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The Korean WorkshopA1

Hangul Romanization Quiz: 15 Questions with Feedback

The hangul romanization quiz is a free 15-question self-test on Revised Romanization, the official way to write Korean sounds in the Latin alphabet. It checks vowels such as ㅓ and ㅡ, consonants such as ㅈ and ㅊ, and which spellings follow sound, and it explains every answer in one sentence. It runs in your browser.
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Estimated Time: 8 min Prerequisite: Korean Romanization
Illustrated Korean study scene.
Use this visual to connect the page’s explanation with a concrete study task.

Take the Hangul Romanization Quiz

Korean study illustration: 어머니, eomeoni.
Study Take the hangul romanization quiz.

Practice

Read the examples and check your answer.

    어머니

    Question 1 replay clip

    서울

    Question 2 replay clip

    으

    Question 3 replay clip

    사랑

    Question 4 replay clip

    한국

    Question 9 replay clip

    가방

    Question 12 replay clip

    시장

    Question 13 replay clip

    의사

    Question 14 replay clip

    신라

    Question 15 replay clip

    Practice · 15

    Read the examples and check your answer.

    1. Romanize 어머니 (mother).

      1. omoni
      2. eomeoni
      3. eomoni
      4. omeoni
      Show answer

      eomeoni

      ㅓ is eo, so 어 is eo and 머 is meo.

    2. Romanize 서울.

      1. Seoul
      2. Soul
      3. Seol
      4. Seowul
      Show answer

      Seoul

      ㅓ is eo, ㅜ is u and ㄹ is l; a proper noun takes a capital.

    3. What is the Revised Romanization of ㅡ?

      1. u
      2. eo
      3. ui
      4. eu
      Show answer

      eu

      ㅡ is eu; ㅜ is u.

    4. Romanize 사랑 (love).

      1. salang
      2. sarank
      3. sarang
      4. sarong
      Show answer

      sarang

      Each block is a simple consonant + vowel; ㄹ before a vowel is r and the final ㅇ is ng.

    5. Which letter is written "ch"?

      1. ㅈ
      2. ㅊ
      3. ㅅ
      4. ㅌ
      Show answer

      ㅊ

      ㅊ is ch; ㅈ is j.

    6. Which is the Revised Romanization of 김치?

      1. kimchi
      2. gimchi
      3. Both are Revised Romanization
      Show answer

      gimchi

      Revised Romanization writes initial ㄱ as g; "kimchi" is a common English spelling.

    7. How does Revised Romanization write ㅈ?

      1. z
      2. ts
      3. ch
      4. j
      Show answer

      j

      ㅈ is j, as in 지도 (jido, map).

    8. Which vowel is written "o" in Revised Romanization?

      1. ㅓ
      2. ㅜ
      3. ㅗ
      4. ㅡ
      Show answer

      ㅗ

      ㅗ is o; ㅓ is eo.

    9. Romanize 한국 (Korea).

      1. Hankuk
      2. Hanguk
      3. Hangug
      4. Hangook
      Show answer

      Hanguk

      한 is han and 국 is guk; final ㄱ is written k at the end, and the initial ㄱ is g.

    10. How is ㅐ written in Revised Romanization?

      1. ae
      2. e
      3. ai
      4. a
      Show answer

      ae

      ㅐ is ae, as in 개 (gae, dog).

    11. How is ㅔ written in Revised Romanization?

      1. ae
      2. ei
      3. ye
      4. e
      Show answer

      e

      ㅔ is e, as in 게 (ge, crab).

    12. How is the initial ㄱ in 가방 (bag) written?

      1. k
      2. kk
      3. g
      4. h
      Show answer

      g

      Initial ㄱ is g: gabang. At the end of a block it is k.

    13. Romanize 시장 (market).

      1. shijang
      2. sijang
      3. sijan
      4. sizang
      Show answer

      sijang

      RR writes ㅅ as s even before ㅣ, and ㅈ as j.

    14. Romanize 의사 (doctor).

      1. uisa
      2. eusa
      3. isa
      4. euisa
      Show answer

      uisa

      ㅢ is ui and 사 is sa.

    15. Romanize 신라 (an ancient kingdom).

      1. Sinra
      2. Shinla
      3. Sinla
      4. Silla
      Show answer

      Silla

      The ㄴ and ㄹ are pronounced ll, and RR follows the sound: [실라].

    Follow these steps. Each one tells you what you should see.

    1. Read the question and say any Korean text aloud once. You should see four choices.
    2. Pick one choice by click, tap or by pressing 1, 2, 3 or 4. The Check button turns active.
    3. Select Check. You see "Correct" or "Not quite", the right answer and a one-sentence reason. Select Next.
    4. After question 15, read the summary. It shows how many answers were correct in this session and links to the lesson and deck for the questions you missed.

    Question order and choice order change every session, so a retake is never the same sequence. Answers use Revised Romanization only. McCune-Reischauer and other systems are not used.

    What Does the Hangul Romanization Quiz Cover?

    Korean study illustration: 김치, gimchi, kimchi.
    Study What does the hangul romanization quiz cover.

    The quiz has 15 questions on Revised Romanization (RR). Seven ask for the RR of a vowel or consonant. Seven ask you to romanize a short word, and one compares the official spelling with a familiar English one. The reasons also show that RR follows sound, uses no special marks and capitalizes proper nouns.

    Letter or word RR Common wrong spelling
    ㅓ eo o
    ㅡ eu u
    ㅈ j z
    ㅊ ch c
    김치 gimchi kimchi
    신라 Silla Sinra

    The lesson behind the quiz is Korean romanization. To convert words of your own, use the Korean romanization converter.

    How Is the Hangul Romanization Quiz Scored?

    The quiz gives one point for each of the 15 questions you answer correctly on the first try in the current session. At the end it shows a line such as "You answered 12 of 15 correctly in this session", and the same wording appears in the page data. There is no timer, no streak and no ranking, so you can slow down and say each answer aloud.

    The count is not a CEFR level, a TOPIK level or a measure of fluency. It only shows what you recalled today. Your answers and score stay in your browser and disappear when you close the tab, unless you choose to save progress on your own device. Only the official Revised Romanization of Korean is marked correct, even where another spelling is common in English.

    What Should You Know about Revised Romanization First?

    Korean study illustration: 라면, 물, ramyeon, mul.
    Study What should you know about Revised Romanization first.

    Revised Romanization (RR) is the official Latin-alphabet system for Korean in South Korea. It was announced by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2000 and replaced McCune-Reischauer for official use. It uses only the 26 Latin letters, with no special marks. It is meant as a reading aid, not as a replacement for Hangul.

    How Are Vowels Romanized?

    Vowel RR Vowel RR
    ㅏ a ㅐ ae
    ㅓ eo ㅔ e
    ㅗ o ㅚ oe
    ㅜ u ㅟ wi
    ㅡ eu ㅢ ui
    ㅣ i ㅕ yeo

    Two-letter spellings such as eo and eu stand for one sound each. The most common error is reading eo as "e" plus "o".

    How Are Consonants Romanized?

    Letter RR Notes
    ㄱ g, k at the end 가 is ga, 책 is chaek
    ㄷ d, t at the end
    ㅂ b, p at the end
    ㄹ r before a vowel, l otherwise 라면 ramyeon, 물 mul
    ㅈ j not z or ts
    ㅊ ch
    ㅅ s no "sh", so 시장 is sijang
    ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ k t p aspirated letters
    ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ kk tt pp ss jj tense letters

    Does RR Write the Letters or the Sound?

    RR mainly writes how a word is pronounced. This is why 신라 is Silla, not Sinra: the ㄴ and ㄹ are said as ll. It does not mark every change, though. Tense sounds in the middle of words are not marked in 학교, which is hakgyo. RR is a helpful label, but it is not a full guide to pronunciation.

    Sample Questions with Answers

    Korean study illustration: 서울, 사랑, Seoul, sarang.
    Study Sample questions with answers.

    These six questions come from the quiz, with the answer and the reason for each. They also work as a no-JavaScript preview. Sample six surprises many learners, because the spelling they see on menus is not the official one.

    Sample Question 1 and Its Answer

    Question: Romanize 어머니 (mother).

    Choices: omoni; eomeoni; eomoni; omeoni.

    Answer: eomeoni. Why: ㅓ is eo, so 어 is eo and 머 is meo.

    Sample Question 2 and Its Answer

    Question: Romanize 서울.

    Choices: Seoul; Soul; Seol; Seowul.

    Answer: Seoul. Why: ㅓ is eo, ㅜ is u and ㄹ is l; a proper noun takes a capital.

    Sample Question 3 and Its Answer

    Question: What is the Revised Romanization of ㅡ?

    Choices: u; eo; ui; eu.

    Answer: eu. Why: ㅡ is eu; ㅜ is u.

    Sample Question 4 and Its Answer

    Question: Romanize 사랑 (love).

    Choices: salang; sarank; sarang; sarong.

    Answer: sarang. Why: Each block is a simple consonant + vowel; ㄹ before a vowel is r and the final ㅇ is ng.

    Sample Question 5 and Its Answer

    Question: Which letter is written "ch"?

    Choices: ㅈ; ㅊ; ㅅ; ㅌ.

    Answer: ㅊ. Why: ㅊ is ch; ㅈ is j.

    Sample Question 6 and Its Answer

    Question: Which is the Revised Romanization of 김치?

    Choices: kimchi; gimchi; Both are Revised Romanization.

    Answer: gimchi. Why: Revised Romanization writes initial ㄱ as g; "kimchi" is a common English spelling.

    Tips before You Start

    • Know the five vowel spellings that look odd: eo, eu, ae, e and oe.
    • Remember that RR follows pronunciation in many cases, not the written letters.
    • Do not use McCune-Reischauer marks such as ŏ and ŭ in answers.
    • Say the Hangul word aloud first, then write the RR.

    Which Mistakes Does the Hangul Romanization Quiz Catch?

    Korean study illustration: 시장, sijang, shijang.
    Study Which mistakes does the hangul romanization quiz catch.

    Romanization errors come from English habits.

    • Writing ㅓ as o or ㅡ as u, which loses the difference between ㅓ and ㅗ and between ㅡ and ㅜ.
    • Writing ㅈ as z or ts instead of j.
    • Using k or t for the initial ㄱ or ㄷ, where RR uses g and d.
    • Writing sh for ㅅ before ㅣ; RR keeps s.

    What Should You Study after the Quiz?

    Practise reading with the Korean alphabet flashcards and convert your own words with the Korean romanization converter. Re-read Korean romanization for any missed rule. To check reading rather than spelling, take the Hangul reading quiz. The Korean level test gives a wider check once the alphabet is secure.

    Answer Key for Questions 7 to 15

    Prefer to test yourself first? Take the quiz above, then check this table. The first six answers are in the sample questions.

    # Question Correct answer Reason
    7 How does Revised Romanization write ㅈ? j ㅈ is j, as in 지도 (jido, map).
    8 Which vowel is written "o" in Revised Romanization? ㅗ ㅗ is o; ㅓ is eo.
    9 Romanize 한국 (Korea). Hanguk 한 is han and 국 is guk; final ㄱ is written k at the end, and the initial ㄱ is g.
    10 How is ㅐ written in Revised Romanization? ae ㅐ is ae, as in 개 (gae, dog).
    11 How is ㅔ written in Revised Romanization? e ㅔ is e, as in 게 (ge, crab).
    12 How is the initial ㄱ in 가방 (bag) written? g Initial ㄱ is g: gabang. At the end of a block it is k.
    13 Romanize 시장 (market). sijang RR writes ㅅ as s even before ㅣ, and ㅈ as j.
    14 Romanize 의사 (doctor). uisa ㅢ is ui and 사 is sa.
    15 Romanize 신라 (an ancient kingdom). Silla The ㄴ and ㄹ are pronounced ll, and RR follows the sound: [실라].

    What Does This Quiz Not Do?

    The quiz tests the official Revised Romanization only. It does not cover McCune-Reischauer, Yale or the many informal spellings used by brands and names. People often keep personal spellings of their own names, for example Kim or Lee. All Korean text in the questions and answers was generated and is waiting for review by a Korean reviewer.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Which romanization system is used?

    The quiz uses Revised Romanization of Korean, the official system of South Korea since 2000. It does not use McCune-Reischauer, Yale or informal spellings. Where a question compares spellings, the reason names the official one and says why it differs from familiar English spellings.

    Why is it "gimchi"?

    Revised Romanization writes the initial ㄱ as g and ㅊ as ch, so 김치 becomes gimchi. The spelling "kimchi" is a long-standing English form and appears on many packages, but it is not the official romanization. Both can be understood by readers.

    Are place names included?

    Three questions use proper nouns: 서울 (Seoul), 한국 (Hanguk) and 신라 (Silla). Proper nouns take an initial capital in RR. Many place names also have older spellings in English, which the quiz does not mark as correct. Names of people are often written however the person prefers.

    Where can I convert my own words?

    Use the Korean romanization converter linked in the next steps. It turns Hangul into RR and shows the rule applied. Treat the result as a learning aid and check unusual words, because RR does not mark every sound change. For pronunciation, listen to the audio on the lesson pages.

    Is the quiz free?

    Yes. The quiz is free, needs no account and runs in your browser on a phone, tablet or computer. Nothing you answer is uploaded to a server. If you choose to save progress, it is stored on your own device only, and you can delete it in the settings at any time.

    Retake the Hangul Romanization Quiz

    Retake the hangul romanization quiz once you can write the six tricky letters, ㅓ ㅡ ㅈ ㅊ ㅅ and ㅢ, without checking the table. Then use romanization less: the goal is to read Hangul directly.