ㅎHangul Starter.
Core course · 7 / 24

Read compound vowels

5 minSaved on this device
ㅗ + ㅏ → ㅘ

Read & notice

Some vowel letters combine visible pieces: ㅗ + ㅏ forms ㅘ, and ㅜ + ㅓ forms ㅝ. With an initial silent ㅇ, these appear in 와 and 워. A written compound is one vowel position in the syllable formula, not a new syllable.

Do not assume spelling predicts every speaker’s exact sound. In contemporary speech, distinctions such as ㅐ and ㅔ may be reduced for many speakers. Learn spelling and listening as related but separate skills.

Listen & connect

Listen, look at the word, then say it yourself. Synthetic Korean voice; replay as needed.

와
워
위
의
AI-generated Korean audio: Google Cloud Chirp 3: HD, Zubenelgenubi. These are practice examples, not an assessment of your pronunciation.

Listen first

Choose the word you hear.

Try it yourself

ㅗ + ㅏ = ?

Try it yourself 2 / 2

ㅜ + ㅓ = ?

Core course · 7 / 24

Answer every check correctly to complete this lesson.

0 / 2

Sources & further reading

Facts checked against these sources; explanations are independently written.

National Institute of Korean Language ↗Online King Sejong Institute ↗
LearnPractice labReview