Vowels Down and Across
Korean Alphabet 1
Course 1 · Chapter 2 · Vowels Down and Across
ㅗ ㅜ ㅡ — The Vowels That Lie Flat
Chapter 1 gave you ㅏ and ㅣ, the vowels with a long vertical stroke, which go to the right of the consonant. This chapter adds the three vowels with a long horizontal stroke: ㅗ ㅜ ㅡ. They go below the consonant.
Right or Below?
The rule for where a vowel goes is simple, and it needs no memorising: look at its longest stroke.
| Long stroke | Vowel goes… | Letters you know | Blocks |
|---|---|---|---|
| vertical | | to the right | ㅏ ㅣ | 아 이 |
| horizontal — | below | ㅗ ㅜ ㅡ | 오 우 으 |
The rule is from Wikipedia's Hangul page: a vowel with a long horizontal stroke is written below the initial consonant. Later vowels follow the same rule.
Your Next Three Letters — ㅗ ㅜ ㅡ
The three vowels sound different, but the first two are easy to mix up on the page, so learn them as a pair.
Look-Alike Warnings
- ㅗ and ㅜ are mirror images: the short stroke points up for ㅗ and down for ㅜ.
- ㅡ and ㅣ are the same line turned 90 degrees. ㅡ lies flat and goes below the consonant; ㅣ stands up and goes to the right.
- In the English romanisation, ㅡ is written eu, which looks like it should sound like "you". It does not: it is a single short sound.
Read It — Your First Words
The five vowels ㅏ ㅣ ㅗ ㅜ ㅡ with ㅇ give you every block that starts with a vowel sound. Read them all.
| Block | Romanisation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 아 | a | ㅇ + ㅏ (right) |
| 이 | i | ㅇ + ㅣ (right) |
| 오 | o | ㅇ + ㅗ (below) |
| 우 | u | ㅇ + ㅜ (below) |
| 으 | eu | ㅇ + ㅡ (below) |
| # | Word | Romanisation | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 아이 | a-i | child | from Chapter 1 |
| 2 | 이 | i | tooth | from Chapter 1 |
| 3 | 오이 | o-i | cucumber | two blocks; see the Not Yet Verified box |
| 4 | 아우 | a-u | younger sibling | two blocks; see the Not Yet Verified box |
Try It Yourself — 연습
Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.
1. Read these aloud: 오 · 우 · 으
Show answer
o · u · eu
2. Which vowel goes below the consonant, ㅏ or ㅗ? How can you tell?
Show answer
ㅗ. It has a long horizontal stroke; ㅏ has a long vertical stroke, so it goes to the right.
3. How do you tell ㅗ from ㅜ, and ㅡ from ㅣ?
Show answer
ㅗ has its short stroke pointing up and ㅜ has it pointing down. ㅡ is horizontal and ㅣ is vertical.
4. Read these words: 오이 · 아우 · 아이
Show answer
o-i (cucumber) · a-u (younger sibling) · a-i (child)
5. Write in Hangul: o · u · eu · o-i
Show answer
오 · 우 · 으 · 오이
6. What is the difference in the lips between ㅜ and ㅡ?
Show answer
ㅜ is a rounded vowel (lips rounded, "oo"); ㅡ is unrounded (lips flat and spread).