모음 Mo-eum. Tap a card for the sound, romanization, and example word.
Modern Hangul has 21 vowels: 10 basic vowels and 11 compound vowels. The basic vowels are ㅏ, ㅑ, ㅓ, ㅕ, ㅗ, ㅛ, ㅜ, ㅠ, ㅡ, and ㅣ. Compound vowels combine these strokes into forms such as ㅐ, ㅔ, ㅘ, ㅝ, ㅢ, and ㅚ. The vowel controls the block shape: side by side, stacked, or mixed.
Two vowels, ㅡ and ㅓ, have no direct English equivalent. The rest map roughly onto familiar sounds.
Learn the contrast between open ㅏ /a/, open unrounded ㅓ /eo/, rounded ㅗ /o/, and ㅜ /u/. Then add the y-vowels ㅑ, ㅕ, ㅛ, and ㅠ. Practice compound vowels after the basics hold.
Did you know?
The ten basic vowels are built from three philosophical symbols: ㆍ (sky/heaven), ㅡ (earth), and ㅣ (human standing between them). Their combinations reflect the Neo-Confucian cosmology of 15th-century Korea, where harmony between heaven, earth, and humanity was a guiding principle. You can see this logic in ㅏ (ㅣ + ㆍ to the right) and ㅓ (ㆍ to the left of ㅣ).
Core pronunciation model
Beginner view. switch depending on how much detail you want.
Three consonant families
Korean stop sounds come in plain, airy, and tight versions. Do not collapse them into one English sound.
Read by blocks
Treat each square Hangul block as one beat of sound, not as separate letters in a row.
Batchim changes sound
A final consonant often sounds different from the same letter at the start of a syllable.
Use audio over spelling
Romanization helps at first, but your ears should become the final authority.
10Basic VowelsBeginner
ㅏ
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ㅏ
a/a/
아 A
Like 'a' in 'father'
아버지·father
ㅑ
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ㅑ
ya/ja/
야 Ya
Like 'ya' in 'yard'
야구·baseball
ㅓ
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ㅓ
eo/ʌ/
어 Eo
Like 'u' in 'cup' or 'uh' in 'but' — open and unrounded
어머니·mother
ㅕ
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ㅕ
yeo/jʌ/
여 Yeo
Like 'yuh' — ㅑ but with eo sound
여기·here
ㅗ
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ㅗ
o/o/
오 O
Like 'o' in 'oh' — round lips
오늘·today
ㅛ
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ㅛ
yo/jo/
요 Yo
Like 'yo' in 'yoga'
요리·cooking
ㅜ
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ㅜ
u/u/
우 U
Like 'oo' in 'moon'
우리·we / our
ㅠ
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ㅠ
yu/ju/
유 Yu
Like 'you'
유리·glass
ㅡ
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ㅡ
eu/ɯ/
으 Eu
No English equivalent — say 'oo' without rounding your lips, or 'ee' with the tongue pulled back
음악·music
ㅣ
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ㅣ
i/i/
이 I
Like 'ee' in 'see'
이름·name
11Compound Vowels: 이중모음Advanced
Built by combining two basic vowels. The sound glides from one to the other.
ㅐ
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ㅐ
ae/ɛ/
애 Ae
Like 'a' in 'cat'
새·bird
ㅒ
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ㅒ
yae/jɛ/
얘 Yae
Like 'yae' — ㅑ + ㅐ
얘기·story / talk (casual)
ㅔ
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ㅔ
e/e/
에 E
Close to 'e' in 'bed', often slightly higher; in modern Korean very close to ㅐ for many speakers
에너지·energy
ㅖ
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ㅖ
ye/je/
예 Ye
Like 'ye' in 'yes'
예쁘다·to be pretty
ㅘ
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ㅘ
wa/wa/
와 Wa
Like 'wa' in 'want'
와인·wine
ㅙ
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ㅙ
wae/wɛ/
왜 Wae
ㅗ + ㅐ — similar to 'wae'
왜·why
ㅚ
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ㅚ
oe/ø/
외 Oe
Historically distinct; now often sounds like ㅔ
외국·foreign country
ㅝ
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ㅝ
wo/wʌ/
워 Wo
ㅜ + ㅓ — like 'wo' in 'wonder'
뭐·what
ㅞ
tap to flip
ㅞ
we/we/
웨 We
ㅜ + ㅔ — like 'we'
웨이터·waiter
ㅟ
tap to flip
ㅟ
wi/wi/
위 Wi
ㅜ + ㅣ — like 'wi' in 'week'
위험·danger
ㅢ
tap to flip
ㅢ
ui/ɯi/
의 Ui
ㅡ + ㅣ — starts with eu, slides into i
의사·doctor
Full Reference
Char
Roman.
Name
Sound
Example
ㅏ
a
/a/
아 A
Like 'a' in 'father'
아버지(father)
ㅑ
ya
/ja/
야 Ya
Like 'ya' in 'yard'
야구(baseball)
ㅓ
eo
/ʌ/
어 Eo
Like 'u' in 'cup' or 'uh' in 'but' — open and unrounded
어머니(mother)
ㅕ
yeo
/jʌ/
여 Yeo
Like 'yuh' — ㅑ but with eo sound
여기(here)
ㅗ
o
/o/
오 O
Like 'o' in 'oh' — round lips
오늘(today)
ㅛ
yo
/jo/
요 Yo
Like 'yo' in 'yoga'
요리(cooking)
ㅜ
u
/u/
우 U
Like 'oo' in 'moon'
우리(we / our)
ㅠ
yu
/ju/
유 Yu
Like 'you'
유리(glass)
ㅡ
eu
/ɯ/
으 Eu
No English equivalent — say 'oo' without rounding your lips, or 'ee' with the tongue pulled back
음악(music)
ㅣ
i
/i/
이 I
Like 'ee' in 'see'
이름(name)
ㅐ
ae
/ɛ/
애 Ae
Like 'a' in 'cat'
새(bird)
ㅒ
yae
/jɛ/
얘 Yae
Like 'yae' — ㅑ + ㅐ
얘기(story / talk (casual))
ㅔ
e
/e/
에 E
Close to 'e' in 'bed', often slightly higher; in modern Korean very close to ㅐ for many speakers
에너지(energy)
ㅖ
ye
/je/
예 Ye
Like 'ye' in 'yes'
예쁘다(to be pretty)
ㅘ
wa
/wa/
와 Wa
Like 'wa' in 'want'
와인(wine)
ㅙ
wae
/wɛ/
왜 Wae
ㅗ + ㅐ — similar to 'wae'
왜(why)
ㅚ
oe
/ø/
외 Oe
Historically distinct; now often sounds like ㅔ
외국(foreign country)
ㅝ
wo
/wʌ/
워 Wo
ㅜ + ㅓ — like 'wo' in 'wonder'
뭐(what)
ㅞ
we
/we/
웨 We
ㅜ + ㅔ — like 'we'
웨이터(waiter)
ㅟ
wi
/wi/
위 Wi
ㅜ + ㅣ — like 'wi' in 'week'
위험(danger)
ㅢ
ui
/ɯi/
의 Ui
ㅡ + ㅣ — starts with eu, slides into i
의사(doctor)
Build Syllables
Combine consonants and vowels into full syllable blocks.
