Hangul Syllable Blocks Worksheet for Beginners

You already know the Korean consonants and vowels. Now it's time to put them together. In Korean, letters are never written in a long line like English. They are grouped into syllable blocks, and every block is read as one syllable. This free two-page worksheet teaches the simplest kind of block, a consonant plus the vowel ㅏ, and gets you writing 14 syllables and your first four Korean words.

What's inside

• How a syllable block works: ㄱ + ㅏ = 가, with a picture of how the two letters share one square.
• Trace, then write: 가 나 다 라 마 바 사 on page 1 and 아 자 차 카 타 파 하 on page 2. Each row has a model, five letters to trace, and four empty boxes to write on your own.
• Your first Korean words: 바다 (sea), 나라 (country), 사자 (lion), 하마 (hippo). Each one uses only the syllables you just practiced.
• Mini quiz: six quick questions with the answers printed upside down at the bottom.

How a Korean syllable block works

Every Korean syllable starts with a consonant. The vowel goes next to it or under it, depending on its shape. Tall vowels like ㅏ go on the right, so the consonant takes the left half of the square and ㅏ takes the right half:

ㄱ + ㅏ = 가  ·  ㄴ + ㅏ = 나  ·  ㅎ + ㅏ = 하

One special case: ㅇ has no sound at the start of a block. A syllable needs a consonant in the first position, so when it begins with a vowel sound, ㅇ fills the empty spot. That's why 아 sounds just like "a".

The 14 syllables at a glance

Notice the pairs: ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅊ are the breathy versions of ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅈ. Hold a sheet of paper in front of your mouth. It should move when you say 카 and barely move when you say 가.

Tips for practicing

• Consonant first, then the vowel. Inside each letter, write strokes from top to bottom and from left to right.
• Keep the block square. The dashed lines in every box show the halves. The consonant stays in the left half and ㅏ in the right half.
• Say it out loud every time you write a syllable. Writing and speaking together helps you remember much faster.
• Short and often beats long and rare. One page a day is plenty. Print a fresh copy and repeat until you can write all 14 without looking.

What's next

ㅏ is only one of the vowels. With the other tall vowels, ㅓ, ㅕ and ㅣ, the consonant also sits on the left (거, 너, 기). With the flat vowels, ㅗ, ㅛ, ㅜ, ㅠ and ㅡ, the consonant sits on top (고, 누, 그). Once blocks feel natural, try reading real Korean in our beginner reading lessons, or review words with flashcards.