Compound Vowels — 이중 모음

Korean has 11 compound vowels. Each one is made by combining two basic vowels, such as ㅗ + ㅏ = ㅘ. Once you see the building logic, they are easy to read. In this lesson you learn all 11 and read your first words with them.

1. Why learn this

You already know the 10 basic vowels. But everyday words like 개, 사과, 회사 and 의사 use compound vowels. Without them you cannot read most simple words.

The good news is that you do not memorize 11 new shapes. You only combine vowels you know. Some of them also sound almost the same, so there are fewer sounds than letters.