How to Write Korean Syllable Blocks Neatly

What you'll learn (about 30 minutes)

• Write the letters of a block in the right order, whatever the layout.
• Give each letter the right share of the square in all six layouts.
• Hand-write 12 syllables and 3 words, and check them against a short list of criteria.

Before you start: you should know the stroke order of consonants, vowels and the double letters. Use paper with a grid of 10 mm squares.

What Does Writing a Syllable Block Involve?

Writing a syllable block means fitting two to four letters into one square so that they read as a single unit. Hangul letters are not written in a line like English letters. They are stacked and grouped, and one block equals one syllable. 한글 has two blocks, 한 and 글, because it has two syllables.

Each block has up to three positions, and Korean linguists give them Sino-Korean names: 초성 (choseong, the initial consonant), 중성 (jungseong, the vowel) and 종성 (jongseong, the final consonant). Every block has an initial and a vowel. The final is optional. When a syllable starts with a vowel sound, the initial slot holds the silent consonant ㅇ, as in 아.

The structure of blocks, meaning how to read them, is covered in syllable block shapes. This page is about the hand. The question is no longer "which letters are inside", but "how big is each one, and in what order do I draw it".

How to Write Korean Syllable Blocks in Order

The order of writing a block is always the same: initial consonant, then vowel, then final consonant, finishing each letter before starting the next. Within each letter you follow its own stroke order, which you learned in the earlier lessons of this series. The general rules are on the Hangul stroke order page.

1. Draw the initial consonant in its space, using its own stroke order.
2. Draw the vowel beside it or below it.
3. Draw the final consonant, if there is one, in the bottom of the block.

For 각, the sequence is ㄱ (1 stroke), then ㅏ (2 strokes), then the final ㄱ (1 stroke), a total of four strokes.

A point that surprises many learners: the order does not follow what is visually on top. In 기, the vowel ㅣ is drawn to the right of the ㄱ, and it is the tall line, but ㄱ is still drawn first. In the same way, the long vertical of ㅏ in 가 is drawn after the ㄱ even though it is taller. Think "in the order of reading", not "in the order of the picture".

Another point to remember: do not run the whole block together as one scribble. Each letter is a unit. Write it, pause for a moment, then write the next. The pause is what keeps letters from running into each other.

How Much Space Does Each Letter Get?

Each letter gets a share of the square that depends on the layout. There are six layouts: three vowel types (vertical, horizontal, mixed), each with and without a final consonant. The percentages below are typical guides used for hand practice, not fixed rules, and printed fonts vary.

Why a final consonant takes "roughly the bottom third": two thirds of the height is enough for an initial and a vowel, and a third is enough for a small final. If the final is as large as the initial, the block grows taller than its neighbours.

Blocks with a Vertical Vowel

A vertical-vowel block puts the vowel on the right of the initial consonant. Vertical vowels are ㅏ ㅓ ㅑ ㅕ ㅣ and also ㅐ ㅔ ㅒ ㅖ. In 가, the ㄱ takes the left part and the vowel's long line should be as tall as the square. With a final, as in 각, the consonant and the vowel are squeezed into the upper two thirds. Compare with reading vertical-vowel blocks.

Blocks with a Horizontal Vowel

A horizontal-vowel block puts the vowel under the initial consonant. Horizontal vowels are ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ. In 고, the ㄱ sits on the top half, flat and wide, and the vowel's long horizontal line spans the width of the square. With a final, as in 곡, the three parts stack in thirds. The vowel line should be as wide as the initial consonant, not wider.

Blocks with a Mixed Vowel

A mixed-vowel block uses a vowel that has a horizontal part and a vertical part, such as ㅘ ㅝ ㅙ ㅞ ㅚ ㅟ ㅢ. In 과, the ㄱ is at the top left, the horizontal ㅗ sits under it, and the vertical ㅏ stands on the right and spans the full height. With a final, as in 곽, the final consonant sits under both parts of the vowel.

The sounds behind these layouts are not needed here. For the fine detail of final consonants, see the lesson on batchim.

Why Do Letters Change Shape inside a Block?

Letters change shape because they are fitted to the space they are given. The same letter is not drawn the same way in every block. Four common changes:

• ㄱ has a slanted tail before a vertical vowel (as in 가), where the line must leave room on the right. Before a horizontal vowel (as in 고), it is flat and wide.
• ㅅ becomes wider and flatter when it sits above a horizontal vowel, as in 소.
• ㄹ as a final is drawn squat, so that its three strokes fit in the bottom third, as in 말.
• ㅂ appears twice in 밥: the initial ㅂ is tall and narrow beside ㅏ, while the final ㅂ is shorter and wider, so the block keeps its square outline.

These changes are a matter of the fit. You do not need to learn them as separate letters. You need to leave the room, and let the letter shrink to the space. Handwriting styles are compared in the section on Korean handwriting styles.

An expert tip: before you write a block, decide where the vowel will go. Once the vowel's position is clear, the consonant's shape follows naturally. Beginners who draw the consonant at full size first often have no room left for the vowel.

How Do You Check Proportions on a Grid?

A faint guide grid inside each square makes the proportions easy to see. Draw a light cross through the centre of the square, then two light horizontal lines at one third and two thirds of the height. These lines are only for practice, and you can erase them or use a ready-made practice grid.

With the guides in place, the six layouts become simple rules:

• A vertical vowel block: the initial consonant fills roughly the left half, crossing the vertical centre line only slightly, and the vowel's long line stands to the right of it.
• A horizontal vowel block: the initial consonant stays above the horizontal centre line, and the vowel's long line sits just under it.
• A block with a final: the final consonant sits below the lower guide line, and the other letters stay above it.

What happens with double letters and clusters? They take the share of one letter. A double initial such as ㅃ in 빵 fills the initial's space with two narrow halves, and a cluster final such as ㄺ in 닭 fills the final's space with two narrow letters. In both cases, the block stays the same size as a simple block. The writing of those shapes is in the lesson on double letters.

What about blocks that start with the silent ㅇ, like 아 or 우? ㅇ is a real letter in the layout, so it takes the initial's space. Write it small and round in the upper left, and give the vowel the rest.

Practise with the guides for one week, then remove them. The aim is for your hand to keep the thirds even without the lines. If a block starts to drift, put the guide lines back for a few days and compare the old and new pages side by side. Keep your first page of blocks, too, so that you can see your own progress after a month.

Worked Example: Writing 한글

Writing 한글 (Hangul) takes 11 strokes in two blocks: 6 for 한 and 5 for 글. The first block is a vertical vowel with a final, and the second block is a horizontal vowel with a final.

한, step by step (6 strokes):

1. Strokes 1 to 3: ㅎ in the upper left (short top mark, bar, then a circle). Keep the circle small.
2. Strokes 4 and 5: ㅏ on the right, with its long line as tall as the upper two thirds of the square and the tick at the middle.
3. Stroke 6: the final ㄴ in the bottom third, down and then across.

글, step by step (5 strokes):

1. Stroke 1: ㄱ at the top, flat and wide.
2. Stroke 2: ㅡ in the middle, left to right, as wide as the ㄱ.
3. Strokes 3 to 5: the final ㄹ in the bottom third (a ㄱ shape, a short bar, then a ㄴ shape), squat and flat.

Check the result. Both blocks should be about the same height and width, and the gap between them should be smaller than the width of either block. If the finals ㄴ and ㄹ are the same size as the initial consonants, shrink them next time.

What Makes Blocks Look Unbalanced?

Blocks look unbalanced when the letters inside are the wrong size or the blocks are spaced unevenly. Three mistakes appear most often.

Common misconception: many learners think each block must be a perfect square. It does not. Square is an ideal, and ㅡ-vowel blocks like 그 tend to be wide while ㅣ-vowel blocks like 이 tend to be narrow. What matters is that all the blocks in a word share the same height and the same baseline.

Limit of this page: the percentages here are typical guides, not rules. School books and calligraphers use slightly different proportions, and fonts differ again. Use the table as a starting point, then adjust to your own textbook.

Copy Drill on a Square Grid

Copy each syllable three times on a 10 mm grid, then write it once from memory. Say each syllable aloud as you write it, so that the shape and the sound are practised together. The 12 syllables cover all six layouts. Check each with the criteria below.

Then write three whole words, twice each: 사람 (person), 학교 (school) and 읽다 (to read). 학교 is pronounced [학꾜] and 읽다 is pronounced [익따], so the sound differs from the spelling. The word 읽다 also has a two-letter final, ㄺ, covered in the lesson on double letters.

Self-check criteria. Give one point for each:

1. Letters were drawn in the order initial, vowel, final.
2. The vowel's long stroke fills its area.
3. The final is in the bottom third and smaller than the initial.
4. Every block in a word has the same height.
5. The gaps between blocks are equal.

A score of 4 or 5 out of 5 on most blocks means you are ready to move on. For more grids to print, use the grid worksheets.

What to Learn Next

After you can write blocks neatly, practise whole words and dictation. Continue with Hangul writing practice, which has four stages from tracing to dictation. When you want to explore styles beyond the standard print forms, see Korean handwriting styles.

To remember how to write Korean syllable blocks: initial consonant first, vowel second, final last, and every letter smaller than it would be on its own.

Frequently Asked Questions