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

GroupCountLettersCourse
Basic consonants14Korean Alphabet 1
Basic vowels10Korean Alphabet 1
Tense consonants5Chapters 1–2
Compound vowels11Chapters 3–6
Double finals11Chapters 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.

VowelWordEnglishCheck
dog
Showgae
yes
Showne
talk; story
Showyae-gi
to be pretty
Showye-ppeu-da
doctor
Showui-sa
fruit
Showgwa-il
why
Showwae
company
Showhoe-sa
what
Showmwo
what a surprise; what's the matter
Showwen-il; sounds like 웬닐 (we-nil)
it's easy
Showswi-wo-yo; sounds like 쉬워요 (swi-wo-yo)

One Word for Each Tense Consonant

LetterWordEnglishCheck
flower
Showkkot; sounds like 꼳 (kkot) alone
daughter
Showttal
bread
Showppang
rice (uncooked)
Showssal
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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Not Yet Verified I did not search for this chapter. All words, meanings, passages and readings are from my own knowledge, and the passages are my own simple sentences, not taken from a textbook. Check the less common ones (웬일, 짜다, 싫지 않아요) and the sound-alike readings in a dictionary such as Naver, and ask a Korean speaker if you can. The letter counts match the earlier chapters, which used Wikipedia's "Hangul" page.
Sources for This Chapter My own knowledge, plus Wikipedia, "Hangul" and "Korean phonology", as used in Chapters 1–10.

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: · · · ·

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

· ·

Course Complete You have finished Korean Alphabet 2. 축하합니다!