You finished this day
Five consonants
Today adds five consonants, and with them real words start to appear, such as 나무 (namu), 'tree', and 우리 (uri), 'we'. Each one goes into the consonant slot that ㅇ held on day 1. By the end you can read a dozen common words and say why each of the five letters looks the way it does.
The consonants were designed as diagrams of the speech organs, and the explanation published with the alphabet in 1446 says so directly. ㄱ is the back of the tongue raised against the soft palate, seen from the side, and ㄴ is the tongue tip touching the ridge behind the upper teeth. ㅁ is the outline of the mouth with the lips closed. ㄷ is ㄴ with an extra stroke on top, the same tongue position with the air stopped completely, and ㄹ is a reshaped ㄴ for the flicked tongue-tip sound. Because the shape tells you where the sound is made, you can check a letter by saying it and noticing what your mouth does.
ㄱ 기역
- Sound
- g or k, as in 가
- How it sounds
- At the start of a word it sits between English g and k, with only a light breath, so many learners hear a k. Between vowels it softens to a clear g, and at the end of a block it is a k that is stopped but not released.
- Memory hook
- The shape is a side view of the tongue: its back rises and presses against the soft palate, which is exactly where you make g or k. Say 'go' slowly and feel the spot.
- Watch for
- Blowing out a strong English k at the start of a word, which turns 가 into the breathy 카.
ㄴ 니은
- Sound
- n, as in 나
- How it sounds
- A plain English n at the start of a word, between vowels and at the end of a block.
- Memory hook
- The corner shows the tip of the tongue lifted to touch the ridge behind the top teeth, the position for n. Trace the angle with your tongue as you say 나.
- Watch for
- Missing that ㄴ next to ㄹ is said as l, so 신라 is silla, not sinra.
ㄷ 디귿
- Sound
- d or t, as in 다
- How it sounds
- At the start of a word it falls between d and t, with little breath. Between vowels it is a clear d, and at the end of a block it is an unreleased t.
- Memory hook
- ㄷ is ㄴ with a lid: the tongue tip is in the same place, and the extra stroke marks that the air is now stopped completely before it is let go.
- Watch for
- Aspirating it like an English t at the start of a word, which makes 다 sound like 타.
ㄹ 리을
- Sound
- r or l, as in 라
- How it sounds
- Between vowels it is a single quick tap of the tongue tip, much like the t in a fast American 'water' or a Scottish tapped r. At the end of a block, or doubled as ㄹㄹ, it is a clear l.
- Memory hook
- Its design grows out of ㄴ, the tongue-tip letter, bent into a zigzag. Think of the tongue flicking once against the ridge behind the teeth and away again.
- Watch for
- Saying an English r with rounded lips, or rolling it like a Spanish rr, when all that is wanted is one light tap.
ㅁ 미음
- Sound
- m, as in 마
- How it sounds
- A plain English m everywhere, including at the end of a block.
- Memory hook
- The square is the mouth itself with the lips shut, which is how every m begins. Close your lips and you have made the shape.
- Watch for
- Misreading ㅁ as ㅇ in small or handwritten text; ㅁ has corners and ㅇ is a circle.
Read these
Every word here uses only letters you have met so far. Say it before you press the speaker.
Write today's letters
- Top to bottom, left to right.
- Horizontal strokes are written left to right, vertical ones top to bottom.
- Many corners are turned without lifting the pen, so ㄱ and ㄴ are each a single stroke.
- ㅇ is drawn anticlockwise, starting from the top.
- Vowels follow the same order: ㅏ and ㅜ start with the long line, while ㅓ and ㅗ start with the short stroke.
- In a block, write the consonant first, then the vowel, then any final consonant.
Two passes each: trace it with the guide on, then write it from memory with the guide off and let the guide come back over your strokes. The second pass is the one that teaches you anything.
Check yourself
8 questions. Get 5 right to finish the day.