Hi, this is Ayakim!
Today we’re finally diving into batchim (받침) — the final consonants in Korean syllables.
For many beginners, this is one of the biggest hurdles.
But once you get past it, you’ll be able to read every Korean word, including your favorite idols’ names and group names in Hangul!
Don’t worry if you can’t memorize everything at once — just skim through for now and come back later whenever you need a quick review.
📘 New to Korean? Start here to learn the basics!
On HelloBias, I share everything from K-POP terms to basic Korean grammar.
Check out my other posts too!
What Is Batchim?
You already know that Korean syllables are made up of a consonant + vowel combination.
But have you ever seen words like “강,” “날,” or “랑” and wondered why there’s an extra consonant sitting below the syllable?
That bottom consonant is called a batchim (받침) — literally meaning “support” or “final sound.”
Two Types of Batchim
Batchim can appear in two forms:
- Single batchim – one final consonant (e.g., 강, 말)
- Double batchim – two final consonants (e.g., 읽, 밟)
Only Seven Pronunciation Types
Even though many consonants can appear as batchim, their pronunciation falls into seven sound categories:
ㄱ / ㄴ / ㄷ / ㄹ / ㅁ / ㅂ / ㅇ
For example:
- In 강 (kang), ㅇ = [ng]
- In 날 (nal), ㄹ = [l]
So once you learn these seven sounds, you can read any batchim correctly!
Double Batchim Can Be Tricky
Sometimes, two consonants appear together at the bottom — these are double batchim, like ㄳ, ㄵ, or ㄶ.
Usually, you pronounce the first (left) consonant.
- ㄺ, ㄻ → pronounce the right consonant
- 밟다 (balpda, “to step on”) → also pronounce the right one
It might seem confusing at first, but you’ll get used to it with practice.
Batchim Pronunciation Table
Here’s a quick roundup of batchim groups:
| Sound | Batchim Examples |
|---|---|
| ㄱ sound | ㄱ, ㅋ, ㄲ, ㄳ, ㄺ |
| ㄴ sound | ㄴ, ㄵ, ㄶ |
| ㄷ sound | ㄷ, ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ, ㅎ |
| ㄹ sound | ㄹ, ㄺ, ㄻ, ㄼ, ㄽ, ㄾ, ㅀ |
| ㅁ sound | ㅁ, ㄻ |
| ㅂ sound | ㅂ, ㅍ, ㅄ, ㄿ |
| ㅇ sound | ㅇ |
Let’s Learn 10 Words with Batchim!
Here are some common Korean words to practice with:
| Words | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 밥 | bap | rice, meal |
| 말 | san | mountain |
| 집 | mal | word, speech / horse |
| 집 | jip | house |
| 책 | chaek | book |
| 꽃 | kkot | flower |
| 빛 | bit | light |
| 밤 | bam | night / chestnut |
| 강 | gang | river |
| 손 | son | hand |
You Did It! You Can Now Read Hangul!
That’s the end of our Hangul reading series — great job making it this far!
You’ve now learned vowels, consonants, and batchim, which means you can read all Korean characters!
Try reading your favorite group’s name in Hangul and see how fun it is to recognize the words on your own.
Next time, we’ll start learning basic Korean phrases — stay tuned and let’s keep learning together!
Subscribe to Hello Bias Letters for free Hangul study printouts and K-POP inspired Korean lessons every week!
💬 If you found this post helpful, consider supporting me with a coffee!
Your support keeps Hello Bias going ☕💛
👉 Buy Me a Coffee
