First Consonants
Korean Alphabet 1
Course 1 · Chapter 3 · First Consonants
ㄱ ㄴ ㅁ — Consonants at Last
Until now every block started with the silent ㅇ. Now you can replace it with a real consonant. This chapter teaches three: ㄱ ㄴ ㅁ. Each one combines with each of the five vowels you know to make five new blocks, so by the end you can read 15 blocks and a handful of words.
Your Next Three Letters — ㄱ ㄴ ㅁ
Three of the five consonants that were designed from the shape of the mouth. Wikipedia describes them as: ㄱ the root of the tongue blocking the upper palate, ㄴ the tongue touching the upper palate, and ㅁ the mouth.
Building Blocks: Consonant + Vowel
Put the consonant first, then the vowel, remembering the rule from Chapter 2: ㅏ and ㅣ go to the right, ㅗ ㅜ ㅡ go below.
| ㅏ a | ㅣ i | ㅗ o | ㅜ u | ㅡ eu | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㄱ g | 가 ga | 기 gi | 고 go | 구 gu | 그 geu |
| ㄴ n | 나 na | 니 ni | 노 no | 누 nu | 느 neu |
| ㅁ m | 마 ma | 미 mi | 모 mo | 무 mu | 므 meu |
The romanisation is the standard system the Wikipedia page uses (g, n, m; eu for ㅡ). Notice that the blocks are built exactly as the Chapter 2 rule says, and the vowel never changes shape.
Read It — Your First Words
Now you can read real words. Say each block, then the whole word.
| # | Word | Romanisation | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 나무 | na-mu | tree | two blocks: 나 + 무 |
| 2 | 나 | na | I, me | one block; see the Not Yet Verified box |
| 3 | 아기 | a-gi | baby | see the Not Yet Verified box |
| 4 | 고기 | go-gi | meat | see the Not Yet Verified box |
| 5 | 모기 | mo-gi | mosquito | see the Not Yet Verified box |
Try It Yourself — 연습
Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.
1. Read these blocks aloud: 가 · 노 · 무 · 그 · 미
Show answer
ga · no · mu · geu · mi
2. Which consonant is silent at the start of a block, ㅁ or ㅇ? How do you tell them apart?
Show answer
ㅇ is silent; ㅁ is "m". ㅇ is a circle, ㅁ is a square.
3. Read these words: 나무 · 아기 · 고기 · 모기
Show answer
na-mu (tree) · a-gi (baby) · go-gi (meat) · mo-gi (mosquito)
4. Write in Hangul: na · mo · gu · mi
Show answer
나 · 모 · 구 · 미
5. Where does the vowel go in 고, and where in 기? Why?
Show answer
Below the consonant in 고 (ㅗ has a long horizontal stroke) and to the right in 기 (ㅣ has a long vertical stroke).
6. Write the word for tree in Hangul without looking.
Show answer
나무 (na-mu)