Unit 7 · ㄴ, ㅁ, ㄷ and ㅅ · Read

ㄴ, ㅁ, ㄷ and ㅅ

Change the consonant while keeping the vowel.

Meet the letters

Tap a card and listen. Try saying it too.

ㄴIn 나
i

n. Tongue at the ridge behind the upper teeth.

ㅁIn 마
i

m. Close the lips.

ㄷIn 다
i

d/t (lax). Another lax stop; listen to its position in words.

ㅅIn 사
i

s. Before 이 it is commonly nearer sh.

Build a syllable

A quick first step: fit the new letters into a block. Next, find syllables in words and practise reading, listening and writing.

1 · Start2 · Vowel
ㄴㅏ
나
ㄴ + ㅏ
1 · Start2 · Vowel
ㄴㅜ
누
ㄴ + ㅜ
1 · Start2 · Vowel
ㅁㅏ
마
ㅁ + ㅏ
1 · Start2 · Vowel
ㅁㅜ
무
ㅁ + ㅜ
1 · Start2 · Vowel
ㅁㅗ
모
ㅁ + ㅗ
1 · Start2 · Vowel
ㄷㅏ
다
ㄷ + ㅏ
1 · Start2 · Vowel
ㄷㅜ
두
ㄷ + ㅜ
1 · Start2 · Vowel
ㅅㅏ
사
ㅅ + ㅏ
1 · Start2 · Vowel
ㅅㅜ
수
ㅅ + ㅜ

Words to read

older sister (said by a boy or man)

누나

older sister (said by a boy or man)nuna
drink

마시다

drinkmasida
buy

사다

buysada
again

다시

againdasi
tree

나무

treenamu
all / everyone

모두

all / everyonemodu
smile

미소

smilemiso
seesaw

시소

seesawsiso
Reading tips

ㄴ · n · Tongue at the ridge behind the upper teeth.

ㅁ · m · Close the lips.

ㄷ · d/t (lax) · Another lax stop; listen to its position in words.

ㅅ · s · Before 이 it is commonly nearer sh.

Put each new consonant on the left of a tall vowel and above a wide vowel. Compare 나 / 누, 마 / 무, 다 / 두 and 사 / 수.

Read older sister, drink, buy, again, tree, everyone, smile and seesaw. In 나무 and 모두 the consonants move between left and top positions. The dictionary-form actions end in 다.

Reading practice

First, place the new letters

Copy this block using its start, vowel and any ending.

나
1 · Start2 · Vowel
12
□
Start → vowel

First, place the new letters

Copy this block using its start, vowel and any ending.

누
1 · Start2 · Vowel
12
□
Start → vowel

First, place the new letters

Copy this block using its start, vowel and any ending.

마
1 · Start2 · Vowel
12
□
Start → vowel

First, place the new letters

Copy this block using its start, vowel and any ending.

무
1 · Start2 · Vowel
12
□
Start → vowel

First, place the new letters

Copy this block using its start, vowel and any ending.

모
1 · Start2 · Vowel
12
□
Start → vowel

First, place the new letters

Copy this block using its start, vowel and any ending.

다
1 · Start2 · Vowel
12
□
Start → vowel

First, place the new letters

Copy this block using its start, vowel and any ending.

두
1 · Start2 · Vowel
12
□
Start → vowel

First, place the new letters

Copy this block using its start, vowel and any ending.

사
1 · Start2 · Vowel
12
□
Start → vowel

First, place the new letters

Copy this block using its start, vowel and any ending.

수
1 · Start2 · Vowel
12
□
Start → vowel

Find the syllable in its word

Match each syllable to the highlighted part of a word.

Hear the letter in a syllable

Listen to an example syllable. Match its new letter.

Hear the whole word

Listen. Find its printed word.

Hear the whole word

Listen. Find its printed word.

Read without a sound hint

Read the words. Match their pictures.

Read without a sound hint

Read the words. Match their pictures.

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the word you studied.

Spelling to sound

Read the word. Choose its sound.

마시다

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the word you studied.

Spelling to sound

Read the word. Choose its sound.

다시

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the word you studied.

Spelling to sound

Read the word. Choose its sound.

모두

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the word you studied.

Spelling to sound

Read the word. Choose its sound.

시소

Write the word

Look and listen. Write the word with consonants and vowels.

older sister (said by a boy or man)

Write the word

Look and listen. Write the word with consonants and vowels.

drink

Write the word

Look and listen. Write the word with consonants and vowels.

buy

Write the word

Look and listen. Write the word with consonants and vowels.

again

Write the word

Look and listen. Write the word with consonants and vowels.

tree

Write the word

Look and listen. Write the word with consonants and vowels.

all / everyone

Write the word

Look and listen. Write the word with consonants and vowels.

smile

Write the word

Look and listen. Write the word with consonants and vowels.

seesaw

Finish practice to save this unit.

You can read and write this

Change the consonant while keeping the vowel.

Next unit
older sister (said by a boy or man)

누나

older sister (said by a boy or man)
drink

마시다

drink
buy

사다

buy
again

다시

again
tree

나무

tree
all / everyone

모두

all / everyone
smile

미소

smile
seesaw

시소

seesaw
Use a Korean keyboard

The on-screen keys use consonant and vowel elements and join them into ordinary written words.

For your own typing, enable a Korean two-set keyboard on your device. Enter the start, vowel and optional final consonant in order.

All letters

ㅇIn 아
i

silent initially / ng finally. A syllable needs an initial consonant position. ㅇ fills it silently before a vowel; at the bottom of 강, it is ng.

ㅏIn 아
i

a. An open a. With a vertical vowel, the initial consonant sits on the left.

ㅣIn 이
i

i. A clear ee vowel.

ㅗIn 오
i

o. A rounded o. A horizontal vowel goes underneath the initial consonant.

ㅜIn 우
i

u. A rounded oo vowel.

ㅠIn 유
i

yu. A y glide plus ㅜ.

ㄴIn 나
i

n. Tongue at the ridge behind the upper teeth.

ㅁIn 마
i

m. Close the lips.

ㄷIn 다
i

d/t (lax). Another lax stop; listen to its position in words.

ㅅIn 사
i

s. Before 이 it is commonly nearer sh.

ㅓIn 어
i

eo / ʌ. An open unrounded vowel; not a sequence e + o.

ㅡIn 으
i

eu / ɯ. A high unrounded vowel; not oo. Keep the lips unrounded.

ㄹIn 라
i

r/l. Often a short tap between vowels and l at the end of a syllable.

ㅂIn 바
i

b/p (lax). A lax lip stop; voicing varies with position.

ㄱIn 가
i

g/k (lax). A Korean lax stop. Its voicing depends on position; it is not simply an English g everywhere.

ㅋIn 카
i

kʰ (airy). A stronger puff of air than lax ㄱ.

ㄲIn 까
i

kk (tense). Firm tense articulation; not two separately spoken k syllables.

ㅑIn 야
i

ya. The extra stroke adds a y glide.

ㅕIn 여
i

yeo. A y glide plus ㅓ.

ㅛIn 요
i

yo. A y glide plus ㅗ.

ㅌIn 타
i

tʰ (airy). A puff of air; not English th.

ㄸIn 따
i

tt (tense). Firm articulation; no separate extra syllable.

ㅍIn 파
i

pʰ (airy). A puff of air after the lips open.

ㅃIn 빠
i

pp (tense). Firm lip closure.

ㅆIn 싸
i

ss (tense). A tense s; compare ㅅ.

ㅈIn 자
i

j/ch (lax). A lax joined consonant; listen rather than substituting one English sound.

ㅊIn 차
i

chʰ (airy). An airy joined consonant.

ㅉIn 짜
i

jj (tense). A tense joined consonant.

ㅎIn 하
i

h. An h sound; it can interact with following consonants.

ㅐIn 애
i

ae. Often pronounced like ㅔ in modern standard speech.

ㅔIn 에
i

e. Often merges with ㅐ; still learn the distinct spelling.

ㅒIn 얘
i

yae. A y glide with ㅐ.

ㅖIn 예
i

ye. A y glide with ㅔ; pronunciation varies in some consonant contexts.

ㅘIn 와
i

wa. ㅗ plus ㅏ in one syllable.

ㅝIn 워
i

wo. ㅜ plus ㅓ.

ㅟIn 위
i

wi. ㅜ plus ㅣ.

ㅙIn 왜
i

wae. ㅗ plus ㅐ.

ㅚIn 외
i

oe / we. Commonly pronounced like we in contemporary speech.

ㅞIn 웨
i

we. ㅜ plus ㅔ.

ㅢIn 의
i

ui. Often eu + i initially. In common positions and in the possessive particle, pronunciation can change; listen to 의사 and the course phrases.