Stroke order

The Hunmin Jeongeum Haerye, the treatise introducing the principles behind the Korean alphabet written by its inventor King Sejong in 1446, explains that this glyph was derived by adding a stroke to ㄱ (g) to represent aspiration.

• IPA^(key): /kʰ/
• Actual realisation:

  (word-initially, between vowels, or after nasals and liquids) IPA^(key): [kʰ]

  (before stops, or word-finally) IPA^(key): [k̚]

  (before nasals) IPA^(key): [ŋ]

ㅋ • (k)

1. 키읔 (kieuk), a jamo (letter) of hangul, the Korean alphabet.

In contemporary Korean, when ㅋ (k) is placed on the side, it curves as in the example of 키 (ki), 케찹 (kechap). However, when ㅋ (k) is placed on top or bottom, it retains its original look, as in the examples of 코 (ko), 콩 (kong), 코카콜라 (kokakolla), 녘 (nyeok). This was done in the modern era to make the character look more balanced. This rule is also applied to ㄱ (g).

• K (K)

Because the letter k repeated sounds like a person laughing, putting ㅋ (k) in a consecutive manner stands for laughing in the Korean Internet media. Compare Portuguese kkk.

ㅋ • (k)

1. (Internet slang) lol, ha! (typically dismissive)

• ㅋㅋ (kk)
• ㅋㅋㅋ (kkk)