Compound Vowels 2

Korean Alphabet 2

Course 2 · Chapter 4 · Compound Vowels 2

ㅒ ㅖ ㅢ — The Y-Versions and One Special Vowel

Chapter 3 gave you ㅐ and ㅔ. This chapter adds three more compound vowels: ㅒ and ㅖ, the y-versions of ㅐ and ㅔ, and ㅢ, the only vowel with its own rule for where the consonant goes. Of the three, ㅢ is the one with the most pronunciation variation, and the sources say so.

Your Three Letters — ㅒ ㅖ ㅢ

Some pages write ㅢ as eui, to match eu for ㅡ. This course uses ui, the usual romanisation.

How They Are Built

• ㅒ = ㅑ + ㅣ and ㅖ = ㅕ + ㅣ: each of Chapter 3's vowels with the second tick added to the first bar.
• ㅢ = ㅡ + ㅣ. Wikipedia's Hangul page lists all three among the 11 compound vowels made by "modifications and combinations".
• Block rules. The Hangul page gives them in order: a vowel with a long vertical stroke (ㅒ and ㅖ are in its list) is written to the right of the initial consonant. A combination that "begins with a long horizontal stroke followed by a long vertical stroke (e.g. ㅢ)" puts the initial consonant above the horizontal stroke. So in 희 the ㅎ sits on top, the ㅡ below it and the ㅣ at the right.

The Pronunciation Notes

This is where the three letters differ from the earlier ones. Here is what I found, with sources.

• ㅢ has a unique sound. Wikipedia's Korean phonology page calls ㅢ "a unique off-glide diphthong... that combines the sounds [ɯ] and [i]", and says that in modern pronunciation it "merges into /i/ after a consonant". So 희 can sound like hi, though the spelling stays ㅢ.
• At the start of a word, a university course page found in my search says to pronounce ㅢ as ㅡ and ㅣ run together, giving 의자 as eu-i-ja.
• As the possessive particle 의 (the "of" or "'s" ending), a course page and a KoreanClass101 lesson both say it is spelled 의 but commonly pronounced like e, so 나의 can sound like na-e; the lesson adds that na-ui is acceptable too.
• ㅒ and ㅖ. Wikipedia's Korean phonology page says the /e/–/ɛ/ distinction is lost in South Korean dialects (Chapter 3), so ㅒ and ㅖ, which are the same two vowels with a y-glide, may sound close to each other for many speakers. A flashcard page I found says ㅖ is often pronounced like ㅔ, for example in 시계; it is not a reliable source, so treat the point as a hint.

The sources I found do not agree on every detail, and they are mostly learner pages, not linguistic references. For now, learn to read ㅢ ㅒ ㅖ by their spelling and listen to native audio for pronunciation. Chapter 10 returns to how spelling and sound part.

The Block Table

All of these are valid blocks, but only some are common in words (for example 얘, 걔, 쟤, 예, 계, 혜, 의 and 희). Look at the ㅢ row: the consonant is above the ㅡ and the ㅣ stands beside it.

Look-Alike Warnings

• ㅒ and ㅐ; ㅖ and ㅔ. The y-versions have an extra tick on the first bar.
• ㅖ and ㅒ. Count the ticks and see which first bar they sit on: ㅖ is built on ㅕ (ticks on the left); ㅒ is built on ㅑ (ticks on the right).
• ㅢ and ㅡ, ㅣ. ㅢ is the two letters joined at the right end; it is a different vowel from either.

Read It — Words With ㅒ ㅖ ㅢ

Only letters you know. Say each aloud; for ㅢ and ㅖ, the romanisation shows the spelling, not necessarily the common pronunciation.

Try It Yourself — 연습

Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.