Yeo in Korean: the Vowel ㅕ (여)
ㅕ is the Korean vowel 여 (yeo): yeo, like yu in young. See where ㅕ sits in a block, with 여우 and 겨울; trace ㅕ in 3 strokes, print the ㅕ worksheet.
What is Yeo in Korean, the Korean vowel ㅕ?
Yeo in Korean is ㅕ, the vowel called 여, read yeo, like yu in young. ㅕ (yeo) goes to the right of the consonant because it is a tall, upright vowel, and you draw it in 3 strokes. You will hear it in 여우 (fox) and 겨울 (winter).
Yeo in Korean ㅕ: sound, strokes, place and mirror pair
ㅕ Yeo in KoreanKorean vowel · basic
ㅕ is read yeo; it sits to the right of the consonant.
ㅕ (Yeo) at a glance
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | 여 (yeo) |
| Sound | yeo, like yu in young |
| Sits | right of the consonant |
| Strokes | 3 |
| Type | y-vowel |
| Example words | 여우 (fox), 라면 (instant noodles) |
Two ways to remember ㅕ
Shape
Words with ㅕ
How to say ㅕ
여For ㅕ (yeo), start with a quick y and slide into ㅓ. ㅕ is like 'yuh' with relaxed lips, not 'yo'.
ㅕ (yeo) is a vertical vowel and sits to the right of the consonant: 여자 (woman), 역사 (history), 영화 (movie).
Where ㅕ 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
Because ㅕ (yeo) stands tall, the consonant must squeeze to the left. In 겨 (gyeo) the ㄱ (giyeok) is narrow and the vowel takes the right-hand side of the block.
With ㅕ (yeo), a vowel can never stand alone in the spelling. In the case of ㅕ (yeo), when a syllable starts with the vowel sound, Korean writes the silent ㅇ in front, so ㅕ appears as 여 (yeo).
How to write ㅕ
Trace Yeo in Korean ㅕ 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 upper short line from left to right.
Draw the lower short line from left to right.
Draw the long vertical line down through the ends of both short lines.
Count three strokes to complete ㅕ.
Trace ㅕ and ㅑ next to each other: the short strokes point left in ㅕ and right in ㅑ. Then read 여자 and 야구 aloud.
ㅕ and its look-alikes
| Letter | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ㅑ | 야 (ya) | ya, as in yacht |
| ㅕ | 여 (yeo) | yeo, like yu in young |
여 and 요 are easy to confuse because of the English spelling yeo and yo. For 여 the lips stay relaxed; for 요 they round.
Learners often say 영화 (movie) as 'yong-hwa' with round lips. The first vowel is ㅕ: keep the lips flat, closer to 'yuhng'.
Its closest neighbour is ㅑ (ya); compare the two in the table below.
Why ㅕ looks the way it does
Following Hunminjeongeum, ㅕ is ㅓ with its dot doubled for the y glide. Today the two dots are two short strokes on the left.
The four y-vowels are made by doubling the dot of a plain vowel, so ㅕ (yeo) carries two small strokes where the plain vowel carries one. For ㅕ (yeo), the extra stroke is the visual sign of the y glide.
Words that use ㅕ
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 겨울 | gyeo-ul | winter (noun) |
| 병원 | byeong-won | hospital (noun) |
| 여덟 | [여덜] yeo-deol | eight (numeral) |
| 여름 | yeo-reum | summer (noun) |
The first block of 여우 (fox) is 여, built as ㅇㅕ and read yeo; the vowel is ㅕ.
The first block of 겨울 (winter) is 겨, built as ㄱㅕ and read gyeo; the vowel is ㅕ.
The first block of 연필 (pencil) is 연, built as ㅇㅕ + ㄴ and read yeon; the vowel is ㅕ.
The first block of 여자 (woman) is 여, built as ㅇㅕ and read yeo; the vowel is ㅕ.
ㅕ shows up in 여, the first block of 여름 (summer), read yeo.
Syllables you can build with ㅕ
Pair ㅕ (yeo) with the fourteen basic consonants and you get a row that begins 겨 (gyeo), 녀 (nyeo), 뎌 (dyeo), and 려 (ryeo); only the front of the block changes.
ㅕ (yeo) 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 ㅕ makes, such as 여. Open the syllable builder with ㅕ ready
ㅕ with a final consonant
Closing 여 with different consonants produces 역 (yeok), 연 (yeon), 열 (yeol), 염 (yeom), 엽 (yeop), 영 (yeong).
The sound of ㅕ (yeo) is steady in every one of them; only the closing consonant changes the end of the block.
Add ㄱ under 여 and you get 역 (yeok), closing on a quiet k. Add ㄴ under 여 and you get 연 (yeon), closing on a hummed n. Add ㄹ under 여 and you get 열 (yeol), closing on a tongue-tip l.
Add ㅁ under 여 and you get 염 (yeom), closing on a lip-closed m. Close 여 with ㅂ and you read 엽 (yeop), closing on a lip-closed p. Close 여 with ㅇ and you read 영 (yeong), closing on the ng of song.
ㅕ writing worksheet (free printable)
Worksheet · Level 1 · Letters
Korean letter tracing worksheet: ㅕ (yeo)
The one-page Yeo in Korean ㅕ sheet shows ㅕ in 3 strokes, traces it, writes it with six consonants (겨 녀 뎌 려 며 벼) and ends with a game of finding ㅕ among look-alikes.
- 1 page
- A4 · US Letter
- PDF · 103 KB
- Free · no sign-up
Want more? Get a printable pack of Hangul letters
Worksheet information
- How to use
- Say ㅕ out loud, trace its 3 strokes, then write it with six consonants.
Practice ㅕ
Next is ㅖ (ye). Then practice 여, 녀 and 려 in the syllable builder; print ㅕ worksheet.
You can practice ㅕ (yeo) on paper with the free worksheet, which repeats the stroke order and adds a small find-the-letter game.
Try it yourself
Put Yeo in Korean ㅕ, yeo, into the builder and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with ㅕ ready
ㅕ (Yeo in Korean) — FAQ
Can you explain the ㅕ pronunciation?
Say yeo, like yu in young with a loose jaw, first alone and then in 여우.
How do you write ㅕ and which position does it take in a syllable block?
ㅕ takes 3 strokes: Draw the upper short line from left to right. Draw the lower short line from left to right. Draw the long vertical line down through the ends of both short lines. In a block it sits to the right of the consonant.
How many strokes is ㅕ?
ㅕ has 3 strokes: two short lines on the left, then the long vertical line.
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