Unit 6 · ㅗ, ㅜ and ㅠ · Read

ㅗ, ㅜ and ㅠ

Put a wide vowel underneath the start.

Meet the letters

Tap a card and listen. Try saying it too.

ㅗIn 오
i

o. A rounded o. A horizontal vowel goes underneath the initial consonant.

ㅜIn 우
i

u. A rounded oo vowel.

ㅠIn 유
i

yu. A y glide plus ㅜ.

Build a syllable

A quick first step: fit the new letters into a block. Next, find syllables in words and practise reading, listening and writing.

1 · Start2 · Vowel
ㅇㅗ
오
ㅇ + ㅗ
1 · Start2 · Vowel
ㅇㅜ
우
ㅇ + ㅜ
1 · Start2 · Vowel
ㅇㅠ
유
ㅇ + ㅠ

Words to read

cucumber

오이

cucumberoi
milk

우유

milkuyu
younger sibling

아우

younger siblingau
young child

유아

young childyua
reason

이유

reasoniyu
child

아이

childai
Reading tips

ㅗ · o · A rounded o. A horizontal vowel goes underneath the initial consonant.

ㅜ · u · A rounded oo vowel.

ㅠ · yu · A y glide plus ㅜ.

These vowels sit below the starting consonant. The extra stroke in ㅠ adds a y glide.

Read cucumber, milk, younger sibling, young child and reason. Mix the new wide vowels with the familiar tall vowels in 아이, 아우, 유아 and 이유.

Reading practice

First, place the new letters

Copy this block using its start, vowel and any ending.

오
1 · Start2 · Vowel
12
□
Start → vowel

First, place the new letters

Copy this block using its start, vowel and any ending.

우
1 · Start2 · Vowel
12
□
Start → vowel

First, place the new letters

Copy this block using its start, vowel and any ending.

유
1 · Start2 · Vowel
12
□
Start → vowel

Find the syllable in its word

Match each syllable to the highlighted part of a word.

Hear the letter in a syllable

Listen to an example syllable. Match its new letter.

Hear the whole word

Listen. Find its printed word.

Hear the whole word

Listen. Find its printed word.

Read, listen and picture it

Match the words to their pictures. Tap a card to hear its word.

Read without a sound hint

Read the words. Match their pictures.

Read, listen and picture it

Match the words to their pictures. Tap a card to hear its word.

Read without a sound hint

Read the words. Match their pictures.

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the word you studied.

Spelling to sound

Read the word. Choose its sound.

우유

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the word you studied.

Spelling to sound

Read the word. Choose its sound.

유아

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the word you studied.

Spelling to sound

Read the word. Choose its sound.

아이

Where does the wide vowel go?

우

Write the word

Look and listen. Write the word with consonants and vowels.

cucumber

Write the word

Look and listen. Write the word with consonants and vowels.

milk

Write the word

Look and listen. Write the word with consonants and vowels.

younger sibling

Write the word

Look and listen. Write the word with consonants and vowels.

young child

Write the word

Look and listen. Write the word with consonants and vowels.

reason

Write the word

Look and listen. Write the word with consonants and vowels.

child

Finish practice to save this unit.

You can read and write this

Put a wide vowel underneath the start.

Next unit
cucumber

오이

cucumber
milk

우유

milk
younger sibling

아우

younger sibling
young child

유아

young child
reason

이유

reason
child

아이

child
Use a Korean keyboard

The on-screen keys use consonant and vowel elements and join them into ordinary written words.

For your own typing, enable a Korean two-set keyboard on your device. Enter the start, vowel and optional final consonant in order.

All letters

ㅇIn 아
i

silent initially / ng finally. A syllable needs an initial consonant position. ㅇ fills it silently before a vowel; at the bottom of 강, it is ng.

ㅏIn 아
i

a. An open a. With a vertical vowel, the initial consonant sits on the left.

ㅣIn 이
i

i. A clear ee vowel.

ㅗIn 오
i

o. A rounded o. A horizontal vowel goes underneath the initial consonant.

ㅜIn 우
i

u. A rounded oo vowel.

ㅠIn 유
i

yu. A y glide plus ㅜ.

ㄴIn 나
i

n. Tongue at the ridge behind the upper teeth.

ㅁIn 마
i

m. Close the lips.

ㄷIn 다
i

d/t (lax). Another lax stop; listen to its position in words.

ㅅIn 사
i

s. Before 이 it is commonly nearer sh.

ㅓIn 어
i

eo / ʌ. An open unrounded vowel; not a sequence e + o.

ㅡIn 으
i

eu / ɯ. A high unrounded vowel; not oo. Keep the lips unrounded.

ㄹIn 라
i

r/l. Often a short tap between vowels and l at the end of a syllable.

ㅂIn 바
i

b/p (lax). A lax lip stop; voicing varies with position.

ㄱIn 가
i

g/k (lax). A Korean lax stop. Its voicing depends on position; it is not simply an English g everywhere.

ㅋIn 카
i

kʰ (airy). A stronger puff of air than lax ㄱ.

ㄲIn 까
i

kk (tense). Firm tense articulation; not two separately spoken k syllables.

ㅑIn 야
i

ya. The extra stroke adds a y glide.

ㅕIn 여
i

yeo. A y glide plus ㅓ.

ㅛIn 요
i

yo. A y glide plus ㅗ.

ㅌIn 타
i

tʰ (airy). A puff of air; not English th.

ㄸIn 따
i

tt (tense). Firm articulation; no separate extra syllable.

ㅍIn 파
i

pʰ (airy). A puff of air after the lips open.

ㅃIn 빠
i

pp (tense). Firm lip closure.

ㅆIn 싸
i

ss (tense). A tense s; compare ㅅ.

ㅈIn 자
i

j/ch (lax). A lax joined consonant; listen rather than substituting one English sound.

ㅊIn 차
i

chʰ (airy). An airy joined consonant.

ㅉIn 짜
i

jj (tense). A tense joined consonant.

ㅎIn 하
i

h. An h sound; it can interact with following consonants.

ㅐIn 애
i

ae. Often pronounced like ㅔ in modern standard speech.

ㅔIn 에
i

e. Often merges with ㅐ; still learn the distinct spelling.

ㅒIn 얘
i

yae. A y glide with ㅐ.

ㅖIn 예
i

ye. A y glide with ㅔ; pronunciation varies in some consonant contexts.

ㅘIn 와
i

wa. ㅗ plus ㅏ in one syllable.

ㅝIn 워
i

wo. ㅜ plus ㅓ.

ㅟIn 위
i

wi. ㅜ plus ㅣ.

ㅙIn 왜
i

wae. ㅗ plus ㅐ.

ㅚIn 외
i

oe / we. Commonly pronounced like we in contemporary speech.

ㅞIn 웨
i

we. ㅜ plus ㅔ.

ㅢIn 의
i

ui. Often eu + i initially. In common positions and in the possessive particle, pronunciation can change; listen to 의사 and the course phrases.