Pieup (ㅍ) – Korean Consonant 피읖
ㅍ (Pieup, 피읖) is a strongly puffed p that is read as a short p at the end of a syllable. See 피자 and 포도 as examples, trace ㅍ in 4 strokes, print the ㅍ worksheet.
What is Pieup (ㅍ) in Korean?
Pieup (ㅍ) is called 피읖 in Korean and is a strongly puffed p that is read as a short p at the end of a syllable. Write ㅍ in 4 strokes; the sound is made with both lips, and it counts as one of the 14 basic consonants. Words to try first are 피자 (pizza) and 포도 (grape); for the closing sound, listen to 앞 (front).
Pieup ㅍ: sound, strokes, series and finals
ㅍ PieupKorean consonant · basic
Pieup is p at the start of a syllable and the same at the end.
Pieup (ㅍ) at a glance
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | 피읖 (pieup) |
| Sound at the start | p — a strong puff of air |
| Sound at the end | p (the same as ㅂ) |
| Strokes | 4 |
| Group | basic consonant |
| Made with | both lips |
| Example words | at the start: 피자 (pizza), 파인애플 (pineapple); at the end: 앞 (front) |
Three ways to remember ㅍ
Shape
Words that start with 
Words with ㅍ at the end
- front
More words with ㅍ
Sound: p.
How to say ㅍ
피읖Close the lips as for ㅂ and open them with a strong puff of air. ㅍ is close to the p in English 'pie'.
At the start ㅍ is romanized p, as in 팔 (pal, arm). As a 받침 it stops like a final ㅂ, so 앞 (front) is [압]; before a vowel the breathy p returns, as in 앞에 [아페].
How ㅍ ends a syllable
A final ㅍ gives the same quiet p as other lip stops: the lips shut and the sound ends, as in 앞 (front). The full consonant is only heard again in forms such as 앞이 [아피].
Because ㅍ is read as ㅂ here, the written letter ㅍ (pieup) and the heard letter ㅂ are not always the same. With ㅍ (pieup), that gap is why the spelling of a word can look different from the sound you hear.
How to write ㅍ
Trace Pieup ㅍ 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 line from left to right.
Below it on the left, draw a short vertical line down.
On the right, draw a second short vertical line down.
Draw the bottom line from left to right, longer than the top.
For ㅍ (pieup), count four strokes when you write ㅍ (pieup), always moving from the top and the left.
Say 불, 풀 and 뿔 (fire, grass, horn) in a row. Only 풀 should blow air onto your hand. Then practice 편지 (letter) and 표 (ticket).
ㅍ and its look-alikes
ㅍ and ㅠ can look alike to beginners. ㅍ is a consonant closed by lines on top and bottom; ㅠ is a vowel, a single line with two short legs hanging below it.
Learners often write English f words with ㅍ and then pronounce them with f. Korean has no f sound: 커피 (coffee) is keopi, with a breathy p.
Why ㅍ looks the way it does
ㅍ (pieup) belongs to the group made with both lips, because the original design of Hangul sorted consonants by the part of the mouth that makes them.
Words that use ㅍ
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 파도 | pa-do | wave (noun) |
| 파랑 | pa-rang | blue (noun) |
| 파리 | pa-ri | fly (noun) |
| 파티 | pa-ti | party (noun) |
Look for ㅍ at the front of 피 in 피자 (pizza); the block is read pi.
Look for ㅍ at the front of 포 in 포도 (grape); the block is read po.
Look for ㅍ at the front of 파 in 파 (green onion); the block is read pa.
Look for ㅍ at the front of 편 in 편지 (letter); the block is read pyeon.
Look for ㅍ at the front of 풀 in 풀 (grass); the block is read pul.
Syllables you can build with ㅍ
With ㅍ (pieup) in front, the vowels give blocks like 파 (pa), 퍄 (pya), 퍼 (peo), and 펴 (pyeo).
Reading the full row aloud, 파 (pa), 퍄 (pya), 퍼 (peo), 펴 (pyeo), 포 (po), 표 (pyo), 푸 (pu), 퓨 (pyu), 프 (peu), 피 (pi), is the quickest way to hear how the vowel changes the block while ㅍ stays put.
Try it yourself
Pick a vowel and a final for ㅍ and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with ㅍ ready
ㅍ writing worksheet (free printable)
Worksheet · Level 1 · Letters
Korean letter tracing worksheet: ㅍ (pieup)
The one-page Pieup ㅍ sheet shows ㅍ in 4 strokes, traces it, writes it with six vowels (파 퍼 포 푸 프 피) and ends with a game of finding ㅍ among look-alikes.
- 1 page
- A4 · US Letter
- PDF · 99 KB
- Free · no sign-up
Want more? Get all 19 consonants in one pack
Worksheet information
- How to use
- Say ㅍ out loud, trace its 4 strokes, then write it with six vowels.
Practice ㅍ
Try it yourself
Put Pieup ㅍ, p, into the builder and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with ㅍ ready
ㅍ (Pieup) — FAQ
Can you explain the ㅍ pronunciation?
The ㅍ pronunciation is a strongly puffed p that is read as a short p at the end of a syllable. The sound in 피자 (pizza) is the one to copy first.
What is ㅍ called in Korean and what sound does it make?
ㅍ is called 피읖 (pieup). It is read a strongly puffed p that is read as a short p at the end of a syllable, as in 피자 and 앞.
Is ㅍ p or f?
ㅍ (pieup) is p with a strong puff of air, as in 파 (pa). Korean has no f sound, so English f in loanwords is usually written with ㅍ, as in 커피 (coffee).
How many strokes make up ㅍ?
ㅍ has 4 strokes: top line, left vertical, right vertical, bottom line.
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