Reading Practice
Korean Alphabet 2
Course 2 · Chapter 11 · Reading Practice
You Know the Whole System
This last chapter introduces no new letters. It checks that you have them all, then gives you words and short passages to read aloud. Always read the Hangul first and check the sound afterwards.
The 51 Letters
| Group | Count | Letters | Course |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic consonants | 14 | ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ ㅈ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ | Korean Alphabet 1 |
| Basic vowels | 10 | ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ ㅣ | Korean Alphabet 1 |
| Tense consonants | 5 | ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ | Chapters 1–2 |
| Compound vowels | 11 | ㅐ ㅔ ㅒ ㅖ ㅢ ㅘ ㅙ ㅚ ㅝ ㅞ ㅟ | Chapters 3–6 |
| Double finals | 11 | ㄳ ㄵ ㄶ ㄺ ㄻ ㄼ ㄽ ㄾ ㄿ ㅀ ㅄ | Chapters 7–9 |
14 + 10 + 5 + 11 + 11 = 51. Together with the 40 jamo from Chapter 6 (24 + 5 + 11), the 11 double finals complete the set.
One Word for Each Compound Vowel
Read each word, then click to check.
| Vowel | Word | English | Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㅐ | 개 | dog | Showgae |
| ㅔ | 네 | yes | Showne |
| ㅒ | 얘기 | talk; story | Showyae-gi |
| ㅖ | 예쁘다 | to be pretty | Showye-ppeu-da |
| ㅢ | 의사 | doctor | Showui-sa |
| ㅘ | 과일 | fruit | Showgwa-il |
| ㅙ | 왜 | why | Showwae |
| ㅚ | 회사 | company | Showhoe-sa |
| ㅝ | 뭐 | what | Showmwo |
| ㅞ | 웬일 | what a surprise; what's the matter | Showwen-il; sounds like 웬닐 (we-nil) |
| ㅟ | 쉬워요 | it's easy | Showswi-wo-yo; sounds like 쉬워요 (swi-wo-yo) |
One Word for Each Tense Consonant
| Letter | Word | English | Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㄲ | 꽃 | flower | Showkkot; sounds like 꼳 (kkot) alone |
| ㄸ | 딸 | daughter | Showttal |
| ㅃ | 빵 | bread | Showppang |
| ㅆ | 쌀 | rice (uncooked) | Showssal |
| ㅉ | 짜다 | to be salty | Showjja-da |
Read the Passages
Read each passage aloud before opening the check. Remember Chapter 10: some words sound different from how they are spelled, and the check shows the sound.
Passage 1 — Meeting someone
안녕하세요. 저는 필립이에요. 만나서 반갑습니다.
Show reading and meaning
an-nyeong-ha-se-yo. jeo-neun pil-li-bi-e-yo. man-na-seo ban-gap-sseum-ni-da.
Hello. I'm Philip. Nice to meet you.
Passage 2 — The weather
오늘은 날씨가 좋아요. 하늘이 맑아요.
Show reading and meaning
o-neu-reun nal-ssi-ga jo-a-yo. ha-neu-ri mal-ga-yo.
The weather is good today. The sky is clear. (맑아요 links the ㄺ: the ㄹ stays and the ㄱ moves across.)
Passage 3 — Studying
저는 한국어를 공부해요. 한국어는 재미있어요.
Show reading and meaning
jeo-neun han-gu-geo-reul gong-bu-hae-yo. han-gu-geo-neun jae-mi-i-sseo-yo.
I study Korean. Korean is fun.
Passage 4 — Shopping
시장에서 과일을 샀어요. 값이 싸요. 빵도 샀어요.
Show reading and meaning
si-jang-e-seo gwa-i-reul sa-sseo-yo. gap-ssi ssa-yo. ppang-do sa-sseo-yo.
I bought fruit at the market. The price is cheap. I bought bread too. (값이 sounds like 갑씨: the ㅄ links and the ㅅ is tensed.)
Passage 5 — A day
여덟 시에 학교에 가요. 책을 읽어요. 밥을 먹었어요.
Show reading and meaning
yeo-deol si-e hak-kkyo-e ga-yo. chae-geul il-geo-yo. ba-beul meo-geo-sseo-yo.
I go to school at eight. I read a book. I ate. (여덟 is always 여덜; 읽어요 links as 일거요.)
Passage 6 — It's fine
괜찮아요. 저는 이것이 싫지 않아요. 꽃이 예뻐요.
Show reading and meaning
gwaen-cha-na-yo. jeo-neun i-geo-si sil-chi a-na-yo. kko-chi ye-ppeo-yo.
It's okay. I don't dislike this. The flower is pretty. (괜찮아요 sounds like 괜차나요 because ㅎ is silent before a vowel.)
Where to Go Next
You can now read any Hangul text. You will not yet know the meaning of most words, which is a vocabulary and grammar job. Korean Grammar 1 and Korean Basic 1 on this site are the natural next steps, and Chapter 10's patterns will make more sense the more Korean you hear.
Final Self-Check — 연습
1. How many letters are there in total, and how many of each kind?
Show answer
51: 14 basic consonants, 10 basic vowels, 5 tense consonants, 11 compound vowels and 11 double finals.
2. Read aloud: 닭 · 삶 · 싫다 · 없어요 · 앉아요
Show answer
dak · sam · sil-ta · eop-sseo-yo · an-ja-yo
3. Which compound vowels have a ㅗ or ㅜ as their first part?
Show answer
The w-vowels: ㅘ ㅙ ㅚ (ㅗ) and ㅝ ㅞ ㅟ (ㅜ).
4. Write in Hangul: why, what, doctor.
Show answer
왜 · 뭐 · 의사