Ae in Korean: the Vowel ㅐ (애)
ㅐ is the Korean vowel 애 (ae): ae, between the a of bad and the e of bed. See ㅐ in a block with 애호박 and 개; trace ㅐ in 3 strokes, print the ㅐ worksheet.
What is Ae in Korean, the Korean vowel ㅐ?
Ae in Korean is ㅐ, the vowel called 애, read ae, between the a of bad and the e of bed. ㅐ (ae) is placed to the right of the consonant because it is a tall, upright vowel; writing it takes 3 strokes. Try it in 애호박 (zucchini) and 개 (dog).
Ae in Korean ㅐ: sound, strokes, place and mirror pair
ㅐ Ae in KoreanKorean vowel · compound
ㅐ is read ae; it sits to the right of the consonant.
ㅐ (Ae) at a glance
Two ways to remember ㅐ
Shape
Words with ㅐ
How to say ㅐ
애Open the mouth halfway and spread the lips a little, as in the e of English 'bed'. For most Seoul speakers today ㅐ and ㅔ sound the same.
ㅐ (ae) is a vertical vowel and sits to the right of the consonant: 개 (dog), 내 (my). Alone it is written 애.
Where ㅐ sits in a block
How to write ㅐ
Trace Ae in Korean ㅐ 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 left vertical line down.
From its middle, draw a short line to the right.
Draw the right vertical line down, touching the end of the short line.
Count three strokes to complete ㅐ.
Because ㅐ and ㅔ sound alike, learn each word with its spelling. A good starter pair is 내 (my) and 네 (your, or yes).
ㅐ and its look-alikes
| Letter | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ㅐ | 애 (ae) | ae, near bad and bed |
| ㅔ | 에 (e) | e, as in egg |
개 (dog) and 게 (crab) are a classic pair, but in everyday speech they sound alike. Learners tell them apart by spelling and context, not by ear.
Learners often read ㅐ as a + i and say it like English 'eye'. It is a single vowel: 개 is closer to 'geh' than to 'guy'.
Compare 개 (dog) and 게 (crab): the first uses ㅐ, the second uses ㅔ.
Why ㅐ looks the way it does
Two upright strokes sit in ㅐ: the plain vowel plus the standing line ㅣ.
Words that use ㅐ
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 개 | gae | dog (noun) |
| 새 | sae | bird (noun) |
| 해 | hae | sun (noun) |
| 내일 | nae-il | tomorrow (noun) |
The first block of 애호박 (zucchini) is 애, built as ㅇㅐ and read ae; the vowel is ㅐ.
The first block of 개 (dog) is 개, built as ㄱㅐ and read gae; the vowel is ㅐ.
The first block of 배 (pear; ship; belly) is 배, built as ㅂㅐ and read bae; the vowel is ㅐ.
The first block of 내일 (tomorrow) is 내, built as ㄴㅐ and read nae; the vowel is ㅐ.
The first block of 새 (bird) is 새, built as ㅅㅐ and read sae; the vowel is ㅐ.
Syllables you can build with ㅐ
The row for ㅐ begins 개 (gae), 내 (nae), 대 (dae), and 래 (rae) and carries on through all fourteen consonants.
To hear how steady ㅐ (ae) stays across different consonants, say the row from start to finish.
Try it yourself
Change the first consonant and read the block that ㅐ makes, such as 애. Open the syllable builder with ㅐ ready
ㅐ with a final consonant
Closing 애 with different consonants produces 액 (aek), 앤 (aen), 앨 (ael), 앰 (aem), 앱 (aep), 앵 (aeng).
Whatever final you add, ㅐ (ae) remains the heart of the block.
Put ㄱ at the bottom of 애 for 액 (aek), closing on a quiet k. Put ㄴ at the bottom of 애 for 앤 (aen), closing on a hummed n. Put ㄹ at the bottom of 애 for 앨 (ael), closing on a tongue-tip l.
Put ㅁ at the bottom of 애 for 앰 (aem), closing on a lip-closed m. Add ㅂ under 애 and you get 앱 (aep), closing on a lip-closed p. Add ㅇ under 애 and you get 앵 (aeng), closing on the ng of song.
ㅐ writing worksheet (free printable)
Worksheet · Level 1 · Letters
Korean letter tracing worksheet: ㅐ (ae)
The one-page Ae in Korean ㅐ sheet shows ㅐ in 3 strokes, traces it, writes it with six consonants (개 내 대 래 매 배) and ends with a game of finding ㅐ among look-alikes.
- 1 page
- A4 · US Letter
- PDF · 94 KB
- Free · no sign-up
Want more? Get a printable pack of Hangul letters
Worksheet information
- How to use
- Say ㅐ out loud, trace its 3 strokes, then write it with six consonants.
Practice ㅐ
Try it yourself
Put Ae in Korean ㅐ, ae, into the builder and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with ㅐ ready
ㅐ (Ae in Korean) — FAQ
What is the ㅐ pronunciation?
The sound is ae, between the a of bad and the e of bed. Practice 애 and then 애호박, mouth loose.
ae vs e korean: how are they different?
Ae, between the a of bad and the e of bed for ㅐ. A quick check is the word pair 개 / 게. The shapes differ in the extra upright line.
ㅐ vs ㅔ: how are they different?
Look at the spelling: ㅐ has one extra upright line beside the ㅏ shape, while ㅔ is built on ㅓ. Pairs such as 개 (dog) and 게 (crab) show which one a word uses.
How do you write ㅐ and which position does it take in a syllable block?
ㅐ takes 3 strokes: Draw the left vertical line down. From its middle, draw a short line to the right. Draw the right vertical line down, touching the end of the short line. In a block it sits to the right of the consonant.
What is the difference between ㅐ and ㅔ?
ㅐ (ae) and ㅔ (e) are written differently but sound almost the same in modern Seoul speech. Learn the spelling of each word, as in 개 (dog) and 게 (crab).
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