The 10 basic Korean vowel letters are ㅏ ㅑ ㅓ ㅕ ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ ㅣ. Their shapes may look similar at first, but you do not need to memorise ten unrelated pictures. Look for the direction of the short strokes, listen to the sounds, and learn the letters in pairs.
This Gachi Korea lesson combines a vowel song with a visual explanation and short practice tasks. By the end, aim to recognise the ten letters, distinguish four useful pairs, and read simple vowel syllables such as 아 and 우. You do not need to master every Korean vowel today.
Listen to the Korean vowel song
Watch the vowel song on YouTube.
On your first listen, follow the letters without trying to sing every sound. On the second listen, point to the matching letter in the chart below. Then pause and say a few letters at your own pace. A melody can help you remember the sequence; recognising a letter outside that sequence is the next goal.
The 10 basic Korean vowels: a quick chart
The romanization column uses the Revised Romanization vowel spellings. These are labels, not exact English pronunciation instructions: eo is not “ee-oh,” and eu is not “ee-you.” Use the recording as your sound model.
| Vowel | Read it as a syllable | Romanization | Shape clue |
|---|---|---|---|
| ㅏ | 아 | a | One short stroke to the right |
| ㅑ | 야 | ya | Two short strokes to the right |
| ㅓ | 어 | eo | One short stroke to the left |
| ㅕ | 여 | yeo | Two short strokes to the left |
| ㅗ | 오 | o | One short stroke pointing up |
| ㅛ | 요 | yo | Two short strokes pointing up |
| ㅜ | 우 | u | One short stroke pointing down |
| ㅠ | 유 | yu | Two short strokes pointing down |
| ㅡ | 으 | eu | A horizontal line |
| ㅣ | 이 | i | A vertical line |
Why does the second column contain ㅇ? Hangul is written in syllable blocks. When a syllable begins with a vowel sound, ㅇ fills the initial consonant position and is silent there. That is why ㅏ becomes 아. This does not mean ㅇ is always silent: at the end of a syllable, it represents an “ng” sound.
Quick check: cover the first column and look at the shape clues. Can you write the letter with two short strokes pointing down?
Why these shapes? Heaven, earth and a person
The historical design of Hangul vowel letters begins with three symbols:
| Historical symbol | Idea it represents | Visual connection |
|---|---|---|
| ㆍ | Heaven or sky | A round dot |
| ㅡ | Earth | A flat horizontal line |
| ㅣ | A person | An upright vertical line |
The National Institute of Korean Language explains that the vowel design draws on both sound and the philosophical idea of heaven, earth and humanity. The historical dot was combined with the horizontal or vertical line to create further vowel letters.
For a beginner, the useful connection is visual: a mark on the right of the upright line gives the pattern of ㅏ, while a mark on the left gives ㅓ. A mark above the horizontal line gives ㅗ, while a mark below gives ㅜ. In the modern forms, those marks are short strokes.
This is a simplified way to understand the shapes, not a description of the correct handwriting sequence. For the actual order of pen movements, use the Hangul stroke-order practice app.
A small historical distinction: ㆍ is an older vowel letter. It is not an extra eleventh letter to add to the modern basic-vowel chart above. Also, the historical three starting symbols and the modern “10 basic vowels” describe different stages of the writing system.
Learn six shapes, then notice four pairs
For practice, begin with ㅏ ㅓ ㅗ ㅜ ㅡ ㅣ. These six letters give you a manageable first set. Once you can recognise them, compare four of them with their two-short-stroke partners:
| First letter | Partner | Sound relationship |
|---|---|---|
| ㅏ · 아 · a | ㅑ · 야 · ya | a → ya |
| ㅓ · 어 · eo | ㅕ · 여 · yeo | eo → yeo |
| ㅗ · 오 · o | ㅛ · 요 · yo | o → yo |
| ㅜ · 우 · u | ㅠ · 유 · yu | u → yu |
In these four pairs, the extra short stroke corresponds to an initial y-like glide. Say 아, then 야. The second begins with a quick glide into the vowel; it is not two separate syllables. Try 오–요 and 우–유 in the same way.
This pattern is useful within these pairs, but it is not a rule that adding any stroke to any Hangul letter produces a y sound.
Three comparisons worth practising
ㅏ and ㅓ: look right, then left
The short stroke changes sides. Read 아–어–아–어 slowly while pointing to each syllable. Listen to the difference in the recording rather than relying on an English word as an exact match.
Now cover the letters. Write ㅏ from memory, then ㅓ. Check the direction of the short stroke before moving on.
ㅗ and ㅜ: look up, then down
For ㅗ, the short stroke is above the long line. For ㅜ, it is below. Read 오–우–오–우 and keep the two shapes visible as you listen.
Both sounds use rounded lips, so “round your lips” alone will not tell you which one to say. For 우, try a closer, tighter lip position than for 오, and compare with the model. Keep the vowel steady rather than deliberately adding an English-style glide.
ㅡ and ㅣ: horizontal, then vertical
These letters have no short side strokes. 으 (eu) and 이 (i) are different sounds, not two names for the same vowel. For 으, keep the lips unrounded; for 이, use the clear vowel you hear in the recording.
Do not pronounce the romanized label eu as two English letter names. If it is difficult, listen to a single syllable, pause, and copy it before returning to the song. The complete vowel guide with individual audio is useful for that slower practice.
A five-minute practice routine
- Listen and follow — one minute. Play part of the song and follow the vowel chart. Notice where you lose your place.
- Compare — one minute. Choose just one pair, such as 아–어 or 오–우. Alternate them slowly.
- Point in a new order — one minute. Read 우, 아, 이, 어, 오, 으. Changing the order checks letter recognition rather than memory for the song.
- Write and check — one minute. Look at three letters, hide them, write them, then compare. Correct one specific feature, such as the side of the short stroke.
- Build — one minute. In Let’s Build Hangul, keep one consonant fixed and change the vowel. For example, compare 가, 거, 고 and 구.
Those final combinations are syllable-reading practice. A syllable does not have to be a useful standalone word for it to help you practise decoding. Vocabulary and meaning can come next.
Repeat the difficult pair in your next study session. You do not need to restart the entire alphabet every time.
Check what you remember
Try these before opening the answers:
- Which letter has two short strokes pointing up: ㅛ or ㅠ?
- What changes when ㅏ becomes ㅑ?
- Which syllable matches ㅜ: 오 or 우?
- Why is ㅇ written in 아?
- Is the historical symbol ㆍ one of the ten modern basic vowel letters in this lesson?
Show answers and explanations
1. ㅛ. The two short strokes point up. In ㅠ they point down.
2. A second short stroke is added, and the sound changes from a to ya.
3. 우. 오 contains ㅗ; 우 contains ㅜ.
4. It fills the initial consonant position of the syllable block and is silent in that position.
5. No. It belongs to the historical explanation, not this modern ten-letter list.
What should you learn next?
Modern Hangul has 21 vowel letters in total; this lesson introduces the conventional set of ten basic letters. “Basic” is a teaching category here, not a claim that all ten are single, unchanging vowel sounds. The four y-glide letters still belong to this beginner set.
Choose your next step according to what you need:
- Recognise and pronounce more vowels: open the 21-letter Korean vowel guide.
- Practise pen movements: choose a vowel in Stroke Order Practice.
- Understand where letters go: read how Korean syllable blocks work.
- Follow the series: find this song in KR100: Hangul from Zero.
This is a Gachi Korea beginner lesson: watch a model, try it with support, then see what you can recall. Come back to the song after practising and notice which letters you can now follow without checking the chart.
Sources and pronunciation reference
- National Institute of Korean Language: the principles of vowel-letter creation — historical heaven, earth and human symbols and their combinations.
- National Institute of Korean Language: Romanization of Korean — the vowel spellings used in the chart.
- The embedded Gachi Korea recording is the listening model for this lesson. Romanization and mouth-position tips support listening; they do not replace it.