What Is Hangul? How the Letters Work

Hangul is the writing system for Korean, created in 1443 by King Sejong the Great. It is a remarkably scientific script that builds each syllable by combining consonants and vowels, and you can learn to read it in just a few days.

How a Letter Is Built

Every Hangul letter is a bundle of an initial consonant, a medial vowel, and an optional final consonant. For example, '한' (han) is made of ㅎ (initial) + ㅏ (medial) + ㄴ (final).

💡 Tip: Unlike English, which strings letters out in a line, Hangul gathers consonants and vowels together inside a single square block, and that is its defining feature.

The Final Consonant Is Optional

Not every letter has a final consonant. An initial plus a medial vowel alone makes a complete letter. For example, '가' (ga) consists of just two parts, ㄱ + ㅏ, with no final.

Stacking the Syllable Block

Depending on the vowel's shape, the consonant is written either to the left or on top. Vertical vowels (ㅏ, ㅓ, ㅣ) place the consonant on the left, while horizontal vowels (ㅗ, ㅜ, ㅡ) place it above.

Structure	Example	Pronunciation
Initial + vertical vowel	가	ga
Initial + horizontal vowel	고	go
Initial + vowel + final	곰	gom

One Letter = One Syllable

In Hangul, each block corresponds to exactly one syllable, so counting the letters is the same as counting the syllables. For example, '안녕' (annyeong) is two letters and two syllables.