Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
Master vowels and basic consonants
1 week
Hangul was designed to be learned quickly — it is a featural alphabet of 14 basic consonants and 10 basic vowels, combined into syllable blocks. Begin with the 10 basic vowels (ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ ㅣ) and the 14 basic consonants (ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ ㅈ ㅊ ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅎ). Learn how consonants and vowels are assembled into syllable blocks — the rules for block construction are the key insight in Hangul literacy.
Proof required
Submit a handwritten chart (photo or scan) showing all 14 basic consonants and all 10 basic vowels, each labelled with their romanisation and sound, written in your own hand — no pre-printed worksheets.
What gets checked
- All 14 basic consonants and all 10 basic vowels present and legible
- Each character correctly labelled with its sound (Revised Romanisation or IPA acceptable)
- At least 5 two-character syllable blocks showing correct block construction (e.g. 가 바 마 나 사)
Common mistakes
- Treating consonants and vowels as isolated symbols — Hangul is a block-based system and understanding block construction is what enables reading
- Memorising by reading only — handwriting practice builds the motor memory that makes reading faster
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- Check that all 14 consonants and 10 vowels are present — no missing characters
- Block construction examples should show consonant-vowel positioning correctly (vertical vowels on the right, horizontal vowels below)
- Ask the learner to sound out 3 randomly chosen characters to test recall vs. chart copying
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Master compound vowels and final consonants
10 days
Korean has 11 compound vowels formed by combining basic vowels (e.g. ㅐ, ㅒ, ㅔ, ㅖ, ㅘ, ㅙ, ㅚ, ㅝ, ㅞ, ㅟ, ㅢ) and 27 final consonant positions (받침 — batchim), including double-consonant clusters (e.g. ㄳ ㄵ ㄺ ㄻ ㄼ ㄽ ㄾ ㄿ ㅀ ㄶ ㄿ). The batchim position and consonant-consonant pronunciation rules (where one consonant is silent) are the most challenging aspect of Hangul reading.
Proof required
Submit a handwritten page (photo or scan) showing all 11 compound vowels, labelled with their sounds, plus a list of 10 common batchim syllables (final consonant position), written in your own hand.
What gets checked
- All 11 compound vowels present and correctly labelled
- 10 batchim syllables shown with their batchim consonant identified
- At least 3 double-consonant batchim examples included (e.g. ㄺ, ㄻ, ㅀ) with a note on which consonant is pronounced
Common mistakes
- Skipping compound vowels and assuming the 10 basic vowels are sufficient — compound vowels appear constantly in everyday Korean text
- Avoiding batchim because it feels complex — batchim is present in approximately 40% of Korean syllables
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- Check that all 11 compound vowels are included — the most commonly skipped are ㅙ and ㅞ
- Batchim examples should show the final consonant position in the block, not just list the letters
- Ask the learner to read a sample syllable with batchim (e.g. 닭 — chicken) to check they know which consonant is voiced
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Read aloud a short Korean passage
1 week
Demonstrate that you can decode written Korean by reading a short passage aloud — converting Hangul to sound in real time. The passage should be unfamiliar (not one you have memorised) to prove genuine decoding ability. Comprehension is not required at this stage; the goal is accurate sound production. Pay attention to linking rules: when a final consonant is followed by a vowel-initial syllable, the consonant shifts to the next syllable (연음 — yenoum).
Proof required
Record a 2–3 minute video of yourself reading aloud a short Korean passage (at least 60 words) chosen on the day of recording — hold the text visible in frame. Reading may be slow and deliberate.
What gets checked
- All syllables attempted — no skipping over difficult batchim clusters
- Basic linking rules applied (final consonant shifts to next syllable when followed by a vowel)
- Both the written text and the reader are clearly visible and audible in the recording
Common mistakes
- Practising only familiar phrases — reading a fresh passage on camera is the only way to prove decoding rather than memorisation
- Ignoring linking rules — Korean pronunciation changes significantly at syllable boundaries
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- The text must be visible in the recording — verify that the syllables read match the written text
- Check for basic linking rule application: 한국 should sound like 한국 not 한 + 국 (the final ㄱ shifts in connected speech)
- Reading pace is not assessed — accuracy of Hangul-to-sound conversion is what matters at this stage
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