Syllable Structure
How Hangul letters combine into syllable blocks (CV, CVC, CVCC) and 받침 rules
Can read and write Hangul syllable blocks and understand 받침 pronunciation rules
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
한국어를 배워요.
I'm learning Korean.
밥을 먹어요.
I eat rice.
옷이 예뻐요.
The clothes are pretty.
강이 넓어요.
The river is wide.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
음절 구조 — Syllable Block Structure
Unlike alphabets where letters sit in a line, Hangul groups letters into syllable blocks. Each block is one syllable and contains 2-4 letters arranged in a square.
Three block patterns:
| Pattern | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| CV | initial + vowel | 나 (na) = I/me |
| CVC | initial + vowel + final | 한 (han) = one/Korean |
| CVCC | initial + vowel + double final | 읽 (ilk) = read (stem) |
Layout rules:
- Vertical vowels (ㅏ,ㅑ,ㅓ,ㅕ,ㅣ) go to the right of the initial consonant: 가, 나, 디
- Horizontal vowels (ㅗ,ㅛ,ㅜ,ㅠ,ㅡ) go below the initial consonant: 고, 누, 두
- If there's a 받침, it goes at the bottom: 간, 굴, 닭
받침 (Batchim) — Final Consonants:
Only 7 sounds are possible in final position, regardless of which consonant is written:
| Sound | Written as | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [k] | ㄱ, ㅋ, ㄲ | 국 (guk) = soup |
| [n] | ㄴ | 산 (san) = mountain |
| [t] | ㄷ, ㅌ, ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅎ | 옷 (ot) = clothes |
| [l] | ㄹ | 달 (dal) = moon |
| [m] | ㅁ | 밤 (bam) = night |
| [p] | ㅂ, ㅍ | 밥 (bap) = rice |
| [ng] | ㅇ | 강 (gang) = river |
Linking rule (연음): When a syllable ending in a consonant is followed by a syllable starting with ㅇ, the final consonant moves to become the initial of the next syllable: 한국어 → [한구거] (hangugeo).
Common Error Patterns
Pronounced 받침 with the wrong final sound
Only 7 sounds are possible in final position: [k], [n], [t], [l], [m], [p], [ng]
Failed to apply 연음 (linking) rule
When a syllable ends in a consonant and the next starts with ㅇ, the consonant links over: 옷이 → [오시]
한국어를 배워요.
I'm learning Korean.
한 (han) = CVC block: ㅎ+ㅏ+ㄴ. 국 (guk) = CVC: ㄱ+ㅜ+ㄱ. 어 (eo) = CV: ㅇ(silent)+ㅓ. The linking rule applies: 한국어 → [한구거].
밥을 먹어요.
I eat rice.
밥 (bap): final ㅂ is pronounced [p]. With linking: 밥을 → [바블] — the ㅂ moves to the next syllable.
옷이 예뻐요.
The clothes are pretty.
옷 (ot): ㅅ in 받침 position is pronounced [t], not [s]. With 이: 옷이 → [오시] — the ㅅ links and recovers its [s] sound.
강이 넓어요.
The river is wide.
강 (gang): final ㅇ in 받침 sounds like 'ng'. This is the only time ㅇ makes a sound — at the start of a syllable it is silent.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises