Nieun (ㄴ) – Korean Consonant 니은
ㄴ (Nieun, 니은) is a steady n sound at the start and the end of a syllable. See 나무 and 노래 as example words, trace ㄴ in 1 stroke, print the ㄴ worksheet for free.
What is Nieun (ㄴ) in Korean?
Nieun (ㄴ) is called 니은 in Korean and is a steady n sound at the start and the end of a syllable. ㄴ needs 1 stroke 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 나무 (tree) and 노래 (song); for the closing sound, listen to 산 (mountain).
Nieun ㄴ: sound, strokes, series and finals
ㄴ NieunKorean consonant · basic
Nieun is n at the start of a syllable and the same at the end.
Nieun (ㄴ) at a glance
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | 니은 (nieun) |
| Sound at the start | n — a hum through the nose |
| Sound at the end | n (unreleased) |
| Strokes | 1 |
| Group | basic consonant |
| Made with | the tip of the tongue |
| Example words | at the start: 나무 (tree), 나비 (butterfly); at the end: 원숭이 (monkey), 라면 (instant noodles) |
Three ways to remember ㄴ
Shape
Words that start with 
Words with ㄴ at the end
How to say ㄴ
니은Touch the tip of your tongue to the ridge just behind your upper front teeth and let the sound come through your nose. ㄴ is the same n sound as in English 'no'.
ㄴ is romanized n in every position: 나 (na) at the start and 눈 (nun, eye or snow) at the end. As a 받침 the tongue stays on the ridge, which keeps it different from the ng of ㅇ.
How ㄴ ends a syllable
In 산 (mountain) the tongue tip stays on the ridge behind the upper teeth while the sound hums through the nose. A vowel after it simply slides the n forward: 산이 is read [사니].
A final ㄴ (nieun) 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 ㄴ
Trace Nieun ㄴ 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
Start at the top, go straight down, then turn and draw a line to the right.
ㄴ (nieun) takes one stroke in total, written from top to bottom and left to right.
Next to a vertical vowel (나) the bottom line of ㄴ is short; under a horizontal vowel (노) it stretches wide. Trace 나, 노 and 눈 to feel how the letter changes size.
ㄴ and its look-alikes
| Letter | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ㄴ | 니은 (nieun) | n, as in nose |
| ㄹ | 리을 (rieul) | r, liquid |
ㄴ and ㅇ at the end of a syllable are easy to mix up. 반 (half) ends with the tongue tip on the ridge, and 방 (room) ends with the back of the tongue raised and the tip free.
English speakers often swallow a final ㄴ into ng, so 반 turns into 방. Finish the syllable with your tongue tip pressed on the ridge and check it in a mirror.
Why ㄴ looks the way it does
ㄴ (nieun) 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 ㄴ
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 노래 | no-rae | song (noun) |
| 놀이 | [노리] no-ri | play (noun) |
| 낮 | [낟] nat | daytime (noun) |
| 넋 | [넉] neok | spirit (noun) |
| 자전거 | ja-jeon-geo | bicycle (noun) |
| 주전자 | ju-jeon-ja | kettle (noun) |
| 파인애플 | pa-in-ae-peul | pineapple (noun) |
| 에어컨 | e-eo-keon | air conditioner (noun) |
The first block of 나무 (tree) is 나, and it opens with ㄴ: read na.
The first block of 노래 (song) is 노, and it opens with ㄴ: read no.
The first block of 눈 (eye) is 눈, and it opens with ㄴ: read nun.
The first block of 놀이 (play) is 놀, and it opens with ㄴ: read nol.
The first block of 나비 (butterfly) is 나, and it opens with ㄴ: read na.
Syllables you can build with ㄴ
Pair ㄴ (nieun) with the vowels and you get blocks such as 나 (na), 냐 (nya), 너 (neo), and 녀 (nyeo).
Reading the full row aloud, 나 (na), 냐 (nya), 너 (neo), 녀 (nyeo), 노 (no), 뇨 (nyo), 누 (nu), 뉴 (nyu), 느 (neu), 니 (ni), is the quickest way to hear how the vowel changes the block while ㄴ stays put.
Try it yourself
Pick a vowel and a final for ㄴ and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with ㄴ ready
ㄴ writing worksheet (free printable)
Worksheet · Level 1 · Letters
Korean letter tracing worksheet: ㄴ (nieun)
The one-page Nieun ㄴ sheet shows ㄴ in 1 stroke, traces it, writes it with six vowels (나 너 노 누 느 니) and ends with a game of finding ㄴ among look-alikes.
- 1 page
- A4 · US Letter
- PDF · 113 KB
- Free · no sign-up
Want more? Get all 19 consonants in one pack
Worksheet information
- How to use
- Say ㄴ out loud, trace its 1 stroke, then write it with six vowels.
Practice ㄴ
Try it yourself
Put Nieun ㄴ, n, into the builder and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with ㄴ ready
ㄴ (Nieun) — FAQ
Can you explain the ㄴ pronunciation?
Read it as a steady n sound at the start and the end of a syllable; 나무 (tree) is a good word to practice with.
What is ㄴ called in Korean and what sound does it make?
니은 (nieun) is the name of ㄴ, which is read a steady n sound at the start and the end of a syllable; compare 나무 and 산.
How many strokes is ㄴ?
ㄴ has 1 stroke: down, then right, without lifting the pen.
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