Ya in Korean: the Vowel ㅑ (야)
ㅑ is the Korean vowel 야 (ya): ya, as in yacht. See where ㅑ sits in a block, with 야구공 and 약; trace ㅑ in 3 strokes, print the ㅑ worksheet.
What is Ya in Korean, the Korean vowel ㅑ?
Ya in Korean is ㅑ, the vowel called 야, read ya, as in yacht. ㅑ (ya) is placed to the right of the consonant because it is a tall, upright vowel; writing it takes 3 strokes. Try it in 야구공 (baseball) and 약 (medicine).
Ya in Korean ㅑ: sound, strokes, place and mirror pair
ㅑ Ya in KoreanKorean vowel · basic
ㅑ is read ya; it sits to the right of the consonant.
ㅑ (Ya) at a glance
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | 야 (ya) |
| Sound | ya, as in yacht |
| Sits | right of the consonant |
| Strokes | 3 |
| Type | y-vowel |
| Example words | 야구공 (baseball), 고양이 (cat) |
Two ways to remember ㅑ
Shape
Words with ㅑ
baseball
cat- medicine
- night view
More words with ㅑ
Sound: ya.
How to say ㅑ
야Where ㅑ sits in a block
How to write ㅑ
Trace Ya in Korean ㅑ 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 a long vertical line down.
Draw the upper short line to the right.
Draw the lower short line to the right, parallel to the first.
With ㅑ (ya), the whole vowel is three strokes.
Read 약 (medicine), 약속 (promise) and 야구 (baseball) aloud. Each starts with the same ya sound, and the two short strokes remind you of the y.
ㅑ and its look-alikes
| Letter | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ㅑ | 야 (ya) | ya, as in yacht |
| ㅕ | 여 (yeo) | yeo, like yu in young |
아 and 야 differ only by the y sound: 아이 (child) and 야구 (baseball). Count the short strokes: one for a, two for ya.
Learners sometimes draw the two short strokes too close or too far apart. Split the vertical line into three roughly equal parts and put a stroke at each division.
Its closest neighbour is ㅕ (yeo); compare the two in the table below.
Why ㅑ looks the way it does
In Hunminjeongeum, the y-vowels were made by doubling the dot of the plain vowel. ㅑ is ㅏ with two short strokes, and the second stroke stands for the y glide.
A y-vowel such as ㅑ (ya) looks like its plain partner with a second short stroke, and that second stroke is how Hangul writes the y glide.
Words that use ㅑ
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 야구 | ya-gu | baseball (noun) |
| 야채 | ya-chae | vegetables (noun) |
| 얇다 | [얄따] yal-tta | to be thin (adjective) |
| 양말 | yang-mal | socks (noun) |
In 야구공 (baseball), ㅑ sits in the first block 야, which is ㅇㅑ and is read ya.
In 약 (medicine), ㅑ sits in the first block 약, which is ㅇㅑ + ㄱ and is read yak.
In 양말 (socks), ㅑ sits in the first block 양, which is ㅇㅑ + ㅇ and is read yang.
In 야구 (baseball), ㅑ sits in the first block 야, which is ㅇㅑ and is read ya.
In 야채 (vegetables), ㅑ sits in the first block 야, which is ㅇㅑ and is read ya.
Syllables you can build with ㅑ
Pair ㅑ (ya) with the fourteen basic consonants and you get a row that begins 갸 (gya), 냐 (nya), 댜 (dya), and 랴 (rya); only the front of the block changes.
To hear how steady ㅑ (ya) stays across different consonants, say the row from start to finish.
Try it yourself
Change the first consonant and read the block that ㅑ makes, such as 야. Open the syllable builder with ㅑ ready
ㅑ with a final consonant
Closing 야 with different consonants produces 약 (yak), 얀 (yan), 얄 (yal), 얌 (yam), 얍 (yap), 양 (yang).
Whatever final you add, ㅑ (ya) remains the heart of the block.
Close 야 with ㄱ and you read 약 (yak), closing on a quiet k. Close 야 with ㄴ and you read 얀 (yan), closing on a hummed n. Close 야 with ㄹ and you read 얄 (yal), closing on a tongue-tip l.
Close 야 with ㅁ and you read 얌 (yam), closing on a lip-closed m. Close 야 with ㅂ and you read 얍 (yap), closing on a lip-closed p. Close 야 with ㅇ and you read 양 (yang), closing on the ng of song.
ㅑ writing worksheet (free printable)
Worksheet · Level 1 · Letters
Korean letter tracing worksheet: ㅑ (ya)
The one-page Ya in Korean ㅑ sheet shows ㅑ in 3 strokes, traces it, writes it with six consonants (갸 냐 댜 랴 먀 뱌) and ends with a game of finding ㅑ among look-alikes.
- 1 page
- A4 · US Letter
- PDF · 95 KB
- Free · no sign-up
Want more? Get a printable pack of Hangul letters
Worksheet information
- How to use
- Say ㅑ out loud, trace its 3 strokes, then write it with six consonants.
Practice ㅑ
Next is ㅒ (yae). Then try 야 and 약 in the syllable builder; trace ㅑ.
Print the ㅑ (ya) worksheet when you are ready: one page, built from the facts above, with the strokes to trace and a letter-spotting game.
Try it yourself
Put Ya in Korean ㅑ, ya, into the builder and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with ㅑ ready
ㅑ (Ya in Korean) — FAQ
What is the ㅑ pronunciation?
Say ya, as in yacht with a loose jaw, first alone and then in 야구공.
How do you write ㅑ and which position does it take in a syllable block?
ㅑ takes 3 strokes: Draw a long vertical line down. Draw the upper short line to the right. Draw the lower short line to the right, parallel to the first. In a block it sits to the right of the consonant.
How many strokes do you need to write ㅑ?
ㅑ has 3 strokes: a long vertical line, then two short lines to the right.
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