Your goal
Five familiar consonants get new partners. Find ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ and ㅉ, combine them with ㅏ, and try reading the five pairs.
Before you start
Read 가, 다, 바, 사 and 자. Find the consonant on the left; each vowel on the right is ㅏ.
Explore the situation
You can see two ㄱ shapes in ㄲ and two ㄷ shapes in ㄸ. Their width may change when fitted into a block.
Learn the key points
| Plain letter | Doubled letter | With ㅏ |
|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | ㄲ | 가 ↔ 까 |
| ㄷ | ㄸ | 다 ↔ 따 |
| ㅂ | ㅃ | 바 ↔ 빠 |
| ㅅ | ㅆ | 사 ↔ 싸 |
| ㅈ | ㅉ | 자 ↔ 짜 |
Learn the written pairs first. Listen to each pair and try reading it. Do not treat a doubled letter as a rule to speak longer or louder.
How to make the sound
Try each sound briefly. These are starting cues, not an automatic pronunciation judgement.
가 · 까 / 다 · 따 / 바 · 빠
Use the same place of contact. For a tense consonant, begin with a firmer closure and release it compactly. Do not squeeze your throat or simply get louder.
사 · 싸
These are different sounds. Compare a firmer start for 싸 at the same friction area. Without a usable model, do not score sound discrimination.
Listen and read
Look at and listen to one pair at a time, such as 가–까. Try each syllable separately. Replay a difficult pair and check its spelling.
Compare the sounds
Try it with help
Switch the consonant from ㄱ to ㄲ. Keeping ㅏ changes 가 to 까. Explore the other four pairs in the same way.
Examples by condition
| Consonant | Vowel | Final consonant | Syllable |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㄱ | ㅏ | None | 가 |
| ㄲ | ㅏ | None | 까 |
| ㄷ | ㅏ | None | 다 |
| ㄸ | ㅏ | None | 따 |
| ㅂ | ㅏ | None | 바 |
| ㅃ | ㅏ | None | 빠 |
| ㅅ | ㅏ | None | 사 |
| ㅆ | ㅏ | None | 싸 |
| ㅈ | ㅏ | None | 자 |
| ㅉ | ㅏ | None | 짜 |
Practice
These four questions check shapes and combinations. Choose answers and check them to see how the options differ.
1. Which letter contains two ㄱ shapes?
- ㄲ
- ㅋ
- ㄴ
2. ㄸ + ㅏ = ?
- 다
- 따
- 타
3. Which syllable contains ㅆ?
- 사
- 자
- 싸
4. Which shape is doubled in ㅉ?
- ㅊ
- ㅈ
- ㅅ
Try a new situation
Change each plain letter to its doubled partner. After checking, try reading the completed syllable and record your reading attempt separately. You can repeat in a different order.
Change and read five pairs
1. Change ㄱ in 가 to ㄲ. Keep ㅏ.
ㄱ → ㄲ
- 까
- 가
- 카
2. Change ㄷ in 다 to ㄸ. Keep ㅏ.
ㄷ → ㄸ
- 다
- 타
- 따
3. Change ㅂ in 바 to ㅃ. Keep ㅏ.
ㅂ → ㅃ
- 파
- 빠
- 바
4. Change ㅅ in 사 to ㅆ. Keep ㅏ.
ㅅ → ㅆ
- 싸
- 사
- 자
5. Change ㅈ in 자 to ㅉ. Keep ㅏ.
ㅈ → ㅉ
- 자
- 짜
- 차
Check your learning
Answer six questions, then reflect on what you tried. Self-checks are not automated pronunciation scores.
1. ㅃ + ㅏ = ?
- 빠
- 파
- 바
2. Replace ㄲ in 까 with ㄱ.
- 카
- 가
- 까
3. Choose a plain–doubled letter pair.
- ㄱ — ㅋ
- ㄷ — ㅌ
- ㅅ — ㅆ
4. How many syllable blocks are in 까?
- One
- Two
- Three
5. ㅉ + ㅏ = ?
- 차
- 짜
- 자
6. Change the initial of 자 to its tense letter.
- 차
- 짜
- 사
Reflect on your reading
Tick only what you actually checked. Feedback from another person is optional and is not required to finish the lesson.
Answers and explanations
Show answers and explanations
Practice questions
1. Which letter contains two ㄱ shapes?
Answer: ㄲ
ㄲ contains two ㄱ shapes.
- ㅋ — ㅋ has an extra stroke, not two ㄱ shapes.
- ㄴ — ㄴ is a different basic consonant.
2. ㄸ + ㅏ = ?
Answer: 따
따 combines ㄸ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
- 다 — 다 combines ㄷ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
- 타 — 타 combines ㅌ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
3. Which syllable contains ㅆ?
Answer: 싸
싸 combines ㅆ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
- 사 — 사 combines ㅅ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
- 자 — 자 combines ㅈ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
4. Which shape is doubled in ㅉ?
Answer: ㅈ
Two ㅈ shapes form ㅉ.
- ㅊ — The doubled shape is ㅈ, not ㅊ.
- ㅅ — Two ㅅ shapes form ㅆ.
Learning check
1. ㅃ + ㅏ = ?
Answer: 빠
빠 combines ㅃ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
- 파 — 파 combines ㅍ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
- 바 — 바 combines ㅂ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
2. Replace ㄲ in 까 with ㄱ.
Answer: 가
가 combines ㄱ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
- 카 — 카 combines ㅋ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
- 까 — 까 combines ㄲ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
3. Choose a plain–doubled letter pair.
Answer: ㅅ — ㅆ
ㅆ contains two ㅅ shapes.
- ㄱ — ㅋ — ㅋ is not ㄲ. The doubled partner of ㄱ is ㄲ.
- ㄷ — ㅌ — The doubled partner of ㄷ is ㄸ.
4. How many syllable blocks are in 까?
Answer: One
ㄲ and ㅏ share one block: 까.
- Two — ㄲ is not read as two separate syllables.
- Three — The number of shapes is not the number of syllables.
5. ㅉ + ㅏ = ?
Answer: 짜
짜 combines ㅉ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
- 차 — 차 combines ㅊ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
- 자 — 자 combines ㅈ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
6. Change the initial of 자 to its tense letter.
Answer: 짜
Change ㅈ to ㅉ; keep ㅏ: 짜.
- 차 — 차 starts with ㅊ.
- 사 — 사 starts with ㅅ.
1. Change ㄱ in 가 to ㄲ. Keep ㅏ.
ㄱ → ㄲ ·
Answer: 까
까 combines ㄲ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
Now try reading it: 까
2. Change ㄷ in 다 to ㄸ. Keep ㅏ.
ㄷ → ㄸ ·
Answer: 따
따 combines ㄸ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
Now try reading it: 따
3. Change ㅂ in 바 to ㅃ. Keep ㅏ.
ㅂ → ㅃ ·
Answer: 빠
빠 combines ㅃ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
Now try reading it: 빠
4. Change ㅅ in 사 to ㅆ. Keep ㅏ.
ㅅ → ㅆ ·
Answer: 싸
싸 combines ㅆ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
Now try reading it: 싸
5. Change ㅈ in 자 to ㅉ. Keep ㅏ.
ㅈ → ㅉ ·
Answer: 짜
짜 combines ㅉ and ㅏ in one syllable block.
Now try reading it: 짜
Review and continue
Come back to these
Review this lesson
Write one confusing pair and read each member.
Recall before looking
Recall the doubled partners of ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ and ㅈ.
A different order
Read 싸, 까, 짜, 빠 and 따; find their plain partners.
Connect earlier learning
On paper, replace ㅏ with the familiar ㅗ to form 꼬, 또, 뽀, 쏘 and 쪼.
Review what felt difficult
The basic letters are confusingReview the fourteen basic consonants. →Review doubled pairsCompare the five pairs. →Repeat an activity whenever you need more practice.