Wo in Korean: the Vowel ㅝ (워)
ㅝ is the Korean vowel 워 (wo): wo, as in won. See where ㅝ sits in a block, with 원숭이 and 뭐; trace ㅝ in 4 strokes, print the ㅝ worksheet.
What is Wo in Korean, the Korean vowel ㅝ?
Wo in Korean is ㅝ, the vowel called 워, read wo, as in won. ㅝ (wo) is a vowel built from a horizontal part and a vertical part, so it sits to the right of and below the consonant in a syllable block, and it takes 4 strokes to write. Try it in 원숭이 (monkey) and 뭐 (what).
Wo in Korean ㅝ: sound, strokes, place and mirror pair
ㅝ Wo in KoreanKorean vowel · compound
ㅝ is read wo; it sits right and below the consonant.
ㅝ (Wo) at a glance
Two ways to remember ㅝ
Shape
Words with ㅝ
monkey- what
- boxing
- Monday
Sound: wo.
How to say ㅝ
워Where ㅝ 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
ㅝ (wo) frames the consonant on two sides, as the block 궈 (gwo) shows.
In the case of ㅝ (wo), a vowel can never stand alone in the spelling. For ㅝ (wo), when a syllable starts with the vowel sound, Korean writes the silent ㅇ in front, so ㅝ appears as 워 (wo).
How to write ㅝ
Trace Wo in Korean ㅝ 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 horizontal line of ㅜ.
Draw the short vertical line of ㅜ down from its centre.
Draw the short line of ㅓ from left to right.
Draw the long vertical line of ㅓ on the right.
Count four strokes to complete ㅝ.
Months use ㅝ: 일월 (January), 이월 (February). Trace 월 twelve times while counting the months in Korean.
ㅝ and its look-alikes
| Letter | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ㅘ | 와 (wa) | wa, as in water |
| ㅝ | 워 (wo) | wo, as in won |
워 and 와 are the two open w-vowels. 워 has relaxed lips at the end like 어; 와 opens wide like 아.
Learners often write 뭐 as 모 or 머 because it is said fast. It is 뭐 with ㅝ: the lips round and then open.
Its closest neighbour is ㅘ (wa); compare the two in the table below.
Why ㅝ looks the way it does
With ㅝ (wo), two vowels share one place in ㅝ (wo), and the sound glides from the first part into the second.
Words that use ㅝ
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 공원 | gong-won | park (noun) |
| 병원 | byeong-won | hospital (noun) |
The first block of 원숭이 (monkey) is 원, built as ㅇㅝ + ㄴ and read won; the vowel is ㅝ.
The first block of 뭐 (what) is 뭐, built as ㅁㅝ and read mwo; the vowel is ㅝ.
The first block of 월요일 (Monday) is 월, built as ㅇㅝ + ㄹ and read wol; the vowel is ㅝ.
The first block of 권투 (boxing) is 권, built as ㄱㅝ + ㄴ and read gwon; the vowel is ㅝ.
The second block of 병원 (hospital) is 원, built as ㅇㅝ + ㄴ and read won; the vowel is ㅝ.
Syllables you can build with ㅝ
Put ㅝ (wo) behind each basic consonant and the row starts 궈 (gwo), 눠 (nwo), 둬 (dwo), and 뤄 (rwo); only the front of the block changes.
To hear how steady ㅝ (wo) stays across different consonants, say the row from start to finish.
Try it yourself
Change the first consonant and read the block that ㅝ makes, such as 워. Open the syllable builder with ㅝ ready
ㅝ with a final consonant
Add a final consonant to 워 (wo) and the vowel stays put while the ending changes: 웍 (wok), 원 (won), 월 (wol), 웜 (wom), 웝 (wop), 웡 (wong).
The sound of ㅝ (wo) is steady in every one of them; only the closing consonant changes the end of the block.
Close 워 with ㄱ and you read 웍 (wok), closing on a quiet k. Close 워 with ㄴ and you read 원 (won), closing on a hummed n. Close 워 with ㄹ and you read 월 (wol), closing on a tongue-tip l.
Close 워 with ㅁ and you read 웜 (wom), closing on a lip-closed m. Close 워 with ㅂ and you read 웝 (wop), closing on a lip-closed p. Close 워 with ㅇ and you read 웡 (wong), closing on the ng of song.
ㅝ writing worksheet (free printable)
Worksheet · Level 1 · Letters
Korean letter tracing worksheet: ㅝ (wo)
The one-page Wo in Korean ㅝ sheet shows ㅝ in 4 strokes, traces it, writes it with six consonants (궈 눠 둬 뤄 뭐 붜) and ends with a game of finding ㅝ 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 ㅝ out loud, trace its 4 strokes, then write it with six consonants.
Practice ㅝ
Next is ㅞ (we). Then trace 월급 and 뭐 and print the ㅝ worksheet.
The worksheet for ㅝ (wo) is a single printable page made from the same data as this page: it has the stroke order, tracing rows and a find-the-letter game.
Try it yourself
Put Wo in Korean ㅝ, wo, into the builder and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with ㅝ ready
ㅝ (Wo in Korean) — FAQ
What should the ㅝ pronunciation sound like?
Say wo, as in won with a loose jaw, first alone and then in 원숭이.
How do you write ㅝ and which position does it take in a syllable block?
ㅝ takes 4 strokes: Draw the horizontal line of ㅜ. Draw the short vertical line of ㅜ down from its centre. Draw the short line of ㅓ from left to right. Draw the long vertical line of ㅓ on the right. In a block it sits to the right of and below the consonant.
How do you say ㅝ in Korean?
ㅝ (wo) is like 'wo' in 'won', as in 뭐 (what) and 월 (month).
How many strokes does ㅝ have?
ㅝ has 4 strokes: two for ㅜ, then two for ㅓ.
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