KOREAN · VISUAL HANGUL METHOD · BETA
Build any Korean syllable from its shapes — then hear it and learn it
Every Hangul block is 2–3 letters: an initial (top-left), a vowel (the long line) and an optional final (bottom). Point at what you see; the block assembles itself, with pronunciation, meaning, words and sentences. Zero reading knowledge required.
All 11,172 modern syllables · frequency from a real corpus · learning cards via the same API (variant=ko) · romanization and letter names can be switched off.
Read real Korean: paste, photograph or speak it
Blocks are the bricks; words and sentences are what you actually read. Paste any Korean text (or your own language, a photo, or your voice): it is split into eojeol and morphemes with romanization and meaning, every syllable opens into its letters, and people and places in the text get their own pages. Words not yet in the table are glossed on the spot.
How to start — five minutes with Visual Korean
You do not need to know how to read Korean. You only need to look.
1 · Read a block as three pieces
Every Korean character is a square block. Look for: the piece at the top-left (or top) = initial; the long line = vowel; anything at the very bottom = final (may be absent). That is all the grammar of shape you need.
2 · Tap what you see, in order ① ② ③
Panel ① initial, ② vowel, ③ final. Buttons that cannot combine with what you already chose go pale. The block diagram on the right shows where each piece lands; "= " shows the result. Tap it to hear it.
3 · Open the card and learn the word
Tap a candidate: the dark card reads it aloud, lists its letters with names and sounds, its meaning (and Hanja), words that contain it and sentences. "Rebuild in the block" replays the assembly.
4 · Say something today
Section ⑤ Everyday Korean has the phrases you actually need — hello, thank you, how much, where is the subway. Listen (normal or slow), then tap any syllable inside a phrase to see how it is built. Ten phrases a day is enough to be understood.
5 · Switch to Input mode when you need to type
Input mode turns the same panels into a keyboard: each confirmed block goes into the text box, which you can copy anywhere. Backspace undoes, Esc clears, Enter confirms.
Tips
ㅇ at the start is silent (아 = "a"); at the bottom it is "ng" (앙). Doubled letters (ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ) are tense versions. Romanization and letter names can be hidden once you no longer need them. Children: use the Kids version.
How a Hangul block is built
① Initial — top-left or top
19 consonant shapes, grouped by look: straight, angled, round (ㅇ), doubled. ㅇ at the start is silent — it only holds the place.
② Vowel — the long line
A long vertical (ㅏ ㅓ ㅣ…) puts the initial on the left; a long horizontal (ㅗ ㅜ ㅡ…) puts it on top; compound vowels (ㅘ ㅝ ㅢ…) wrap around. The block diagram changes as you choose.
③ Final — the bottom piece
Optional. Compound finals (ㄳ ㄺ…) are given pre-assembled. ★ marks the most common final for the chosen initial + vowel.
④ Hear, learn, keep
Each syllable card reads aloud, shows the letter-by-letter breakdown, meaning (incl. Hanja), words and sentences. Same API as the Chinese and Japanese editions: variant=ko.