✍️ Writing Hangul — Stroke Order Basics

How to write each Hangul letter correctly, and why order matters (English)

All Questions & Answers (50)

1. What is the first rule of Hangul stroke order?Top to bottom
2. What is the second rule?Left to right
3. Why does stroke order matter?It makes handwriting readable and consistent
4. How many strokes is ㄱ?1 — across, then down in one motion
5. How many strokes is ㄴ?1 — down, then across
6. How many strokes is ㄷ?2 — top line, then the ㄴ shape
7. How many strokes is ㄹ?3 — like ㄱ, then a middle line, then ㄴ
8. How many strokes is ㅁ?3 — left down, top across and down, bottom across
9. How many strokes is ㅂ?4 — two verticals, then two horizontals
10. How many strokes is ㅅ?2 — left slant, then right slant
11. How many strokes is ㅇ?1 — a circle, drawn counterclockwise
12. How many strokes is ㅈ?2 or 3 — a top line then ㅅ
13. How many strokes is ㅊ?3 or 4 — a short top mark, then ㅈ
14. How many strokes is ㅋ?2 — ㄱ then a middle line
15. How many strokes is ㅌ?3 — like ㄷ with a middle line
16. How many strokes is ㅍ?4 — top line, two verticals, bottom line
17. How many strokes is ㅎ?3 — a mark, a line, then a circle
18. Which way do you draw the circle in ㅇ?Counterclockwise, starting at the top
19. How do you write ㅏ?Vertical line first, then the short stroke to the right
20. How do you write ㅓ?Short stroke first, then the vertical line
21. How do you write ㅗ?Short vertical first, then the horizontal line
22. How do you write ㅜ?Horizontal line first, then the short vertical
23. How do you write ㅑ?Vertical line, then the two short strokes top to bottom
24. How do you write ㅡ?One stroke, left to right
25. How do you write ㅣ?One stroke, top to bottom
26. Where does a vertical vowel go?To the right of the consonant — 가, 나
27. Where does a horizontal vowel go?Below the consonant — 고, 노
28. Where does the batchim go?At the bottom of the block
29. How is 한 built?ㅎ + ㅏ side by side, ㄴ underneath
30. How is 글 built?ㄱ on top, ㅡ under it, ㄹ at the bottom
31. How is 물 built?ㅁ, then ㅜ below, then ㄹ at the bottom
32. Should every block be the same size?Yes — blocks stay square regardless of letter count
33. What changes when a block has more letters?Each part gets smaller to keep the square
34. Which is written first in 사?ㅅ, then ㅏ
35. Which is written first in 소?ㅅ, then ㅗ below
36. Which is written first in 손?ㅅ, ㅗ, then ㄴ at the bottom
37. What is the stroke order for 김?ㄱ, ㅣ, then ㅁ
38. What is the stroke order for 박?ㅂ, ㅏ, then ㄱ
39. What is the stroke order for 이?ㅇ, then ㅣ
40. Do double consonants change the order?No — write the same shape twice, left then right
41. How do you write ㄲ?ㄱ then another ㄱ to its right
42. How do you write ㅆ?ㅅ then another ㅅ to its right
43. What tool do Korean students use to practice?원고지 style grid paper, one block per square
44. Why practice by hand at all?Writing fixes the shapes in memory faster than reading alone
45. Is printed Hangul different from handwritten?Slightly — handwriting rounds corners but keeps the order
46. Which letters are most often confused?ㅁ and ㅇ, ㅂ and ㅃ, ㅓ and ㅏ
47. How do you tell ㅓ from ㅏ?The short stroke points left in ㅓ, right in ㅏ
48. How do you tell ㅗ from ㅜ?ㅗ has the short stroke on top, ㅜ below
49. How long does it take to learn to write Hangul?Most learners write all 24 letters within a few days
50. What is the best first word to practice?한글 — it uses eight strokes and three block shapes

Import the CSV into Mem8 — study with FSRS spaced repetition (also works with Anki-compatible apps).