Y-Vowels 2
Korean Alphabet 1
Course 1 · Chapter 7 · Y-Vowels 2
ㅛ ㅠ ㅊ — The Last Vowels and a New Kind of Consonant
This chapter completes the ten basic vowels with ㅛ and ㅠ, the "y" versions of ㅗ and ㅜ. It also introduces ㅊ, the first of the four aspirated consonants. After it, you know 21 of the 24 letters.
Your Next Three Letters — ㅛ ㅠ ㅊ
Plain and Aspirated Consonants
Korean has stops and affricates in three strengths: plain, aspirated and tense. This course teaches the plain and aspirated ones and leaves the tense (doubled) letters to the next course. ㅊ is the aspirated partner of the plain ㅈ you learned in Chapter 5.
- Wikipedia's consonant table lists ㅈ as the plain ("lax") affricate /t͡ɕ/ and ㅊ as the aspirated one, /t͡ɕʰ/ (romanised j and ch). Its tense partner is ㅉ.
- The page also says that lines are added to letters to represent related sounds that are considered more "severe" or "harsh", with ㄱ to ㅋ as its example. For ㅊ it gives no derivation, but the extra line fits the same idea.
- A beginner lesson in the web search tells learners to think about how much air comes out: say ㅈ, then say the same sound with a strong breath, and you have ㅊ.
The Block Tables
The new vowels sit below the consonant, since they are horizontal vowels, like ㅗ and ㅜ.
| ㅛ yo | ㅠ yu | |
|---|---|---|
| ㅇ | 요 | 유 |
| ㄱ g | 교 gyo | 규 gyu |
| ㄴ n | 뇨 nyo | 뉴 nyu |
| ㄷ d | 됴 dyo | 듀 dyu |
| ㄹ r | 료 ryo | 류 ryu |
| ㅁ m | 묘 myo | 뮤 myu |
| ㅂ b | 뵤 byo | 뷰 byu |
| ㅅ s | 쇼 syo | 슈 syu |
| ㅈ j | 죠 jyo | 쥬 jyu |
| ㅎ h | 효 hyo | 휴 hyu |
| ㅏ a | ㅣ i | ㅗ o | ㅜ u | ㅡ eu | ㅓ eo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㅊ ch | 차 cha | 치 chi | 초 cho | 추 chu | 츠 cheu | 처 cheo |
As in Chapter 6, some of the less common blocks may be pronounced differently from their spelling; this course does not rely on them.
Read It — New Words
Twenty-one letters let you read most beginner words. Say each block, then the whole word.
| # | Word | Romanisation | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 차 | cha | tea; car | one spelling, two meanings; see the Not Yet Verified box |
| 2 | 기차 | gi-cha | train | see the box |
| 3 | 우유 | u-yu | milk | see the box |
| 4 | 요리 | yo-ri | cooking | see the box |
| 5 | 고추 | go-chu | chili pepper | see the box |
| 6 | 치마 | chi-ma | skirt | see the box |
Try It Yourself — 연습
Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.
1. Read these blocks aloud: 요 · 유 · 추 · 효 · 처 · 규
Show answer
yo · yu · chu · hyo · cheo · gyu
2. Where do ㅛ and ㅠ go in a block, and why?
Show answer
Below the consonant, because they have a long horizontal stroke (like ㅗ and ㅜ).
3. Which plain consonant is ㅊ the aspirated partner of? What is the difference?
Show answer
ㅈ. ㅊ is pronounced with a strong puff of air; ㅈ with much less.
4. Read these words: 기차 · 우유 · 치마 · 고추
Show answer
gi-cha (train) · u-yu (milk) · chi-ma (skirt) · go-chu (chili pepper)
5. Write in Hangul: yo-ri · cha · chi-ma
Show answer
요리 · 차 · 치마
6. How many of the 24 basic letters do you know now, and which three are left?
Show answer
21. The three left are the aspirates ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ.