The Korean board
Korean keyboards use the US key shape (ANSI) with two extra keys by the space bar: 한자 (Hanja) on the left and 한/영 (Han/Yeong) on the right, so the space bar is shorter. 한/영 switches between Hangul and Latin input; 한자 turns the syllable you just typed into Chinese characters. Every letter key carries a Hangul jamo next to its Latin letter, drawn bottom right in the picture, and the backslash key shows ₩.
The jamo follow the standard 2-set (Dubeolsik) layout of KS X 5002: consonants on the left hand (ㅂ ㅈ ㄷ ㄱ ㅅ on the top row, ㅁ ㄴ ㅇ ㄹ ㅎ on the home row), vowels on the right. Shift gives the double consonants ㅃ ㅉ ㄸ ㄲ ㅆ and the vowels ㅒ ㅖ. The table under this text lists each key’s jamo and its Shift form.
Testing the Korean keys
Press every key, including 한/영 and 한자. Each lights up in the picture and the event log shows its code: Lang1 and Lang2 on a 103/106-key board. If those keys light up the right Alt and right Ctrl instead, your board is a 101-key type that uses them for Korean switching; that’s normal. The Hangul IME composes syllables from the jamo, so what appears on screen may lag a key behind, while the tester registers each press immediately.
Switching to Korean
- Windows: Settings, Time & language, Language & region, Add a language, 한국어. Switch with 한/영 or Win+Space.
- macOS: System Settings, Keyboard, Text Input, Edit, +, Korean, 2-Set Korean. Switch with Caps Lock or Control+Space.
- Linux (GNOME): Settings, Keyboard, Input Sources, +, Korean (Hangul), which uses IBus or Fcitx.
The Korean keys at a glance
These keys differ from a US keyboard. The browser code is the name the key sends in the event log, taken from the US key in the same place; the Hangul column is what each key types with Korean input on.
| Key | Shift | Hangul | Browser code | US keyboard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q | ㅂ (Shift: ㅃ) | KeyQ | Q | |
| W | ㅈ (Shift: ㅉ) | KeyW | W | |
| E | ㄷ (Shift: ㄸ) | KeyE | E | |
| R | ㄱ (Shift: ㄲ) | KeyR | R | |
| T | ㅅ (Shift: ㅆ) | KeyT | T | |
| Y | ㅛ | KeyY | Y | |
| U | ㅕ | KeyU | U | |
| I | ㅑ | KeyI | I | |
| O | ㅐ (Shift: ㅒ) | KeyO | O | |
| P | ㅔ (Shift: ㅖ) | KeyP | P | |
| ₩ | | | Backslash | \ | |
| A | ㅁ | KeyA | A | |
| S | ㄴ | KeyS | S | |
| D | ㅇ | KeyD | D | |
| F | ㄹ | KeyF | F | |
| G | ㅎ | KeyG | G | |
| H | ㅗ | KeyH | H | |
| J | ㅓ | KeyJ | J | |
| K | ㅏ | KeyK | K | |
| L | ㅣ | KeyL | L | |
| Z | ㅋ | KeyZ | Z | |
| X | ㅌ | KeyX | X | |
| C | ㅊ | KeyC | C | |
| V | ㅍ | KeyV | V | |
| B | ㅠ | KeyB | B | |
| N | ㅜ | KeyN | N | |
| M | ㅡ | KeyM | M |
The extra keys of a Korean keyboard
| Browser code | Key | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Lang1 | 한/영 | Switches between Hangul and Latin input (the browser key value is HangulMode) |
| Lang2 | 한자 | Converts the Hangul syllable before the cursor to Hanja (key value HanjaMode) |
| AltRight / ControlRight | 한/영 / 한자 | On 101-key Korean keyboards without those keys, Windows uses right Alt and right Ctrl instead |