Basic Vowels · 기본 모음

2. How it works

2.1 The two basic lines

Every basic vowel is built from a long line and one or two short strokes. A vertical line stands up, and a horizontal line lies flat.

Vertical vowels     ㅣ   the line stands up    (stroke goes left or right)
Horizontal vowels   ㅡ   the line lies flat     (stroke goes up or down)

Vertical vowels are written to the right of a consonant. Horizontal vowels are written under a consonant. You will see this in lesson 3.

2.2 Stroke direction changes the sound

The short stroke points to a side. The direction of that stroke tells you which vowel it is.

ㅏ   stroke on the right   →  a
ㅓ   stroke on the left    →  eo

ㅗ   stroke on the top     →  o
ㅜ   stroke on the bottom  →  u

A helpful memory trick is this. In ㅏ and ㅗ the stroke points up or to the right. In ㅓ and ㅜ it points the other way.

2.3 Two strokes make a y-sound

Add a second short stroke and you get a y-sound, like the y in "yes". The vowel is the same, with a quick "y" in front.

ㅏ  →  ㅑ     a   →  ya
ㅓ  →  ㅕ     eo  →  yeo
ㅗ  →  ㅛ     o   →  yo
ㅜ  →  ㅠ     u   →  yu

Count the strokes and you know the sound. One stroke is a plain vowel, and two strokes is a y-vowel.

2.4 The two vowels with no stroke

Two vowels are just a plain line. They are the simplest shapes, but ㅡ is the hardest sound for English speakers.

ㅣ   a vertical line     →  i    like "ee" in "see"
ㅡ   a horizontal line   →  eu   like "oo" in "book", but with flat lips

For ㅡ, smile slightly and say "oo" without rounding your lips. The sound is short and flat.

2.5 The 10 vowels at a glance

Sounds are close to English, but not exactly the same. Use the English hint as a starting point and listen to audio when you can.

2.6 Writing a vowel alone: the silent ㅇ

A Korean syllable cannot start with a bare vowel. It needs a consonant first. When there is no starting sound, we write the empty circle ㅇ in front.

ㅇ + ㅏ  →  아     a
ㅇ + ㅑ  →  야     ya
ㅇ + ㅓ  →  어     eo
ㅇ + ㅕ  →  여     yeo
ㅇ + ㅗ  →  오     o
ㅇ + ㅛ  →  요     yo
ㅇ + ㅜ  →  우     u
ㅇ + ㅠ  →  유     yu
ㅇ + ㅡ  →  으     eu
ㅇ + ㅣ  →  이     i

At the start of a syllable, ㅇ makes no sound at all. It only fills the empty place. Vertical vowels sit to the right of ㅇ, and horizontal vowels sit below it.