Hangul mnemonics are pictures that turn each Korean letter into something you already know, and the name of that thing carries the letter's sound. ㄱ is drawn as a gun seen from the side, so when you see the shape, the word gun and the g sound come back together. The chart below shows all 40 letters you'll meet in Korean, each with its picture, its sound, and its keyword.
How Do Hangul Picture Mnemonics Work?
Each consonant is drawn as an object in the letter's shape, like a nose for ㄴ or a ladder for ㄹ. Many vowels come from a story about a hunter: for ㅏ he points far away and says “Ah! That way!”, and for ㅓ he touches his head and asks “Eo? Where is it?” Letters built from other letters reuse those pictures. ㄲ is two guns side by side, and ㅑ is ㅏ with one more short line, which adds a y sound in front.
The Korean Alphabet Chart With Pictures
The sound next to each letter is how Korea's official romanization spells it.
Basic Consonants 14
ㄱg/kGunA gun, seen from the side. Gun starts with g.
ㄴnNoseA big, square nose. Nose starts with n.
ㄷd/tDoorAn open door. Door starts with d.
ㄹr/lLadderA ladder that zigzags. Ladder starts with l.
ㅁmMapA square map. Map starts with m.
ㅂb/pBucketA wooden bucket. Bucket starts with b.
ㅅsSummitA mountain summit. Summit starts with s.
ㅇ- / ng(empty well)An empty well. ㅇ is silent at the start of a syllable and sounds like ng at the end.
ㅈjJeansA pair of jeans. Jeans starts with j.
ㅊchChildA child with arms out wide. Child starts with ch.
ㅋkKeyA key, drawn like ㄱ with one more line. Key starts with k.
ㅌtTwo doorsTwo doors stacked in one frame. Two starts with t.
ㅍpPillarsTwo pillars between a roof and a floor. Pillar starts with p.
ㅎhHatA face under a hat. Hat starts with h.
Double Consonants 5
- ㄲkkDouble gunTwo ㄱ side by side. Say it tense, with no puff of air.
- ㄸttDouble doorTwo ㄷ side by side. Say it tense, with no puff of air.
- ㅃppDouble bucketTwo ㅂ side by side. Say it tense, with no puff of air.
- ㅆssDouble summitTwo ㅅ side by side. Say it tense, with no puff of air.
- ㅉjjDouble jeansTwo ㅈ side by side. Say it tense, with no puff of air.
Core Vowels 8
ㅏaAh! That way!The hunter points far away and says, “Ah! That way!”
ㅐaeExtra gold barsAn extra gold bar for the hunter. ㅐ sounds like the e in extra.
ㅓeoEo, where is it?The hunter touches his head and asks, “Eo? Where is it?”
ㅔeExtra gold barsAnother gold bar. In everyday Korean, ㅔ sounds the same as ㅐ.
ㅗoOverThe hunter rides a raft over the water.
ㅜuOOzingSap is oozing from a branch. ㅜ sounds like the oo in oozing.
ㅡeubrOOkA flat brook. ㅡ sounds close to the oo in brook, with flat lips.
ㅣitrEEA tall tree. ㅣ sounds like the ee in tree.
Y Vowels 6
- ㅑyaY + Ah! That way!ㅏ with one more short line. The extra line adds a y sound in front.
- ㅒyaeY + Extraㅐ with one more short line. The extra line adds a y sound in front.
- ㅕyeoY + Eo, where is it?ㅓ with one more short line. The extra line adds a y sound in front.
- ㅖyeY + Extraㅔ with one more short line. The extra line adds a y sound in front.
- ㅛyoY + Overㅗ with one more short line. The extra line adds a y sound in front.
- ㅠyuY + OOzingㅜ with one more short line. The extra line adds a y sound in front.
Combined Vowels 7
- ㅘwaㅗ + ㅏ blendSay ㅗ and ㅏ quickly together.
- ㅙwaeㅗ + ㅐ blendSay ㅗ and ㅐ quickly together.
- ㅚoeㅗ + ㅣ glideBuilt from ㅗ and ㅣ, but most people say it like we, the same as ㅙ and ㅞ.
- ㅝwoㅜ + ㅓ blendSay ㅜ and ㅓ quickly together.
- ㅞweㅜ + ㅔ blendSay ㅜ and ㅔ quickly together.
- ㅟwiㅜ + ㅣ glideSay ㅜ and ㅣ quickly together.
- ㅢuiㅡ + ㅣ blendSay ㅡ and ㅣ quickly together.
How Should You Practice With the Chart?
Use the pictures to recall a letter, then check yourself with real sounds and real syllables.
- Say the KeywordCover the sounds, look at a letter, and say its keyword and its sound out loud.
- Hear Every LetterPlay each letter in the free course, because a picture can only hint at how a sound is said.
- Build a SyllablePut a consonant and a vowel together, like ㄱ and ㅏ in 가, and read the block as one sound.
The free Hangul course teaches these letters in twelve short chapters, with audio for every letter and reading practice, right in your browser. The same course is free in Bubblegum, a language app where Poppy, its AI tutor, writes Korean lessons at your level once you can read. If you're still deciding whether to learn the letters at all, read why Hangul is easier than romanization.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Letters Are in the Korean Alphabet?
Hangul's 24 basic letters are 14 consonants and 10 vowels. The other 16 are doubled consonants and vowels built from simpler ones, so the chart shows 40 letters, grouped by how each one is built.
Why Do Some Letters Have Two Sounds?
Korea's official romanization writes ㄱ, ㄷ, and ㅂ as g, d, and b before a vowel, and as k, t, and p before another consonant or at the end of a word, because they sound different there. ㄹ changes too: it's r before a vowel and l everywhere else.
Which Korean App Should a Beginner Choose?
If you are serious about learning Korean, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Its Hangul course teaches every letter in this chart first. Our Korean app comparison covers more choices and what each one is good for.
Is Bubblegum Free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
