Compound Vowels · 이중 모음

3. Reading practice

Practice 1 — The ㅐ and ㅔ family

Say each word with the same open "e" sound for ㅐ and ㅔ.

개
gae
→ dog

게
ge
→ crab

새
sae
→ bird

세계
se-gye
→ world

개 and 게 sound almost the same. Context tells you which word it is.

Practice 2 — ㅘ and ㅙ

Start with a quick "w", then slide into the second vowel.

사과
sa-gwa
→ apple

과자
gwa-ja
→ snack

화장실
hwa-jang-sil
→ bathroom

왜
wae
→ why

In 사과 and 과자, ㄱ plus ㅘ makes the block 과. Read it as one syllable, "gwa".

Practice 3 — ㅚ ㅝ ㅞ

These sound like "we" or "wo". Keep each one in a single beat.

돼지
dwae-ji
→ pig

회사
hoe-sa
→ company

외국
oe-guk
→ foreign country

뭐
mwo
→ what

회 and 외 are written with ㅚ. Say them like "hwe" and "we".

Practice 4 — ㅟ and ㅢ

Watch where ㅢ sits in the word. It is read "ui" at the start, and usually in the middle too.

귀
gwi
→ ear

의사
ui-sa
→ doctor

의자
ui-ja
→ chair

회의
hoe-ui
→ meeting

In 회의, the ㅢ is the second block, and it is usually read "ui". Outside the first syllable, "i" is also allowed, as in [회이]. After a consonant in the same block, it is always "i".