Korean Alphabet Song — Learn 가나다라마바사 Like a Native Child

The Korean Alphabet Song — Learn 가나다라마바사 Like a Native Child is the single most powerful shortcut any beginner can use to memorize the Korean alphabet fast — and today, you are going to learn it from absolute zero. If you have never seen a Korean letter in your life, do not worry at all. Every Korean child learns their alphabet the exact same way: through a cheerful, rhythmic song called the 가나다 송 (gana-da song) [GA-na-da song] — “the Korean ABC song.” By the time you finish this lesson, you will be able to recognize, name, and even sing all 14 basic Korean consonants, just like a five-year-old in Seoul.

Korean uses its own alphabet called 한글 (Hangeul) [HAN-gool] — “the Korean alphabet.” Unlike Chinese or Japanese, Hangeul was scientifically designed in 1443 by King Sejong specifically to be easy to learn. It is made of just 24 letters — 14 consonants and 10 vowels — and most learners can read the basic letters in a single weekend. The 가나다라마바사 (ga-na-da-ra-ma-ba-sa) [GA-na-da-RA-ma-BA-sa] sequence is to Korean what “A-B-C-D-E-F-G” is to English — the foundational order every Korean person knows by heart.

Think of this lesson as your first Korean lullaby. The song follows a simple melody (very similar to “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” in rhythm), and once the tune is in your head, the letters follow automatically. Ready? Let’s sing our way into the Korean alphabet together.

What Is the Korean Alphabet Song — and Why Does It Work?

The 가나다 송 (ganadа song) [GA-na-da song] — “the Korean ABC song” — has been sung by Korean children for generations. Music is one of the most powerful memory tools the human brain has. When you attach a sound to a melody, you remember it far longer than if you just read it on a page. That is exactly why native Korean children can recite all 14 consonants perfectly before they even start school. The song groups the consonants into short, rhythmic clusters that feel natural to say aloud — 가나다라 (ga-na-da-ra) [GA-na-DA-ra], then 마바사 (ma-ba-sa) [MA-ba-SA], then 아자차카 (a-ja-cha-ka) [AH-ja-CHA-ka], and finally 타파하 (ta-pa-ha) [TA-pa-HA]. Each cluster rolls off the tongue beautifully, making the whole sequence stick in your memory within just a few repetitions.

Meet the 14 Korean Consonants — Your Hangeul Building Blocks

Before we sing, you need to know what each letter looks like and sounds like. Korean consonants are the backbone of every syllable. Each consonant in Hangeul has a name — and that name is exactly what you hear in the 가나다라마바사 alphabet song. Here is every consonant in order, with a full pronunciation guide built for English speakers: