Korean Alphabet a to Z: English Letters and Their Hangul Match

What you'll learn (about 25 minutes, no prerequisites)

• Find the closest Hangul letter or letters for each English letter A to Z.
• Explain why a one-to-one match between the two alphabets is impossible.
• Name the sounds with no Hangul match and the standard substitutions.
• Spell a simple English name in Hangul by sound.

Korean Alphabet a to Z Table

The Korean alphabet A to Z table below shows the closest Hangul letter or letters for each English letter, based on its most common sound. It also gives one loanword (an English word borrowed into Korean) and the Korean name for the letter. The table uses the spellings of the official Loanword Orthography (외래어 표기법), the rules from the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) for writing foreign words in Hangul.

The audio is generated and awaits review by a Korean specialist. Notice that the table lists sounds, not letters: Hangul writes sounds, so the table works from the sound of the English letter, not its shape.

Next, why a one-to-one match cannot work.

Can English Letters Map to Hangul?

English letters cannot map one-to-one to Hangul, because the two alphabets count different things. English has 26 letters that each stand for several sounds. Hangul has 40 letters that each stand for one main sound. A table from letter to letter therefore always needs "or".

Three differences explain the "or":

1. One English letter, many sounds. The letter C is k in "coffee" and s in "center". The letter G is g in "game" and j in "gym". Hangul uses different letters for each: ㅋ or ㅅ, and ㄱ or ㅈ.
2. Different sets of sounds. English has f, v, z and th. Standard Korean does not, so those sounds are matched to the nearest Hangul letters.
3. Different units. Hangul builds syllable blocks, so a consonant alone cannot stand. Writing "B" as ㅂ needs a vowel: 브 (beu) or 비 (bi).

This is why spelling by letter fails and spelling by sound works. The Korean spelling of an English word follows how it sounds, not how it is spelled in English. For example, "knife" has a silent k but is written 나이프, with no ㅋ.

The order of the alphabets is also different. Hangul does not run A to Z; its dictionary order starts ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, and the traditional recitation is 가나다라마바사. See Korean alphabet order for the full sequence.

With the main limit explained, the next question is which English sounds have no match at all.

Which English Letters Have No Hangul Match?

Four English sounds have no exact Hangul letter: f, v, z and th. Standard Korean does not use these sounds, so the official rules replace each with the nearest available letter. Korean speakers can learn to say them, but the writing system does not mark them.

Three consequences follow:

• Different English words can sound the same in Hangul. "Fan" and "pan" are both 팬. "Berry" and "very" are 베리 in many writings.
• English R and L are both ㄹ. "Light" and "right" are both 라이트. Korean has one letter for the two sounds.
• Final p, t and k sounds after a long vowel, or inside a cluster, get an added vowel ㅡ (으) in loanwords: "cake" is 케이크 and "stamp" is 스탬프.

Honest note: these are the written conventions. Many Korean speakers do pronounce English f and v when speaking English. The table describes how Hangul spells the sounds, not how Koreans can speak.

Learn more in sounds Korean lacks, and the rules in Korean loanword orthography.

How Are English Vowels Written in Hangul?

English vowels are written by the sound they make in the word, and the same English letter often uses different Hangul vowels. The table lists common vowel sounds with examples.

The point is that Hangul has only one ㅏ, one ㅓ and one ㅗ, so several English vowels share them. This is another reason why a one-letter match cannot work. The general rule of thumb: listen to the English word, then pick the closest vowel from the Korean vowels chart.

How Does the Match Work in Reverse, from Hangul to English?

Going from Hangul to English is easier, because each Hangul letter has one main sound and only a few English letters can write it. The table gives the closest English letter or letters for each of the 14 basic consonants. It uses Revised Romanization (RR), South Korea's official Latin spelling, as a learning aid.

The table shows a pattern: the Hangul letters that vary by position (ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㄹ) need two English letters, while the others need one. See the Korean consonants chart for the full start and end sounds.

Now, how do Koreans say the English letters themselves?

How Do Koreans Say the English Alphabet?

Koreans say the English letters with Korean names written in Hangul, and the names are borrowed from English. The last column of the table above lists them: A is 에이, B is 비, C is 씨, D is 디, and so on. They are used for acronyms, school grades, blood types and spelling out brand names. For example, "KTX" is read as 케이티엑스 and "USB" as 유에스비.

Four details help:

1. C is 씨 (ssi), not 시. The tense ㅆ marks the sound.
2. R is 아르 in the table, and 알 is another common reading.
3. Z is 제트 in the table. Some speakers say 지, which clashes with G (also 지), so G is sometimes said 쥐.
4. W is 더블유, a four-syllable name based on "double-u".

The English letter names are different from the Hangul letter names. Hangul letters have their own names, such as 기역 for ㄱ and 니은 for ㄴ. See Korean consonant names for those.

The names show how Koreans handle the English alphabet. The next section applies the table to real spellings.

Worked Example: Spelling "Zoe" and "Victor"

The way to spell an English name in Hangul is to listen to the sound, write each syllable, and check the substitutions. This example uses two names with sounds that have no match.

Name 1: Zoe (sound: zo-ee).

1. The first sound is z. Hangul has no z, so use ㅈ.
2. The vowel sound is "oh", which is ㅗ.
3. The last sound is "ee", which is ㅣ and needs a syllable of its own.
4. Join: ㅈ + ㅗ = 조, then 이. A typical spelling is 조이.

Name 2: Victor (sound: vik-ter).

1. The first sound is v. Hangul has no v, so use ㅂ.
2. The vowel is "i" as in "ship", which is ㅣ, and the k closes the syllable as ㄱ: 빅.
3. The next sound is "ter": ㅌ + ㅓ = 터.
4. Join: 빅터.

You will know it worked when a Korean reader can say your spelling and recognise the name. The common slip is spelling letter by letter: "Victor" is not 브이아이씨티오아르. The sound of the name decides the spelling. For more on this, see write your name in Korean.

A short checklist works for any English word:

1. Say the word aloud and split it into syllables by sound.
2. Write each consonant with its closest Hangul letter from the table.
3. Add a vowel after any stand-alone consonant, usually ㅡ (으).
4. Replace f, v and z with ㅍ, ㅂ and ㅈ, and th with ㅅ (thin) or ㄷ (the).
5. Read the result aloud and ask whether it sounds like the word.

Names can have several accepted spellings, so treat these as typical forms and not the only ones. The next section lists the traps.

Common Mistakes with the Korean Alphabet a to Z

Learners most often make six mistakes. Each has a fix.

Common misconception: Learners often assume that Hangul is a Korean version of the Latin alphabet with different shapes. Actually, Hangul is a separate system that builds syllable blocks from consonants and vowels, with letters that stand for single sounds. The two alphabets do not share an order or a one-to-one set of letters.

Limitation: the table gives the standard written forms. Real usage has variants, especially for names and brand words, and the audio on this page is generated and awaits review. For official spellings, check the National Institute of Korean Language's loanword examples.

Now practise.

Practice with the Chart

Do these exercises with the table open, then close it and repeat.

Exercise 1: Match. Which Hangul letter is closest to each English letter: B, K, S, P?

Exercise 2: No match. Write the standard Hangul substitute for f, v and z.

Exercise 3: Spell. Write these English words in Hangul by sound: bus, taxi, pizza.

Exercise 4: Say. Say the Korean names of the letters in "USB".

Exercise 5: Spot. Which letters of the English alphabet can be both ㅋ and ㅅ?

Answers to the Practice

1. B is ㅂ, K is ㅋ, S is ㅅ, P is ㅍ.
2. f is ㅍ, v is ㅂ, z is ㅈ.
3. 버스, 택시, 피자.
4. U is 유, S is 에스, B is 비: 유에스비.
5. The letter C: k in "coffee" is ㅋ, and s in "center" is ㅅ.

For more practice, use the Hangul worksheets.

What to Learn Next

After this table, learn the Hangul letters themselves and then practise writing names. The best next step is the Korean consonants chart, which shows all 19 consonants with their sounds. When you want to write your own name, use the lesson on write your name in Korean. For every chart on the site, see all Hangul charts.

Scope of this page: the table covers the closest Hangul match for each English letter, the missing sounds and the English letter names. It does not cover full loanword orthography or name transliteration in depth.

The Korean alphabet A to Z is best understood as a map from English sounds to Hangul letters, with four gaps and many "or" choices.

Frequently Asked Questions