아 (a): the Korean syllable 아
아 is a Korean syllable block read a, built from ㅇ + ㅏ. See 아보카도 and 아기 as examples, trace 아 in 3 strokes, print the 아 worksheet for free.
How do you read and write in Korean (아)?
아 is read “a” and is built from ㅇ + ㅏ: the silent ㅇ holds the place of a consonant while ㅏ gives the sound, a side-by-side block of 3 strokes. 아 is romanized a and is simply the vowel ㅏ, like the a in 'father'. Words that begin with 아 include 아보카도 (avocado) and 아기 (baby).
in Korean 아: reading, parts and strokes
아 in KoreanKorean syllable block
아 is read a: ㅇ + ㅏ.
아 at a glance
Two ways to remember 아
Look
Words with 아
카avocado
ice cream- baby
- child
Sound: a.
How the block 아 is built
How to read 아
아How to write 아 stroke by stroke
Trace in Korean 아 with a finger, mouse or pen: start at the numbered dot, follow the dotted arrow, and press Clear to try again.
Print style 정자체
Follow the numbers and dotted arrows
Handwriting 필기체
Same stroke order as print style
Start at the top and draw a circle counterclockwise, ending where you began.
아 (a) takes three strokes in total: 1 for ㅇ and 2 for ㅏ.
Family words start with 아: 아이 (child), 아들 (son), 아빠 (dad). Write them with the circle the same small size each time.
A common slip with 아
Learners often try to pronounce the ㅇ in 아, saying nga or oa. Skip the circle when reading: 아 is just a.
How 아 is used
On its own 아 works as an exclamation of understanding or surprise, a bit like “oh!” in English, and it opens 아기 (baby), 아침 (morning) and 아이 (child).
The opening consonant of this block is made with the throat, and its sound is like nothing at the start, ng as in ring at the end.
아 with a final consonant
| Block | Reading | Final |
|---|---|---|
| 악 | ak | ㄱ = k |
| 안 | an | ㄴ = n |
| 알 | al | ㄹ = l |
| 암 | am | ㅁ = m |
| 압 | ap | ㅂ = p |
| 앙 | ang | ㅇ = ng |
For 아 (a), put a consonant under the block and the reading gains an ending: 악 (ak), 안 (an), 알 (al), 암 (am), 압 (ap), 앙 (ang).
In the case of 아 (a), compare the closings one by one: k (ㄱ), n (ㄴ), l (ㄹ), m (ㅁ), p (ㅂ), ng (ㅇ).
Add ㄱ under 아 and you get 악 (ak), closing on a quiet k. Put ㄴ at the bottom of 아 for 안 (an), closing on a hummed n. Add ㄹ under 아 and you get 알 (al), closing on a tongue-tip l.
Put ㅁ at the bottom of 아 for 암 (am), closing on a lip-closed m. Add ㅂ under 아 and you get 압 (ap), closing on a lip-closed p. Put ㅇ at the bottom of 아 for 앙 (ang), closing on the ng of song.
ㅇ with other vowels
The consonant ㅇ (ieung) stays the same in this row while the vowel changes: 아 (a), 어 (eo), 오 (o), 우 (u), 으 (eu), 이 (i).
아 next to 사 and 자
Before 아 in the starter row comes 사 (sa), whose consonant uses the teeth ridge for a soft hiss.
Words that start with 아
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 아침 | a-chim | morning (noun) |
| 아버지 | a-beo-ji | father (noun) |
| 피아노 | pi-a-no | piano (noun) |
The word 아보카도 (avocado) opens with 아 and sounds like a-bo-ka-do.
The word 아기 (baby) opens with 아 and sounds like a-gi.
The word 아침 (morning) opens with 아 and sounds like a-chim.
The word 아이 (child) opens with 아 and sounds like a-i.
The word 아버지 (father) opens with 아 and sounds like a-beo-ji.
아 writing worksheet (free printable)
Worksheet · Level 1 · Letters
Korean syllable tracing worksheet: 아 (a)
The one-page in Korean 아 sheet builds 아 (a) from ㅇ + ㅏ, traces it, writes ㅇ with other vowels (아 어 오 우 으 이) and ends with a game of finding 아.
- 1 page
- A4 · US Letter
- PDF · 98 KB
- Free · no sign-up
Want more? Get a printable pack of Hangul letters
Worksheet information
- How to use
- Build 아 from ㅇ + ㅏ, trace it, then write it on your own.
Practice 아
Try it yourself
Put in Korean 아, a, into the builder and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with 아 ready
아 (in Korean) — FAQ
How do you read 아?
Put together, ㅇ and ㅏ sound like a.
Which letters make up 아?
The letters inside 아 are ㅇ and ㅏ, with ㅇ on the left and ㅏ on the right.
How do you write 아 stroke by stroke?
The block is 3 strokes, drawn in the order ㅇ then ㅏ; ㅇ uses 1 and ㅏ uses 2.
Why is there an ㅇ in 아?
아 needs a consonant letter in front because every Korean syllable starts with one. ㅇ is silent there, so 아 is read a.
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