Hangul Vowels: All 21 Korean Vowels with Readings

Level: TOPIK 1. Vowels are the heart of every 한글 (han-geul) syllable block. Learn the 21 vowel letters and how they attach to a consonant, and you can read and write most Korean sounds. This page lays them out in three small groups with readings and audio.

By the end of this page you can…

…name the 10 basic Korean vowels, build the y-vowels and the combined w-vowels, place a vowel correctly around a consonant, and use the audio here to practise.

How vowels work in Hangul

한글 (han-geul) groups letters into syllable blocks, one block per beat. Every block needs a vowel, and the vowel pairs with a consonant. When a syllable begins with a vowel sound and has no real consonant, Korean fills the slot with the silent ㅇ (ieung) as a placeholder: the sound “a” is written 아 (a), and “o” is written 오 (o).

Vowels come in two shapes that decide where they go:

• Vertical vowels have a long up-down line, like ㅏ (a) and ㅣ (i); they sit to the right of the consonant: 가 (ga).
• Horizontal vowels have a long left-right line, like ㅗ (o), ㅜ (u) and ㅡ (eu); they sit underneath the consonant: 구 (gu).

The 10 basic vowels

These are the dictionary order of the basic vowels. Each is shown with the silent ㅇ (ieung) so you can see the full syllable.

The pair ㅓ (eo) and ㅗ (o) are different: keep ㅓ (eo) open and unrounded, and round your lips for ㅗ (o). ㅡ (eu) has no English twin — spread your lips as if smiling and make a tight sound with no rounding.

The extra vowels: ae and e

Two more single vowels fill out the set, plus their y-forms:

For most speakers today ㅐ (ae) and ㅔ (e) sound almost the same, so you often learn these as spellings to memorise word by word.

The combined w-vowels

Korean builds seven more vowels by joining two shapes; most add a “w” glide. The readings show how they blend.

Listen and read the vowels

Press play, then say each one back. These move from single vowels to short words.

1. 아
   a
   the vowel a
   silent ㅇ + ㅏ
2. 어
   eo
   the vowel eo
   open and unrounded
3. 오
   o
   the vowel o
   lips rounded
4. 우
   u
   the vowel u
5. 으
   eu
   the vowel eu
   tight, lips spread
6. 이
   i
   the vowel i
7. 아이
   ai
   child
8. 오이
   oi
   cucumber
9. 우유
   uyu
   milk
10. 여우
    yeou
    fox
    y-vowel ㅕ then ㅜ
11. 야구
    yagu
    baseball
    y-vowel ㅑ
12. 왜
    wae
    why
    combined w-vowel ㅙ
13. 위
    wi
    top / above
    combined w-vowel ㅟ
14. 의사
    uisa
    doctor
    combined vowel ㅢ

Practice

Practice

Hangul vowel practice

Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.

1 Which Korean vowel is read eo?

ㅏ (a) ㅓ (eo) ㅗ (o) ㅜ (u)

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ㅓ (eo) — ㅓ (eo) is an open unrounded vowel.

2 Which vowel is the y-form of ㅏ (a)?

ㅕ (yeo) ㅑ (ya) ㅛ (yo) ㅠ (yu)

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ㅑ (ya) — Add one stroke to ㅏ (a) and you get ㅑ (ya).

3 Write the reading of 우유: ____ (answer: uyu).

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Hint: two u-type vowels

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uyu — 우 (u) + 유 (yu) = uyu, 'milk'.

4 Match each vowel to its sound.

• ㅗ (o) Match for ㅗ (o) — choose — 'ee' in see'oo' in bootrounded 'oh'tight, lips spread
• ㅜ (u) Match for ㅜ (u) — choose — 'ee' in see'oo' in bootrounded 'oh'tight, lips spread
• ㅡ (eu) Match for ㅡ (eu) — choose — 'ee' in see'oo' in bootrounded 'oh'tight, lips spread
• ㅣ (i) Match for ㅣ (i) — choose — 'ee' in see'oo' in bootrounded 'oh'tight, lips spread

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• ㅗ (o) → rounded 'oh'
• ㅜ (u) → 'oo' in boot
• ㅡ (eu) → tight, lips spread
• ㅣ (i) → 'ee' in see

These four are basic single vowels: o, u, eu, i.

5 Which silent letter holds a vowel at the start of a block? ____ (answer: ieung).

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Hint: it looks like a circle

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ieung — The silent ㅇ (ieung) is the placeholder: 아 (a).

Quiz

Check yourself

Hangul vowels quiz

8 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.

0/8 0 answered

1. 1How many vowels does Hangul have in total?

   A 10 B 14 C 21 D 40
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   21 — There are 21 vowels: 10 basic, plus y-forms and combined w-vowels.

2. 2Which Korean vowel letter is read o?

   A ㅏ (a) B ㅓ (eo) C ㅗ (o) D ㅜ (u)
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   ㅗ (o) — ㅗ (o) is the rounded vowel o.

3. 3A y-vowel such as ㅑ (ya) is made by…

   A rotating the letter B adding one short stroke to the basic vowel C doubling the vowel D adding a circle
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   adding one short stroke to the basic vowel — ㅏ (a) plus an extra stroke becomes ㅑ (ya).

4. 4Where does a horizontal vowel like ㅗ (o) sit?

   A to the right of the consonant B underneath the consonant C above the consonant D inside the consonant
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   underneath the consonant — Horizontal vowels go under the consonant: 고 (go).

5. 5To write the sound 'a' with no leading consonant, you use…

   A just the vowel sign ㅏ (a) B 아 (a) with the silent ㅇ (ieung) C 하 (ha) D 가 (ga)
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   아 (a) with the silent ㅇ (ieung) — The silent ㅇ (ieung) holds the slot: 아 (a).

6. 6The vowel ㅡ (eu) is best described as…

   A a rounded 'oh' B a tight, unrounded sound with lips spread C the same as ㅜ (u) D silent
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   a tight, unrounded sound with lips spread — ㅡ (eu) is tight and unrounded, with no English twin.

7. 7ㅘ (wa) is built from…

   A ㅏ (a) + ㅣ (i) B ㅗ (o) + ㅏ (a) C ㅜ (u) + ㅓ (eo) D ㅡ (eu) + ㅣ (i)
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   ㅗ (o) + ㅏ (a) — ㅗ (o) + ㅏ (a) combine into ㅘ (wa).

8. 8Type the reading of 아이: ____ (answer: ai).
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   ai — 아 (a) + 이 (i) = ai, 'child'.

Next

• Pair vowels with consonants and endings in the Korean grammar section
• See how syllable blocks sound in the Korean pronunciation overview
• New here? Start with Start Learning Korean Here