- Vowels
1. Basic vowels
1) ㅏ [a]
Pronounced like 'a' in 'father'
2) ㅓ [eo]
Similar to 'uh' in 'sun'
3) ㅗ [o]
Similar to 'o' in 'Domino'
4) ㅜ [u]
Like 'oo' in 'moon'. This sound is very different from 'sun' sound.
5) ㅡ [eu]
No exact English equivalent; close to 'eu' sound with lips relaxed. I like to say this is Hulk sound. It is similar to the sound that Hulk makes when he is angry.
6) ㅣ [i]
Like 'ee' in 'see'
7) ㅐ [ae]
Similar to 'a' in 'cat', but you need to make your mouth very big.
8) ㅔ [e]
Like 'e' in 'bed'
👉 In reality, modern Korean speakers often pronounce both almost same, closer to 'e' sound. For example, 내(=my) and 네(=your) often sound identical in casual speech.
2. Compound vowels
These are formed by combining basic vowels, and create smooth transitions between two sounds in one syllable.
1) ㅑ [ya]
Like 'ya' in 'yard'
2) ㅕ [yeo]
Similar to 'yuh' sound
3) ㅛ [yo]
Like 'yo' in 'yoga'
📕 The vowel ㅛ is commonly used in Korean honorific speech (polite or formal language). Many polite verb endings include this vowel, such as '요' at the end of sentences. So, if you are learning Korean, you will hear and use this vowel frequently because it is essential for speaking politely.
4) ㅠ [yu]
Like 'you' in English
5) ㅒ [yae]
Similar to 'ye' in 'yes'
6) ㅖ [ye]
Same as ㅐ and ㅔ, ㅒ and ㅖ have the almost same pronunciation, but 얘 mean 'kid' and 예 is 'yes.' Similar to 'ye' in 'yes'
7) ㅘ [wa]
Combination of ㅗ and ㅏ. You can pronounce two vowels in order, but very quickly.
8) ㅙ [we]
Combination of ㅗ and ㅐ. You can pronounce two vowels in order, but very quickly.
9) ㅚ [oe]
Combination of ㅗ and ㅣ. However, if you pronounce two vowels in order, it sounds very weird. This one is probably most difficult to remember the pronunciation. Pronounced like 'we' in 'wet'
10) ㅝ [wo]
Combination of ㅜ and ㅓ. Like 'wo' in 'wonder'
11) ㅞ [we]
Combination of ㅜ and ㅔ. Like 'we' in 'wet'
12) ㅟ [wi]
Combination of ㅜ andㅣ. Like 'wee' in 'week'
👉 ㅚ, ㅙ, ㅞ are theoretically different. In reality, however, all three are usually pronounced as 'we' or 'weh' in modern Korean. As I wrote above, meanings can be different depending on which vowel is used.
👉 Korean vowel system has simplified over time. Younger generations especially merge these sounds in casual speech. Context usually helps listeners distinguish meaning.
👉 Some vowels have two short strokes (ㅑ, ㅕ, ㅛ, ㅠ, ㅒ, ㅖ). These strokes indicate that the vowel starts with a 'y' sound, similar to the English letter Y. Then, smoothly transition to the basic vowel (the one without the extra strokes). This method makes pronunciation easier because you understand the 'y' sound comes from the extra strokes, and the base vowel tells you the main sound.
3. Three groups of vowels
Historically, Korean words followed vowel harmony, meaning positive and negative vowels rarely mixed in the same word. Modern Korean doesn't strictly follow this rule, but it still influences word formation and onomatopoeia.
1) Positive vowels
👉 These vowels sound bright and are considered 'positive' in traditional phonology.
ㅏ, ㅗ, ㅑ, ㅛ, ㅘ, ㅙ, ㅚ
ㅗ and ㅏ are basic positive vowels, and you can add neutral vowels to make other positive vowels.
2) Negative vowels
👉 These vowels sound dark and are considered 'negative.'
ㅓ, ㅜ, ㅕ, ㅠ, ㅝ, ㅞ
ㅜ and ㅓ are basic negative vowels, and you can add neutral vowels to make other negative vowels.
3) Neutral vowels
👉 ㅡ and ㅣ are neutral because they can combine with both positive and negative vowels.
Next time, we will cover
😊 Batchim
😊 Practice
