Learn Basic Korean Language

PART VIII

In this lesson we will cover the 2 complex vowels plus the 6 "Y" Semivowels which are the "Y" sounds combined with vowels.

Complex Vowels

The 2 complex vowels are each made from 2 of the vowels you learned earlier in the Basic Vowels lesson. When Hangul was first created, the sounds these two letters represented actually did sound like combinations of 2 basic vowels. But over time the actual pronunciation has changed and these 2 letters now sound THE SAME when pronounced in normal conversation by young korean speakers. However for spelling purposes you still need to use the correct one.

1) Complex vowel e

Looks like: A combination of ㅓ and ㅣ Sounds like: The "ai" in main.
Transliteration: e

e (에)
ㅔ

2) Complex vowel ae

Looks like: A combination of ㅏ and ㅣ Sounds like: the "ai" in main.
Transliteration: ae

ae (애)
ㅐ

Remember: Both these vowels sound the same, but you need to know them both to spell correctly.

Y Semivowels

The 6 Y Semivowels are pretty straight forward since they are each derived from a vowel you already know.

Letter: There is one semivowel for each of the 6 vowels that has a short stroke. You make it a Y semivowel by adding another stoke.

Pronunciation: The 6 semivowels are pronounced like the original vowel except with a "Y" sound in front.

Here are the 6 original vowels side-by-side with their semivowel pairs:

   Vowel                             Semivowel
      ㅗ o                                      ㅛ yo
      ㅜ u                                      ㅠ yu
      ㅔ e                                      ㅖ ye
      ㅐ ae                                    ㅒ yae
      ㅏ a                                      ㅑ ya
      ㅓ eo                                    ㅕ yeo