Week 4
Double Consonants: Two of the Same Letter, One Stronger Sound
Tense Sounds (경음) — Completing the Plain · Aspirated · Tense Three-Way System
WEEK 4
Double Consonants: Two of the Same Letter, One Stronger Sound
Quick Review from Last Week
Consonants you've learned so far:
Plain consonants (9): ㄱ[k/g] ㄴ[n] ㄷ[t/d] ㄹ[ɾ/l] ㅁ[m] ㅂ[p/b] ㅅ[s] ㅇ[∅/ŋ] ㅈ[tɕ]
Aspirated consonants (5): ㅋ[kʰ] ㅌ[tʰ] ㅍ[pʰ] ㅊ[tɕʰ] ㅎ[h]
The difference between plain and aspirated was just one thing: aspiration (a puff of air). This week we tackle the third type of sound — tense consonants (쌍자음, double consonants).
What Are Tense Sounds?
Korean consonants come in three levels of intensity.
Plain — Basic intensity. No aspiration, no tension. ㄱ [k]
Aspirated — Add a burst of air. ㅋ [kʰ]
Tense — Glottis tightened and then released — no air at all. ㄲ [k͈]
Tense consonants are sounds that don't exist in English. There's no puff of air, and the vocal cords don't vibrate. Instead, you briefly close the glottis (the gap between your vocal cords) and then pop it open — producing a sharp, tight, almost clipped sound.
The closest feeling in English is the tiny catch between syllables in "uh-oh." Take that glottal tension and attach it to a consonant — that's your tense sound.
The 5 Double Consonants: Write the Same Letter Twice
The shape of a tense consonant is delightfully simple. Write the plain consonant twice, side by side.
| Double consonant | Romanization | IPA | Base plain consonant | Place of articulation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㄲ | kk | [k͈] | ㄱ + ㄱ | Velar |
| ㄸ | tt | [t͈] | ㄷ + ㄷ | Alveolar |
| ㅃ | pp | [p͈] | ㅂ + ㅂ | Bilabial |
| ㅆ | ss | [s͈] | ㅅ + ㅅ | Alveolar |
| ㅉ | jj | [t͈ɕ] | ㅈ + ㅈ | Palatal |
ㄴ, ㄹ, ㅁ, and ㅇ have no tense counterparts. Nasal consonants (ㄴ, ㅁ) and the liquid (ㄹ) don't produce separate phonemes even when you apply glottal tension.
How to Pronounce Them: Telling the Three Apart
The Hand Test
Hold your hand in front of your mouth and say each series:
ㄱ [k] → You feel a small puff of air on your hand (plain)
ㅋ [kʰ] → You feel a strong burst of air on your hand (aspirated — lots of breath)
ㄲ [k͈] → You feel almost no air at all on your hand (tense — all tension, no breath)
Tips for Getting the Tense Sound Right
1. Hold your breath for just a moment — let your glottis close
2. From that tense state, release the consonant immediately
3. No puff of air — it should feel sharp and clipped
Compare:
ㅋ → air flows out (hand feels the breeze)
ㄲ → no air, just a crisp pop (tight and short)
✏️ Activity 1: Complete the Double Consonant Shapes
Write the plain consonant twice side by side to form the double consonant. Fill in the blanks.
ㄱ + ㄱ → ___ [k͈] (까, 꼬, 꾸...)
ㄷ + ㄷ → ___ [t͈] (따, 또, 뚜...)
ㅂ + ㅂ → ___ [p͈] (빠, 뽀, 뿌...)
ㅅ + ㅅ → ___ [s͈] (싸, 쏘, 쑤...)
ㅈ + ㅈ → ___ [t͈ɕ] (짜, 쪼, 쭈...)
Three-Way Comparison: Plain · Aspirated · Tense
Now let's line all three up and compare them.
ㄱ series (velar)
Plain ㄱ [k] — 가다 [ka.da] (to go)
Aspirated ㅋ [kʰ] — 카드 [kʰa.dɯ] (card)
Tense ㄲ [k͈] — 꼬다 [k͈o.da] (to twist/braid)
ㄷ series (alveolar)
Plain ㄷ [t] — 도 [to] (degree / also)
Aspirated ㅌ [tʰ] — 토 [tʰo] (soil)
Tense ㄸ [t͈] — 또 [t͈o] (again)
ㅂ series (bilabial)
Plain ㅂ [p] — 비 [pi] (rain)
Aspirated ㅍ [pʰ] — 피 [pʰi] (blood)
Tense ㅃ [p͈] — 빠 [p͈a] (fast — 빠르다)
ㅅ series (alveolar, fricative)
Plain ㅅ [s] — 사다 [sa.da] (to buy)
Tense ㅆ [s͈] — 싸다 [s͈a.da] (cheap / to wrap)
(no aspirated form for ㅅ)
ㅈ series (palatal)
Plain ㅈ [tɕ] — 자다 [tɕa.da] (to sleep)
Aspirated ㅊ [tɕʰ] — 차다 [tɕʰa.da] (cold / to kick)
Tense ㅉ [t͈ɕ] — 짜다 [t͈ɕa.da] (to be salty)
✏️ Activity 2: Fill in the Three-Way Classification Chart
Sort the consonants below into the correct cells in the table.
[ ㄱ ㄲ ㅋ ㄷ ㄸ ㅌ ㅂ ㅃ ㅍ ㅅ ㅆ ㅈ ㅉ ㅊ ]
┌────────────────┬──────────┬──────────┬──────────┐
│ Place │ Plain │ Aspirated│ Tense │
├────────────────┼──────────┼──────────┼──────────┤
│ Velar │ │ │ │
│ Alveolar │ │ │ │
│ Bilabial │ │ │ │
│ Alveolar (fric)│ │ (none) │ │
│ Palatal │ │ │ │
└────────────────┴──────────┴──────────┴──────────┘
Minimal Pairs: One Sound Changes Everything
가다 [ka.da] vs 까다 [k͈a.da]
(to go) (to peel — 귤을 까다, 계란을 까다)
사다 [sa.da] vs 싸다 [s͈a.da]
(to buy) (cheap / to wrap)
자다 [tɕa.da] vs 짜다 [t͈ɕa.da]
(to sleep) (to be salty)
도 [to] vs 또 [t͈o]
(degree / also) (again)
비 [pi] vs 삐 [p͈i]
(rain) (beep sound)
One tiny sound difference. Completely different meaning. Korean is not playing around.
✏️ Activity 3: Sound Discrimination Practice
Read each word pair aloud and feel the difference. Hold your hand in front of your mouth and check whether you feel any air.
① ㄱ series
가다 [ka.da] → 꼬다 [k͈o.da] → 카드 [kʰa.dɯ]
(to go) (to twist) (card)
② ㄷ series
도 [to] → 또 [t͈o] → 토 [tʰo]
(degree) (again) (soil)
③ ㅂ series
비 [pi] → 빠 [p͈a] → 피 [pʰi]
(rain) (fast) (blood)
④ ㅅ series
사다 [sa.da] → 싸다 [s͈a.da]
(to buy) (cheap)
⑤ ㅈ series
자다 [tɕa.da] → 짜다 [t͈ɕa.da] → 차다 [tɕʰa.da]
(to sleep) (salty) (cold / to kick)
(No answer key needed — this is a pronunciation experience activity. Only the aspirated consonants should produce a breeze on your hand.)
Today's Writing Practice: Double Consonants = Write the Plain Twice
ㄲ [k͈] — ㄱ written twice
Left ㄱ: ① → horizontal stroke ② ↓ vertical stroke
Right ㄱ: ③ → horizontal stroke ④ ↓ vertical stroke
(Complete the left side first, then repeat the same stroke order on the right)
ㅆ [s͈] — ㅅ written twice
Left ㅅ: ① ↙ left diagonal ② ↘ right diagonal
Right ㅅ: ③ ↙ left diagonal ④ ↘ right diagonal
(Complete the left side first, then repeat the same stroke order on the right)
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ │
│ │
│ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ✏️ Practice writing ㄲ and ㅆ │
│ five times each. │
│ Finish the left consonant before │
│ moving to the right. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
✏️ Activity 4: Minimal Pair Matching
Look at the IPA pronunciation and draw a line to the matching Korean word.
[k͈o.da] • • 자다 (to sleep)
[sa.da] • • 꼬다 (to twist)
[t͈ɕa.da] • • 사다 (to buy)
[tɕa.da] • • 짜다 (to be salty)
[s͈a.da] • • 싸다 (cheap)
Full Consonant Chart: Every Consonant You've Learned
All 19 consonants from Weeks 3–4, laid out at a glance.
Place of articulation Plain Aspirated Tense
───────────────────── ────────────────── ───────── ──────────
Bilabial ㅁ[m] ㅂ[p/b] ㅍ[pʰ] ㅃ[p͈]
Alveolar ㄴ[n] ㄷ[t/d] ㅌ[tʰ] ㄸ[t͈]
ㄹ[ɾ/l]
Alveolar (fricative) ㅅ[s] — ㅆ[s͈]
Palatal ㅈ[tɕ] ㅊ[tɕʰ] ㅉ[t͈ɕ]
Velar ㄱ[k/g] ㅋ[kʰ] ㄲ[k͈]
Glottal ㅇ[∅/ŋ] ㅎ[h] —
✏️ Activity 5: Classify Using the Full Consonant Chart
Find the initial consonant (초성) of each word below, then use the chart to label it as plain / aspirated / tense.
① 나비 [na.bi] (butterfly)
Initial consonants: ___ ___ Category: ___ ___
② 코끼리 [kʰo.k͈i.ɾi] (elephant)
Initial consonants: ___ ___ ___ Category: ___ ___ ___
③ 아빠 [a.p͈a] (dad)
Initial consonants: ___ ___ Category: ___ ___
④ 짜다 [t͈ɕa.da] (to be salty)
Initial consonants: ___ ___ Category: ___ ___
⑤ 포도 [pʰo.do] (grape)
Initial consonants: ___ ___ Category: ___ ___
⑥ 싸우다 [s͈a.u.da] (to fight)
Initial consonants: ___ ___ Category: ___ ___
✏️ Activity 6: K-pop & Everyday Word Consonant Analysis
Break each word into its initial and vowel components, then use the full consonant chart to classify each consonant.
① 오빠 [o.p͈a] (older brother / term of endearment)
오 = ㅇ[___] + ㅗ
빠 = ___[tense] + ㅏ
② 빠르다 [p͈a.ɾɯ.da] (to be fast)
빠 = ___[___] + ㅏ
르 = ㄹ[___] + ㅡ
다 = ___[___] + ㅏ
③ 꼭 [k͈ok̚] (definitely / tightly)
Initial consonant of 꼭: ___ Category: ___
④ 써요 [s͈ʌ.jo] (I write / I use — polite form of 쓰다)
써 = ___[___] + ㅓ
요 = ㅇ[___] + ㅛ
⑤ 치즈 [tɕʰi.dɯ] (cheese)
치 = ___[aspirated] + ㅣ
즈 = ___[plain] + ㅡ
Mini Quiz: Week 4
Q1. How do you write the shape of a double (tense) consonant?
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ A) Add one extra stroke to the plain form │
│ B) Write the same plain consonant twice │
│ C) Add a dot to the aspirated form │
│ D) Combine the consonant with a vowel │
│ │
│ Answer: ____ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Q2. What is the defining feature of tense consonants (쌍자음)?
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ A) Very strong aspiration │
│ B) Strong vocal cord vibration │
│ C) Glottal tension with no aspiration │
│ D) Pronounced the same as plain consonants │
│ │
│ Answer: ____ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Q3. Which consonant has NO tense counterpart?
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ A) ㄱ │
│ B) ㄴ │
│ C) ㅂ │
│ D) ㅅ │
│ │
│ Answer: ____ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Q4. What is the meaning difference between 가다 [ka.da] and 까다 [k͈a.da]?
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ A) to go vs to run │
│ B) to go vs to peel │
│ C) to run vs to go │
│ D) No difference in meaning │
│ │
│ Answer: ____ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘
(Answers: Q1-B, Q2-C, Q3-B, Q4-B)
Answer Key
Activity 1 — Complete the Double Consonant Shapes
ㄱ + ㄱ → ㄲ [k͈]
ㄷ + ㄷ → ㄸ [t͈]
ㅂ + ㅂ → ㅃ [p͈]
ㅅ + ㅅ → ㅆ [s͈]
ㅈ + ㅈ → ㅉ [t͈ɕ]
Activity 2 — Fill in the Three-Way Classification Chart
┌────────────────┬──────────┬──────────┬──────────┐
│ Place │ Plain │ Aspirated│ Tense │
├────────────────┼──────────┼──────────┼──────────┤
│ Velar │ ㄱ │ ㅋ │ ㄲ │
│ Alveolar │ ㄷ (ㄹ) │ ㅌ │ ㄸ │
│ Bilabial │ ㅂ (ㅁ) │ ㅍ │ ㅃ │
│ Alveolar (fric)│ ㅅ │ (none) │ ㅆ │
│ Palatal │ ㅈ │ ㅊ │ ㅉ │
└────────────────┴──────────┴──────────┴──────────┘
Activity 3 — Sound Discrimination Practice
No answer key — pronunciation experience activity. Only aspirated consonants (ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅊ) should produce a breeze on your hand.
Activity 4 — Minimal Pair Matching
[k͈o.da] → 꼬다 (to twist)
[sa.da] → 사다 (to buy)
[t͈ɕa.da] → 짜다 (to be salty)
[tɕa.da] → 자다 (to sleep)
[s͈a.da] → 싸다 (cheap)
Activity 5 — Classify Using the Full Consonant Chart
① 나비: ㄴ (plain) ㅂ (plain)
② 코끼리: ㅋ (aspirated) ㄲ (tense) ㄹ (plain)
③ 아빠: ㅇ (plain/silent) ㅃ (tense)
④ 짜다: ㅉ (tense) ㄷ (plain)
⑤ 포도: ㅍ (aspirated) ㄷ (plain)
⑥ 싸우다: ㅆ (tense) ㅇ (plain/silent)
Activity 6 — K-pop & Everyday Word Consonant Analysis
① 오빠: 오 (ㅇ [silent]) 빠 (ㅃ [tense])
② 빠르다: 빠 (ㅃ [tense]) 르 (ㄹ [plain]) 다 (ㄷ [plain])
③ 꼭: initial consonant ㄲ — tense
④ 써요: 써 (ㅆ [tense]) 요 (ㅇ [silent])
⑤ 치즈: 치 (ㅊ [aspirated]) 즈 (ㅈ [plain])
What You Learned This Week
- Korean consonants have three levels: plain · aspirated · tense
- Tense consonants are produced by tensing the glottis — no aspiration at all
- The 5 double consonants: ㄲ[k͈] ㄸ[t͈] ㅃ[p͈] ㅆ[s͈] ㅉ[t͈ɕ] — each one is just a plain consonant written twice
- ㄴ ㄹ ㅁ ㅇ have no tense counterparts
- Hand test: only aspirated consonants produce a breeze — tense consonants give you a crisp pop with no air
- Minimal pairs: 가다/까다 (peel), 사다/싸다, 자다/짜다 — one tense consonant flips the meaning entirely
- All 19 consonants (9 plain + 5 aspirated + 5 tense) organized into one complete chart
"Coming up next week: 받침 — the basement of the three-floor building, and ㅇ's secret second identity."
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