Learn to read Korean characters faster than you think! When you first see the Korean Alphabet (Hangul) it looks challenging but it at least not as hard as Japanese or Chinese upon first glance. Well, yes and no about that statement. The Korean characters are easy to read and write (grammar and pronunciation are a bit trickier). I think the first Korean symbols I learned to sound together were 밥 which means rice, but can also mean meal. I love Korean food so that was an important one for me! Actually, I was in Korea a full month without really knowing how to read Hangul and I got by with body language and smiling a lot. I finally got some free time and before long I was reading after just a couple of afternoons over the weekend in Japan, Yes, ironically it was on an E2 visa-run to Fukuoka in Japan that I learned to read Korean. Learning Korean takes years and years, but learning how to read Hangul just a few hours. There are only only 14 consonants and 10 vowels that you need to know how to read Korean. I guess if you want to be more precise you could say that there are 40 letters or characters. 16 compounds formed from the basic characters to go with those other 24. We really have to thank King Sejong and his scholars for inventing Hangul. Here is a chart of Korean Characters and their romantization. If you have problems viewing the Korean characters then click to find out how to view hangul Korean Vowel Sounds (모음)
| ㅏ | a | ㅑ | ya |
| ㅓ | eo | ㅕ | yeo |
| ㅗ | o | ㅛ | yo |
| ㅜ | u | ㅠ | yu |
| ㅡ | eu | ㅒ | yea |
| ㅣ | i | ㅖ | ye |
| ㅐ | ae | ㅘ | wa |
| ㅔ | e | wae | |
| ㅚ | oe | ㅝ | wo |
| ㅟ | wi | ㅞ | we |
| ㅢ | ui |
Korean Consonant Sounds (자음)
| ㄱ | g, k | j | |
| ㄲ | kk | ㅉ | jj |
| ㅋ | k | ㅊ | ch |
| ㄷ | d, t | ㅅ | s |
| ㄸ | tt | ㅆ | ss |
| ㅌ | t | ㅎ | h |
| b, p | ㄴ | n | |
| ㅃ | pp | ㅁ | m |
| p | ㅇ | ||
| ㄹ | r, l |
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