Overview
This lecture teaches the basics of reading and writing Hangul, the Korean alphabet, including consonants, vowels, combining letters, and an introduction to final consonant (batchim) rules.
Hangul Structure
- Hangul consists of consonants and vowels, similar to the English alphabet.
- There are 14 basic consonants and 10 basic vowels, with additional double consonants and vowels.
Basic Consonants
- The 14 basic consonants include: γ±(g/k), γ΄(n), γ·(d/t), γΉ(l/r), γ
(m), γ
(b/p), γ
(s), γ
(silent/ng), γ
(j), γ
(ch), γ
(k), γ
(t), γ
(p), γ
(h).
- Many consonants have mnemonic visual or sound cues (ex: γ± looks like a "gun" for "g/k" sound).
- Stroke order generally goes from top to bottom, left to right.
Basic Vowels
- 10 basic vowels: γ
(a), γ
(ya), γ
(eo), γ
(yeo), γ
(o), γ
(yo), γ
(u), γ
(yu), γ
‘(eu), γ
£(i).
- Single lines are basic sounds; double lines add a βyβ sound at the beginning.
- Vowels are placed either beside or beneath consonants in syllable blocks.
Combining Consonants and Vowels
- Syllables are built from a consonant-vowel (CV) or consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) structure.
- γ
serves as a silent placeholder before vowels and as "ng" when at the end.
Reading Practice
- Example words are built by combining consonants and vowels (e.g., λλΉ (nabi) = butterfly, λμ (doshi) = city).
- Practice includes understanding the placement of vowels and consonants in syllable blocks.
Additional Vowels
- 11 more vowels include diphthongs and compound vowels (e.g., γ
(ae), γ
(yae), γ
(e), γ
(ye), γ
(wae), γ
(oe), γ
(wi), γ
(wo), γ
(wa), γ
’(ui), γ
(we)).
- Many compound vowels combine basic sounds; stroke order remains top to bottom, left to right.
Double Consonants
- There are 5 double consonants: γ² (kk), γΈ (tt), γ
(pp), γ
(ss), γ
(jj).
- Double consonants have tense, stronger sounds.
Batchim (Final Consonant)
- Batchim is the final consonant in a syllable block, placed below the vowel.
- All consonants except α, α, and α(as batchim) can be used as batchim.
- Batchim often changes pronunciation at the end of syllables (e.g., closing the sound abruptly).
- γ
in batchim = "ng"; γ
often silent or merges with next consonant.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Hangul β The Korean alphabet system.
- Consonant β Basic sound unit, 14 basic ones in Hangul.
- Vowel β Basic sound unit, 10 basic and more advanced forms.
- Batchim β Final consonant in a syllable block, affecting pronunciation.
- Double Consonant β Consonant written twice for a tense sound (e.g., γ²).
- Diphthong/Compound Vowel β Combination of two vowel sounds.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Practice writing and reading all consonants and vowels.
- Review and memorize common vocabulary examples.
- Prepare for a detailed lesson on batchim rules in the next video.