my-korean1-2nd-ed

46
Writing Syllables
UNIT 2 한글
As mentioned earlier, every syllable is written to fit into the same imaginary
square box—no matter how many characters are in the syllable. How the box
is divided up depends first on the shape of the vowel. When you look at the
pure vowels, you will see that they have a predominant shape. Thus we can
think of them as being vertical: ㅏ ㅓ ㅣ ㅐ ㅔ, horizontal: ㅗ ㅜ ㅡ, or
combined: ㅚ. Have a look at how the vowel shapes the syllable:
With vertical vowels with no end consonant, the box is divided vertically in
half, with the initial consonant on the left and the vowel on the right:
가 커 이 새 테
With vertical vowels with an end consonant, the space for the initial
consonant and vowel is reduced to allow room underneath for the final
consonant:
강 컴 일 색 텐
With horizontal vowels with no end consonant, the box is divided in half
horizontally, with the initial consonant at the top and the vowel at the bottom:
도 우 크 괴
With horizontal vowels with an end consonant, again the end consonant is
placed at the bottom. The initial consonant and vowel are pushed upwards:
돈 움 클 굉