Hangul Consonants

Frequently asked questions

When is 한글 자음 used?

Korean uses the Hangul writing system, invented in 1443. There are 14 basic consonants and 5 double (tense) consonants .

How is 한글 자음 formed?

Three-way distinction: Korean consonants come in sets of three — lax (ㄱ,ㄷ,ㅂ,ㅈ), aspirated (ㅋ,ㅌ,ㅍ,ㅊ), and tense/double (ㄲ,ㄸ,ㅃ,ㅉ,ㅆ). The tense consonants ㄲ,ㄸ,ㅃ,ㅉ,ㅆ are pronounced with a glottal tension — no puff of air, stiff throat. ㅇ rule: At the start of a syllable ㅇ is silent (placeholder). At the end of a syllable (받침) it sounds like ng .

What are common mistakes with 한글 자음?

Learners confuse the three-way lax/aspirated/tense distinction (ㄱ vs ㅋ vs ㄲ), which does not exist in most European languages. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English only distinguishes voiced/voiceless (b/p, d/t, g/k). The tense consonants (ㄲ,ㄸ,ㅃ) have no English equivalent — they require glottal tension without aspiration. 🇩🇪 German speakers: German has aspiration contrast (similar to Korean ㅋ vs ㄱ) but no tense consonants. German speakers often hear ㄲ as regular ㄱ. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Russian has no aspiration at all, so ㅋ/ㅌ/ㅍ sound like ㄱ/ㄷ/ㅂ. The ㄹ (flap r/l) also differs from Russian rolled р. 🇨🇿 Czech speakers: Czech lacks both aspiration and tense consonants.