You finished this day
Adding a y
Today's four vowels are not really new sounds, but vowels you know with a y in front: ㅑ is ya, ㅕ is yeo, ㅛ is yo and ㅠ is yu. By the end you can read 우유 (uyu), 'milk', and 여기 (yeogi), 'here', and you will see the pattern that makes these letters almost free to learn.
Compare ㅏ with ㅑ: the only difference in shape is a second short stroke, and the only difference in sound is a y at the start. The same holds for ㅓ and ㅕ, ㅗ and ㅛ, and ㅜ and ㅠ. The vowel's position does not change either, so ㅑ and ㅕ sit to the right of the consonant, and ㅛ and ㅠ sit below it. After a consonant the y is still said, which is why 교 is gyo and 휴 is hyu. Modern Korean has no y version of ㅡ or ㅣ, so the set stops at four.
ㅑ 야
- Sound
- ya, as in 야
- How it sounds
- ya as in 'yard', kept short.
- Memory hook
- ㅏ with a second short stroke. The doubled stroke puts a y in front, and the same rule holds for all four y vowels.
- Watch for
- Reading it as ㅏ at a glance and missing the second stroke.
ㅕ 여
- Sound
- yeo, as in 여
- How it sounds
- A y gliding into ㅓ, close to the 'yo' of 'yonder' with relaxed, unrounded lips.
- Memory hook
- ㅓ with a second stroke, and the extra stroke adds the y.
- Watch for
- Saying it as yo, which is ㅛ; the lips stay unrounded for ㅕ.
ㅛ 요
- Sound
- yo, as in 요
- How it sounds
- yo as in 'yoghurt', with the lips rounded.
- Memory hook
- ㅗ with the upward stroke doubled, and the extra stroke adds the y.
- Watch for
- Confusing it with ㅕ, which has no lip rounding.
ㅠ 유
- Sound
- yu, as in 유
- How it sounds
- yu as in 'you'.
- Memory hook
- ㅜ with two legs instead of one, and the extra leg adds the y.
- Watch for
- Dropping the y, so that 휴지 comes out as 후지.
Read these
Every word here uses only letters you have met so far. Say it before you press the speaker.
Write today's letters
- Top to bottom, left to right.
- Horizontal strokes are written left to right, vertical ones top to bottom.
- Many corners are turned without lifting the pen, so ㄱ and ㄴ are each a single stroke.
- ㅇ is drawn anticlockwise, starting from the top.
- Vowels follow the same order: ㅏ and ㅜ start with the long line, while ㅓ and ㅗ start with the short stroke.
- In a block, write the consonant first, then the vowel, then any final consonant.
Two passes each: trace it with the guide on, then write it from memory with the guide off and let the guide come back over your strokes. The second pass is the one that teaches you anything.
Check yourself
8 questions. Get 5 right to finish the day.