Vowels
10 Basic Vowels
Hangul vowels were designed based on heaven (ㆍ), earth (ㅡ), and human (ㅣ). Click on each card to learn more.
아
Flip Card
하늘(ㆍ)이 사람(ㅣ)의 동쪽에 있는 모습입니다. 밝고 양성적인 소리입니다.
Examples
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어
Flip Card
하늘(ㆍ)이 사람(ㅣ)의 서쪽에 있는 모습입니다. 어둡고 음성적인 소리입니다.
Examples
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오
Flip Card
하늘(ㆍ)이 땅(ㅡ) 위에 있는 모습입니다. 밝고 양성적인 소리입니다.
Examples
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우
Flip Card
하늘(ㆍ)이 땅(ㅡ) 아래에 있는 모습입니다. 어둡고 음성적인 소리입니다.
Examples
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으
Flip Card
평평한 땅의 모습을 본뜬 것입니다. 중성적인 소리입니다.
Examples
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이
Flip Card
서 있는 사람의 모습을 본뜬 것입니다. 중성적인 소리입니다.
Examples
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애
Flip Card
ㅏ와 ㅣ가 합쳐진 복합 모음입니다.
Examples
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에
Flip Card
ㅓ와 ㅣ가 합쳐진 복합 모음입니다.
Examples
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외
Flip Card
ㅗ와 ㅣ가 합쳐진 복합 모음입니다.
Examples
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위
Flip Card
ㅜ와 ㅣ가 합쳐진 복합 모음입니다.
Examples
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What Are Vowels?
Vowels in Korean are called "모음" (moeum), literally meaning "mother sounds." They are the core elements that combine with consonants to complete syllables. While consonants block or narrow the mouth, vowels are sounds made with an open mouth.
Hangul has 10 basic vowels. Combined with 14 consonants, you only need to know 24 basic letters to read Korean. Vowels are generally easier to learn than consonants!
What's most remarkable about Hangul vowels is their philosophical meaning. King Sejong embedded the core Eastern philosophy concepts of heaven, earth, and human into the letters.
Heaven, Earth, Human: Three Basic Elements
All Hangul vowels are created from combinations of three basic elements. These elements reflect the Eastern philosophy concept of "Three Powers" (Samjae).
Heaven (天)
The round dot symbolizes heaven and the sun. In modern Hangul, it has evolved into a short stroke.
Earth (地)
The horizontal stroke symbolizes flat earth. It gives a stable, horizontal feeling.
Human (人)
The vertical stroke symbolizes a standing human. It represents humans standing upright between heaven and earth.
Combining these three basic elements creates all vowels. For example, ㅏ is human (ㅣ) with heaven (•) added to the right, and ㅗ is earth (ㅡ) with heaven (•) added above.
Bright and Dark Vowels
Hangul vowels are divided into "bright vowels" and "dark vowels." This distinction relates to the feeling of sounds and forms the basis of an important Korean grammar rule called "vowel harmony."
Bright Vowels (Yang)
Give a bright, light, small feeling. The "heaven" element is positioned to the right or above. Examples: 아침 (morning), 사랑 (love), 노래 (song)
Dark Vowels (Yin)
Give a dark, heavy, large feeling. The "heaven" element is positioned to the left or below. Examples: 어둠 (darkness), 구름 (cloud), 무거운 (heavy)
Neutral Vowels
ㅡ and ㅣ are neutral vowels, neither bright nor dark. They can freely combine with both bright and dark vowels.
How Vowels Are Combined
The 10 basic vowels were created following systematic rules. Understanding these rules makes it easier to remember vowels.
Simple Vowels (4)
a
eo
o
u
Basic vowels created by adding one stroke to the basic elements.
Double Vowels (4)
ya
yeo
yo
yu
Adding one more stroke to simple vowels creates double vowels with a "y" sound at the beginning. ㅏ→ㅑ, ㅓ→ㅕ, ㅗ→ㅛ, ㅜ→ㅠ
Basic Vowels (2)
eu
i
Earth (ㅡ) and human (ㅣ) themselves become vowels. They are neutral vowels that form the basis for other vowels.
Vowel Learning Tips
When learning vowels, it's important to understand the relationship between sound and shape. Looking at where the "heaven" element is positioned helps you guess the sound.
If the stroke is on the right or above, it's a bright sound (ㅏ, ㅗ). If it's on the left or below, it's a dark sound (ㅓ, ㅜ). Remember this rule and you've mastered half!
Try making sounds and observing your mouth shape. When pronouncing ㅏ and ㅓ, your mouth opens differently, and ㅗ and ㅜ have different lip shapes.
Next Steps
Click on the cards above to see detailed explanations, pronunciation guides, and example words for each vowel. After mastering basic vowels, move on to compound vowels, or practice combining consonants and vowels to form syllables!