Compound Vowels · 이중 모음

4. Common mistakes

❌ Mistake 1 — Hearing ㅐ and ㅔ as different sounds

✖ 개 "gae" and 게 "ge" as two sounds
✔ 개 → gae   게 → ge   (almost the same)

You do not need to find a difference. Say both as "e" in "bed". Learn the spelling from the word, not from the sound.

❌ Mistake 2 — Reading ㅚ as "oy"

✖ 회사 → hoy-sa
✔ 회사 → hoe-sa  (said "hwe-sa")

English speakers see "oe" and say "oy". ㅚ is closer to "we". Round your lips and say "weh".

❌ Mistake 3 — Splitting the w-vowels into two syllables

✖ 과자 → go-a-ja
✔ 과자 → gwa-ja

ㅘ is one vowel, not ㅗ then ㅏ. Glide quickly from the lips-rounded start to the open sound in one beat.

❌ Mistake 4 — Always reading ㅢ as "ui"

✖ 희망 → hui-mang
✔ 희망 → hi-mang

After a consonant, ㅢ is read "i". At the start of a word it is "ui", as in 의자. The particle 의 is often "e", so 나의 sounds like "na-e".

❌ Mistake 5 — Mixing up ㅝ and ㅗ

✖ 원 → on
✔ 원 → won

ㅝ starts with a rounded "w" from ㅜ. If you lose the "w" you say a different vowel and a different word.