Wae in Korean: the Vowel ㅙ (왜)
ㅙ is the Korean vowel 왜 (wae): wae, like the we in wet. See where ㅙ sits in a block, with 돼지 and 왜; trace ㅙ in 5 strokes, print the ㅙ worksheet.
What is Wae in Korean, the Korean vowel ㅙ?
Wae in Korean is ㅙ, the vowel called 왜, read wae, like the we in wet. ㅙ is placed to the right of and below the consonant because it is a vowel built from a horizontal part and a vertical part; writing it takes 5 strokes. Try it in 돼지 (pig) and 왜 (why).
Wae in Korean ㅙ: sound, strokes, place and mirror pair
ㅙ Wae in KoreanKorean vowel · compound
ㅙ is read wae; it sits right and below the consonant.
ㅙ (Wae) at a glance
Two ways to remember ㅙ
Shape
Words with ㅙ
pig- quite
- why
- 다to be okay
Sound: wae.
How to say ㅙ
왜Where ㅙ sits in a block
ㅏ ㅐ ㅑ ㅒ ㅓ ㅔ ㅕ ㅖ ㅣ
ㅗ ㅛ ㅜ ㅠ ㅡ
ㅘ ㅙ ㅚ ㅝ ㅞ ㅟ ㅢ
ㅙ (wae) frames the consonant on two sides, as the block 괘 (gwae) shows.
On its own the sound ㅙ is written 왜 (wae), with a silent ㅇ (ieung) standing in for the missing consonant.
How to write ㅙ
Trace Wae in Korean ㅙ 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
Draw the short vertical line of ㅗ.
Draw the horizontal line of ㅗ.
Draw the left vertical line of ㅐ.
Draw the short line of ㅐ to the right.
Draw the right vertical line of ㅐ.
ㅙ takes five strokes in total.
Write 왜? and 돼지 a few times. The tall ㅐ on the right makes ㅙ one of the widest vowels, so leave room for it.
ㅙ and its look-alikes
왜 (why), 외 (outside, except) and 웨 (as in 웨이터) are said nearly alike today. Spelling decides: 왜 always takes ㅙ.
Learners often write 되 when they mean 돼, as in 돼요. 돼 is the short form of 되어, so it needs ㅙ; if 되어 fits, write 돼.
Its closest neighbour is ㅞ (we); compare the two in the table below.
Why ㅙ looks the way it does
For ㅙ (wae), two vowels share one place in ㅙ (wae), and the sound glides from the first part into the second.
Words that use ㅙ
The first block of 돼지 (pig) is 돼, built as ㄷㅙ and read dwae; the vowel is ㅙ.
The first block of 왜 (why) is 왜, built as ㅇㅙ and read wae; the vowel is ㅙ.
The first block of 괜찮다 (to be okay) is 괜, built as ㄱㅙ + ㄴ and read gwaen; the vowel is ㅙ.
왼쪽 (left side) is a good word to say aloud while you trace ㅙ.
The first block of 꽤 (quite) is 꽤, built as ㄲㅙ and read kkwae; the vowel is ㅙ.
Syllables you can build with ㅙ
Put ㅙ (wae) behind each basic consonant and the row starts 괘 (gwae), 놰 (nwae), 돼 (dwae), and 뢔 (rwae); only the front of the block changes.
ㅙ (wae) is easiest to hear by reading the whole row aloud, once for every opening position.
Try it yourself
Change the first consonant and read the block that ㅙ makes, such as 왜. Open the syllable builder with ㅙ ready
ㅙ with a final consonant
Add a final consonant to 왜 (wae) and the vowel stays put while the ending changes: 왝 (waek), 왠 (waen), 왤 (wael), 왬 (waem), 왭 (waep), 왱 (waeng).
The sound of ㅙ (wae) is steady in every one of them; only the closing consonant changes the end of the block.
Add ㄱ under 왜 and you get 왝 (waek), closing on a quiet k. Add ㄴ under 왜 and you get 왠 (waen), closing on a hummed n. Put ㄹ at the bottom of 왜 for 왤 (wael), closing on a tongue-tip l.
Put ㅁ at the bottom of 왜 for 왬 (waem), closing on a lip-closed m. Add ㅂ under 왜 and you get 왭 (waep), closing on a lip-closed p. Close 왜 with ㅇ and you read 왱 (waeng), closing on the ng of song.
ㅙ writing worksheet (free printable)
Worksheet · Level 1 · Letters
Korean letter tracing worksheet: ㅙ (wae)
The one-page Wae in Korean ㅙ sheet shows ㅙ in 5 strokes, traces it, writes it with six consonants (괘 놰 돼 뢔 뫠 봬) and ends with a game of finding ㅙ among look-alikes.
- 1 page
- A4 · US Letter
- PDF · 92 KB
- Free · no sign-up
Want more? Get a printable pack of Hangul letters
Worksheet information
- How to use
- Say ㅙ out loud, trace its 5 strokes, then write it with six consonants.
Practice ㅙ
Next is ㅚ (oe). Then compare 돼 and 되 in everyday words and trace ㅙ on its worksheet.
You can practice ㅙ (wae) on paper with the free worksheet, which repeats the stroke order and adds a small find-the-letter game.
Try it yourself
Put Wae in Korean ㅙ, wae, into the builder and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with ㅙ ready
ㅙ (Wae in Korean) — FAQ
How would you describe the ㅙ pronunciation?
Aim for wae, like the we in wet; keep your mouth relaxed while you practice 왜 and 돼지.
How do you write ㅙ and which position does it take in a syllable block?
ㅙ takes 5 strokes: Draw the short vertical line of ㅗ. Draw the horizontal line of ㅗ. Draw the left vertical line of ㅐ. Draw the short line of ㅐ to the right. Draw the right vertical line of ㅐ. In a block it sits to the right of and below the consonant.
How many strokes do you need to write ㅙ?
ㅙ has 5 strokes: two for ㅗ, then three for ㅐ.
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