Korean Hangul letters and syllables
Hangul, the Korean alphabet, is famous for being simple and logical. It has 14 basic consonants like ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ and 10 basic vowels like ㅏ ㅓ ㅗ ㅜ ㅡ ㅣ, which combine into syllable blocks like 한, 글, 사 and 랑. This page lists the Hangul letters, called jamo, and common syllables, along with the Korean flag 🇰🇷.
Tap any letter or syllable to copy it for study notes, K-pop fan posts, names or messages.
Hangul letters (jamo)
- Basic consonants: ㄱ g/k, ㄴ n, ㄷ d/t, ㄹ r/l, ㅁ m, ㅂ b/p, ㅅ s, ㅇ silent or ng, ㅈ j, ㅊ ch, ㅋ k, ㅌ t, ㅍ p, ㅎ h.
- Double consonants: ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ for tense sounds.
- Basic vowels: ㅏ a, ㅑ ya, ㅓ eo, ㅕ yeo, ㅗ o, ㅛ yo, ㅜ u, ㅠ yu, ㅡ eu, ㅣ i.
- Combined vowels: ㅐ ㅔ ㅘ ㅝ ㅢ and more.
How Hangul syllables work
Korean letters are not written in a line like English. They are stacked into square blocks, one block per syllable. Each block has a first consonant, a vowel and sometimes a final consonant. For example, ㅎ + ㅏ + ㄴ makes 한, and ㄱ + ㅡ + ㄹ makes 글. Together, 한글 means Hangul. Once you know the letters, you can read almost any Korean word, even if you do not know its meaning.
Common Korean words
Some words are used a lot online. 사랑 (sarang) means love, 안녕 (annyeong) means hi or bye, 감사합니다 (gamsahamnida) means thank you, 화이팅 (hwaiting) means you can do it, and 대박 (daebak) means awesome. K-pop and K-drama fans often use these in comments, along with ㅋㅋㅋ, the Korean way to type laughter, and ㅠㅠ for crying eyes.
Hangul for learners
Hangul was created in the 15th century by King Sejong so that everyone could learn to read. Many learners can read it within a few days. Use this page to make flashcards, practise writing each letter, or paste letters into a study app. The jamo are shown first, followed by syllables, so you can see how the parts build words.
Typing Korean
For longer text, add a Korean keyboard on your device. It joins letters into blocks automatically as you type. For a quick word, a fan post or a single letter like ㅋ, copying from here is faster.
Korean for K-pop and K-drama fans
Fans often use Hangul for idol names, fandom names and lyrics. Writing a name in Korean, like 지민 or 제니, makes fan posts feel more authentic. Comments like 너무 좋아 (I love it so much) or 최고 (the best) show support. Copy the syllables you need here, then paste them into your post or comment.
Frequently asked questions
- How many letters are in the Korean alphabet?
- Modern Hangul has 24 basic letters: 14 consonants and 10 vowels, plus double consonants and combined vowels.
- What does ㅋㅋㅋ mean?
- It is Korean for laughing, like haha or lol, because ㅋ sounds like k.
- How do I write love in Korean?
- Love is 사랑 (sarang). Copy it from this page.
- What does ㅠㅠ mean?
- It looks like crying eyes and is used to show sadness or being touched, like 😭.
- Can I copy Korean without a Korean keyboard?
- Yes. Tap any letter or syllable on this page to copy it.