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Basics - Lesson 3 - Use of Consonants and Vowels Lesson

By Learn Korean Admin - 20/09/2020

Vowels in the korean languages may be attached to the left, right or beneath each other in order to form a word, the following are examples of their use : -

가 = ka	거 = keo	겨 = kyeo
갸 = kya	기 = ki	고 = ko

바 = pa	버 = peo	부 = pu
뵤 = pyo	지 = chi	저 = cheo
즈 = chu	조 = cho	마 = ma
머 = meo	무 = mo	나 = na
너 = neo	이 = i	야 = ya
디 = ti	고 = ko	댜 = tya
요 = yo	오 = o	도 = to
드 = tu	두 = too	그 = ku

When constructing a word, you must add a mixture of consonants and vowels, beginning with the consonant at the beginning of the word. In some cases, there is no need to use a consonant at the beginning in which case ㅇ (null character) is used.

ㅇ	+	ㅏ			=	아	a
ㄹ	+	ㅡ	+	ㅁ	=	름	rum
ㄱ	+	ㅏ	+	ㅁ	=	감	kam
ㄲ	+	ㅜ	+	ㅇ	=	꿍	kkoong
ㅇ	+	ㅗ	+	ㅅ	=	옷	ot
ㅇ	+	ㅓ	+	ㅂㅅ	=	없	eop
ㄲ	+	ㅗ	+	ㅊ	=	꽃	kkot
ㅎ	+	ㅏ	+	ㄴ	=	한	han
ㄱ	+	ㅡ	+	ㄱ	=	극	guk

More on constructing words

A syllable that consists of a consonant and a "vertical vowel" is written with the consonant on the left and the vowel on the right
ㄴ + ㅏ = 나
n + a = na

A syllable that consists of a consonant and a "horizontal vowel" is written with the consonant on top and the vowel underneath:
ㅁ + ㅗ = 모
m + o = mo

If a syllable has a consonant, vowel, and consonant, the final consonant, called patch'im (meaning "supporting floor" in Korean) goes to the bottom -- or floor -- of that syllable.
ㅁ + ㅏ + ㄴ = 만
m + a + n = man