Week 3
Consonants: 14 Letters Drawn from Inside the Mouth
9 plain consonants shaped by the articulators, plus 5 aspirated consonants with an extra puff of air
WEEK 3
Consonants: 14 Letters Drawn from Inside the Mouth
Quick Recap from Last Week
Here's where we've been so far:
Week 1: Hangul assembles consonants + vowels into square blocks
Week 2: 10 simple vowels — ㅏ ㅐ ㅓ ㅔ ㅗ ㅚ ㅜ ㅟ ㅡ ㅣ
This week we fill those blocks with the 14 consonants that go in the initial position (첫소리) and final position (끝소리).
Sejong's Second Master Move: Drawing the Inside of the Mouth
Back in Week 1 you learned one big idea:
Vowels were modeled on heaven, earth, and humanity (천지인).
So what were consonants modeled on?
When Sejong designed the consonants, he looked at the actual shapes made inside the mouth during pronunciation — the position of the tongue, the shape of the lips, the look of the throat — and turned those shapes directly into letters.
No other writing system in the world designed its consonants this way. Hangul is one of a kind.
Map of the Mouth: Where Sounds Are Made
To understand where consonants are produced, you first need a quick tour of mouth anatomy.
Lips Alveolar Hard Soft Glottis
Ridge Palate Palate
│ │ │ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼
Front ◀─────────────────────────────── Back
Here's what each spot actually is:
입술 (Lips)
— Where the two lips meet. Furthest forward.
— Feel it when you say "mmm~" and your lips press together.
잇몸 (Alveolar ridge / the gum ridge)
— Right behind your upper front teeth; that little ridge your tongue tip touches.
— Feel it when you say "nnn~" and your tongue tip lands there.
경구개 (Hard palate)
— Just behind the alveolar ridge; the firm front part of the roof of your mouth.
— Touch it with your tongue tip — you'll feel it's hard.
연구개 (Soft palate / velum)
— Behind the hard palate; the squishy part further back.
— Feel it when you say "ng~" and the back of your tongue rises to meet it.
목구멍 (Glottis / larynx)
— Deepest in. Where your vocal cords live.
Now let's see how Korean consonants are made at each of these spots.
5 Articulation Points and Their Base Shapes
Sejong chose one representative shape from each articulation point as the foundation consonant.
Lips Alveolar/Dental Soft Palate Glottis
│ │ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼ ▼
ㅁ [m] ㄴ [n] / ㅅ [s] ㄱ [k/g] ㅇ [∅/ŋ]
(mouth closed) (tongue tip touches / (tongue root (round
air leaks through) bends up) opening)
Why do ㄴ and ㅅ share the same alveolar position? Both are produced near the upper gum ridge. With ㄴ, the tongue tip presses against it and blocks airflow; with ㅅ, the tongue tip gets close but doesn't touch, so air squeezes through. Same neighborhood, different move.
ㅈ is a derived consonant — ㅅ with an extra stroke. Its sound is produced slightly further back (toward the front of the hard palate) than ㅅ.
✏️ Activity 1: Connect the Dots — Mouth Position Edition
Read each description below and draw a line to the correct term and its base consonant.
"The back of the tongue touches the soft palate" • • 잇몸 (Alveolar) • ㄴ
"Both lips press together" • • 연구개 (Velum) • ㄱ
"The tongue tip touches the upper gum ridge" • • 입술 (Lips) • ㅁ
"A round opening in the throat" • • 목구멍 (Glottis) • ㅇ
All 14 Consonants: Front to Back
We'll learn them in order from front (lips) to back (glottis). Add one extra stroke to a plain consonant and you get its aspirated partner.
Front ◀──────────────────────────────────────────────── Back
Lips Alveolar Hard P. Soft P. Glottis
────── ────────────────── ────── ────── ──────
Plain ㅁ[m] ㅂ[b/p] ㄴ[n] ㄷ[t/d] ㄹ[ɾ/l] ㅅ[s] ㅈ[tɕ] ㄱ[k/g] ㅇ[∅/ŋ]
Asp. ㅍ[pʰ] ㅌ[tʰ] ㅊ[tɕʰ] ㅋ[kʰ] ㅎ[h]
The 9 Plain Consonants
| Consonant | Romanization | IPA | Articulation Point | Shape Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | g/k | [k/g] | Soft palate (velum) | The shape of the tongue root bending up |
| ㄴ | n | [n] | Alveolar ridge | Tongue tip touching the gum ridge |
| ㄷ | d/t | [t/d] | Alveolar ridge | ㄴ with one extra stroke |
| ㄹ | r/l | [ɾ/l] | Alveolar ridge | The shape of the tongue flicking |
| ㅁ | m | [m] | Lips | A square representing the closed mouth |
| ㅂ | b/p | [p/b] | Lips | ㅁ opening up as the mouth parts |
| ㅅ | s | [s] | Alveolar ridge | Air leaking between the teeth |
| ㅇ | (silent)/ng | [∅/ŋ] | Glottis | The round shape of the throat opening |
| ㅈ | j | [tɕ] | Hard palate | ㅅ with one extra stroke |
The 5 Aspirated Consonants: Adding a Burst of Air
Aspirated consonants are produced at exactly the same place as their plain counterparts. The only difference is aspiration (기식) — a strong puff of air.
Hold your hand in front of your mouth and try this:
ㄱ [k] → Barely any air hits your hand
ㅋ [kʰ] → A real gust of air hits your hand ← that's aspiration
The letter shapes reflect this logic perfectly. One extra stroke = one extra puff of air.
| Aspirated | Romanization | IPA | Plain Partner | Shape Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㅋ | k | [kʰ] | ㄱ | + stroke |
| ㅌ | t | [tʰ] | ㄷ | + stroke |
| ㅍ | p | [pʰ] | ㅂ | + stroke |
| ㅊ | ch | [tɕʰ] | ㅈ | + stroke |
| ㅎ | h | [h] | ㅇ | + stroke |
✏️ Activity 2: Place the Consonants on the Mouth Map
Sort the consonants below into the correct spots in the table.
[ ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅈ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅊ ㅎ ㅇ ]
┌──────────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┐
│ Articulation │ Plain │ Aspirated │
├──────────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┤
│ 입술 (Lips) │ │ │
│ 잇몸 (Alveolar) │ │ │
│ 경구개 (Hard P.) │ │ │
│ 연구개 (Soft P.) │ │ │
│ 목구멍 (Glottis) │ │ │
└──────────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┘
Heads Up: Consonants That Sound Different Depending on Position
ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅈ — Word-initial vs. Word-medial
Word-initial (first sound of a word): voiceless — a stop with no aspiration
가다 [ka.da] — the first ㄱ sounds closer to [k]
Word-medial (between vowels): voiced — the vocal cords kick in
아가 [a.ga] — the middle ㄱ sounds closer to [g]
ㄹ — Completely different sounds depending on position
Between vowels: [ɾ] — a single light flap of the tongue tip against the gum ridge
나라 [na.ɾa] 바라 [pa.ɾa]
Similar to the "tt" in American English "butter"
Whatever you do, do NOT curl your tongue back like English "r."
In the final (받침) position: [l] — tongue stays against the gum ridge
달 [tal] ← We'll dig into this in Week 5
✏️ Activity 3: Build Syllables with Plain Consonants
Combine the consonants with the vowels you learned in Week 2 to form syllable blocks.
ㄱ + ㅏ → ___ [ga]
ㄴ + ㅗ → ___ [no]
ㄷ + ㅣ → ___ [di]
ㄹ + ㅏ → ___ [ra]
ㅁ + ㅜ → ___ [mu]
ㅂ + ㅓ → ___ [beo]
ㅅ + ㅡ → ___ [seu]
ㅈ + ㅗ → ___ [jo]
ㅇ + ㅣ → ___ [i]
Pronunciation Guide: The Sounds That Trip Up English Speakers
ㄹ [ɾ] — It's not English "r" and it's not English "l"
Between vowels, ㄹ is a single light flap: your tongue tip taps
the upper gum ridge once and bounces right off.
It's similar to the "tt" sound in American English "butter."
Do NOT curl your tongue back like English "r" — that's a very different sound.
Practice: 나라 [na.ɾa] 바라 [pa.ɾa] 고래 [ko.ɾe]
ㅈ [tɕ] — Your tongue is further forward than in English "j"
English "j" is produced toward the back of the hard palate,
but Korean ㅈ is made right behind the gum ridge (the front of the hard palate).
It feels lighter and further forward.
Practice: 자다 [tɕa.da] 조기 [tɕo.gi]
Aspiration (기식) — ㄱ vs ㅋ: English speakers already know this
English actually has this distinction:
The "k" in 'kill' → aspirated [kʰ] → like Korean ㅋ
The "k" in 'skill' → no aspiration [k] → like Korean ㄱ (word-initial)
Korean just writes this difference as two separate letters. You already hear it — now you can read it.
✏️ Activity 4: Match Plain and Aspirated Pairs
Draw a line connecting each plain consonant to its aspirated partner, then hold your hand in front of your mouth and feel the air difference as you say each pair aloud.
Plain Aspirated
───── ─────────
ㄱ • • ㅌ
ㄷ • • ㅋ
ㅂ • • ㅎ
ㅈ • • ㅍ
ㅇ • • ㅊ
✏️ Activity 5: Spot the Consonants in Real Words
For each word below, identify all the initial consonants and label each as plain or aspirated.
① 나비 — nabi [na.bi] (butterfly)
Initial consonants: ___ ___
Category: ___ ___
② 고기 — gogi [go.gi] (meat)
Initial consonants: ___ ___
Category: ___ ___
③ 코미디 — komidi [kʰo.mi.di] (comedy)
Initial consonants: ___ ___ ___
Category: ___ ___ ___
④ 타조 — tajo [tʰa.tɕo] (ostrich)
Initial consonants: ___ ___
Category: ___ ___
⑤ 바나나 — banana [pa.na.na]
Initial consonants: ___ ___ ___
Category: ___ ___ ___
Today's Writing Practice: Stroke Order
Let's learn the stroke order for two plain consonants and their aspirated partners.
ㄱ [g/k] — 2 strokes
① → Horizontal stroke: draw left to right
② ↓ Vertical stroke: drop down from the right end of ①
Result: a right angle — the shape of the tongue root bending up
ㅁ [m] — 4 strokes
① ↓ Left vertical stroke: top to bottom
② → Bottom horizontal stroke: left to right
③ ↑ Right vertical stroke: bottom to top
④ ← Top horizontal stroke: right to left, closing the square
Result: a square — the closed mouth
ㅂ [b/p] — 4 strokes
① ↓ Left vertical stroke: top to bottom
② ↓ Right vertical stroke: top to bottom (parallel to ①)
③ → Left horizontal stroke: lower-left between the two verticals
④ → Right horizontal stroke: lower-right between the two verticals
Result: two pillars connected at the bottom — the mouth opening
ㅍ [pʰ] — 4 strokes
① → Top horizontal stroke: left to right
② ↓ Left vertical stroke: drops from the left end of ①
③ ↓ Right vertical stroke: drops from the right end of ①
④ → Bottom horizontal stroke: left to right, connecting the two legs
Result: horizontal strokes above and below — ㅂ with extra structure
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ │
│ │
│ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ✏️ Write ㄱ → ㅁ → ㅂ → ㅍ in order. │
│ Follow the stroke order and feel how the shapes evolve.│
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
✏️ Activity 6: Complete the Words
Fill in the missing consonants to build each word.
① 머리 — meori [meo.ɾi] (head)
머 = ___ + ㅓ
리 = ___ + ㅣ
② 바다 — bada [pa.da] (sea)
바 = ___ + ㅏ
다 = ___ + ㅏ
③ 코 — ko [kʰo] (nose)
코 = ___ + ㅗ
④ 나무 — namu [na.mu] (tree)
나 = ___ + ㅏ
무 = ___ + ㅜ
⑤ 포도 — podo [pʰo.do] (grape)
포 = ___ + ㅗ
도 = ___ + ㅗ
Mini Quiz: Week 3
Q1. What was the design principle behind the consonant shapes?
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ A) Simplified from Chinese characters │
│ B) Drawn from the shapes inside the mouth │
│ during pronunciation │
│ C) Adapted from numerals │
│ D) Modeled on shapes found in nature │
│ │
│ Answer: ____ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Q2. How does ㅋ differ from ㄱ?
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ A) It's produced at a different position │
│ B) The tongue is higher │
│ C) Aspiration (a strong puff of air) is │
│ added │
│ D) The vocal cords don't vibrate │
│ │
│ Answer: ____ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Q3. How is ㄹ pronounced between two vowels?
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ A) Tongue curls back like English "r" │
│ B) The tongue tip flaps once against the │
│ gum ridge │
│ C) The tongue stays pressed to the gum │
│ ridge │
│ D) No sound is produced │
│ │
│ Answer: ____ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Q4. Which consonant has no aspirated partner?
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ A) ㄱ │
│ B) ㅂ │
│ C) ㄹ │
│ D) ㅈ │
│ │
│ Answer: ____ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘
(Answers: Q1-B, Q2-C, Q3-B, Q4-C)
Answer Key
Activity 1 — Connect the Dots
"The back of the tongue touches the soft palate" → 연구개 (Soft palate) → ㄱ
"Both lips press together" → 입술 (Lips) → ㅁ
"The tongue tip touches the upper gum ridge" → 잇몸 (Alveolar) → ㄴ
"A round opening in the throat" → 목구멍 (Glottis) → ㅇ
Activity 2 — Place the Consonants on the Mouth Map
┌──────────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┐
│ Articulation │ Plain │ Aspirated │
├──────────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┤
│ 입술 (Lips) │ ㅁ ㅂ │ ㅍ │
│ 잇몸 (Alveolar) │ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅅ│ ㅌ │
│ 경구개 (Hard P.) │ ㅈ │ ㅊ │
│ 연구개 (Soft P.) │ ㄱ │ ㅋ │
│ 목구멍 (Glottis) │ ㅇ │ ㅎ │
└──────────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┘
Activity 3 — Build Syllables with Plain Consonants
ㄱ + ㅏ → 가 [ga]
ㄴ + ㅗ → 노 [no]
ㄷ + ㅣ → 디 [di]
ㄹ + ㅏ → 라 [ra]
ㅁ + ㅜ → 무 [mu]
ㅂ + ㅓ → 버 [beo]
ㅅ + ㅡ → 스 [seu]
ㅈ + ㅗ → 조 [jo]
ㅇ + ㅣ → 이 [i]
Activity 4 — Match Plain and Aspirated Pairs
ㄱ → ㅋ
ㄷ → ㅌ
ㅂ → ㅍ
ㅈ → ㅊ
ㅇ → ㅎ
Activity 5 — Spot the Consonants in Real Words
① 나비: ㄴ (plain) ㅂ (plain)
② 고기: ㄱ (plain) ㄱ (plain)
③ 코미디: ㅋ (asp.) ㅁ (plain) ㄷ (plain)
④ 타조: ㅌ (asp.) ㅈ (plain)
⑤ 바나나: ㅂ (plain) ㄴ (plain) ㄴ (plain)
Activity 6 — Complete the Words
① 머리: 머 (ㅁ) 리 (ㄹ)
② 바다: 바 (ㅂ) 다 (ㄷ)
③ 코: 코 (ㅋ)
④ 나무: 나 (ㄴ) 무 (ㅁ)
⑤ 포도: 포 (ㅍ) 도 (ㄷ)
What You Learned This Week
- Consonants were drawn from the shapes inside the mouth during pronunciation — a design principle found nowhere else in the world
- Mouth anatomy front to back: 입술 (lips) → 잇몸 (alveolar) → 경구개 (hard palate) → 연구개 (soft palate) → 목구멍 (glottis)
- The 5 base shapes at each position: ㅁ (lips), ㄴ (alveolar), ㅅ (hard palate), ㄱ (soft palate), ㅇ (glottis)
- 9 plain consonants: ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ ㅈ
- 5 aspirated consonants: ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅊ ㅎ — plain consonants plus a burst of air (기식)
- Plain → aspirated corresponds to adding one extra stroke to the letter
- ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅈ are voiceless at the start of a word, voiced between vowels
- ㄹ is [ɾ] (a flap) between vowels, and [l] in the final position
- Tense consonants (ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ) are coming next week
"Next week: Tense consonants — completing the plain / aspirated / tense three-way contrast"
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