Strong Consonants - Hangul
About the four strong consonants of Hangul.
Strong consonants
There are more consonants in Hangul. Luckily they are similar to characters we have already learned. Korean has the following strong consonants: ㅊ, ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ
These strong consonants might seem familiar to you. They are all made by adding one stroke to their plain version, except for ㅂ/ㅍ.
- ㅈ: ㅊ
- ㄱ: ㅋ
- ㄷ: ㅌ
- ㅂ: ㅍ
These strong consonants are pronounced with more force and a higher pitch. They are also often called aspirated consonants, since more air leaves your mouth when you pronounce them.
- ㅊ = “ch”
- ㅋ = “k”
- ㅌ = “t”
- ㅍ = “p”
ㅊ has a strong and higher pitched “ch” sound, compared to the plain “ㅈ” which is less strong and lower in pitch.
ㅋ sounds more like a “k”, compared to “ㄱ” which is more of a mix of between “k/g”.
ㅌ sounds more like a “t”, compared to “ㄷ” which is more of a mix of between “d/t”.
ㅍ sounds more like a “p”, compared to “ㅂ” which is more of a mix of between “b/p”.
| ㅈ | ㅊ | ㄱ | ㅋ | ㄷ | ㅌ | ㅂ | ㅍ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㅏ | 자 | 차 | 가 | 카 | 다 | 타 | 바 | 파 |
| ㅓ | 저 | 처 | 거 | 커 | 더 | 터 | 버 | 퍼 |
| ㅗ | 조 | 초 | 고 | 코 | 도 | 토 | 보 | 포 |
| ㅜ | 주 | 추 | 구 | 쿠 | 두 | 투 | 부 | 푸 |
Word Examples
For example these words use strong consonants:
차 = car, tea
코 = nose
팔 = arm
타다 = to ride