Yo in Korean: the Vowel ㅛ (요)
ㅛ is the Korean vowel 요 (yo): yo, as in yo-yo. See where ㅛ sits in a block, with 요요 and 교실; trace ㅛ in 3 strokes, print the ㅛ worksheet.
What is Yo in Korean, the Korean vowel ㅛ?
Yo in Korean is ㅛ, the vowel called 요, read yo, as in yo-yo. ㅛ is a flat, horizontal vowel, so it sits below the consonant in a syllable block, and it takes 3 strokes to write. You will hear it in 요요 (yo-yo) and 교실 (classroom).
Yo in Korean ㅛ: sound, strokes, place and mirror pair
ㅛ Yo in KoreanKorean vowel · basic
ㅛ is read yo; it sits below the consonant.
ㅛ (Yo) at a glance
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | 요 (yo) |
| Sound | yo, as in yo-yo |
| Sits | below the consonant |
| Strokes | 3 |
| Type | y-vowel |
| Example words | 요요 (yo-yo), 교실 (classroom) |
Two ways to remember ㅛ
Shape
Words with ㅛ
yo-yo- classroom
- cooking
- day of the week
More words with ㅛ
Sound: yo.
How to say ㅛ
요With ㅛ (yo), start with a quick y and slide into ㅗ with rounded lips. ㅛ is like 'yo' in English 'yoga', without a w at the end.
ㅛ (yo) is a horizontal vowel and sits under the consonant: 요, 교, 표. It appears in the polite ending -요 heard in almost every sentence.
Where ㅛ sits in a block
How to write ㅛ
Trace Yo in Korean ㅛ 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 short vertical line down.
Draw the right short vertical line down.
Draw the long horizontal line under them.
Count three strokes to complete ㅛ.
Every polite sentence ending -요 is practice: 좋아요, 가요, 먹어요. Trace 요 and 교실 (classroom) to finish the set.
ㅛ and its look-alikes
| Letter | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ㅛ | 요 (yo) | yo, as in yo-yo |
| ㅠ | 유 (yu) | yu, as in you |
요 and 여 are often mixed up. 요 has rounded lips like 오; 여 keeps the lips relaxed like 어.
Learners often draw the horizontal line first. In ㅛ the two short strokes on top come first, left then right, and the long line goes last.
Its closest neighbour is ㅠ (yu); compare the two in the table below.
Why ㅛ looks the way it does
In Hunminjeongeum ㅛ is ㅗ (o) with the dot doubled for the y glide. The two short strokes on top come from those two dots.
The four y-vowels are made by doubling the dot of a plain vowel, so ㅛ (yo) carries two small strokes where the plain vowel carries one. For ㅛ (yo), the extra stroke is the visual sign of the y glide.
Words that use ㅛ
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 효자 | hyo-ja | dutiful son (noun) |
| 교과서 | gyo-gwa-seo | textbook (noun) |
| 차표 | cha-pyo | ticket (noun) |
| 학교 | [학꾜] hak-kkyo | school (noun) |
ㅛ shows up in 요, the first block of 요요 (yo-yo), read yo.
ㅛ shows up in 교, the first block of 교실 (classroom), read gyo.
ㅛ shows up in 효, the first block of 효자 (dutiful son), read hyo.
ㅛ shows up in 요, the first block of 요리 (cooking), read yo.
ㅛ shows up in 요, the first block of 요일 (day of the week), read yo.
Syllables you can build with ㅛ
The row for ㅛ begins 교 (gyo), 뇨 (nyo), 됴 (dyo), and 료 (ryo) and carries on through all fourteen consonants.
To hear how steady ㅛ (yo) stays across different consonants, say the row from start to finish.
Try it yourself
Change the first consonant and read the block that ㅛ makes, such as 요. Open the syllable builder with ㅛ ready
ㅛ with a final consonant
Add a final consonant to 요 (yo) and the vowel stays put while the ending changes: 욕 (yok), 욘 (yon), 욜 (yol), 욤 (yom), 욥 (yop), 용 (yong).
The sound of ㅛ (yo) is steady in every one of them; only the closing consonant changes the end of the block.
Put ㄱ at the bottom of 요 for 욕 (yok), closing on a quiet k. Put ㄴ at the bottom of 요 for 욘 (yon), closing on a hummed n. Add ㄹ under 요 and you get 욜 (yol), closing on a tongue-tip l.
Add ㅁ under 요 and you get 욤 (yom), closing on a lip-closed m. Add ㅂ under 요 and you get 욥 (yop), closing on a lip-closed p. Add ㅇ under 요 and you get 용 (yong), closing on the ng of song.
ㅛ writing worksheet (free printable)
Worksheet · Level 1 · Letters
Korean letter tracing worksheet: ㅛ (yo)
The one-page Yo in Korean ㅛ sheet shows ㅛ in 3 strokes, traces it, writes it with six consonants (교 뇨 됴 료 묘 뵤) and ends with a game of finding ㅛ among look-alikes.
- 1 page
- A4 · US Letter
- PDF · 88 KB
- Free · no sign-up
Want more? Get a printable pack of Hangul letters
Worksheet information
- How to use
- Say ㅛ out loud, trace its 3 strokes, then write it with six consonants.
Practice ㅛ
Next is ㅜ (u). Then practice 교, 요 and 표 in the syllable builder; print ㅛ worksheet.
Print the ㅛ (yo) 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 Yo in Korean ㅛ, yo, into the builder and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with ㅛ ready
ㅛ (Yo in Korean) — FAQ
What is the ㅛ pronunciation?
Aim for yo, as in yo-yo; keep your mouth relaxed while you practice 요 and 요요.
How do you write ㅛ and which position does it take in a syllable block?
ㅛ takes 3 strokes: Draw the left short vertical line down. Draw the right short vertical line down. Draw the long horizontal line under them. In a block it sits below the consonant.
How many strokes is ㅛ?
ㅛ has 3 strokes: two short vertical lines, then the long horizontal line.
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