The consonant shapes show the mouth: ㄱ is the tongue touching the back of the mouth, ㄴ the tongue on the ridge behind the teeth, ㅁ the closed lips.
| letter | sound | example |
|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | g / k | 가 ga |
| ㄴ | n | 나 na |
| ㄷ | d / t | 다 da |
| ㄹ | r / l | 라 ra |
| ㅁ | m | 마 ma |
| ㅂ | b / p | 바 ba |
| ㅅ | s (sh before ㅣ) | 사 sa, 시 si |
| ㅇ | silent / ng | 아 a |
| ㅈ | j | 자 ja |
| ㅎ | h | 하 ha |
ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅈ sound softer than English k t p ch: somewhere between g/k, d/t, b/p. ㄹ is a quick flap between r and l, like the "tt" in American "butter".