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Consonants (Part 2)
In Part 1, we introduced three consonants and one vowel, and went over how to combine them together to make our first real syllables in Korean. Make sure that you feel comfortable with Part 1 before moving on to Part 2. This lesson will go over five more consonants, plus a new vowel.

What is it: This consonant () is equivalent to an m in English, such as in mother. How to write it: Although it looks like one single line, it is actually made of three. Start from the top left, and draw a single line down. Start the second line again from the top left, drawing to the right, then curve down. The third line goes from the bottom left to the right.

Why is it important to draw it that way? Drawing it in the correct order will enable you to

later on read the alphabet in any style. In contrast, using the incorrect order can cause this
character to appear as a or (these are two characters we will cover in later lessons).

This applies to all characters correct order is essential to proper writing.

What is it: This consonant () is pronounced similarly to a p or a b in English. However, it is not strong like an English p (as in the word park), nor is it strong like an English b (as in the word bat); instead, it is a softer sound between a p and a b. How to write it: Begin from the top left and draw down. Start a second line from the top right and draw down. Draw a line from the middle of the left line to the right. Finally, draw a line from the bottom left to the bottom right.

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What is it: This consonant () is equivalent to an s in English, such as in see. How to write it: Begin from the top and draw down to the left. Start a second line from the top again, and draw down to the right. Your lines should be somewhat curved, as above.

What is it: This consonant () is pronounced similarly to a ch or a j in English. However, it is not strong like an English ch (as in the word cherry), nor is it strong like an English j (as in the word jargon); instead, it is a softer sound between a ch and a j. How to write it: Start from the top left and draw a line to the right. Then draw a underneath it.

Another way to write it: Start from the top left and draw a line to the right, then without lifting draw a curved line downward to the left. Begin a second line from the middle of the new downward-curving line, and draw down to the right. The final product will appear slightly different, but it is the same character You may choose whichever way you prefer to write it.

What is it: This consonant () is equivalent to a soft h, as in hall.

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Page 3 of 5 How to write it: Start from the very top and draw a short line down. Then draw a second line from the left to the right, connecting with the first line drawn. Finally, draw a circle underneath it (it may look like a stick figures head wearing a hat).

Another way to write it: For the first line, instead of drawing a short line down, simply draw a short line from the left to the right, as in this example You may choose whichever way you prefer to write it.

What is it: This vowel () is equivalent to an o, as in the word oak. When you say it, your lips will become round, like an o. How to write it: Start from the very top and draw a short line down. Then draw a second line from the left to the right, connecting with the first line drawn.

More syllables
Using these 6 new letters, lets make some new syllables. See if you can guess what they will sound like before reading the explanations.

+
has an m sound, and has an o sound, so this would combine to form mo.

+
has a sound between a p and a b, so this would combine to form po or bo.

+
has a s sound, so this would combine to form so.

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+
has a sound between ch and j, so this would combine to form cho or jo.

+
has a h sound, so this would combine to form ho. Listen to the audio file for this lesson to hear clear examples of these sounds being pronounced, in order to get a better feel for how to say them yourself.

Forming new syllables

Lets go over how to actually write the above consonants in real Korean syllables.

, , , ,
Each of these examples above consists of exactly one consonant (, , , , ) and one vowel (). In Part 1, we learned that when combining one syllable with the vowel , which goes straight up and down, we used this method:

(C represents a consonant and V represents a vowel.)

However, for this vowel , which goes left to right, we will have to use a different form. But dont worry these forms were designed to make Hangul appear more attractive and organized, and ultimately will make the language easier to write once youve learned them.

Lets take a look at the first new syllable, combining the consonant with the vowel .

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Combining with would initially look like this in the block form. However, in order to make it look cleaner, the is attached to the vowel , as you can see here:

Practice
So far weve gone over 8 consonants and 2 vowels. Lets combine them for some additional practice before moving on. Try to guess the following sounds before reading the answers. You can listen to the audio portion of this lesson for help with pronunciation as well.

, , , , , ,
Answers: ma, ba/pa, sa, cha/ja, ha // ko/go, no, to/do

Conclusion
Once you understand the basics of forming syllables, the rest of Hangul is just memorizing shapes. Once again, I recommend that you check out the audio files of these lessons so you can hear exactly what each of these syllables sound like, as spoken by native Koreans. If you have any questions or feedback, or just want to say hello, feel free to contact me through my web site at http://www.gobillykorean.com

GO! Billy Korean