Six Basic Korean Vowels: Learn Mouth Shapes and Pronunciation

One of the first steps in learning Korean is understanding its vowels. In this lesson, we will learn the shapes and sounds of the six basic Korean vowels: ㅏ, ㅓ, ㅗ, ㅜ, ㅡ, and ㅣ. Since vowel sounds in Korean depend on the shape of the mouth and the position of the tongue, it is very important to practice each vowel to pronounce them correctly.

Introducing the Six Basic Vowels

ㅏ [a]: Open your mouth wide and lower your jaw. Its sound is similar to ‘a’ in the English word “father.”
ㅓ [eo]: Open your mouth moderately narrow, producing a sound similar to “uh.”
ㅗ [o]: Round your lips and push them forward, sounding like the ‘o’ in “go.”
ㅜ [u]: Round your lips more tightly, producing a sound similar to ‘oo’ in “moon.”
ㅡ [eu]: Spread your lips sideways and keep your tongue towards the back. This sound has no exact counterpart in English and needs practice.
ㅣ [i]: Open your mouth slightly and push your tongue forward. The sound is similar to ‘ee’ in “see.”

Observing Mouth Shapes for Each Vowel

Watching the shape of your mouth while pronouncing vowels can help with memorization and accuracy. See the examples below:

Vowel	Romanizaion	Mouth Shape Description	Example Sound
ㅏ	a	Mouth wide open	아 (a)
ㅓ	eo	Mouth moderately open	어 (eo)
ㅗ	o	Lips rounded and pushed forward	오 (o)
ㅜ	u	Lips rounded tighter	우 (u)
ㅡ	eu	Lips spread sideways	으 (eu)
ㅣ	i	Mouth open slightly, tongue pushed forward	이 (i)

Practice: Reading and Comparing Sounds

Look at each vowel below, try to pronounce it aloud, then compare with the provided audio. This will help you acquire the correct sound.

Practice loudly while focusing on mouth shape and sound.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we introduced the six basic Korean vowels, practiced their mouth shapes and sounds. Vowels are key components of Hangul and will combine with consonants to make various syllables. In the next lesson, we will learn in detail how consonants and vowels form syllable blocks. Mastering these vowels now will greatly support your future Korean learning journey.