In general terms there are 14 consonants (of which four are aspirated consonants) plus 5 consonants that are called double or tense consonants.
Tense consonants: Double or tense consonants are Hangeul consonants that have pronunciations harder than the basic consonants but not as strong as the aspirated consonants.
Basic Consonants
| Consonant | Romanisation | Aspirated |
|---|---|---|
 |
g/k | |
 |
n/n | |
 |
d/t | |
 |
r/l | |
 |
m/m | |
 |
b/p | |
 |
s/t | |
 |
silent/ng | |
 |
j/t | |
 |
ch/t | *** |
 |
k/k | *** |
 |
t/t | *** |
 |
p/p | *** |
 |
h/t |
Tense or (Double) Consonants
Tense consonants: Double or tense consonants are Hangeul consonants that have pronunciations harder than the basic consonants but not as strong as the aspirated consonants.
There are five tense or double consonants.
| Tense Consonant | Romanisation |
|---|---|
 |
kk/k |
 |
tt/- |
 |
pp/- |
 |
ss/t |
 |
jj/- |
Aspirated Consonants
Aspirated consonants (ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅊ) are pronounced like their plain counterparts but with strong aspiration.
| Aspirated Consonant | Romanisation |
|---|---|
|
k/k |
|
t/t |
|
p/p |
|
ch/t |
Bursting with air: In Korean, aspirated consonants must be pronounced with a burst of air just like for the p sound in “pin”, and this is important for both speaking and interpreting Korean accurately.
