The Korean Letter ㅃ (Ssangbieup): Tense Sound and Example Words

What you'll learn (about 20 minutes, level A0, you only need the plain letter ㅂ first)

• Pronounce ㅃ with a tight throat and no puff of air.
• Write ㅃ as two narrow ㅂ shapes.
• Tell 불, 풀 and 뿔 apart by ear.
• Read 아빠, 오빠 and 바빠요 aloud.

What Does the Korean Letter ㅃ Sound Like?

The Korean letter ㅃ sounds like the p in English "spin" or "spy" with the s removed: a firm p made with a tight throat and no puff of air. Linguists call this a tense (or fortis) consonant, and the IPA symbol is [p͈], where the small mark under the p shows the tension. Revised Romanization, the official Latin spelling system, writes it as "pp".

Start with these words:

• 빵 (ppang), bread Play
• 아빠 (appa), dad Play
• 오빠 (oppa), older brother (said by a female) Play
• 뿔 (ppul), horn Play
• 바빠요 (bappayo), I'm busy Play
• 예뻐요 (yeppeoyo), it's pretty Play

The name 쌍비읍 adds 쌍 (ssang, "pair" or "twin") in front of the name of the plain letter. It follows the pattern explained on the page about Korean consonant names. The letter ㅃ is one of the five double consonants, and the page on Korean double consonants shows how the group works together.

How Is ㅃ Different from the English P?

English does not have a separate tense p, but you already make the sound in "spin". The p in "spin" is not aspirated, because the s before it removes the puff. Put your hand in front of your mouth and say "pin" and then "spin". You feel a puff for "pin" and almost none for "spin". ㅃ matches the "spin" p, and the aspirated ㅍ matches the "pin" p.

ㅃ is also not the English b. English b is voiced and soft, and a Korean listener hears it as a plain ㅂ. ㅃ is voiceless and tight, so it sounds closer to p than b.

A home test works well. Hold a thin strip of paper close to your lips and say 빠. The paper should stay still. Now say 파 (pa, with the aspirated letter ㅍ). The paper should flutter. A second cue is in the throat: for ㅃ, the throat feels tight, as if you were holding your breath just before the sound.

The English comparison has limits. In "spin", the p follows an s, while ㅃ can start a word on its own, and the Korean tension is stronger. In Seoul speech, a syllable that begins with ㅃ also typically starts on a higher pitch than one that begins with ㅂ. Do not say a long double p. ㅃ is one sound.

The three p-type letters at a glance:

The next section explains why ㅃ looks like two ㅂ.

Why Does ㅃ Look Like ㅂ Written Twice?

ㅃ is ㅂ written twice because Hangul builds tense sounds by doubling the plain letter. In the Hunminjeongeum Haerye (1446), the text that explained the design of Hangul, this is described as writing the same letter side by side (각자병서, gakjabyeongseo). The doubled shape tells the reader that the sound is tighter and stronger.

The same idea gives ㄲ from ㄱ, ㄸ from ㄷ, ㅆ from ㅅ and ㅉ from ㅈ. These five letters are called 쌍자음 (ssangjaeum, "twin consonants"), and their sounds are called 된소리 (doenssori, "hard sounds"). The letter name describes how the letter is written, and the sound name describes how it feels, but they refer to the same five letters.

Now that you know how the shape works, here is how to write it.

How to Write ㅃ in 8 Strokes

ㅃ is written with 8 strokes in standard print: one ㅂ, then a second ㅂ right next to it. Each ㅂ takes 4 strokes.

1. Draw the first ㅂ: a left vertical line, a right vertical line, a short bar across the middle, and a bar along the bottom.
2. Draw the second ㅂ in the same way, immediately to the right and at the same height.

Success check: your ㅃ has two identical ㅂ shapes at the same height, each narrow and complete, with a small gap between them. The two ㅂ do not share a middle stroke.

Inside a block, both ㅂ shapes become narrow so that the pair fits into the width of one letter. In 빵, ㅃ sits on the left, ㅏ sits on the right and ㅇ sits underneath. The most common handwriting problem is drawing one long shared middle stroke, which turns the pair into a different shape. Keep the strokes separate. You can compare ㅃ with its neighbours in stroke order for double letters.

Next, a look at what ㅃ does in different places inside a word.

ㅃ at the Start, Middle and End of a Word

ㅃ is tense at the start and in the middle of a word, and it is never written at the end of a syllable. The table shows each position.

ㅃ Is Never a Final Consonant

ㅃ is never a final consonant because Korean spelling does not allow ㄸ, ㅃ or ㅉ at the bottom of a block. A letter at the bottom of a syllable block is called a batchim (받침, final consonant), and the glossary entry on batchim defines the term. Among the double letters, only ㄲ and ㅆ may appear there.

This is a spelling fact. It also means that you only ever meet ㅃ at the start of a syllable block. At the bottom of a block, the final-sound rules of the 국립국어원 표준 발음법 (Standard Pronunciation Rules, National Institute of Korean Language) reduce every letter to one of 7 sounds, and the one for the lips is [p]. See the seven final sounds for the full list.

Hearing ㅃ Where It Is Not Written

You hear a tense [p͈] in places where the spelling shows a plain ㅂ, because Korean tenses certain consonants after a final stop. This is called tensification (경음화), described in Articles 23 to 28 of the Standard Pronunciation Rules.

• 국밥 (gukbap), rice soup, said [국빱] Play
• 책방 (chaekbang), bookstore, said [책빵] Play
• 떡볶이 (tteokbokki), spicy rice cakes, said [떡뽀끼] Play

In each word, a final [k] sound comes right before ㅂ, and the ㅂ becomes tense. Learners hear a "pp" there even though the spelling has a single ㅂ. The lesson on tensification lists the contexts. For now, expect a tense sound after a final [k], [t] or [p] sound.

Next, a look at the verbs where ㅃ shows up.

How Does ㅃ Appear in 바빠요 and 예뻐요?

ㅃ appears in 바빠요 and 예뻐요 because the verb stems 바쁘- and 예쁘- lose their vowel ㅡ before the ending 아요 or 어요. The dictionary forms are 바쁘다 (to be busy) and 예쁘다 (to be pretty). When the ending is added, the ㅡ drops, the consonant ㅃ joins the new vowel, and you get 바빠요 and 예뻐요.

• 바쁘다 → 바빠요 (bappayo), I'm busy Play
• 예쁘다 → 예뻐요 (yeppeoyo), it's pretty Play

You do not need to learn the full pattern now. It is a regular rule for verbs whose stem ends in ㅡ, and the lesson on ㅡ irregular verbs covers it in detail. The point for this page is that ㅃ is a common letter in daily verbs, so it pays to learn it early.

Now put the pieces together in a worked example.

Worked Example: Reading 빵, 오빠 and 예뻐요

Reading a Korean syllable means splitting the block into its parts and joining the sounds. Here are three examples.

Example 1: 빵 (bread).

1. Split the block: ㅃ + ㅏ + ㅇ.
2. Say a tight p, then [a], then a final [ng] with the back of the tongue raised.
3. Join them: [빵], romanized ppang. Play

Example 2: 오빠 (older brother, said by a female).

1. Split the first block: silent ㅇ + ㅗ, giving [o].
2. Split the second block: ㅃ + ㅏ, giving a tight [ppa].
3. Join them: [오빠], romanized oppa. Play

Example 3: 예뻐요 (it's pretty).

1. Split the blocks: silent ㅇ + ㅖ, then ㅃ + ㅓ, then silent ㅇ + ㅛ.
2. Say [ye], then a tight [ppeo], then [yo].
3. Join them: [예뻐요], romanized yeppeoyo. Play

Check yourself: if you can read all three aloud without the romanization, you have the core skill. Romanization is only a learning aid shown in parentheses.

Reading is easier once your ear can separate the three p-type sounds.

불 / 풀 / 뿔: Hearing the Difference

불, 풀 and 뿔 form a minimal set: three words that differ only in their first consonant. 불 (bul) means "fire" and has plain ㅂ. 풀 (pul) means "grass" (and also "glue") and has aspirated ㅍ. 뿔 (ppul) means "horn" and has tense ㅃ.

Most English speakers find ㅍ easy to hear, because of the puff, and then find ㅂ and ㅃ hard to separate, since neither has a puff. ㅃ is the tight one. Compare with the aspirated letter ㅍ. For longer listening sets, see plain, tense and aspirated sounds.

The next section collects the errors that cost learners the most.

Which Mistakes Do Learners Make with ㅃ?

Most learners make one of three errors with ㅃ, and each has a quick fix.

1. Pronouncing ㅃ as English b. English b is voiced and soft. Fix: say the p in "spin" with a tight throat, with no voice buzz.
2. Writing ㅃ with one shared middle stroke. The two ㅂ shapes must stay separate. Fix: finish the first ㅂ completely, then draw the second.
3. Using 오빠 as a male speaker. 오빠 is what a woman calls an older brother or an older male friend or partner. A man calls his own older brother 형 (hyeong). Fix: use 오빠 only when you are the woman speaking.

Learners often assume that a doubled letter means a doubled length. Actually, the doubled shape marks tension, not length. A second belief is that ㅃ is the same sound as the "b" in romanized 바빠요 (bappayo). The romanized b there stands for the plain ㅂ in 바, and the pp stands for the tense ㅃ.

You are now ready to test what you have learned.

Practice: Read and Hear ㅃ

Complete these exercises before you check the answers.

1. Read aloud. Say each word and write its pronunciation in brackets: 빵, 아빠, 오빠, 뿔, 바빠요, 예뻐요.
2. Listen and choose. Play the clips for the next three words. For each one, decide whether it starts with ㅂ, ㅍ or ㅃ: Play Play Play
3. Write. Write ㅃ three times in 8 strokes, then write the blocks 빠 and 빵.
4. Predict. How are 국밥 and 책방 pronounced? Which doubled letters can end a syllable?

Answers to the Practice

1. 빵 [빵], 아빠 [아빠], 오빠 [오빠], 뿔 [뿔], 바빠요 [바빠요], 예뻐요 [예뻐요]. All six are read as spelled.
2. The order of the clips is 뿔 (ㅃ), 불 (ㅂ), 풀 (ㅍ). If you got two of three, repeat the paper test and listen again.
3. Your ㅃ should have two complete, separate ㅂ shapes at the same height.
4. 국밥 is [국빱] and 책방 is [책빵]. Only ㄲ and ㅆ can end a syllable.

Review the letter with the other consonants in the Hangul flashcard decks, which play audio only when you tap. Test whether you can hear 불 / 풀 / 뿔 in the Hangul listening quizzes, or print the double consonants worksheet. For hands-on building, try the Hangul Syllable Builder and the interactive Hangul alphabet.

What Should You Learn after ㅃ?

After ㅃ, continue to the next letter lesson on ㅆ. To see the whole group, read about Korean double consonants and print the Korean consonants chart to see ㅃ beside all 19 consonants.

This lesson covers the sound, name, shape and early sound changes of ㅃ. It does not cover every sound-change rule, which lives in the pronunciation section, or the vowels that combine with ㅃ. Audio on this page is machine-generated and its review status is shown beside each clip; the Korean text and audio are drafts until a Korean specialist signs them off.

Questions about the Korean Letter ㅃ

Why is 오빠 spelled oppa? Revised Romanization writes ㅃ as pp, so 오빠 becomes oppa. The doubled letters in romanization copy the doubled letter in Hangul and show that the p is tense. The word is used by a woman for an older brother or an older male friend. Its popularity in fan culture comes from this everyday use.

Can ㅃ be a final consonant? No. ㅃ is never written as a final consonant, so you will only see it at the start of a syllable block. Among the double letters, only ㄲ and ㅆ can appear at the bottom of a block. If you hear a tense p after another consonant, as in 국밥 [국빱], the spelling has a plain ㅂ.

How many strokes does ㅃ have? ㅃ has 8 strokes in standard print, because it is two ㅂ shapes and each ㅂ has 4 strokes: a left line, a right line, a middle bar and a bottom bar. Draw the first ㅂ completely before the second. Keep both the same height and narrow enough to fit in one letter space.

What is the difference between ㅂ, ㅍ and ㅃ? All three are made with both lips. ㅂ is plain, with a light breath. ㅍ is aspirated, with a strong puff of air. ㅃ is tense, with a tight throat and no puff. Compare 불 (fire), 풀 (grass) and 뿔 (horn). The first letter is the only difference between the three words.

Is 빵 a Korean or a borrowed word? 빵 is usually described as a loanword, traced to the Portuguese word pão by way of Japanese. It is now fully part of everyday Korean and is written with the Korean letter ㅃ. It tells you that borrowed words can contain tense sounds. The Japanese form of the word is パン (pan).