← Back
Lesson 5
Double Consonants (Tense)
Learn the 5 double (tense) consonants: ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ
Three Types of Consonants
Korean consonants come in three types: Plain (ㄱ,ㄷ,ㅂ,ㅅ,ㅈ) — soft, relaxed. Aspirated (ㅋ,ㅌ,ㅍ,ㅊ) — strong air burst. Tense/Double (ㄲ,ㄸ,ㅃ,ㅆ,ㅉ) — tight throat, no air. Think of it as: whisper → normal → shout for your throat muscles!
달 (dal) / 탈 (tal) / 딸 (ttal)dal / tal / ttalmoon / mask / daughter — three consonant types change meaning!
불 (bul) / 풀 (pul) / 뿔 (ppul)bul / pul / ppulfire / grass / horn — hear the difference!
ㄲkkTense 'k' — harder than ㄱ, no air release
Examples꽃kkotflower
ㄸttTense 'd/t' — harder than ㄷ, no air release
Examples딸기ttalgistrawberry
ㅃppTense 'b/p' — harder than ㅂ, no air release
Examples빵ppangbread
ㅆssTense 's' — harder and sharper than ㅅ
Examples쓰다sseudato write / to be bitter
ㅉjjTense 'j' — harder than ㅈ, no air release
Examples짜다jjadato be salty / to squeeze