The basic consonants
ㅋ, ㄲ, and ㄱ are three different letters that all sound like some version of 'g/k' — and Korean absolutely expects you to hear the difference between a puff of air and a stranglehold.
Meet the familyThe idea — The basic consonants
The doubled letters like ㄲ and ㅆ are tense with no puff of air, while ㅋ and ㅌ are their airy cousins — the letter shape itself tells you how to say it.
Next time you see two of the same letter stacked together, your mouth already knows to hold back the air before your brain even finishes reading it.
Questions about The basic consonants
What is the difference between ㄱ, ㄲ, and ㅋ in Korean?
They are three versions of the 'g/k' sound: ㄲ is tense with no puff of air, ㄱ is a plain version, and ㅋ is said with a clear puff of air.
How do you know if a Korean letter is aspirated?
Letters like ㅋ and ㅌ are the 'airy' cousins of their plain counterparts — the letter shape itself tells you to add a puff of air when pronouncing it.
Why are doubled Korean letters like ㄲ and ㅆ pronounced differently?
Doubled letters are tense and pronounced with no air escaping, unlike their single-letter or aspirated versions.
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