Grammar References
Korean consonants and vowels
14 basic consonants (자음): ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅅ, ㅇ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅎ
5 double consonants (된소리): ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ
10 simple vowels (모음):ㅏ, ㅐ, ㅑ, ㅒ, ㅓ, ㅔ, ㅕ, ㅖ, ㅗ, ㅜ
11 compound vowels (diphthongs): ㅘ, ㅙ, ㅚ, ㅝ, ㅞ, ㅟ, ㅛ, ㅠ, ㅡ, ㅢ, ㅣ
With the names:
14 consonants (자음): ㄱ (기역), ㄴ (니은), ㄷ (디귿), ㄹ (리을), ㅁ (미음), ㅂ (비읍), ㅅ (시옷), ㅇ (이응), ㅈ (지읒), ㅊ (치읓), ㅋ (키읔), ㅌ (티읕), ㅍ (피읖), ㅎ (히읗)
5 double consonants (된소리 자음): ㄲ (쌍기역), ㄸ (쌍디귿), ㅃ (쌍비읍), ㅆ (쌍시옷), ㅉ (쌍지읒)
21 vowels (모음): ㅏ (아), ㅐ (애), ㅑ (야), ㅒ (얘), ㅓ (어), ㅔ (에), ㅕ (여), ㅖ (예), ㅗ (오), ㅘ (와), ㅙ (왜), ㅚ (외), ㅛ (요), ㅜ (우), ㅝ (워), ㅞ (웨), ㅟ (위), ㅠ (유), ㅡ (으), ㅢ (의), ㅣ (이)
Korean alphabetical order - 가나다 순
The basic order starts with: ㄱ, ㄲ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄸ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅃ, ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅇ, ㅈ, ㅉ, ㅊ, ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅎ
After consonants, vowels are also ordered systematically:ㅏ, ㅐ, ㅑ, ㅒ, ㅓ, ㅔ, ㅕ, ㅖ, ㅗ, ㅘ, ㅙ, ㅚ, ㅛ, ㅜ, ㅝ, ㅞ, ㅟ, ㅠ, ㅡ, ㅢ, ㅣ
When sorting whole words, the comparison follows this order:
- Initial consonant (초성)
- Medial vowel (중성)
- Final consonant (종성), if any
Korean words (품사) classification, and standard abbreviations
In Korean linguistics, there are exactly 9 official parts of speech (9품사). A part of speech must be a "word" (단어) that can function independently or with a particle.
| Category | Type | Abbr. | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 체언 (Substantives) | 명사 | 명 | Noun (Includes Proper/Dependent) Names people, objects, places, concepts. |
사람, 책, 것, 생각 |
| 대명사 | 대 | Pronoun Replaces a noun. |
나, 너, 우리, 그것 | |
| 수사 | 수 | Numeral Expresses numbers and quantities. |
하나, 둘, 첫째 | |
| 용언 (Predicates) | 동사 | 동 | Verb Expresses actions or processes. |
가다, 먹다, 일하다 |
| 형용사 | 형 | Adjective (Statics) Describes states or qualities. Functions like verbs in Korean. |
예쁘다, 맛있다, 크다 | |
| 수식언 (Modifiers) | 관형사 | 관 | Determiner (Never changes form) Modifies a noun directly, without particles or conjugation. |
새, 헌, 이, 그, 저, 어떤 |
| 부사 | 부 | Adverb Modifies verbs, adjectives, or sentences. |
아주, 빨리, 매우, 잘 | |
| 관계언 (Relationals) | 조사 | 조 | Particle (Includes Case/Auxiliary) Covers case particles and auxiliary particles together. |
이/가, 을/를, 에, 에서, 은/는, 도 |
| 독립언 (Independents) | 감탄사 | 감 | Interjection Expresses emotions, reactions, or calls. |
아!, 와!, 어머!, 글쎄... |
- 어미 (어) - Ending. Verb and adjective endings that mark tense, mood, politeness, etc. Examples: 다, 요, 니다, 고, 면, 까
- 접사 (접) - Affix. Prefixes and suffixes that form new words. Examples: 불-, 재-, -적, -하다
- 의존 명사 (의존) - Dependent noun. Cannot stand alone and needs a modifier. Example: 것, 수, 분
- 보조사 (보) - Auxiliary particle. Adds nuance such as emphasis, contrast, or limitation. Example: 만, 도, 까지, 밖에
- 고유 명사 (고유) - Proper noun. Specific names of people, places, brands, etc. Example: 한국, 서울, 삼성