You can recognise a few Korean letters. Now, can you put them together and write a complete block without copying? This Hangul syllable writing practice lesson is the bridge between recognising letters and using them on paper.
Follow KOKO in the 4-minute-34-second video, then use the tasks below at your own pace. You will build and write 가, 나, 고 and 누, change a vowel while keeping the consonant, and finish with 나무 — “tree.”
Bring a pencil and draw a few empty squares. You should recognise ㄱ, ㄴ, ㅁ and ㅇ, plus ㅏ, ㅓ, ㅗ, ㅜ, ㅡ and ㅣ. Need the pen movements first? Revisit the letter-writing guide or the 10-vowel writing lesson.
For a reference covering layouts and final consonants, use our complete syllable-block guide. Here, the goal is to practise a small set of blocks with the video.
1. Watch, pause, and let your pencil try
Watch the model once before writing. During Your turn, make your own attempt while the screen stays still. Pause for longer whenever you need it. A careful attempt is more useful here than keeping up with the video.
| Video point | Your task |
|---|---|
| 00:11 · Vowel on the right | Watch 가, then write 나 during Your turn at 00:51. |
| 01:14 · Build 고 with KOKO | Notice the correction. Write 누 during Your turn at 02:09. |
| 02:38 · Right or below? | Choose the vowel position before the answer appears. |
| 03:14 · Silent initial ㅇ | Keep the initial position when a syllable starts with a vowel sound. |
| 03:29 · Write 나무 | Write two blocks. At 03:57, cover the models and try again. |
2. Decide where the vowel belongs
Before moving your pencil, look at the vowel. In this lesson, a vertical vowel goes to the right of the consonant. A horizontal vowel goes below it.
ㅏ on the right · consonant on the left
ㅜ below · consonant above
Try drawing one square for 나 and another for 누. Fit both letters inside each square. You are arranging two letters within one syllable, rather than giving every letter a separate full-size box.
Say the position before writing: “ㅏ — right” or “ㅜ — below.” Then check your finished block against the model. If the letters crowd each other, adjust their size within the square.
3. Keep the consonant. Change the vowel.
Keep ㄱ and write these two short sets. Leave a brief pause after each set so you can look back at the shapes.
ㄱ stays on the left.
ㄱ stays above the vowel.
Now move from 고 to 기. Keep ㄱ, replace ㅗ with ㅣ, and change the layout: ㅣ belongs on the right. “Keep the consonant” means keep the same letter; its size and proportions can adjust to fit the new block.
Use Build Hangul to select ㄱ and switch between ㅗ and ㅣ. Predict the new block first, check it in the app, then write it on paper. The app helps you compare positions; your paper attempt checks whether you can produce the block yourself.
4. Turn two blocks into 나무
In 아, initial ㅇ fills the consonant position without adding a sound. The same applies to the initial ㅇ in 오 and 이. This lesson uses initial ㅇ; final ㅇ is a later topic.
For your first word, build 나 = ㄴ + ㅏ and 무 = ㅁ + ㅜ. Put the completed blocks beside each other:
나무 means tree. Its first vowel sits on the right; its second vowel sits below. Two blocks make two syllables, and there is no space between 나 and 무 inside this word.
- Look: notice the two layouts in 나무.
- Cover: hide both the video model and this written example.
- Write: make your own 나무 in two empty squares.
- Check: compare the letters and their positions. Correct one detail, cover the model, and try once more.
5. Try three checks before opening the answers
Write or choose your answer first. Use the explanations to check your reasoning.
1 · Build ㄴ + ㅡ. Where does the vowel go?
느. The horizontal vowel ㅡ goes below ㄴ. Keep both letters inside one block.
2 · Start with 고. Keep ㄱ and replace ㅗ with ㅣ. What do you write?
기. The new vowel ㅣ goes to the right of ㄱ. Changing the vowel changes both the finished syllable and its layout.
3 · Which has a vowel on the right in its first block and below in its second: 고기, 나무, 가니 or 구두?
나무. In 나, ㅏ is on the right; in 무, ㅜ is below. 고기 has the reverse order, 가니 has two right-side vowels, and 구두 has two vowels below.
Without the model, write 나, 누 and 나무. Tomorrow, try them once before replaying the lesson. For more words after this practice, continue to the first Korean words guide, or return to Build & Write in the Hangul learning path.
Need a paper reference? Choose the free Hangul charts and stroke-order PDF.
Language reference: the National Institute of Korean Language’s explanation of Hangul structure describes syllable-based grouping and silent initial ㅇ. The video tasks and practice sequence above are Gachi Korea lesson materials.