciation How to pronounce
ㅐ uh Pronounced as "e".
ㅒ e
ㅔ uh Pronounced as "e".
ㅖ e Something between "e" and "ye".
ㅘ wa (wa) In Korean, there is no sound similar to our Russian "v" sound. This diphthong is pronounced as if you first say "y", and then abruptly add "a". Something like an enthusiastic surprise "waaa!"
ㅙ ve (ue) This diphthong is pronounced as if you first say "u", and then abruptly add "e".
ㅚ vue (yuue) Sounds like "yuue".
ㅝ woah (woah) Deep "woo". This diphthong is pronounced as if you first say "y", and then abruptly add "o".
ㅞ vye (uye) Sounds like "vye".
ㅟ wee (wee) Sounds like a soft drawl "wee" or "wee"
ㅢ uyy (yy) Sounds like "y"

Consonants

The vowels in Korean turned out to be not very difficult, but the consonants will be difficult to understand at first, since there is a rather tricky system here.

Consonants in the alphabet of the Korean language are divided into aspirated, non-aspirated and mid-aspirated. In order to understand what aspiration is, use an ordinary light napkin or your own palm. When you breathe out a letter, you will feel warm air in your palm or see the napkin flutter. Aspiration is something like the sound "x" before the letter, only not so clear and obvious.

Below is a table of the Korean alphabet with Russian letter names, consonants.

Writing a letter Her name in Korean alphabet How to pronounce
ㄱ kiek Something between "k" and "g", pronounced with a slight aspiration.
ㄴ niyn Pronounced as "n", without aspiration, a little in the nose.
ㄷ tigyt Something between "d" and "t", with a slight aspiration.
ㄹ riul Depending on the position in the word, it can be pronounced as the sound "r" (not as sharp as in Russian) or "l".
ㅁ miym It sounds almost like the sound "m" in Russian, only a little deeper and, as it were, rounder.
ㅂ piyp (biyp) Something between "p" and "b", with a slight aspiration.
ㅅ shchiot Pronounced as "s", if after ㅅ there is a letter ㅣ, it is read as "schi", while u is something between "u" and "s".
ㅇ ying Similar to If is at the beginning of a syllable with a vowel, it is not pronounced by itself, only the vowel is pronounced. At the end of a syllable, it is pronounced with a nasal sound "ng".
ㅈ jiit "j"
ㅊ chiyt "chh" or "tschh"
ㅋ khiik Pronounced with a big breath like "kh".
ㅌ thiyt Pronounced with a big breath like "th".
ㅍ phiip Pronounced with a big breath like "ph".
ㅎ hiit Pronounced as "x".
ㄲ ssang kiek "k" without any aspiration, pronounced very sharply.
ㄸ ssang tigyt "t" without any aspiration, pronounced very sharply.
ㅃ ssang beep Very sharp "p".
ㅆ ssang shield Very sharp "s".
ㅉ ssang jiit Pronounced like "c"

Pronunciation is an important component in learning any foreign language.

Other names

  • Chosongul (조선글 ), "Joseon script" - used in North Korea, according to the self-name of Korea adopted there - "Joseon" (조선).
  • Urigul (우리글 ), "our script" is the name used in both North and South Korea.
  • Kukso (국서 / 國書) and kunmun (국문 / 國文), "national script" - these names were used at the beginning of the 20th century, are now considered obsolete.

There is also a legend that Hangul was invented by the Buddhist monk Sol Cheon. At that time, Buddhist literature was popular, however, most of it was written in Tibetan and Sanskrit, which were based on the ancient Indian Brahmi script. Hangul, like the Indian varieties of writing, is phonetic (each sound has its own sign). The shape of the signs was developed independently from other scripts, however, some of them are similar to Devanagari signs.

The alphabet project was completed at the end of 1443 - the beginning of the year and was published in a document entitled "Hongmin Jeongum" ("Instructing the people on the correct sounds"). The alphabet was named after the title of this document. The release date of Hongmin Jeongum, October 9, is celebrated as Hangul Day in South Korea. The North Korean counterpart is celebrated on January 15th.

It was rumored that King Sejong came up with the general design of the signs after seeing a tangled fishing net. However, these speculations were debunked after the discovery in the year of a document dated to the year and titled "Hunmin Jeongum Hae Rye" ("Hongmin Jeongum Explanations and Examples"). This document explains the shape of the letters denoting consonants in terms of articulatory phonetics, and the shape of the letters denoting vowels in terms of the philosophy of yin and yang and vowel harmony.

King Sejong explained that he created the new script because the Korean language is different from Chinese, and the use of Chinese characters is very difficult for ordinary people to learn. At that time, only men belonging to the aristocratic stratum of society (“yangbans”) were taught to read and write, and most Koreans were illiterate. Hangul met with serious resistance from the literary elite, who recognized only hanja as a written language. A typical example of such resistance is the protest of Choi Malli and other Confucian philosophers in the year.

Subsequently, the country's government cooled to Hangul. Yonsangun, the tenth king of the Joseon Dynasty, banned the study of Hangul and imposed a ban on the use of Hangul in document management, and King Junjong abolished the Ministry of Onmun (folk writing) in the same year. Subsequently, Hangul was used mainly by women and semi-literate people.

Alphabet composition

Hangul elements are called chamo (kor. 자모 , 字母 , tracing paper with whale. zìmǔ - zimu) or quarrel (낱소리 ). Cha (Chinese 字 tzu) means "letter", and mo (Chinese 母 mu) translates as "mother". Chamo are the main building blocks of Korean writing.

There are 51 Chamos in total, 24 of which are equivalent to the letters of the regular alphabet. The remaining 27 chamos are combinations of two or three letters (digraphs and trigraphs). Of the 24 simple chamos, fourteen are consonants (chaym, Kor. 자음 , 子音 "baby sounds"), and the remaining ten are vowels (moy, cor. 모음 , 母音 "mother sounds"). Of the sixteen digraphs, five strong consonants are formed from doubled simple consonants (see below), and the remaining eleven are formed from different letters. The ten chamo vowels combine into eleven diphthongs. The following is the complete composition of the alphabet:

  • 14 simple consonants: ㄱㄴㄷㄹㅁㅂㅅㅇㅈㅊㅋㅌㅍㅎ , plus obsolete ㅿㆁㆆㅱㅸㆄ
  • 5 double consonants: ㄲㄸㅃㅆㅉ , plus obsolete ㅥㆀㆅㅹ
  • 11 digraphs: ㄳㄵㄶㄺㄻㄼㄽㄾㄿㅀㅄ , plus obsolete ㅦㅧㅨㅪㅬㅭㅮㅯㅰㅲㅳㅶㅷㅺㅻㅼㅽㅾㆂㆃ and obsolete trigraphs ㅩㅫㅴㅵ
  • 10 simple vowels: ㅏㅓㅗㅜㅡㅣㅑㅕㅛㅠ , plus obsolete ㆍ
  • 11 diphthongs: ㅐㅒㅔㅖㅘㅙㅚㅝㅞㅟㅢ , plus obsolete ㆎㆇㆈㆉㆊㆋㆌ

The consonants ㅊ (chiyt), ㅋ (khiiyk), ㅌ (thiyt), and ㅍ (phiyp) are the aspirated derivatives of ㅈ (chiyt), ㄱ (kiyok), ㄷ (tigyt), and ㅂ (piyp), respectively.

Double letters: ㄲ (ssangyyok: ssan-쌍 "double"), ㄸ (ssandigeuk), ㅃ (ssanbieup), ㅆ (ssanciot) and ㅉ (ssanjieuk). Double chamos are used to indicate not a double, but an amplified sound.

Written designation of chamo

The appearance of Hangul letters has been scientifically designed.

For example, the consonant chamo ㅌ (aspirated T. the middle stick shows that ㅌ is an aspirated consonant, as do ㅎ (x), ㅋ (kh), ㅍ (ph), ㅊ (chh), which also have such a stick; the curved lower stick shows that ㅌ is a coronal sound, as are ㄴ (n), ㄷ (t/d), and ㄹ (l/r). Two obsolete consonants, ᇰ and ᇢ, have a double pronunciation and consist of two elements written one above the other in order to represent these two pronunciations: n([ŋ])/mute for ᇰ and [m]/[w] for ᇢ.

For chamo vowels, a short stick connected to the main line indicates that the sound has a pair beginning with th. If there are two such sticks, this means that the vowel begins with the sound th. The position of the stick shows which beginning, according to the ideology of yin and yang, the vowel belongs to: “light” (top or right) or “dark” (bottom or left). In modern chamo, an additional vertical stick shows the umlaut, separating ㅐ ([ε] ), ㅔ ([e] ), ㅚ ([ø] ), ㅟ ([y] ) from ㅏ ([a] ), ㅓ ([ʌ] ), ㅗ ([o] ), ㅜ ([u] ). However, this is not an intentional design, but rather a natural development of diphthong vowels ending in ㅣ ([i]). Indeed, in many Korean dialects, including the official Seoul dialect of Korean, some of them are still diphthongs.

In addition to Chamo, Hangul originally used a diacritic to indicate tone stress. A syllable with an ascending tone stress was marked with a dot (·) to the left of it (when written vertically); a syllable with a descending tone stress was marked with a double dot (:). Now such signs are not used. Although vowel length was and still is phonemically significant in Korean, it is not shown in Hangul.

Although some features of Hangul reflect its relationship to the Mongolian alphabet and thus to Indian phonology, other features reflect the influence of Chinese writing and phonology.

Written designation of consonants

The letters denoting consonants fall into five groups, each with its own basic form. From this base, other letters of the group are obtained using additional sticks. In Hongmin Jongum Hae, the basic forms represent the articulation of the tongue, palate, teeth, and throat when making these sounds.

The group names are taken from Chinese phonetics:

  • Back palate consonants (Kor. 아음 , 牙音 aym - "root sound")
    • ㄱ ([k] ), ㅋ ( )
    • Basic form: ㄱ is a side view of the tongue raised to the palate. ㅋ is formed from ㄱ by adding an aspirated stick.
  • Coronal consonants (kor. 설음 , 舌音 sorym - "linguistic sound"):
    • ㄴ ([n] ) , ㄷ ([t] ), ㅌ ( ), ㄹ (l / r)
    • Basic form: ㄴ is a side view of the tip of the tongue pressed against the gums. Letters formed from ㄴ are pronounced with a similar articulation. The wand on top ㄷ represents the explosive nature of the sound. The middle stick ㅌ indicates a breath. The rolled-up ㄹ shows the curvature of the tongue as it is spoken.
  • labial consonants (Kor. 순음 , 唇音 sunym - "labial sound"):
    • ㅁ ([m] ) , ㅂ ([p] ), ㅍ ( )
    • Basic shape: ㅁ represents the line of the lips when they are in contact with each other. The top of the letter ㅂ indicates the explosive nature of the sound. The top stick ㅍ indicates the breathy nature of the sound.
  • Hissing consonants (kor. 치음 , 齒音 chiim - "tooth sound"):
    • ㅅ ( ), ㅈ ([c] ), ㅊ ( )
    • Basic shape: ㅅ was originally depicted as a wedge-shaped ʌ, sans-serif at the top. It represents the side view of the tooth. The wand crowning the letter ㅈ represents the explosive nature of the sound. The wand in ㅊ indicates the breathy nature of the sound.
  • guttural consonants (kor. 후음 , 喉音 khuym - "throat sound"):
    • ㅇ ([ʔ, ŋ] ), ㅎ ([h] )
    • Basic shape: ㅇ represents the throat line. ㅇ was originally written with two letters, a simple circle for silence (silent consonant), and a circle with a vertical stick ㆁ for back lingual n. In addition, there was previously a now-obsolete letter ㆆ, representing the glottal stop, denoting the sound uttered by the throat. From this letter came the letter ㅎ, in which an additional stick indicates aspiration.

Modern phonetic theory indicates that the separation of glottal stop ㆆ and aspirate ㅎ from silent ㅇ is closer to the truth than the widely held theory about the Chinese origin of these sounds.

Written designation of vowels

The notation of vowels consists of three elements:

  • A horizontal line symbolizing the Earth as the quintessence of the beginning of yin.
  • The dot, symbolizing the Sun, as the quintessence of the beginning of yang. When drawn with a brush, the point turns into a short line.
  • A vertical line symbolizing a person as an entity located between the Earth and the Sky.

Dots (now short lines) have been added to these base elements in order to separate the simple chamo vowels:

  • Simple vowels
    • Horizontal: back and mixed vowels.
      • light ㅗ (o/u)
      • dark ㅜ (y)
      • dark ㅡ(s)
    • Vertical: front vowels. (ㅓ (o) migrated towards the back row in the process of language development).
      • light ㅏ (a)
      • dark ㅓ (o/a)
      • neutral ㅣ (and)
  • Compound Chamo. Sounds O or at before A or O become a short sound [w]. When forming compound vowels, vowel harmony must be present.
    • ㅘ = ㅗ + ㅏ
    • ㅝ = ㅜ + ㅓ
    • ㅙ = ㅗ + ㅐ
    • ㅞ = ㅜ + ㅔ

Compound chamo ending in ㅣ (and) were originally diphthongs. However, gradually most of them became pure vowels:

    • ㅐ = ㅏ + ㅣ
    • ㅔ = ㅓ + ㅣ
    • ㅙ = ㅘ + ㅣ
    • ㅚ = ㅗ + ㅣ
    • ㅞ = ㅝ + ㅣ
    • ㅟ = ㅜ + ㅣ
    • ㅢ = ㅡ + ㅣ
  • Vowels on th: such sounds are represented by adding a second short stick to the vowel. Of the seven basic vowels, four can be used with the sound th ahead. (Due to the influence of Chinese calligraphy, dots began to be written close to the main line: ㅓㅏㅜㅗ .) The other three vowels are written as a single line: ㅡㆍㅣ .

Vowel formation on th:

    • ㅑ from ㅏ
    • ㅕ from ㅓ
    • ㅛ from ㅗ
    • ㅠ from ㅜ

For diphthongs:

    • ㅒ from ㅐ
    • ㅖ from ㅔ

The system of vowel harmony in the Korean language of the century was more consistent than in the modern language. Vowels in grammatical morphemes changed in accordance with adjacent sounds, breaking up into two groups that were in harmony with each other. This influenced the morphology of the language, and Korean phonology explained these two groups in terms of division into yin and yang: if the root words had yang (light) vowels, then most of the suffixes that could be used with this root must also have vowels yang; and vice versa, vowels yin (dark) combined with suffixes also containing vowels yin. There was also a third group, which was intermediate ( neutral). Such vowels could be combined with other vowels from both groups.

The neutral vowel is ㅣ (and). Vowels yin is ㅡㅜㅓ (s, y, o); (dot at the bottom or left - directions yin). Vowels yang is ㆍㅗㅏ (e, o, a) (a dot at the top or right - directions yang). The Hongmin Jongum Hae Rye document declares that letterforms without dots (ㅡㆍㅣ ) should be chosen to symbolize the basic beginnings yin, yang and what is between them: Earth, Sky and Man (the letter ㆍ (e) is not used now).

There is also a third parameter used in Hangul vowel notation: using ㅡ as the graphic base for ㅜ and ㅗ , and ㅣ as the graphic base for ㅓ and ㅏ . The reason for the division is the sound of these letters in the century. Now there is an indeterminacy with the following three vowels: ㆍㅓㅏ . Some linguists insist on pronunciation *a, *ɤ, *e respectively, others in pronunciation *ə, *e, *a. However, the horizontal vowels ㅡㅜㅗ are all back vowels [*ɯ, *u, *o] and thus form a homogeneous phonetic group.

Letter order

The alphabetical order of letters in Hangul does not include mixing consonants and vowels. The order is similar to the analogs from Indian languages, first posterior sounds, then coronal, labial, hissing and so on. However, unlike in Indian languages, vowels follow consonants rather than precede them.

The modern alphabetical order was approved by Choi Sejin in the year. This was before there were double letters representing strong consonants, and before the separation of the letters ㅇ and ㆁ. Thus, when the South Korean and North Korean governments formalized Hangul, they placed these letters differently.

South Korean order

South Korean Chamo consonant order:

ㄱ ㄲ ㄴ ㄷ ㄸ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅃ ㅅ ㅆ ㅇ ㅈ ㅉ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ

Double chamos are located directly after their single chamos. There is no difference between mute and nasal ㅇ .

Chamo vowel order:

ㅏ ㅐ ㅑ ㅒ ㅓ ㅔ ㅕ ㅖ ㅗ ㅘ ㅙ ㅚ ㅛ ㅜ ㅝ ㅞ ㅟ ㅠ ㅡ ㅢ ㅣ

North Korean order

In North Korea, the more traditional order is:

ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ (nasal posterior lingual n) ㅈ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ ㅇ (mute)

The first ㅇ is the nasal sound ㅇ, which can only occur at the end of a syllable. ㅇ , which is used at the beginning, is the last in the alphabet, since it always precedes a vowel.

The new letters, double chamo, are placed at the end of the consonant row, before the silent ㅇ, in order not to disturb the order of the traditional alphabet.

Vowel order:

ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ ㅣ ㅐ ㅒ ㅔ ㅖ ㅚ ㅟ ㅢ ㅘ ㅝ ㅙ ㅞ

Without obsolete chamo, there are 11,172 possible syllables in Hangul.

linear hangul

In the XX century. a Hangul reform project was considered, providing for the writing of letters in a linear order, as in Western alphabets: ㄱㅡㄴ (kyn). However, the reform was not carried out.

Spelling

Until the 20th century, there were no official spelling rules in Hangul. Due to the association of the final consonant with the initial vowel of the next word, dialect differences, and other reasons, the pronunciation of Korean words can potentially have multiple variations. King Sejong preferred morphological spelling to phonetic spelling. However, phonemic voicing prevailed in Hangul. Over time, spelling became partially morphophonemic, first it affected nouns, then verbs.

  • Pronunciation and translation:
the person who can't do it. (mothanyn sarami)
  • Phonetic spelling:
/mo.tʰa.nɯn.sa.la.mi/ 모타는사라미
  • Morphological spelling:
|mos.ha.nɯn.sa.lam.i | 못하는사람이

Pomorphemic analysis:

In the same year, morphophonemic orthography was adopted. The spelling document is called "Hangul machhumbop". In 2009, the Korean Ministry of Education published its latest edition at the moment.

Style

You can write Hangul both from top to bottom and from left to right. The traditional style that came from China is writing from top to bottom. Horizontal notation was proposed by Chu Sigyeong and has become almost the standard by today.

Over time, a calligraphic style of writing in Hangul was developed, which had much in common with Chinese calligraphy. This style is called "myeonjo" and is currently used in fine arts, books and magazines. In addition, some computer fonts for the Korean language are also in myeongjo style.

The alphabet consists of

!ATTENTION! Letters are always written from left to right And top down

And now, we take a notebook in a cage, write down and at the same time pronounce the pronunciation about 10 times (+\- infinity) each letter in the correct spelling order as it is written in the tables, we try to get into a square of 4 cells.


ㅏㅗㅓㅜㅣㅡJ)

ㅏ + ㅣ = ㅐ ;

ㅣ + ㅐ = ㅒ ;

ㅓ + ㅣ = ㅔ

ㅕ + ㅣ = ㅖ

ㅗ + ㅏ = ㅘ

ㅗ + ㅐ = ㅙ

ㅗ + ㅣ = ㅚ

ㅜ + ㅓ = ㅝ

ㅜ + ㅔ = ㅞ

ㅜ + ㅣ = ㅟ

ㅡ + ㅣ = ㅢ


*Tables taken from Won Gwang's textbook.

P / S with a strong desire to study in one evening. Good luck!

Vowels in Korean are divided into "light" and "dark". For “light” ones, the short line is to the right or above the main line (ㅏㅗ ) for "dark" characters, the short stroke is located on the left or below, respectively (ㅓ ㅜ ). There is a principle that "dark" is combined with "dark", and "light" with "light". According to which diphthongs are built from "simple" vowels. (vowelsㅣ ㅡ , are they neutral? J)

ㅏ + ㅣ = ㅐ ;

ㅣ + ㅐ = ㅒ ;

ㅓ + ㅣ = ㅔ

ㅕ + ㅣ = ㅖ

ㅗ + ㅏ = ㅘ

ㅗ + ㅐ = ㅙ

ㅗ + ㅣ = ㅚ

ㅜ + ㅓ = ㅝ

ㅜ + ㅔ = ㅞ

ㅜ + ㅣ = ㅟ

ㅡ + ㅣ = ㅢ

Glad to see you! 당신을 만나서 기쁩니다!

Alphabet composition

  • 14 simple consonants: ㄱㄴㄷㄹㅁㅂㅅㅇㅈㅊㅋㅌㅍㅎ, plus obsolete ㅿㆁㆆㅱㅸㆄ
  • 5 double consonants: ㄲㄸㅃㅆㅉ plus obsolete ㅥㆀㆅㅹ
  • 11 digraphs: ㄳㄵㄶㄺㄻㄼㄽㄾㄿㅀㅄ, plus obsolete ㅦㅧㅨㅪㅬㅭㅮㅯㅰㅲㅳㅶㅷㅺㅻㅼㅽㅾㆂㆃ, and obsolete trigraphs ㅩㅫ ㅴㅵ
  • 10 simple vowels: ㅏㅓㅗㅜㅡㅣㅑㅕㅛㅠ, plus obsolete
  • 11 diphthongs: ㅐㅒㅔㅖㅘㅙㅚㅝㅞㅟㅢ plus obsolete ㆎㆇㆈㆉㆊㆋㆌ

Consonants:

ㄱ is a posterior lingual consonant, which is formed by closing the back of the tongue with the soft palate. At the beginning of a word, after noisy consonants, it is pronounced dully, resembling Russian [k]. Between vowels and after sonorants it is voiced and resembles Russian [g].

ㄴ - front language sonata, reminiscent of Russian [n].

ㄷ is an anterior-lingual noisy consonant, which is formed as a result of closing the tip of the tongue with the upper teeth. At the beginning of a word and after noisy consonants, it is pronounced dully, resembling Russian [t] Between vowels and after sonorants, it is voiced and resembles Russian [d].

ㄹ is a slotted sonata, which at the end of a syllable before consonants and at the end of a word is similar to the Russian soft [l]. Between vowels, this sound is pronounced as a single-stressed Russian [r].

ㅁ is a mouth sonata corresponding to Russian [m].

ㅂ is a labial noisy consonant, which is formed by closing the lower lip with the upper one. At the beginning of a word and after noisy consonants, it is pronounced muffled, resembling Russian [p]. Between vowels and after sonar sounds, reminiscent of Russian [b].

ㅅ is a fricative consonant, during the pronunciation of which air leaves the oral cavity with some noise through the gap formed by the active and passive organ of articulation, resembling a dull Russian sound [s]. When softened, the subsequent vowel is pronounced as a fricative hissing sound, similar to Russian [u].

ㅇ - posterior sonata, voiced only at the end of a syllable, like an English sound. At the beginning of a word or syllable, this letter is necessarily written before the vowel, but is not voiced.

ㅈ is a weak softened consonant. When pronouncing, there is a link between the active and passive organ of speech. At the beginning of the word, it is pronounced dull, resembling English [j]. It sounds between vowels and after sonorants, resembling the sound from the letters “j” in the word “Ayzerbajan”.

ㅊ - a sound of the same series as the sound ㅈ, but pronounced with a breath.

ㅋ - a sound of the same series as the sound ㅋ, but pronounced with a breath.

ㅌ - a sound of the same series as the sound ㅌ, but pronounced with a breath.

ㅍ is a sound of the same series as the sound ㅍ, but pronounced with a breath.

ㅎ is a guttural fricative consonant, which sounds like Russian [x], but is weaker.

Vowels:

ㅏ - similar in articulation to Russian [a].

ㅐ is an unrounded wide front vowel, reminiscent of a more open Russian sound [e].

ㅑ - diphthong, worn out like the Russian sound ya, corresponding to the letter i

ㅓ - the sound of the back row, during the pronunciation of which the lips are passive. The sound is similar to English.

ㅕ is a diphthong that consists of a non-syllabic short ㅣ and a vowel ㅓ. Its pronunciation resembles the Russian sound [yo], as if it were pronounced deep from the diaphragm.

ㅖ - denotes a sound that starts with a non-syllabic ㅣ and ends with a syllabic vowel ㅔ, which resembles Russian [e].

ㅗ is a back labial vowel that sounds similar to the sound formed when pronouncing Russian [o] and [u] at the same time.

ㅛ is a diphthong that is pronounced like the Russian sound [yo], corresponding to the letter of the Russian letter [ё], with a hint of the sound [yu], corresponding to the Russian letter [yu].

ㅜ is a back labial vowel similar to Russian [y].

ㅠ is a diphthong that is pronounced like the Russian sound [yu], corresponding to the Russian letter [yu].

ㅡ is a vowel reminiscent of the Russian sound [s].

ㅣ - a vowel reminiscent of the Russian sound [and].

ㅒ is a diphthong that begins with a non-syllabic ㅣ and ends with a syllabic ㅐ, which resembles Russian [ye].

ㅔ is an unrounded semi-open front vowel, reminiscent of the lower and less open Korean sound ㅐ.

ㅘ is a diphthong that begins with a non-syllabic ㅜ and ends with a syllabic ㅏ and resembles a sound.

ㅝ is a diphthong that begins with a non-syllabic sound ㅜ and ends with a syllabic sound ㅓ and resembles a sound.

ㅟ is a diphthong that begins with a non-syllabic sound ㅜ and ends with a syllabic simple vowel ㅣ and resembles a sound.

ㅢ is a diphthong that begins with a non-syllabic sound ㅡ and ends with a syllabic descending ㅣ and resembles the sound [th].

ㅞ is a diphthong that begins with a non-syllabic sound ㅜ and ends with a syllabic ㅔ and resembles a sound.

Compound vowels

Compound vowels are made up of simple ones.

ㅏ + ㅣ = ㅐ - e (open vowel like cat)
ㅑ + ㅣ = ㅒ - ye
ㅓ + ㅣ = ㅔ - e (closed vowel as in ten)
ㅕ + ㅣ = ㅖ - ye (in the middle of a word, it's almost the same as ㅔ)
ㅗ + ㅣ = ㅚ - ve
ㅜ + ㅣ = ㅟ - wi
ㅡ + ㅣ = ㅢ - th
ㅜ + ㅓ = ㅝ - in
ㅗ + ㅐ = ㅙ - w
ㅜ + ㅔ = ㅞ - ve

The letter ㅢ is read as "and" if it is preceded by a consonant in a syllable

무늬 – muni

In all other cases it is read as "th"

의자 – uija
회의 - needles

The sound denoted in Russian transcription by the letter "v" is read close to the English sound w.

Principles of constructing syllables

In Korean writing, individual letters are usually combined into syllabic signs. A syllable in Korean can consist of two, three, or four letters. In this case, the letters that form the syllabic sign seem to fit into a square.

Thus, the letters ㅎ, ㅏ, and ㄴ form the syllabic mark 한. Adding to it the syllable mark 국, consisting of the letters ㄱ, ㅜ, ㄱ, we get the word 한국 (Hanguk) - Korea.
If a syllable begins with a vowel, the letter ㅇ must be written before it, which in this case is not readable.

stress

Stress in the Korean language in our understanding does not exist. However, it is recommended that in most words (with the exception of borrowed from European languages) it is recommended to put on the last syllable: saram, khanyl.

Examples.
한국 [Hanguk] - Korea
한국어 [hangugo] - Korean
한국 사람 (hanguk saram) - Korean
사람 [saram] - a person
남자 (namja) - male
여자 (yoja) - woman
아가씨 (agassi) - girl
하늘 (haneul) - sky
바람 (param) - wind
나라 (nara) – country
학교 (Hakkyo) – school
안녕 (Annyeong) - hello
약속 (yakseok) - promise, agreement
식당 (siktang) - restaurant, canteen
차 (cha) - tea
코 (kho) - nose
눈 (nun) - eye, snow
토끼 (thokki) - hare
돈 (tone) - money
라디오 (radio) - radio
집 (chip) - house

가다 (kada) – to go (go)
오다 (ode) - to go (come)
다니다 (tanida) - to walk
살다 (salda) - to live, dwell
먹다 (mokta) – to eat, to eat
마시다 (masida) - to drink
사다 (sada) - to buy
팔다 (phalda) - to sell
알다 (alda) - to know
모르다 (moryda) - not to know
말하다 (marhada) - to speak
하다 (hada) – to do (do)
죽다 (Chukta) - to die
쓰다 (piss) - to write

크다 (khida) - big
작다 (chakta) - small
나쁘다 (nappyda) - bad

Reading Rules

At the end of a syllable, if the next syllable begins with a consonant, the following consonants are read: ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅇ.
The consonants ㅅ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ, ㄸ, ㅆ, ㅉ are read as ㄷ.

있다 [읻다] 옷 [옫] 같다 [갇다]

The consonants ㄲ, ㅋ are read as ㄱ.

The consonant ㅍ reads like ㅂ

A number of Korean syllables end in two consonants. In this case, only one of them is read. There are eleven such endings in total:
ㄳ ㄵ ㄶ ㄺ ㄻ ㄼ ㄽ ㄾ ㄿ ㅀ ㅄ

First group
ㄳ, ㄵ, ㅄ

Here we have a case where only one of the two consonants has an independent reading at the end of a syllable. It is she who should be read, while the first consonant of the next syllable is strengthened:
앉다 [안따]
값 [갑]

If the next syllable begins with a vowel, then both consonants are pronounced:
없어요 [업서요]
앉아요 [안자요]

Second group
It is represented by the letter combinations ㄶ, ㅀ In this case, ㅎ is never read:
않아요 [아나요]
잃어요 [이러요]

But if the next syllable begins with ㄷ, ㄱ, ㅂ, ㅈ, then they are pronounced like ㅌ, ㅋ, ㅍ, ㅊ, that is, they become aspirated:
많다 [만타]
잃다 [일타]

Third group
ㄺ ㄻ
Only the second consonant is read here (ㅁ, ㄱ)

닭 [닥]
삶 [삼]

Fourth group
ㄼ ㄽ ㄾ ㄿ

In this case, the first consonant is read (ㄹ)

This lesson is about the characters of the Korean alphabet

1.2 Basics

  • The Korean alphabet is called "Hangul"
  • Hangul - phonetic alphabet
  • Hangul is a syllabic alphabet. Hangul elements combined into syllables
  • Hangul elements are called "chamo"

1.3 Chamo vowels

Basic vowels: ㅏㅓㅗㅜㅡㅣ

Chamo are divided into light (ㅏ, ㅗ), dark (ㅓ, ㅜ) and neutral (ㅡ, ㅣ).

Chamo ㅓ and ㅗ are almost the same. The difference is that when pronouncing ㅗ, the lips are curled up, while when pronouncing ㅓ, the lips are relaxed.

Chamo can be combined into diphthongs. Wherein:

  • light chamos can only pair with light or neutral chamos
  • dark chamos can only pair with dark or neutral chamos
An association Diphthong Pronunciation
ㅏ + ㅣ ㅐ E
ㅓ + ㅣ ㅔ E
ㅗ + ㅏ ㅘ UA
ㅜ + ㅓ ㅝ UO
ㅗ + ㅣ ㅚ UE
ㅜ + ㅣ ㅟ UI
ㅗ + ㅐ ㅙ UE
ㅜ + ㅔ ㅞ UE
ㅡ + ㅣ ㅢ YY

The pronunciation of ㅐ and ㅔ is no different.

There are also iotized chamos. These chamos differ only by the addition of one more dash:

1.4 Chamo consonants

Some consonants have different pronunciations, depending on whether they are voiced or not.

If the consonant is after a vowel or after a voiced consonant (for example, after M, H), it is voiced. If the consonant is at the beginning of a word or at the junction of two deaf consonants, it is not voiced.

Basic consonants:

The four basic chamo consonants have similar aspirated chamos:

In addition, the five basic consonants have doubled consonants similar to them. They are always deaf. They are pronounced the same as the basic chamos, only harder and longer:

1.5 Combining chamo into a syllable

1.5.1 Types of joins

A syllable always begins with the consonant chamo.

Chamo can be combined into a syllable in the following combinations:

  • Consonant + Vowel
  • Consonant + Vowel + Consonant
  • Consonant + Vowel + Digraph (two consonants)

1.5.2 Consonant + Vowel

If the vowel is written vertically (ㅏ ㅐ ㅑ ㅒ ㅓ ㅔ ㅕ ㅖ ㅣ), then the syllable is written from left to right:

For example:

  • ㅅ + ㅜ = 수
  • ㅇ + ㅡ = 으
  • ㄷ + ㅗ = 도

If the vowel occupies two cells (ㅘ ㅙ ㅚ ㅝ ㅞ ㅟ ㅢ), then the syllable is written top-down-right:

For example:

  • ㅅ + ㅏ + ㅁ = 삼
  • ㅂ + ㅓ + ㄴ = 번
  • ㅊ + ㅣ + ㄹ = 칠
CONSONANT
vowel
PATCHIM

For example:

  • ㄱ + ㅜ + ㄱ = 국
  • ㄱ + ㅡ + ㅁ = 금
  • ㄷ + ㅗ + ㄹ = 돌
CONSONANT vowel
vowel
PATCHIM

For example:

  • ㅅ +ᅱ + ㄴ = 쉰
  • ㄱ +ᅪ + ㄴ = 관
  • ㅇ +ᅯ + ㄴ = 원

1.5.4 Consonant + Vowel + Digraph (two consonants)

Some Chamo consonants can form pairs. Such pairs are placed only in the patch. There can only be one consonant chamo at the beginning of a syllable (including double consonants ㄲㄸㅃㅆㅉ).

The following combinations of digraphs are possible: ㄳ ㄵ ㄶ ㄺ ㄻ ㄼ ㄽ ㄾ ㄿ ㅀ ㅄ. There are no other consonant combinations.

For example:

  • ㅇ + ㅣ + ㄹ + ㄱ = 읽
  • ㅇ + ㅓ + ㅂ + ㅅ = 없
  • ㅇ + ㅏ + ㄴ + ㅎ = 않
  • ㅇ + ㅗ + ㄹ + ㅁ = 옮
  • ㅇ + ㅡ + ㄹ + ㅍ = 읊
  • ㄱ + ㅜ + ㄹ + ㄱ = 굵