ㄱ vs ㅋ vs ㄲ: the three Korean “k” sounds ㄱ, ㅋ, ㄲ의 차이
English has two sounds here, g and k. Korean has three: ㄱ, ㅋ and ㄲ. The difference is not “g or k”. It is how much air comes out and how tight your throat is: ㄱ is soft, ㅋ has a strong puff of air, and ㄲ is tight with almost no air.
Hear and see all three 소리와 입 모양
Touch the back of your tongue to the soft palate, then release. 혀 뒤를 입천장 뒤쪽에 붙였다가 떼면서 소리 내세요.
Breathe out harder than [ㄱ] — strong enough to feel a puff of air on your hand. [ㄱ]보다 숨을 강하게 내쉬어서, 손에 바람이 느껴지게 소리 내세요.
Tense your throat, say [ㄱ] short and hard. 목에 힘을 주고 [ㄱ]을 짧고 강하게 소리 내세요.
What is different 무엇이 다른가
| ㄱ [g/k] | ㅋ [k] | ㄲ [kk] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air | A little. | A strong puff. | Almost none. |
| Throat | Relaxed. | Relaxed. | Tense. |
| Feels | Soft, gentle. | Breathy. | Short and hard. |
| Name | Basic 기본 | Breathy 거센소리 | Hard 된소리 |
The tongue does the same thing for all three: the back of the tongue touches the soft palate and lets go. What changes is the air and the tension.
The hand test 손으로 확인하기
- Hold your hand, or a thin piece of paper, in front of your mouth.
- Say ㅋ. You should feel a clear puff of air on your hand.
- Say ㄱ. You should feel only a little air.
- Say ㄲ. Tense your throat first, then let the sound out short and hard. You should feel almost no air.
Why they are hard for English speakers 왜 헷갈리는가
- ㄱ is not exactly g, and not exactly k. It is written g before a vowel and k as a final, as in 한국 [han-guk]. At the start of a word it is soft, and to English ears it can sound like a light k.
- English k at the start of a word comes with a puff of air, as in “kite”. That puff is what ㅋ has.
- After s, English k has no puff of air, as in “sky”. ㄲ also has no puff, but it is tighter.
Words with ㄱ ㄱ이 들어간 낱말
Words with ㅋ ㅋ이 들어간 낱말
Words with ㄲ ㄲ이 들어간 낱말
Words where only this sound changes 이 소리만 다른 낱말
These are real words, and the only difference is ㄱ, ㅋ or ㄲ.
캐다 [kae-da] to dig up
깨다 [kkae-da] to break
콩 [kong] bean
꿀 [kkul] honey
The same pattern in other letters 같은 짜임의 다른 글자
Once you can hear ㄱ, ㅋ and ㄲ, the same three-way difference works for ㄷ · ㅌ · ㄸ, ㅂ · ㅍ · ㅃ and ㅈ · ㅊ · ㅉ: basic, breathy, hard. ㅅ has only two, ㅅ · ㅆ.
More on each letter 글자별 설명
Practice ㄱ, ㅋ and ㄲ with your own voice
Korean Alphabet & Sounds · free to start, one-time unlock, no subscription
- Record yourself and compare with the example
- Trace each letter — the app checks your strokes
- Quizzes, flashcards and daily review
- 313 words with pictures in 11 topics
Audio: Supertonic 3 (text-to-speech) · Illustrations: Hangeul Press