It's those "squiggles." The circles, squares, and lines look intimidating, and most people think, "I'll never be able to learn that."
What if I told you that you could learn to read all of it... in the next hour?
Yes, really. The Korean alphabet, Hangeul (한글), is not a collection of thousands of characters like Chinese. It's a simple, brilliant 24-letter alphabet, just like English. In fact, it's easier because the letters never change their sound.
This guide is your "Hangeul in 1 Hour" challenge. Forget Romanization (annyeonghaseyo). After this, you'll be able to read 안녕하세요.
Why Hangeul is Genius (and Easy)
Hangeul was invented by King Sejong the Great in 1443. He was tired of the fact that only the elite could read (using complex Chinese characters). He wanted an alphabet so scientific and simple that "a wise man could learn it in a morning, and a fool could learn it in 10 days."
He based the letters on the shape your mouth makes when you say them. It's a work of genius, and it's your biggest advantage.
Let's break it down. There are 24 basic letters: 10 vowels and 14 consonants.
Part 1: The Basic Vowels (10 Letters)
Vowels are the "open" sounds. Let's learn the first six.
ㅣ (i) - sounds like "ee" in "tree." (It's just a vertical line.)
ㅡ (eu) - sounds like "uh" in "good." (It's just a horizontal line.)
ㅏ (a) - sounds like "ah" in "father." (It's the "ee" line with a small line on the right.)
ㅓ (eo) - sounds like "o" in "son." (It's the "ee" line with a small line on the left.)
ㅗ (o) - sounds like "oh" in "go." (It's the "uh" line with a small line on top.)
ㅜ (u) - sounds like "oo" in "moon." (It's the "uh" line with a small line on the bottom.)
See the pattern? They're all just combinations of lines!
Now, just add a "y" sound (another 'ee' line) to four of these, and you get the next four:
ㅑ (ya) - "ee" + "ah" = "yah"
ㅕ (yeo) - "ee" + "o" = "yoh"
ㅛ (yo) - "ee" + "oh" = "yoh"
ㅠ (yu) - "ee" + "oo" = "yoo"
That's it. You just learned all 10 basic vowels. (There are a few combinations, like ㅐ (ae) and ㅔ (e), but you can learn those later. They're just these letters combined!)
Part 2: The Basic Consonants (14 Letters)
The consonants are based on the shape of your mouth and tongue.
ㄱ (g/k) - Shape of your tongue root. Sounds like a soft "g" in "go" or "k" in "book."
ㄴ (n) - Shape of your tongue touching the roof of your mouth. Sounds like "n" in "nose."
ㄷ (d/t) - Same as 'n' but with a "stop." Sounds like "d" in "day" or "t" in "cat."
ㄹ (r/l) - Shape of a Curve. Sounds like a soft "r" or "l." (It's in the middle, like in "gala" or "para").
ㅁ (m) - Shape of a closed mouth. Sounds like "m" in "mom."
ㅂ (b/p) - Shape of a bucket. Sounds like "b" in "boy" or "p" in "map."
ㅅ (s/sh) - Shape of a sliding slope. Sounds like "s" in "see" or "sh" in "shoe."
ㅇ (ng / silent) - This is a special one.
At the start of a syllable, it's a SILENT PLACEHOLDER. (Vowels can't be by themselves).
At the end of a syllable, it's the "ng" sound in "sing."
ㅈ (j) - Sounds like "j" in "joy."
ㅊ (ch) - Just add a line to ㅈ! Sounds like "ch" in "chair."
ㅋ (k) - Just add a line to ㄱ! This is a stronger "k" sound.
ㅌ (t) - Just add a line to ㄷ! This is a stronger "t" sound.
ㅍ (p) - Just add a line to ㅁ (kind of). This is a stronger "p" sound.
ㅎ (h) - Shape of a hat. Sounds like "h" in "home."
You've learned the 14 consonants. There are 5 "double" consonants (like ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ), which just make a stronger, tensed sound. But with what you have now, you can read 90% of Korean.
Part 3: How to Build a Syllable Block
This is the final rule. Korean is not written in a line (like h-e-l-l-o). It's built in syllable blocks.
Rule 1: Every block must start with a consonant.
If the syllable starts with a vowel sound (like "ah"), you MUST use the silent ㅇ placeholder.
So, the "a" sound is written 아 (silent
ㅇ+ㅏvowel).The "oo" sound is written 우 (silent
ㅇ+ㅜvowel).
Rule 2: Blocks are built Top-to-Bottom or Left-to-Right.
Horizontal Vowels (ㅗ, ㅜ, ㅡ) go under the consonant.
ㄴ(n) +ㅗ(o) = 노 (no)ㅅ(s) +ㅜ(u) = 수 (su)
Vertical Vowels (ㅣ, ㅏ, ㅓ) go to the right of the consonant.
ㄴ(n) +ㅏ(a) = 나 (na)ㅅ(s) +ㅣ(i) = 시 (si)
Rule 3: If there's a final consonant (called a batchim), it always goes on the bottom.
ㅎ(h) +ㅏ(a) +ㄴ(n) = 한 (Han)ㄱ(g) +ㅡ(eu) +ㄹ(l) = 글 (Geul)
That's it. That's all the rules.
Let's Read Together!
Now, let's read the name of our company.
PinoySeoul
피 =
ㅍ(p) +ㅣ(i) = Pi노 =
ㄴ(n) +ㅗ(o) = No이 =
ㅇ(silent) +ㅣ(i) = i (ee)서 =
ㅅ(s) +ㅓ(eo) = Seo울 =
ㅇ(silent) +ㅜ(u) +ㄹ(l) = ul
피노이 서을 (Pi-no-i Seo-ul)
Now, let's try some words you know.
Kimchi:
ㄱ(k) +ㅣ(i) +ㅁ(m) = 김 (Kim) |ㅊ(ch) +ㅣ(i) = 치 (Chi) -> 김치Saranghae:
ㅅ(s) +ㅏ(a) = 사 (Sa) |ㄹ(r) +ㅏ(a) +ㅇ(ng) = 랑 (Rang) |ㅎ(h) +ㅐ(ae) = 해 (Hae) -> 사랑해
Your 1-Hour Challenge
Minutes 0-15: Memorize the 10 basic vowels (ㅣ, ㅡ, ㅏ, ㅓ, ㅗ, ㅜ, ㅑ, ㅕ, ㅛ, ㅠ).
Minutes 15-30: Memorize the 14 basic consonants. Associate them (ㄱ/ㅋ, ㄷ/ㅌ, ㅂ/ㅍ, ㅈ/ㅊ, ㅇ/ㅎ).
Minutes 30-45: Practice building blocks. Write your own name. Write "Manila." (마닐라) Write "Adobo." (아도보).
Minutes 45-60: Try to read simple K-Pop or K-Drama titles. You will be shocked that you can do it.
You Can Now Read Korean
Congratulations! You are no longer "illiterate" in Korean. You may not know what the words mean, but you can read them. This is the single most important step in your learning journey.
Now that you can read, you're ready to start building your vocabulary and grammar.
Ready for the next step? [See our Beginner's Complete Guide to Learning Korean]
Want a study plan? [Use our 3-Month TOPIK 1 Self-Study Plan]
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