KOREAN · VISUAL HANGUL METHOD · BETA
Build any Korean syllable from its shapes — then hear it and learn it
Every Hangul block is 2–3 letters: an initial (top-left), a vowel (the long line) and an optional final (bottom). Point at what you see; the block assembles itself, with pronunciation, meaning, words and sentences. Zero reading knowledge required.
All 11,172 modern syllables · frequency from a real corpus · learning cards via the same API (variant=ko) · romanization and letter names can be switched off.
How to start — five minutes with Visual Korean
You do not need to know how to read Korean. You only need to look.
1 · Read a block as three pieces
Every Korean character is a square block. Look for: the piece at the top-left (or top) = initial; the long line = vowel; anything at the very bottom = final (may be absent). That is all the grammar of shape you need.
2 · Tap what you see, in order ① ② ③
Panel ① initial, ② vowel, ③ final. Buttons that cannot combine with what you already chose go pale. The block diagram on the right shows where each piece lands; "= " shows the result. Tap it to hear it.
3 · Open the card and learn the word
Tap a candidate: the dark card reads it aloud, lists its letters with names and sounds, its meaning (and Hanja), words that contain it and sentences. "Rebuild in the block" replays the assembly.
4 · Say something today
Section ⑤ Everyday Korean has the phrases you actually need — hello, thank you, how much, where is the subway. Listen (normal or slow), then tap any syllable inside a phrase to see how it is built. Ten phrases a day is enough to be understood.
5 · Switch to Input mode when you need to type
Input mode turns the same panels into a keyboard: each confirmed block goes into the text box, which you can copy anywhere. Backspace undoes, Esc clears, Enter confirms.
Tips
ㅇ at the start is silent (아 = "a"); at the bottom it is "ng" (앙). Doubled letters (ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ) are tense versions. Romanization and letter names can be hidden once you no longer need them. Children: use the Kids version.
How a Hangul block is built
① Initial — top-left or top
19 consonant shapes, grouped by look: straight, angled, round (ㅇ), doubled. ㅇ at the start is silent — it only holds the place.
② Vowel — the long line
A long vertical (ㅏ ㅓ ㅣ…) puts the initial on the left; a long horizontal (ㅗ ㅜ ㅡ…) puts it on top; compound vowels (ㅘ ㅝ ㅢ…) wrap around. The block diagram changes as you choose.
③ Final — the bottom piece
Optional. Compound finals (ㄳ ㄺ…) are given pre-assembled. ★ marks the most common final for the chosen initial + vowel.
④ Hear, learn, keep
Each syllable card reads aloud, shows the letter-by-letter breakdown, meaning (incl. Hanja), words and sentences. Same API as the Chinese and Japanese editions: variant=ko.