Siot (ㅅ) – Korean Consonant 시옷
ㅅ (Siot, 시옷) is s at the start of a syllable and a short t at the end. See 사과 and 시계 as example words, trace ㅅ in 2 strokes, print the ㅅ worksheet for free.
What is Siot (ㅅ) in Korean?
Siot (ㅅ) is called 시옷 in Korean and is s at the start of a syllable and a short t at the end. ㅅ (siot) needs 2 strokes on paper, uses the teeth ridge to make its sound, and is one of the 14 basic consonants. You can hear it in 사과 (apple; sorry) and 시계 (clock), and see it closing a syllable in 옷 (clothes).
Siot ㅅ: sound, strokes, series and finals
ㅅ SiotKorean consonant · basic
Siot is s at the start of a syllable and t at the end.
Siot (ㅅ) at a glance
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | 시옷 (siot) |
| Sound at the start | s — a soft hiss |
| Sound at the end | t (the same as ㄷ) |
| Strokes | 2 |
| Group | basic consonant |
| Made with | the teeth ridge |
| Example words | at the start: 사과 (apple), 사자 (lion); at the end: 도넛 (donut), 옷 (clothes) |
Three ways to remember ㅅ
Shape
Words that start with 
Words with ㅅ at the end
donut- clothes
- robot
- seed
More words with ㅅ
Sound: t.
How to say ㅅ
시옷Let air hiss between the tongue and the ridge behind the upper teeth, as in English s. Before ㅣ and the y-vowels (ㅑ, ㅕ, ㅛ, ㅠ) the tongue moves back, so 시 sounds close to English she.
At the start ㅅ is romanized s, as in 사람 (saram, person). As a 받침 it does not hiss: it stops like a final ㄷ, so 옷 (clothes) ends in t and the name 시옷 is read [시옫].
How ㅅ ends a syllable
ㅅ (siot) loses its own colour at the end of a syllable and joins the t-stop family, which you can hear in 옷 (clothes). In the case of ㅅ (siot), put a vowel behind it and the real consonant sound returns: 옷이 is [오시].
Because ㅅ is read as ㄷ here, the written letter ㅅ (siot) and the heard letter ㄷ are not always the same. With ㅅ (siot), that gap is why the spelling of a word can look different from the sound you hear.
How to write ㅅ
Trace Siot ㅅ 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
From the top, sweep down to the lower left.
Start from the middle of the first stroke and sweep down to the lower right.
Write ㅅ (siot) in two strokes, top first and left first.
In 소 and 수 the two legs of ㅅ spread wide above the vowel; in 사 they are narrow and tall. Start the second stroke at the middle of the first, not at its top.
ㅅ and its look-alikes
| Letter | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ㅅ | 시옷 (siot) | s, as in shelter |
| ㅆ | 쌍시옷 (ssangsiot) | ss, tight hiss |
ㅅ and ㅆ make pairs such as 사다 (to buy) and 싸다 (cheap). ㅅ is soft with a little breath, while ㅆ is a sharp, tense hiss.
Learners often read a final ㅅ as s, saying 옷 as os. As a 받침 it becomes a stopped t: 옷 is [옫], and only before a vowel (옷을 [오슬]) does the s come back.
Why ㅅ looks the way it does
ㅅ (siot) sits in the group that uses the teeth ridge, since the inventors of Hangul sorted consonants by where the sound is made.
Words that use ㅅ
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 산 | san | mountain (noun) |
| 사람 | sa-ram | person (noun) |
| 소금 | so-geum | salt (noun) |
| 시계 | [시계/시게] si-gye-/-si-ge | clock (noun) |
| 다섯 | [다섣] da-seot | five (numeral) |
| 라켓 | ra-ket | racket (noun) |
| 초콜릿 | cho-kol-lit | chocolate (noun) |
In 사과 (apple; sorry), ㅅ (siot) is the first sound of the first block 사, which is read sa.
In 시계 (clock), ㅅ (siot) is the first sound of the first block 시, which is read si.
In 소금 (salt), ㅅ (siot) is the first sound of the first block 소, which is read so.
In 산 (mountain), ㅅ (siot) is the first sound of the first block 산, which is read san.
In 신발 (shoes), ㅅ (siot) is the first sound of the first block 신, which is read sin.
Syllables you can build with ㅅ
Start a block with ㅅ and add a vowel: 사 (sa), 샤 (sya), 서 (seo), and 셔 (syeo), and more.
Say the whole row, 사 (sa), 샤 (sya), 서 (seo), 셔 (syeo), 소 (so), 쇼 (syo), 수 (su), 슈 (syu), 스 (seu), 시 (si), and notice that only the vowel moves.
Try it yourself
Pick a vowel and a final for ㅅ and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with ㅅ ready
ㅅ writing worksheet (free printable)
Worksheet · Level 1 · Letters
Korean letter tracing worksheet: ㅅ (siot)
The one-page Siot ㅅ sheet shows ㅅ in 2 strokes, traces it, writes it with six vowels (사 서 소 수 스 시) and ends with a game of finding ㅅ among look-alikes.
- 1 page
- A4 · US Letter
- PDF · 103 KB
- Free · no sign-up
Want more? Get all 19 consonants in one pack
Worksheet information
- How to use
- Say ㅅ out loud, trace its 2 strokes, then write it with six vowels.
Practice ㅅ
Try it yourself
Put Siot ㅅ, s, into the builder and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with ㅅ ready
ㅅ (Siot) — FAQ
What should the ㅅ pronunciation sound like?
Read it as s at the start of a syllable and a short t at the end; 사과 (apple; sorry) is a good word to practice with.
ㅅ vs ㅆ: how are they different?
ㅅ is read with a soft hiss, while ㅆ is read with a tight hiss. Say 사 (sa) and 싸 (ssa) in a row to hear it; ㅅ takes 2 strokes and ㅆ takes 4 strokes.
What is ㅅ called in Korean and what sound does it make?
시옷 (siot) is the name of ㅅ, which is read s at the start of a syllable and a short t at the end; compare 사과 and 옷.
How many strokes does ㅅ have?
ㅅ has 2 strokes: a sweep to the lower left, then a sweep to the lower right starting from the middle of the first.
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