모음
Korean vowels (모음)
Ten basic vowels and how ㅏ/ㅓ and ㅗ/ㅜ pairs stay distinct.
a
ya
eo
yeo
o
yo
u
yu
eu
i
Bright vs dark
Teachers often group ㅏ ㅑ ㅗ ㅛ as “bright” and ㅓ ㅕ ㅜ ㅠ as “dark.” The contrast is real in native ears: 밥 bap (rice) is not 법 beop (law). Open the jaw more for ㅏ; pull the tongue back for ㅓ.
ㅡ eu is the unrounded close-back vowel English does not have — think a relaxed “uh” with lips flat. ㅣ is a clean “ee.”
아이
ai
child
우유
uyu
milk
이름
ireum
name
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