Plain, aspirated and tense consonants
Compare related consonants and recognize the five doubled letters.
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A rough reading aid, not exact pronunciation. Hyphens separate syllables. Listen first, then try with hints hidden. “eu” is said with unrounded lips; “uh” only approximates ㅓ. Doubled consonants are tense, not extra syllables. Do not add a vowel after a final consonant.
Read, compare and repeat
Learn the shapes of Korean tense consonants and compare syllables such as 가, 카 and 까. Use the audio as a starting point for repeated listening.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Focus on the Korean audio as you learn.
가, 카, 까
Sound hintgah, kah, kkah
ga · ka · kka
ㄱ · ㅋ · ㄲ
카 has stronger aspiration; 까 has a tense beginning.
다, 타, 따
Sound hintdah, tah, ttah
da · ta · tta
ㄷ · ㅌ · ㄸ
Notice the plain, aspirated and doubled shapes.
바, 파, 빠
Sound hintbah, pah, ppah
ba · pa · ppa
ㅂ · ㅍ · ㅃ
Keep the vowel the same while comparing the beginnings.
자, 차, 짜
Sound hintjah, chah, jjah
ja · cha · jja
ㅈ · ㅊ · ㅉ
Three different starting consonants.
사, 싸
Sound hintsah, ssah
sa · ssa
ㅅ · ㅆ
ㅆ is a tense consonant, not two separate s syllables.
토끼
Sound hinttoh-kkee
tokki
Rabbit
토 + 끼. The second block begins with ㄲ.
Read it in small steps
가, 카, 까
Listen once, then repeat one syllable at a time.
바, 파, 빠
Watch the letter as you listen.
아빠
Dad. 아 + 빠.
토끼
Rabbit. 토 + 끼.
Try it for yourself
First aim to recognize the correct written letter. Sound distinctions take repeated listening and feedback; this short lesson does not test pronunciation accuracy. Compare with a teacher or a proficient speaker when possible.
Say it from the meaning
Say each phrase aloud before revealing it. This practice does not change your score.
Make yourself heard.
Listen once. Record yourself saying the phrase, then listen back.
가, 카, 까, 토끼
Sound hintgah, kah, kkah, toh-kkee
Up to 20 seconds. Your recording stays in this page and is never uploaded by HangulHada.
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Meet the other vowel shapes
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