Korean basic vowels1(ㅏ, ㅑ, ㅓ, ㅕ)

In this post, we'll take a look at the Korean vowels "ㅏ", "ㅑ", "ㅓ" and "ㅕ".
Each section will cover how to write them, their pronunciation, and example words.

ㅏ : 아(a)

▶ How to write "ㅏ"

1. Start by drawing a straight vertical line from top to bottom.
2. At the midpoint of this vertical line, draw a short horizontal line extending to the right.

▶ Pronunciation

"ㅏ" is pronounced like the "a" in "car", "hat".

▶ Examples

• 사과(sa-gwa) : Apple
  
• 자동차(ja-dong-cha) : Car
• 나라(na-ra) : Country

ㅑ : 야(ya)

▶ How to write "ㅑ"

1. Start by drawing a straight vertical line from top to bottom.
   
2. Draw two short horizontal line extending to the right
   ※ one above and one below the center of the vertical line.

▶ Pronunciation

"ㅑ" is pronounced like "ya" in "yard", "yahoo".

▶ Examples

• 야구(ya-gu) : Baseball
• 야자수(ya-ja-su) : Palm tree
• 약국(yak-guk) : Pharmacy

ㅓ : 어(eo)

▶ How to write "ㅓ"

1. Start by drawing a straight vertical line from top to bottom.
   
2. At the midpoint of the line, draw a short horizontal line extending to the left.

▶ Pronunciation

The International Phonetic Symbol(IPA) for "ㅓ" is [ʌ].
So, it sounds similar to the vowel in "cup" and "sun".

▶ Examples

• 머리(meo-ri) : Head
• 버스(beo-seu) : Bus
• 전기(jeon-gi) : Electricity

ㅕ : 여(yeo)

▶ How to write "ㅕ"

1. Start by drawing a straight vertical line from top to bottom.
   
2. Draw one short horizontal line extending to the left above the center of the vertical line.
   
3. And draw another short horizontal line extending to the left below the center of the vertical line.

▶ Pronunciation

"ㅕ" does not have a perfect English equivalent.
However, "ㅕ" is pronounced similarly to "yeo" in English, and its vowel sound is similar to the one in "young" and "yuck".

▶ Examples

• 여자(yeo-ja) : Woman
• 연(yeon) : Kite
• 여름(yeo-reum) : Summer