Ba in Korean: the Syllable 바
바 is a Korean syllable block read ba, built from ㅂ + ㅏ. See 바지 and 바다 as examples, trace 바 in 6 strokes, print the 바 worksheet for free.
How do you read and write Ba in Korean (바)?
Ba in Korean is the block 바: ㅂ on the left, ㅏ on the right, 6 strokes in all. 바 is romanized ba. You will find 바 at the start of 바지 (pants) and 바다 (sea).
Ba in Korean 바: reading, parts and strokes
바 Ba in KoreanKorean syllable block
바 is read ba: ㅂ + ㅏ.
바 at a glance
Two ways to remember 바
Look
Words with 
How the block 바 is built
Tall vowel beside the consonant
Tall vowel + batchim
Flat vowel below the consonant
Flat vowel + batchim
Wrapped vowel
Wrapped vowel + batchim
바 is a side-by-side block: ㅂ takes the left part and ㅏ stands on the right.
The two tall lines of ㅂ reach a little above its box, and the whole letter stays narrow.
For 바 (ba), nothing sits at the bottom of this block yet. With 바 (ba), put a consonant there and you get 박 (bak), 반 (ban), 발 (bal) and the rest of the family.
How to read 바
바바 is romanized ba. At the start of a word it is light, between ba and pa, as in 바다 (sea); between vowels it is a soft ba, as in 이 바지 (these pants).
Join ㅂ and ㅏ without a pause and you get ba.
The b in 바 is lighter than the English b; the lips meet gently and the vowel follows at once, which can sound halfway to a p at the start of a word.
How to write 바 stroke by stroke
Trace Ba in Korean 바 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 left vertical line down. Then draw the right vertical line down, parallel to the first. Then draw the middle line across from left to right. Then draw the bottom line across to close the letter.
Finish with ㅏ (a) beside it: draw one tall line down, then a short arm halfway along it.
The block needs six strokes in all, 4 for ㅂ and 2 for ㅏ.
Sea words make a good set: 바다 (sea), 바닷가 (beach) and 바람 (wind). Write each and notice that 바 looks the same in all of them.
A common slip with 바
How 바 is used
바 starts three very common nouns: 바다 (sea), 바람 (wind) and 바지 (pants). Saying them in a row lets you hear how the second block changes while 바 stays put.
The opening consonant of this block is made with both lips, and its sound is like b, as in bucket.
바 with a final consonant
| Block | Reading | Final |
|---|---|---|
| 박 | bak | ㄱ = k |
| 반 | ban | ㄴ = n |
| 발 | bal | ㄹ = l |
| 밤 | bam | ㅁ = m |
| 밥 | bap | ㅂ = p |
| 방 | bang | ㅇ = ng |
In the case of 바 (ba), put a consonant under the block and the reading gains an ending: 박 (bak), 반 (ban), 발 (bal), 밤 (bam), 밥 (bap), 방 (bang).
With 바 (ba), notice how the final sound is always a short stop or hum: ㄱ is k, ㄴ is n, ㄹ is l, ㅁ is m, ㅂ is p, ㅇ is ng.
Close 바 with ㄱ and you read 박 (bak), closing on a quiet k. Close 바 with ㄴ and you read 반 (ban), closing on a hummed n. Close 바 with ㄹ and you read 발 (bal), closing on a tongue-tip l.
Close 바 with ㅁ and you read 밤 (bam), closing on a lip-closed m. Close 바 with ㅂ and you read 밥 (bap), closing on a lip-closed p. Close 바 with ㅇ and you read 방 (bang), closing on the ng of song.
ㅂ with other vowels
Same opening, six vowels: 바 (ba), 버 (beo), 보 (bo), 부 (bu), 브 (beu), 비 (bi).
바 next to 마 and 사
Compare 바 too with 마 (ma): that consonant is made with both lips and gives a hum through the nose.
Words that start with 바
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 바위 | ba-wi | rock (noun) |
바지 (pants) is a word that opens with 바; say it as ba-ji.
바다 (sea) is a word that opens with 바; say it as ba-da.
바나나 (banana) is a word that opens with 바; say it as ba-na-na.
바람 (wind) is a word that opens with 바; say it as ba-ram.
바위 (rock) is a word that opens with 바; say it as ba-wi.
바 writing worksheet (free printable)
Worksheet · Level 1 · Letters
Korean syllable tracing worksheet: 바 (ba)
The one-page Ba in Korean 바 sheet builds 바 (ba) from ㅂ + ㅏ, traces it, writes ㅂ with other vowels (바 버 보 부 브 비) and ends with a game of finding 바.
- 1 page
- A4 · US Letter
- PDF · 98 KB
- Free · no sign-up
Want more? Get a printable pack of Hangul letters
Worksheet information
- How to use
- Build 바 from ㅂ + ㅏ, trace it, then write it on your own.
Practice 바
Try it yourself
Put Ba in Korean 바, ba, into the builder and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with 바 ready
바 (Ba in Korean) — FAQ
How do you read 바?
Read 바 as ba, with ㅂ first and ㅏ after it. 바 is romanized ba.
Which letters make up 바?
The letters inside 바 are ㅂ and ㅏ, with ㅂ on the left and ㅏ on the right.
How do you write 바 stroke by stroke?
Left part first, right part second: ㅂ takes 4, ㅏ takes 2, which makes 6 strokes.
How do you write 바?
바 is ㅂ + ㅏ: four strokes for ㅂ, then two for ㅏ, 6 strokes in all.
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