Korean vowels, explained without the confusion
Ten basic vowels, one logic, and two pairs that everybody mixes up.
Korean vowels look intimidating as a table and turn out to be almost mathematical once someone explains the pattern.
Everything is built from three pieces: a vertical line, a horizontal line and a short dash.
Practise every vowel with the free tracing worksheet.
The four you learn first
ㅏ is 'ah' as in father. ㅓ is 'uh' as in cup. ㅗ is 'oh' as in go. ㅜ is 'oo' as in food. Notice the geometry: the dash points right, left, up and down.
Two more finish the basics: ㅡ is a tight 'eu' made with a flat smile, and ㅣ is 'ee' as in see.
Add a stroke, add a y
Double the dash and the vowel gains a y-glide. ㅏ becomes ㅑ (ya), ㅓ becomes ㅕ (yeo), ㅗ becomes ㅛ (yo), ㅜ becomes ㅠ (yu). That's four letters learned for free.
The pairs everyone confuses
ㅓ and ㅗ: the first is relaxed and unrounded, the second is round-lipped. Say 'uh' then 'oh' and watch your lips in a mirror — that's the whole difference.
ㅐ and ㅔ: in modern Seoul speech these have essentially merged into one 'eh' sound. Native speakers spell them differently but pronounce them nearly identically, so don't burn a week trying to hear a distinction that's disappearing.
Combined vowels
ㅘ (wa), ㅝ (wo), ㅚ (we), ㅟ (wi) and friends are just two vowels written together, and they sound like exactly that. Learn them after the basics are automatic — usually week two.
Common questions
How many Korean vowels are there?+
Ten basic ones and eleven combined, but the ten basics carry the vast majority of what you'll read.
Does vowel length matter?+
It used to distinguish a few words. In modern spoken Korean it's largely gone. Ignore it as a beginner.
Both worksheets, free
The 4-page Hangul alphabet worksheet and the 2-page syllable bonus, emailed in seconds.