Lessons for English speakers

Learn to read Korean

A short, active path into reading Korean: take a syllable block apart, decode ten real words before the full alphabet, learn the sound changes automatic romanizers get wrong, and read a small story before opening your first book.

13 core sections · ≈ 36 min + 4 optional lookups · ≈ 57 min with everything

Read ten real words from that small table

≈ 2 min

What you'll learn

All ten words are built from the sixteen letters you have just seen, and you will keep meeting them along the path and in the first book.
Each hint gives you the letters of the square; you supply the sound.
Two of them close on a letter that is not said the way it is written; the next section is about exactly that.

No new letters. This is the win, and it comes before the alphabet.

Ten words for the two stories

Take each square apart, say the whole word aloud, then reveal it.

개
ㄱ + ㅐ
Show answer +Hide answer −
개gae“dog”
새
ㅅ + ㅐ
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새sae“bird”
해
ㅎ + ㅐ
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해hae“sun”
나무
Two squares: ㄴ + ㅏ, then ㅁ + ㅜ
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나무na-mu“tree”
여우
Two squares, the circle silent in both: ㅇ + ㅕ, then ㅇ + ㅜ
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여우yeo-u“fox”
물
ㅁ + ㅜ + ㄹ
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물mul“water”
길
ㄱ + ㅣ + ㄹ
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길gil“road”
집
ㅈ + ㅣ + ㅂ — a ㅂ underneath is a plain p
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집jip“house”
곰
ㄱ + ㅗ + ㅁ
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곰gom“bear”
숲
ㅅ + ㅜ + ㅍ — the ㅍ loses its puff underneath
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숲sup“forest”