Jieut (ㅈ) – Korean Consonant 지읒
ㅈ (Jieut, 지읒) is j at the start of a syllable and a short t at the end. See 주전자 and 자전거 as example words, trace ㅈ in 2 strokes, print the ㅈ worksheet for free.
What is Jieut (ㅈ) in Korean?
Jieut (ㅈ) is called 지읒 in Korean and is j at the start of a syllable and a short t at the end. ㅈ (jieut) 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 주전자 (kettle) and 자전거 (bicycle), and see it closing a syllable in 낮 (daytime).
Jieut ㅈ: sound, strokes, series and finals
ㅈ JieutKorean consonant · basic
Jieut is j at the start of a syllable and t at the end.
Jieut (ㅈ) at a glance
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | 지읒 (jieut) |
| Sound at the start | j — a short burst |
| Sound at the end | t (the same as ㄷ) |
| Strokes | 2 |
| Group | basic consonant |
| Made with | the teeth ridge |
| Example words | at the start: 쥐 (mouse), 자전거 (bicycle); at the end: 낮 (daytime) |
Three ways to remember ㅈ
Shape
Words that start with 
Words with ㅈ at the end
- daytime
More words with ㅈ
Sound: t.
How to say ㅈ
지읒Put the front of the tongue behind the upper teeth, block the air and release it with a soft hiss. ㅈ is close to English j in 'jam' but softer and with no puff of air.
At the start ㅈ is romanized j, as in 집 (jip, house). As a 받침 it stops like a final ㄷ, so 낮 (daytime) ends in t; the name 지읒 is read [지읃].
How ㅈ ends a syllable
ㅈ (jieut) loses its own colour at the end of a syllable and joins the t-stop family, which you can hear in 낮 (daytime). With ㅈ (jieut), put a vowel behind it and the real consonant sound returns: 낮이 is [나지].
Spelling keeps ㅈ (jieut) even though the ending is heard as ㄷ, so reading means turning ㅈ into the sound you hear.
How to write ㅈ
Trace Jieut ㅈ 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 a short line to the right and, without lifting the pen, sweep down to the lower left.
Start from the middle of the first stroke and sweep down to the lower right.
ㅈ and its look-alikes
ㅈ, ㅊ and ㅉ form a set: 자다 (to sleep), 차다 (cold) and 짜다 (salty). ㅈ is soft, ㅊ has a strong breath, and ㅉ is tight with none.
Many printed fonts show the top of ㅈ as a separate flat line, and learners copy it as three strokes. In handwriting the top line and the left sweep are one stroke.
Why ㅈ looks the way it does
ㅈ sounds stronger than ㅅ (siot), so one stroke was added to ㅅ. The short top line is that added stroke.
ㅈ (jieut) stands for a sound made with the teeth ridge, because Hangul's consonant shapes follow the mouth.
Words that use ㅈ
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 쟤 | jyae | that kid over there (word) |
| 짐 | jim | luggage (noun) |
| 자다 | ja-da | to sleep (verb) |
| 자랑 | ja-rang | pride (noun) |
Look for ㅈ at the front of 주 in 주전자 (kettle); the block is read ju.
Look for ㅈ at the front of 자 in 자전거 (bicycle); the block is read ja.
Look for ㅈ at the front of 지 in 지갑 (wallet); the block is read ji.
Look for ㅈ at the front of 집 in 집 (house); the block is read jip.
Look for ㅈ at the front of 종 in 종이 (paper); the block is read jong.
Syllables you can build with ㅈ
Pair ㅈ (jieut) with the vowels and you get blocks such as 자 (ja), 쟈 (jya), 저 (jeo), and 져 (jyeo).
Reading the full row aloud, 자 (ja), 쟈 (jya), 저 (jeo), 져 (jyeo), 조 (jo), 죠 (jyo), 주 (ju), 쥬 (jyu), 즈 (jeu), 지 (ji), is the quickest way to hear how the vowel changes the block while ㅈ stays put.
Try it yourself
Pick a vowel and a final for ㅈ and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with ㅈ ready
ㅈ writing worksheet (free printable)
Worksheet · Level 1 · Letters
Korean letter tracing worksheet: ㅈ (jieut)
The one-page Jieut ㅈ sheet shows ㅈ in 2 strokes, traces it, writes it with six vowels (자 저 조 주 즈 지) and ends with a game of finding ㅈ among look-alikes.
- 1 page
- A4 · US Letter
- PDF · 105 KB
- Free · no sign-up
Want more? Get all 19 consonants in one pack
Worksheet information
- How to use
- Say ㅈ out loud, trace its 2 strokes, then write it with six vowels.
Practice ㅈ
Try it yourself
Put Jieut ㅈ, j, into the builder and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with ㅈ ready
ㅈ (Jieut) — FAQ
Can you explain the ㅈ pronunciation?
The ㅈ pronunciation is j at the start of a syllable and a short t at the end. The sound in 주전자 (kettle) is the one to copy first.
ㅈ vs ㅊ: how are they different?
ㅈ is read with a short burst, while ㅊ is read with a strong, puffed burst. Say 자 (ja) and 차 (cha) in a row to hear it; ㅈ takes 2 strokes and ㅊ takes 3 strokes.
What is ㅈ called in Korean and what sound does it make?
Koreans call ㅈ 지읒 (jieut). The sound: j at the start of a syllable and a short t at the end, heard in 주전자 and 낮.
Is ㅈ j or ch?
ㅈ (jieut) is written j (자 = ja). It is softer than English j, with no puff of air; the breathy one is ㅊ (ch).
How many strokes is ㅈ?
ㅈ has 2 strokes in handwriting: the top line joined with the left sweep, then the right sweep.
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