Tense (Double) Consonants
Korean has five double consonants: ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, and ㅉ.
Writing double consonants
Section titled “Writing double consonants”Each double consonant fits inside one syllable block, written twice but still within the same space:
ㄱ→ㄲㄷ→ㄸㅂ→ㅃㅅ→ㅆㅈ→ㅉ
Pronunciation
Section titled “Pronunciation”Double consonants use the same general mouth position as their plain counterparts, but they begin more abruptly, slightly tensing your mouth before pronouncing them. Briefly hold back the airflow and release the sound with very little puff of air.
They are also commonly called tense consonants hence.
- ㄲ (Tense K): Sounds close to a hard, clipped “g” to English speakers, whereas ㄱ is a softer, breathier mix of “g/k.” To pronounce ㄲ correctly, mimic the crisp, airless “k” in the English word sky.
- ㄸ (Tense T): Sounds close to a hard, clipped “d,” whereas ㄷ is a softer mix of “d/t.” To pronounce ㄸ correctly, mimic the sharp, airless “t” in the English word stop.
- ㅃ (Tense P): Sounds close to a hard, clipped “b,” whereas ㅂ is a softer mix of “b/p.” To pronounce ㅃ correctly, mimic the tight, airless “p” in the English word spy.
- ㅆ (Tense S): A sharper, tighter, and more forceful “s” than the regular ㅅ. Because it is voiceless, it should never vibrate like a “z.”
- ㅉ (Tense J/Ch): A sharper, more abrupt, and higher-tension version of ㅈ. While officially romanized as “jj,” think of it as a “ch/j” sound where you build up pressure behind your teeth and release it with extra force but no air.
Plain, aspirated, and tense consonants
Section titled “Plain, aspirated, and tense consonants”We now know these three related types of consonants:
- Plain consonants begin with a relatively gentle release.
- Aspirated (strong) consonants release a noticeable puff of air.
- Tense (double) consonants begin abruptly with very little puff of air.
| Plain | Aspirated | Tense |
|---|---|---|
| ㄱ (g/k) | ㅋ (k) | ㄲ (kk) |
| ㄷ (d/t) | ㅌ (t) | ㄸ (tt) |
| ㅂ (b/p) | ㅍ (p) | ㅃ (pp) |
| ㅈ (j) | ㅊ (ch) | ㅉ (jj) |
| ㅅ (s) | — | ㅆ (ss) |
Compare these syllables:
| Plain | Aspirated | Tense |
|---|---|---|
| 가 | 카 | 까 |
| 다 | 타 | 따 |
| 바 | 파 | 빠 |
| 자 | 차 | 짜 |
| 사 | — | 싸 |
You learned the aspirated column in the previous chapter.
Word examples
Section titled “Word examples”These common words begin with tense consonants:
- 꿈 = dream
- 딸 = daughter
- 빵 = bread
- 쓰다 = to write; to use
- 짜다 = to be salty
Try practising these with actual words in which they come up, that should feel easier and more natural than listening to these sounds in isolation. I recommend studying with an Anki deck that has audio included, like this first 500 words one. This pronunciation example by BillyGo also might be helpful to you.
You now know all 19 consonant letters used at the beginning of Korean syllables:
ㄱ, ㄲ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄸ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅃ, ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅇ, ㅈ, ㅉ, ㅊ, ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, and ㅎ.