KONGLE
Basic Vowels 2: ㅡ ㅣ ㅐ ㅔ
Read and pronounce the four vowels ㅡ, ㅣ, ㅐ, ㅔ and recognize them in real words.
- Letter 1 of 4 ㅡ
- Letter 2 of 4 ㅣ이 i this (pointing at something nearby)
- Letter 3 of 4 ㅐ애 ae kid (casual word for child)
- Letter 4 of 4 ㅔ에 e at / in (location marker)
Why? Four more vowels, same three building blocks
These four vowels still use only dots and lines, just arranged differently. Remember: ㅇ by itself is silent — it just fills the consonant slot so a vowel can stand alone as a syllable, like 이 or 애. Watch for ㅐ and ㅔ especially closely.
ㅐ and ㅔ sound almost the same today
Historically ㅐ and ㅔ were distinct vowels, but in modern Korean most speakers pronounce them nearly identically — both land close to 'e' in bed. Spelling still keeps them separate, so you need to memorize which letter a word uses even though your ear often can't tell them apart.
Say it out loud
Listen, then repeat aloud. Matching the rhythm matters more than perfection.
Common questions
Is ㅐ two sounds glued together? It's written from ㅏ and ㅣ.
No. ㅐ is one steady vowel — like the 'e' in bed. The shape comes from how the letter was invented, not from how it is pronounced today. Keep your tongue still; if it slides toward 'ee' you will sound like you are saying two vowels.
Build the block
Every Korean syllable is packed into one block. Tap the letters in writing order — consonant first, then the vowel.
Check yourself
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