모음
mo'eum[ˈmo̞(ː)ɯm]
The English word "vowel" is translated into Korean as 모음 (mo'eum).
Meaning: letter (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is mo'eum.
Did you know?
- In the Korean alphabet, vowels are designed based on three philosophical elements: the sky •, the earth ㅡ, and humans ㅣ.
- The Korean word for 'vowel', 모음, literally translates to 'mother sound'.
- To write a word starting with a vowel, Koreans use the letter ㅇ as a placeholder, which has no sound when it appears at the start of a syllable.
Examples in context
- 한국어에서 모음은 단어를 형성하는 데 핵심적인 역할을 합니다.In Korean, vowels play a crucial role in forming words.
- 한국어에서 모음은 단어 만들 때 아주 중요해!Vowels in Korean are very important when making words!
- 한국어에는 21개의 모음이 있습니다.There are 21 vowels in the Korean language.
- 이 단어에는 모음이 세 개 있어요.i daneo-eneun moeumi se gae isseoyo.There are three vowels in this word.
- 모음과 자음을 모두 배워야 해요.moeum-gwa jaeum-eul modu bae-woya haeyo.You must learn both vowels and consonants.
- 한글의 모음은 모양이 참 예뻐요.hangeul-ui moeum-eun moyang-i cham yeppeoyo.The shapes of Hangeul vowels are very pretty.
Example conversation
A student is asking a teacher about Korean characters.
- 도현 Do-hyeon선생님, 이 모음은 어떻게 읽어요?seonsaengnim, i moeum-eun eotteoke ilgeoyo?Teacher, how do I read this vowel?
- 서연 Seo-yeon그 모음은 'ㅏ'라고 읽으면 돼요.geu moeum-eun 'a'-rago ilgeumyeon dwaeyo.You can read that vowel as 'a'.
- 도현 Do-hyeon아, 이제 알겠어요. 감사합니다!a, ije algesseoyo. gamsahamnida!Ah, I understand now. Thank you!
- 서연 Seo-yeon천만에요, 도현 학생.cheonmaneyo, Dohyun haksaeng.You're welcome, Dohyun.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “vowel” translations and entries 모음, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 모음, CC BY-SA 4.0.
