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Korean, Finally I get to learn it
5 min read
Life
| Consonant | Sound | Mnemonic & Emoji |
|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | g/k | Looks like a gun 🔫 |
| ㄴ | n | Like the nose from the side 👃 an anime nose |
| ㄷ | d/t | Looks like a door 🚪 or "C" |
| ㄹ | r/l | A rattlesnake 🐍 slithering and coiled! |
| ㅁ | m | A mouth 👄 just like 口 in chinese (square = closed lips for "m") |
| ㅂ | b/p | A bucket 🪣 or pot with a lid |
| ㅅ | s | Standing person 🧍 (same as 人 "ren" = person/man) |
| ㅇ | ng/silent | "O shit!" 😱 - stay silent! 🤐 (silent at start, "ng" at end) |
| ㅈ | j | Jeans 👖 - the pocket flap! |
| ㅊ | ch | China 🇨🇳 - it's big (extra line on top!) |
| ㅋ | k | Kill 💀 - pull the trigger on the gun (ㄱ)! 🔫 |
| ㅌ | t | ㄷ + extra line = stronger "t" like teeth 🦷 |
| ㅍ | p | Pillars 🏛️ - two strong pillars with a roof! |
| ㅎ | h | A house 🏠 or hat 🎩 |
Double Consonants (쌍자음) 💪
These are tensed versions - written by doubling:
- ㄲ (kk) - 2× the power! ⚡
- ㄸ (tt) - double doors 🚪🚪
- ㅃ (pp) - pop pop! 🎆
- ㅆ (ss) - two people standing 🧍🧍
- ㅉ (jj) - double intensity 🔥
Basic Vowels (기본 모음) 🎯
| Vowel | Sound | Mnemonic & Emoji |
|---|---|---|
| ㅏ | a | After ➡️ - the line comes AFTER (to the right)! |
| ㅓ | eo/uh | befOre ⬅️ - the line comes BEFORE (to the left)! |
| ㅗ | o | Over ⬆️ - the line is OVER (on top)! |
| ㅜ | u | Under ⬇️ - the line is UNDER (below)! 😢 |
| ㅡ | eu | Flat LINE → "Ehhh" (neutral sound) 😐➖ |
| ㅣ | i | Vertical stick → "I" or EEE! 🕴️ |
Y-Vowels (Y 모음) 🎵
Add an extra short line = add "Y" sound!
| Vowel | Sound | Mnemonic & Emoji |
|---|---|---|
| ㅑ | ya | Double After = "Ya!" 🙋♂️➡️➡️ |
| ㅕ | yeo | Double befOre = "Yeo!" 🙋♀️⬅️⬅️ |
| ㅛ | yo | Double Over = "Yo!" 👋⬆️⬆️ |
| ㅠ | yu | Double Under = "You!" or crying harder 😭⬇️⬇️ |
Compound Vowels (복합 모음) 🔀
These combine basic vowels:
| Vowel | Sound | Mnemonic & Emoji |
|---|---|---|
| ㅐ | ae | After + stick = "Ay" (like "cat") 🐱 |
| ㅔ | e | befOre + stick = "Eh" (like "bed") 🛏️ |
| ㅒ | yae | Double After + stick = "Yay!" 🎉 |
| ㅖ | ye | Double befOre + stick = "Yes!" ✅ |
| ㅘ | wa | Over + After = "Wa!" 😮 |
| ㅙ | wae | Over + After + stick = "Wae" (Why?) 🤔 |
| ㅚ | oe/we | Over + stick = "Weird" combo 🤪 |
| ㅝ | wo | Under + befOre = "Wow" 😲 |
| ㅞ | we | Under + befOre + stick = "Wet" 💦 |
| ㅟ | wi | Under + stick = "Wee!" 🎢 |
| ㅢ | ui/ee | Line + stick = "Eui" (tricky!) 🧩 |
| Batchim Rule | Korean Name | Example | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final Consonant Rule | 음절 끝소리 규칙 | 밥 → [밥] | Batchim is unreleased at the end of a word. |
| Liaison Rule | 연음화 | 꽃이 → [꼬치] | Batchim carries over to the next syllable if the next starts with ㅇ. |
| Nasalization Rule | 비음화 | 국물 → [궁물] | ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ before ㄴ or ㅁ become nasalized. |
| Palatalization Rule | 구개음화 | 같이 → [가치] | ㄷ or ㅌ before 이 changes to ㅈ or ㅊ. |
| Consonant Assimilation Rule | 자음 동화 | 압력 → [암녁] | Batchim changes to match the following ㄹ. |
| Tensing Rule | 경음화 | 밥도 → [밥또] | Batchim + base consonant makes it tense. |
| Consonant Reduction Rule | 자음 축약 | 읽다 → [익따] | In double batchim, only one sound is pronounced unless followed by a vowel. |
| ㅎ Dropping Rule | ㅎ 탈락 | 좋아요 → [조아요] | ㅎ disappears between voiced sounds. |