KOREAN FOUNDATIONS / 01
Your first Korean vowels
Start with six vowel sounds and read your first syllables.
BY THE END OF THIS LESSON
Recognize ㅏ, ㅓ, ㅗ, ㅜ, ㅡ and ㅣ.
Saved on this browser
1
A quiet letter
A written syllable needs an initial consonant position. Put silent ㅇ before a vowel: ㅇ + ㅏ = 아. This ㅇ is a placeholder, not an “ng” sound.
아aA vowel syllable
이iThis / tooth (meaning depends on context)
2
Look at the direction
Compare ㅏ with ㅓ, then ㅗ with ㅜ. The short stroke changes direction. Listen as well as looking: similar shapes represent different sounds.
어eoVowel ㅓ with silent ㅇ
우uVowel ㅜ with silent ㅇ
3
Read a little word
우유 has two blocks: 우 + 유. 유 uses ㅠ, the “y” counterpart of ㅜ. Romanization helps identify letters; eo and eu are not two separate vowel sounds.
우유uyuMilk
아이aiChild
Romanization is a reading aid, not an exact pronunciation guide. Korean device voices vary by browser.