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Level 0 · Unit 1 · Vowels · 5 min

Y-Vowels: ㅑ ㅕ ㅛ ㅠ

Read and pronounce the y-glide vowels ㅑ, ㅕ, ㅛ, ㅠ and recognize them in real words.

Add one stroke, add a 'y' glide

ㅑ, ㅕ, ㅛ, ㅠ are built by adding one extra short stroke to ㅏ, ㅓ, ㅗ, ㅜ. That extra stroke adds a 'y' glide at the start, so ㅏ (a) becomes ㅑ (ya), ㅓ (eo) becomes ㅕ (yeo), and so on. The core vowel sound doesn't change — only the glide in front of it.

ㅑ
야 ya

ㅏ with a second branch — say 'ya' like the start of yacht.

야유 yayu jeering, booing
ㅕ
여 yeo

ㅓ with a second branch — say 'yeo' like 'young' without the 'ng'.

여우 yeou fox
ㅛ
요 yo

ㅗ with a second branch — say 'yo' like the greeting yo!.

요요 yoyo yo-yo
ㅠ
유 yu

ㅜ with a second branch — say 'yu' like 'you'.

우유 uyu milk

A quick preview: ㅒ and ㅖ

ㅐ and ㅔ also have y-glide versions — ㅒ (yae) and ㅖ (ye). ㅖ shows up in common words like 예 (yes); ㅒ is rare in everyday vocabulary. Since ㅐ and ㅔ already sound almost the same, ㅒ and ㅖ blend together too — you'll mostly see ㅖ in practice.

예 ye yes

예 is the polite way to say 'yes' — one of the first words most learners use in real conversation.

Say it out loud

여우 yeou fox

Listen, then repeat aloud. Matching the rhythm matters more than perfection.

Check yourself