Digeut (ㄷ) – Korean Consonant 디귿
ㄷ (Digeut, 디귿) is d at the start of a syllable and a short t at the end. See 도넛 and 다리 as example words, trace ㄷ in 2 strokes, print the ㄷ worksheet for free.
What is Digeut (ㄷ) in Korean?
Digeut (ㄷ) is called 디귿 in Korean and is d at the start of a syllable and a short t at the end. ㄷ needs 2 strokes on paper, uses the tip of the tongue to make its sound, and is one of the 14 basic consonants. Words to try first are 도넛 (doughnut) and 다리 (leg); for the closing sound, listen to 받다 (to receive).
Digeut ㄷ: sound, strokes, series and finals
ㄷ DigeutKorean consonant · basic
Digeut is d at the start of a syllable and t at the end.
Digeut (ㄷ) at a glance
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | 디귿 (digeut) |
| Sound at the start | d — a light breath |
| Sound at the end | t (unreleased) |
| Strokes | 2 |
| Group | basic consonant |
| Made with | the tip of the tongue |
| Example words | at the start: 도넛 (donut), 닭 (chicken); at the end: 받다 (to receive), 받침 (final consonant) |
Three ways to remember ㄷ
Shape
Words that start with ㄷ
donut
chicken
pig
다squirrel
Sound: d.
Words with ㄷ at the end
How to say ㄷ
디귿Put your tongue tip where you say ㄴ, block the air, and release it with a light breath. ㄷ at the start of a word sounds between English d and t; between vowels, as in 바다 (sea), it is a soft d.
As a first sound ㄷ is romanized d, as in 다 (da). As a 받침 it closes and stays shut, a short t: 듣다 (to listen) starts with 듣, which ends in an unreleased t.
How ㄷ ends a syllable
In the case of ㄷ (digeut), hold your tongue tip against the ridge behind your upper teeth when you finish 받다 (to receive); that closed position is a final ㄷ. For ㄷ (digeut), a vowel after it lets the sound slip into the next block, as in 받아요 [바다요].
A final ㄷ (digeut) keeps its own letter in the sound, so spelling and speech agree here; the only change is that the release is held back.
How to write ㄷ
Trace Digeut ㄷ with a finger, mouse or pen: start at the numbered dot, follow the dotted arrow, and press Clear to try again.
Print style 정자체
Follow the numbers and dotted arrows
Handwriting 필기체
Same stroke order as print style
Draw the top horizontal line from left to right.
Start under the left end of that line, go down, then turn and draw the bottom line to the right.
Write ㄷ (digeut) in two strokes, top first and left first.
Keep the top line and the bottom line the same length so ㄷ looks like a square open on the right. In 도 the letter is wide and flat because the vowel sits below.
ㄷ and its look-alikes
ㄷ, ㅌ and ㄸ form a set: 달 (moon), 탈 (mask) and 딸 (daughter). The first is light, the second breathy, the third tight with no breath.
Learners often let a final ㄷ pop open, so 듣다 sounds like 드트다. A final ㄷ stops the air and ends there, with no extra vowel.
Why ㄷ looks the way it does
ㄷ uses the same tongue shape as ㄴ but sounds stronger, so one stroke was added to ㄴ. Adding strokes for stronger sounds is how Hunminjeongeum grew from 5 basic shapes.
ㄷ (digeut) belongs to the group made with the tip of the tongue, because the original design of Hangul sorted consonants by the part of the mouth that makes them.
Words that use ㄷ
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 달 | dal | moon (noun) |
| 돈 | don | money (noun) |
| 다리 | da-ri | leg (noun) |
| 두부 | du-bu | tofu (noun) |
The first block of 도넛 (doughnut) is 도, and it opens with ㄷ: read do.
The first block of 다리 (leg) is 다, and it opens with ㄷ: read da.
The first block of 달 (moon) is 달, and it opens with ㄷ: read dal.
The first block of 두부 (tofu) is 두, and it opens with ㄷ: read du.
The first block of 돈 (money) is 돈, and it opens with ㄷ: read don.
Syllables you can build with ㄷ
Start a block with ㄷ and add a vowel: 다 (da), 댜 (dya), 더 (deo), and 뎌 (dyeo), and more.
Reading the full row aloud, 다 (da), 댜 (dya), 더 (deo), 뎌 (dyeo), 도 (do), 됴 (dyo), 두 (du), 듀 (dyu), 드 (deu), 디 (di), is the quickest way to hear how the vowel changes the block while ㄷ stays put.
Try it yourself
Pick a vowel and a final for ㄷ and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with ㄷ ready
ㄷ writing worksheet (free printable)
Worksheet · Level 1 · Letters
Korean letter tracing worksheet: ㄷ (digeut)
The one-page Digeut ㄷ sheet shows ㄷ in 2 strokes, traces it, writes it with six vowels (다 더 도 두 드 디) and ends with a game of finding ㄷ among look-alikes.
- 1 page
- A4 · US Letter
- PDF · 94 KB
- Free · no sign-up
Want more? Get all 19 consonants in one pack
Worksheet information
- How to use
- Say ㄷ out loud, trace its 2 strokes, then write it with six vowels.
Practice ㄷ
Try it yourself
Put Digeut ㄷ, d, into the builder and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with ㄷ ready
ㄷ (Digeut) — FAQ
Can you explain the ㄷ pronunciation?
Read it as d at the start of a syllable and a short t at the end; 도넛 (doughnut) is a good word to practice with.
ㄷ vs ㅌ: how are they different?
ㄷ is read with a light breath, while ㅌ is read with a strong puff of air. Say 다 (da) and 타 (ta) in a row to hear it; ㄷ takes 2 strokes and ㅌ takes 3 strokes.
What is ㄷ called in Korean and what sound does it make?
Koreans call ㄷ 디귿 (digeut). The sound: d at the start of a syllable and a short t at the end, heard in 도넛 and 받다.
Is ㄷ d or t?
ㄷ (digeut) is written d at the start of a syllable (다 = da) and t as a final consonant (듣 = deut). The sound is between English d and t.
How many strokes does ㄷ have?
ㄷ has 2 strokes: the top line first, then an ㄴ shape for the left side and bottom.
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