The Aspirates
Korean Alphabet 1
Course 1 · Chapter 8 · The Aspirates
ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ — The Last Three Letters
Three letters remain: ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ. They are the aspirated partners of the plain letters ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ, the same relationship as ㅊ to ㅈ in Chapter 7. When this chapter is done you will know all 24 basic letters of Hangul.
Your Last Three Letters — ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ
Plain Against Aspirated
Wikipedia's consonant table lists three rows of plosives. The plain ("lax") row is ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ; the aspirated row is ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ; the tense row (ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ) comes in the next course.
| Plain | Romanisation | IPA | Aspirated | Romanisation | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | g | /k/ | ㅋ | k | /kʰ/ |
| ㄷ | d | /t/ | ㅌ | t | /tʰ/ |
| ㅂ | b | /p/ | ㅍ | p | /pʰ/ |
| ㅈ | j | /t͡ɕ/ | ㅊ | ch | /t͡ɕʰ/ |
- The small raised ʰ in the IPA is the symbol for the puff of air (aspiration).
- The page says that lines were added to letters to represent related sounds that are considered more "severe" or "harsh", with ㄱ to ㅋ as its only example. The look of ㅌ against ㄷ and of ㅊ against ㅈ follows the same pattern, but the page does not say so, and says nothing on how ㅍ was derived.
- The hand test from Chapter 7 works for every pair: you feel a puff for ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅊ and much less for ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅈ.
The Block Table
| ㅏ a | ㅣ i | ㅗ o | ㅜ u | ㅡ eu | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㅋ k | 카 ka | 키 ki | 코 ko | 쿠 ku | 크 keu |
| ㅌ t | 타 ta | 티 ti | 토 to | 투 tu | 트 teu |
| ㅍ p | 파 pa | 피 pi | 포 po | 푸 pu | 프 peu |
You can now build a block from any of the 24 basic letters by the same rules: consonant first, then the vowel to the right (vertical vowels) or below (horizontal vowels). ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ combine with the other five vowels in the same way.
Look-Alike Warnings
- ㄱ and ㅋ. ㅋ has an extra line across the middle.
- ㄷ and ㅌ. ㅌ has an extra line in the middle of the door frame.
- ㅁ, ㅂ and ㅍ. ㅁ is a closed square, ㅂ is a square with two handles on top, ㅍ has a bar across the top with two legs.
Read It — Loanwords and More
The aspirates appear a lot in words borrowed from English, which makes them easy to recognise. Say each word aloud.
| # | Word | Romanisation | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 커피 | keo-pi | coffee | a word borrowed from English |
| 2 | 피아노 | pi-a-no | piano | a word borrowed from another language |
| 3 | 토마토 | to-ma-to | tomato | a word borrowed from another language |
| 4 | 포도 | po-do | grape | not a loanword from English; see the Not Yet Verified box |
| 5 | 코 | ko | nose | see the box |
| 6 | 키 | ki | height | see the box |
Try It Yourself — 연습
Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.
1. Read these blocks aloud: 카 · 토 · 푸 · 키 · 트 · 피
Show answer
ka · to · pu · ki · teu · pi
2. Match each plain letter with its aspirated partner: ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅈ.
Show answer
ㄱ with ㅋ · ㄷ with ㅌ · ㅂ with ㅍ · ㅈ with ㅊ
3. Read these words: 커피 · 피아노 · 토마토 · 포도
Show answer
keo-pi (coffee) · pi-a-no (piano) · to-ma-to (tomato) · po-do (grape)
4. Write in Hangul: keo-pi · to-ma-to · ko
Show answer
커피 · 토마토 · 코
5. What does the raised ʰ in /kʰ/ stand for, and how can you test it with your hand?
Show answer
Aspiration, a puff of air. Hold a hand in front of your mouth: you feel a puff for ㅋ and little air for ㄱ.
6. List the 14 consonants and 10 vowels you have learned, in two lines.
Show answer
Consonants: ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ ㅈ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ
Vowels: ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ ㅣ