Aspirated Consonants: ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ
Learn the aspirated consonants ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ, said with a strong puff of air, and hear how they differ from ㅈ ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ.
Ms. Hana · Hangeul letters & pronunciationWhat you will learn in this lesson
- Read and write ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ and know their Korean names
- Say these consonants with a strong puff of air
- Hear and say the difference between pairs like 가/카, 자/차 and 비/피
- Read words such as 커피, 기차, 포도 and 토마토
Hello! Today we learn four strong consonants. You will need one small tool: a piece of paper, or just the back of your hand. Let's begin.
What does 'aspirated' mean?
Aspirated means 'with a puff of air'. When you say these consonants, a strong burst of breath comes out of your mouth right after the sound.
In English, this difference is not important for meaning. But in Korean it is very important. 가 and 카 are different syllables, and changing one for the other can change a word completely.
The four aspirated consonants are ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ. Three of them look like letters you already know, with one more stroke:
ㅈ + stroke → ㅊ ㄱ + stroke → ㅋ ㄷ + line → ㅌ
The extra stroke is like a picture of extra air. ㅍ has its own shape, but it is the strong partner of ㅂ.
Same tongue position as ㅈ, but push out much more air. Three strokes: the short top stroke, then the two strokes of ㅈ.
Same place as ㄱ (back of the tongue), but release a strong breath. Two strokes: the ㄱ shape, then the short middle line.
Same place as ㄷ (tongue tip behind the upper teeth), but with a strong breath. Think of it as ㄷ with an extra line in the middle.
Close your lips like ㅂ, then open them with a strong breath. Four strokes: top line, left short line, right short line, bottom line.
The paper test
Hold a small piece of paper in front of your mouth, about a hand's width away. Now say 카. The paper should move clearly. Then say 가. The paper should move only a little, or not at all.
If you have no paper, put the back of your hand in front of your lips. You will feel the warm air for 카, 타, 파 and 차.
Here is another useful hint. In standard Seoul speech, a vowel after an aspirated consonant is usually said with a slightly higher pitch. So 카 often sounds a little higher than 가. You do not need to practice pitch now, but if you hear it, you are listening well.
Plain and aspirated partners
| Plain | Name | Aspirated | Name | Same mouth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | 기역 | ㅋ | 키읔 | Back of the tongue |
| ㄷ | 디귿 | ㅌ | 티읕 | Tongue tip |
| ㅂ | 비읍 | ㅍ | 피읖 | Lips |
| ㅈ | 지읒 | ㅊ | 치읓 | Front of the tongue |
Each pair is made in the same place in the mouth. The only difference is the amount of air.
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Syllable table: aspirated consonant × vowel
| ㅏ | ㅓ | ㅗ | ㅜ | ㅡ | ㅣ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㅊ | 차 | 처 | 초 | 추 | 츠 | 치 |
| ㅋ | 카 | 커 | 코 | 쿠 | 크 | 키 |
| ㅌ | 타 | 터 | 토 | 투 | 트 | 티 |
| ㅍ | 파 | 퍼 | 포 | 푸 | 프 | 피 |
Use the paper test on every block. Each one should make the paper move.
The next part is the most important of today. Let's compare plain and aspirated sounds side by side. Say each pair slowly, and feel the air.
Plain vs aspirated
- 가 ga plain: light k, little air The paper barely moves.
- 카 ka aspirated: k with a strong puff The paper moves clearly.
- 자다 jada to sleep Plain ㅈ: gentle.
- 차다 chada to kick; to be cold Aspirated ㅊ: a strong burst of air.
- 비 bi rain Plain ㅂ.
- 피 pi blood Aspirated ㅍ. Mixing these two can cause funny or confusing moments!
- 기 gi energy, spirit (as in 기운) Plain ㄱ.
- 키 ki height (of a person); key Aspirated ㅋ.
- 달 dal moon Plain ㄷ. The ㄹ at the bottom is an 'l' (batchim); just listen to the first sound.
- 탈 tal mask (traditional) Aspirated ㅌ, same ending.
Aspirated consonants do not soften
Remember that plain ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅈ become soft (like g, d, b, j) between vowels. Aspirated consonants do not do this. They keep their strong air in every position.
Look at 기차 (train). The ㄱ at the start is a light k, and the ㅊ in the middle is still a strong ch with a puff of air. Look at 커피 (coffee): both ㅋ and ㅍ are strong. So if you hear a strong k, t, p or ch in the middle of a word, it is probably ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ or ㅊ.
Real words
- 차 cha car; tea Same word for two meanings. Context makes it clear.
- 코 ko nose
- 키 ki height (of a person)
- 커피 keopi coffee
- 기차 gicha train Light k at the start, strong ch in the middle.
- 포도 podo grapes
- 토마토 tomato tomato
- 피자 pija pizza
- 치마 chima skirt
- 고추 gochu chili pepper
- 우표 upyo postage stamp
- 타조 tajo ostrich
- 파도 pado wave (of the sea)
- 기타 gita guitar; others, etc.
- 치즈 chijeu cheese
- 스키 seuki skiing; skis
- 크기 keugi size
- 아파요 apayo It hurts. / I'm sick. A very useful phrase. The ㅍ keeps its strong air.
Reading drill
| Row | Read aloud |
|---|---|
| 1 | 가 카 다 타 바 파 자 차 |
| 2 | 고 코 도 토 보 포 조 초 |
| 3 | 자다 차다 비 피 기 키 |
| 4 | 커피 기차 포도 토마토 피자 |
| 5 | 가 나 다 라 마 바 사 아 자 차 카 타 파 하 |
Row 5 is the full traditional order of the fourteen basic consonants.
Fourteen basic consonants
With today's lesson, you know all fourteen basic consonants: ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ ㅈ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ. Together with the ten basic vowels, that makes the 24 basic letters of Hangul.
Korean dictionaries use this consonant order, so it is useful to know. Try saying row 5 of the drill every day: 가, 나, 다, 라, 마, 바, 사, 아, 자, 차, 카, 타, 파, 하. Many Korean children learn it as a little chant.
Check quiz
Q1. What makes ㅋ different from ㄱ?
Q2. Which word means 'coffee'?
Q3. Which one means 'blood'?
Q4. What is the Korean name of ㅌ?
Q5. Which letter is the aspirated partner of ㅈ?
Q6. In 기차, how is the ㅊ in the middle pronounced?
Q7. How many basic letters does Hangul have?
Well done! You now know all 24 basic letters of Hangul. Keep your piece of paper, because next time we will learn the tight, tense consonants, and the paper will help again.
Key points
- ㅊ 치읓, ㅋ 키읔, ㅌ 티읕, ㅍ 피읖: said with a strong puff of air.
- Partners: ㄱ–ㅋ, ㄷ–ㅌ, ㅂ–ㅍ, ㅈ–ㅊ are made in the same place; only the air is different.
- Aspirated consonants stay strong between vowels; they do not soften.
- Pairs like 비/피 and 자다/차다 show that air can change meaning.
- You now know all 24 basic letters: 14 consonants and 10 vowels.
Recommended official free resources
- Korean Spelling & Standard Pronunciation rules — National Institute of Korean Language
- Study Korean — Overseas Koreans Agency
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