The basic vowels
Right now Korean looks like a wifi diagram someone left in the rain. Twelve strokes from now you'll read it like a name tag.
Decode the squigglesThe idea — The basic vowels
A vowel is one long stroke plus short ticks: a tick to the right or on top (ㅏ, ㅗ) is a bright sound, a tick to the left or underneath (ㅓ, ㅜ) is a dark sound — and a vowel never stands alone, so the silent ㅇ holds its spot, like in 이 (i) and 오 (o).
Next time you see a Hangul letter you don't know, look for the tick before you panic — you can already guess which side it leans on.
Questions about The basic vowels
What is the basic structure of a Korean vowel?
A Korean vowel is one long stroke plus a short tick. The tick's position shows whether the sound is bright or dark.
How can you tell if a Korean vowel sound is 'bright' or 'dark'?
A tick to the right or on top, like in ㅏ or ㅗ, is a bright sound. A tick to the left or underneath, like in ㅓ or ㅜ, is a dark sound.
Can a Korean vowel stand alone without a consonant?
No, a vowel never stands alone. The silent consonant ㅇ holds its spot, as in 이 (i) and 오 (o).
What are examples of Korean vowels with the silent ㅇ?
Examples include 이 (i) and 오 (o), where the silent consonant ㅇ fills the required consonant spot before the vowel.
You've seen the idea. Now make it stick.
The journey continues in Zeeza — free to start, made to adapt to how you learn.
- Hear it and choose
- Fill the idea in from memory
- Say it after the voice
- …and more, adapted to you