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The Hangul Course · Lesson 4 of 6

Strong & Double Consonants

Add a stroke, add some air: ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅊ — and the tense twins ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ.

12 min
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불풀뿔plain · breathy · tense

Remember the family-tree rule from Lesson 1: add a stroke, get a stronger sound. This lesson is that rule in action — no new shapes to learn, just upgrades to letters you already know.

Add a stroke, add a puff of air

Four basic consonants gain a stroke and become aspirated — said with a clear puff of breath. Hold your palm in front of your mouth: with these letters you should feel the air land on it.

ㅋk“k” as in kite, breathyㄱ + a stroke
ㅌt“t” as in top, breathyㄷ + a stroke
ㅍp“p” as in pie, breathyㅂ + strokes
ㅊch“ch” as in cheese, breathyㅈ + a stroke
ㅋ+ㅗ코ko · nose
토마토Show answer
to-ma-to — “tomato”. Feel the puff on both ㅌ's.
피자Show answer
pi-ja — “pizza”.
카페Show answer
ka-pe — “café”. You'll read this one on every street in Seoul.

Double the letter, tense the sound

Five consonants can also be doubled: ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ. These are tense sounds — the opposite of breathy. Squeeze the sound out with a stiff mouth and throat, and no puff of air. They feel a little like saying the letter while slightly holding your breath.

ㄲkktight “g”, no airㄱ doubled
ㄸtttight “d”, no airㄷ doubled
ㅃpptight “b”, no airㅂ doubled
ㅆsssharp, hissing “s”ㅅ doubled
ㅉjjtight “j”, no airㅈ doubled
아빠Show answer
a-ppa — “dad”. One of the first words Korean babies say.
오빠Show answer
o-ppa — a woman's older brother. Yes, that oppa from the dramas.

Why the difference matters: 불 · 풀 · 뿔

Here's the famous trio that shows all three strengths of the same letter, side by side:

ㅂ+ㅜ+ㄹ불bul · fire — plain
ㅍ+ㅜ+ㄹ풀pul · grass — breathy
ㅃ+ㅜ+ㄹ뿔ppul · horn — tense
팁
Don't stress about perfecting these on day one. Context almost always makes you understood, and your ear will sharpen with listening. Knowing the three-way system exists already puts you ahead of most beginners.

What you just learned

  • Aspirated ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅊ: basic letters + a stroke + a puff of air.
  • Tense ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ: doubled letters, squeezed out with no air.
  • The same shape can be plain, breathy, or tense: 불 · 풀 · 뿔.
  • You read 코, 토마토, 피자, 카페, 아빠, 오빠.

Quick check

Did it stick?

Three quick questions — instant answers, no grades, no pressure.

1.What turns ㄱ into ㅋ?

2.Doubled letters like ㅃ are pronounced…

3.불, 풀, and 뿔 differ only in…

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The reading path explains the culture and logic that make Korean click — a perfect companion to these lessons.

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