Korean letter ㅇ
ㅇ (ieung) is a Korean consonant. It stands for silent at the start of a syllable, ng at the end. It takes 1 stroke. Hangul letters are written inside an imaginary square: strokes run left to right and top to bottom, and consonants come first in every syllable block.
Consonant shapes copy the position of the tongue and lips when you say them, which is why ㅇ looks the way it does.
Stroke by stroke
- Start near the top at the middle. Go all the way round in a closed oval and meet your starting point, ending near the top at the middle.
Look-alikes and pitfalls
Consonant shapes copy the position of the tongue and lips when you say them, which is why ㅇ looks the way it does.
Practice words
Practice
Trace on screen first: press Trace it above and follow the grey letter. Then print the sheet and write the same letter on paper. Writing on paper is what builds the habit.
More about ㅇ
Combined with the vowels ㅏ ㅣ ㅜ, ㅇ gives 아 (a), 이 (i), 우 (u). Hangul letters are never written one after the other like English; they stack into a square block, so ㅇ changes size slightly depending on its neighbours.
ㅇ is letter 12 in the standard order of initial consonants.
Questions about korean letter ㅇ
How many strokes is ㅇ?
1 stroke.
How do you say ㅇ?
Silent at the start of a syllable, ng at the end.
What is ㅇ called?
The letter name is ieung.
Which direction do I write ㅇ?
Start near the top at the middle. Go all the way round in a closed oval and meet your starting point, ending near the top at the middle.