Wa in Korean: the Vowel ㅘ (와)
ㅘ is the Korean vowel 와 (wa): wa, as in water. See where ㅘ sits in a block, with 와플 and 과자; trace ㅘ in 4 strokes, print the ㅘ worksheet.
What is Wa in Korean, the Korean vowel ㅘ?
Wa in Korean is ㅘ, the vowel called 와, read wa, as in water. ㅘ (wa) 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. You will hear it in 와플 (waffle) and 과자 (snack).
Wa in Korean ㅘ: sound, strokes, place and mirror pair
ㅘ Wa in KoreanKorean vowel · compound
ㅘ is read wa; it sits right and below the consonant.
ㅘ (Wa) at a glance
Two ways to remember ㅘ
Shape
Words with 
How to say ㅘ
와Where ㅘ 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
The two parts of ㅘ split up the space around the consonant. In 과 (gwa) one part runs underneath and the other stands at the right.
You will never see ㅘ (wa) without a consonant partner; at the start of a word the placeholder ㅇ gives 와 (wa).
How to write ㅘ
Trace Wa in Korean ㅘ 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 short vertical line of ㅗ.
Draw the horizontal line of ㅗ, a little shorter than usual.
Draw the long vertical line of ㅏ on the right.
Draw the short line of ㅏ to the right.
ㅘ takes four strokes in total.
The word 과 (and) and the particle 와 (and, with) are everywhere in simple sentences. Trace 사과와 우유 (an apple and milk) to practice both.
ㅘ and its look-alikes
| Letter | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ㅘ | 와 (wa) | wa, as in water |
| ㅝ | 워 (wo) | wo, as in won |
ㅘ and ㅝ are the two w-vowels with an open sound. 와 joins ㅗ with ㅏ; 워 joins ㅜ with ㅓ. The small stroke on the left side shows which pair you have.
Learners sometimes write ㅏ first and squeeze ㅗ in afterwards. Write the ㅗ part first, then the ㅏ part.
Its closest neighbour is ㅝ (wo); compare the two in the table below.
Why ㅘ looks the way it does
ㅘ (wa) is a compound vowel: it is two vowels written together, and the sound slides from the first part to the second.
Words that use ㅘ
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 와인 | wa-in | wine (noun) |
| 화장실 | hwa-jang-sil | restroom (noun) |
| 교과서 | gyo-gwa-seo | textbook (noun) |
The first block of 와플 (waffle) is 와, built as ㅇㅘ and read wa; the vowel is ㅘ.
The first block of 과자 (snack) is 과, built as ㄱㅘ and read gwa; the vowel is ㅘ.
The second block of 사과 (apple; sorry) is 과, built as ㄱㅘ and read gwa; the vowel is ㅘ.
The first block of 화장실 (restroom) is 화, built as ㅎㅘ and read hwa; the vowel is ㅘ.
The first block of 왕 (king) is 왕, built as ㅇㅘ + ㅇ and read wang; the vowel is ㅘ.
Syllables you can build with ㅘ
Pair ㅘ (wa) with the fourteen basic consonants and you get a row that begins 과 (gwa), 놔 (nwa), 돠 (dwa), and 롸 (rwa); only the front of the block changes.
ㅘ (wa) 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 ㅘ makes, such as 와. Open the syllable builder with ㅘ ready
ㅘ with a final consonant
Under the silent ㅇ and ㅘ, six common finals give 왁 (wak), 완 (wan), 왈 (wal), 왐 (wam), 왑 (wap), 왕 (wang).
Listen for ㅘ (wa) in the middle of each block, because it keeps its shape while the final consonant closes the sound.
Close 와 with ㄱ and you read 왁 (wak), closing on a quiet k. Close 와 with ㄴ and you read 완 (wan), closing on a hummed n. Close 와 with ㄹ and you read 왈 (wal), closing on a tongue-tip l.
Close 와 with ㅁ and you read 왐 (wam), closing on a lip-closed m. Put ㅂ at the bottom of 와 for 왑 (wap), closing on a lip-closed p. Put ㅇ at the bottom of 와 for 왕 (wang), closing on the ng of song.
ㅘ writing worksheet (free printable)
Worksheet · Level 1 · Letters
Korean letter tracing worksheet: ㅘ (wa)
The one-page Wa in Korean ㅘ sheet shows ㅘ in 4 strokes, traces it, writes it with six consonants (과 놔 돠 롸 뫄 봐) and ends with a game of finding ㅘ among look-alikes.
- 1 page
- A4 · US Letter
- PDF · 99 KB
- Free · no sign-up
Want more? Get a printable pack of Hangul letters
Worksheet information
- How to use
- Say ㅘ out loud, trace its 4 strokes, then write it with six consonants.
Practice ㅘ
Continue with ㅙ (wae). Then read 관계 and 광고 and trace ㅘ.
The worksheet for ㅘ (wa) 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 Wa in Korean ㅘ, wa, into the builder and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with ㅘ ready
ㅘ (Wa in Korean) — FAQ
How would you describe the ㅘ pronunciation?
Aim for wa, as in water; keep your mouth relaxed while you practice 와 and 와플.
How do you write ㅘ and which position does it take in a syllable block?
ㅘ takes 4 strokes: Draw the short vertical line of ㅗ. Draw the horizontal line of ㅗ, a little shorter than usual. Draw the long vertical line of ㅏ on the right. Draw the short line of ㅏ to the right. In a block it sits to the right of and below the consonant.
How many strokes make up ㅘ?
ㅘ has 4 strokes: two for ㅗ, then two for ㅏ.
Last updated: