Basic Vowels — 10 Sounds That Open Everything

기본 모음 10개

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Korean letters aren't random — they were DESIGNED in 1443 by King Sejong to be easy to learn. Vowels are made from 3 elements: a vertical line (ㅣ= person), a horizontal line (ㅡ = earth), and a dot/dash (• = sky). Every vowel is a combination of these.

The 10 basic vowels

ㅏa — as in 'father'

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ㅓeo — as in 'son' (mouth more open)

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ㅗo — as in 'go'

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ㅜu — as in 'moon'

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ㅡeu — no English equivalent! Say 'oo' but spread your lips flat

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ㅣi — as in 'see'

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ㅐae — as in 'bed'

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ㅔe — as in 'bet' (almost same as ㅐ, Koreans blur them too)

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ㅑya — as in 'yacht'

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ㅕyeo — 'y' + eo

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The pattern: add a line = add 'y'

ㅏ → ㅑa → ya (add a dash)

ㅓ → ㅕeo → yeo

ㅗ → ㅛo → yo

ㅜ → ㅠu → yu

See the pattern? One dash = plain vowel. Two dashes = 'y' version. Korean is THAT logical.

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ㅡ (eu) is the hardest vowel for foreigners. Think of it as the sound you make when someone punches you in the stomach — 'ugh' but shorter. Your lips should be flat, not rounded like 'oo'. Practice: say 'oo' then slowly flatten your lips. That's ㅡ.

Quick Quiz