Why does the chart have 20 vowels and not 21?

ㅞ is left out. It is the rarest of the 21 vowels and barely appears in real words, so the chart follows the layout used in Korean classrooms, which drops it. ㅞ still has its own page, and it turns up as the alternative pronunciation the standard allows for ㅚ.

Why do some cells play a different syllable?

Because the standard says the two are pronounced the same. 희 is read [히], so the 희 cell plays the 히 recording rather than nothing at all. Every borrowed cell names the syllable it borrows from.

What do the three shades mean?

They show how often the syllable appears in the teaching material behind this site. The boundary is not an arbitrary number — it is the median frequency of the cells that appear at all, which works out at 21 occurrences.

Do Koreans actually use all 380 of these?

No, and the chart shows it. 145 cells have no recording because they are combinations that hardly occur in real words. Reading them is still predictable once you know the letters, which is the point of laying them out in a grid.

Korean syllable chart

Korean writing stacks one consonant and one vowel into a single block, and this table lays out every combination of the two — 19 consonants by 20 vowels = 380 syllables. Tap any cell with a play button to hear it read by a native Korean speaker; 235 of the 380 cells have audio. The square brackets appear only where the standard pronunciation differs from the spelling.

Shading shows how often a syllable turns up in real teaching material: common, less common, rare. Last updated 2026-09-12.

Korean syllable chart: 19 consonants by 20 vowels
Consonant	ㅏ	ㅓ	ㅗ	ㅜ	ㅡ	ㅑ	ㅕ	ㅛ	ㅠ	ㅣ	ㅐ	ㅒ	ㅔ	ㅖ	ㅘ	ㅙ	ㅚ	ㅝ	ㅟ	ㅢ
ㄱ	가ga	거geo	고go	구gu	그geu	갸gya	겨gyeo	교gyo	규gyu	기gi	개gae	걔gyae	게ge	계gye[계/게]	과gwa	괘gwae	괴goe[괴/궤]	궈gwo	귀gwi	긔gui[기]
ㄲ	까kka	꺼kkeo	꼬kko	꾸kku	끄kkeu	꺄kkya	껴kkyeo	꾜kkyo	뀨kkyu	끼kki	깨kkae	꺠kkyae	께kke	꼐kkye[꼐/께]	꽈kkwa	꽤kkwae	꾀kkoe[꾀/꿰]	꿔kkwo	뀌kkwi	끠kkui[끼]
ㄴ	나na	너neo	노no	누nu	느neu	냐nya	녀nyeo	뇨nyo	뉴nyu	니ni	내nae	냬nyae	네ne	녜nye[녜/네]	놔nwa	놰nwae	뇌noe[뇌/눼]	눠nwo	뉘nwi	늬nui[니]
ㄷ	다da	더deo	도do	두du	드deu	댜dya	뎌dyeo	됴dyo	듀dyu	디di	대dae	댸dyae	데de	뎨dye[뎨/데]	돠dwa	돼dwae	되doe[되/뒈]	둬dwo	뒤dwi	듸dui[디]
ㄸ	따tta	떠tteo	또tto	뚜ttu	뜨tteu	땨ttya	뗘ttyeo	뚀ttyo	뜌ttyu	띠tti	때ttae	떄ttyae	떼tte	뗴ttye[뗴/떼]	똬ttwa	뙈ttwae	뙤ttoe[뙤/뛔]	뚸ttwo	뛰ttwi	띄ttui[띠]
ㄹ	라ra	러reo	로ro	루ru	르reu	랴rya	려ryeo	료ryo	류ryu	리ri	래rae	럐ryae	레re	례rye	롸rwa	뢔rwae	뢰roe[뢰/뤠]	뤄rwo	뤼rwi	릐rui[리]
ㅁ	마ma	머meo	모mo	무mu	므meu	먀mya	며myeo	묘myo	뮤myu	미mi	매mae	먜myae	메me	몌mye[몌/메]	뫄mwa	뫠mwae	뫼moe[뫼/뭬]	뭐mwo	뮈mwi	믜mui[미]
ㅂ	바ba	버beo	보bo	부bu	브beu	뱌bya	벼byeo	뵤byo	뷰byu	비bi	배bae	뱨byae	베be	볘bye[볘/베]	봐bwa	봬bwae	뵈boe[뵈/붸]	붜bwo	뷔bwi	븨bui[비]
ㅃ	빠ppa	뻐ppeo	뽀ppo	뿌ppu	쁘ppeu	뺘ppya	뼈ppyeo	뾰ppyo	쀼ppyu	삐ppi	빼ppae	뺴ppyae	뻬ppe	뼤ppye[뼤/뻬]	뽜ppwa	뽸ppwae	뾔ppoe[뾔/쀄]	뿨ppwo	쀠ppwi	쁴ppui[삐]
ㅅ	사sa	서seo	소so	수su	스seu	샤sya	셔syeo	쇼syo	슈syu	시si	새sae	섀syae	세se	셰sye[셰/세]	솨swa	쇄swae	쇠soe[쇠/쉐]	숴swo	쉬swi	싀sui[시]
ㅆ	싸ssa	써sseo	쏘sso	쑤ssu	쓰sseu	쌰ssya	쎠ssyeo	쑈ssyo	쓔ssyu	씨ssi	쌔ssae	썌ssyae	쎄sse	쎼ssye[쎼/쎄]	쏴sswa	쐐sswae	쐬ssoe[쐬/쒜]	쒀sswo	쒸sswi	씌ssui[씨]
ㅇ	아a	어eo	오o	우u	으eu	야ya	여yeo	요yo	유yu	이i	애ae	얘yae	에e	예ye	와wa	왜wae	외oe[외/웨]	워wo	위wi	의ui
ㅈ	자ja	저jeo	조jo	주ju	즈jeu	쟈ja[자]	져jeo[저]	죠jo[조]	쥬ju[주]	지ji	재jae	쟤jae[재]	제je	졔je[제]	좌jwa	좨jwae	죄joe[죄/줴]	줘jwo	쥐jwi	즤jui[지]
ㅉ	짜jja	쩌jjeo	쪼jjo	쭈jju	쯔jjeu	쨔jja[짜]	쪄jjeo[쩌]	쬬jjo[쪼]	쮸jju[쭈]	찌jji	째jjae	쨰jjae[째]	쩨jje	쪠jje[쩨]	쫘jjwa	쫴jjwae	쬐jjoe[쬐/쮀]	쭤jjwo	쮜jjwi	쯰jjui[찌]
ㅊ	차cha	처cheo	초cho	추chu	츠cheu	챠cha[차]	쳐cheo[처]	쵸cho[초]	츄chu[추]	치chi	채chae	챼chae[채]	체che	쳬che[체]	촤chwa	쵀chwae	최choe[최/췌]	춰chwo	취chwi	츼chui[치]
ㅋ	카ka	커keo	코ko	쿠ku	크keu	캬kya	켜kyeo	쿄kyo	큐kyu	키ki	캐kae	컈kyae	케ke	켸kye[켸/케]	콰kwa	쾌kwae	쾨koe[쾨/퀘]	쿼kwo	퀴kwi	킈kui[키]
ㅌ	타ta	터teo	토to	투tu	트teu	탸tya	텨tyeo	툐tyo	튜tyu	티ti	태tae	턔tyae	테te	톄tye[톄/테]	톼twa	퇘twae	퇴toe[퇴/퉤]	퉈two	튀twi	틔tui[티]
ㅍ	파pa	퍼peo	포po	푸pu	프peu	퍄pya	펴pyeo	표pyo	퓨pyu	피pi	패pae	퍠pyae	페pe	폐pye[폐/페]	퐈pwa	퐤pwae	푀poe[푀/풰]	풔pwo	퓌pwi	픠pui[피]
ㅎ	하ha	허heo	호ho	후hu	흐heu	햐hya	혀hyeo	효hyo	휴hyu	히hi	해hae	햬hyae	헤he	혜hye[혜/헤]	화hwa	홰hwae	회hoe[회/훼]	훠hwo	휘hwi	희hui[히]

Questions people ask

Why does the chart have 20 vowels and not 21?: ㅞ is left out. It is the rarest of the 21 vowels and barely appears in real words, so the chart follows the layout used in Korean classrooms, which drops it. ㅞ still has its own page, and it turns up as the alternative pronunciation the standard allows for ㅚ.
Why do some cells play a different syllable?: Because the standard says the two are pronounced the same. 희 is read [히], so the 희 cell plays the 히 recording rather than nothing at all. Every borrowed cell names the syllable it borrows from.
What do the three shades mean?: They show how often the syllable appears in the teaching material behind this site. The boundary is not an arbitrary number — it is the median frequency of the cells that appear at all, which works out at 21 occurrences.
Do Koreans actually use all 380 of these?: No, and the chart shows it. 145 cells have no recording because they are combinations that hardly occur in real words. Reading them is still predictable once you know the letters, which is the point of laying them out in a grid.