πŸ‡°πŸ‡· Lesson 3: Pronunciation Rules

🎯 What You'll Learn

Korean spelling is consistent, but pronunciation has predictable sound changes. Master these rules and you'll sound much more natural. This lesson covers λ°›μΉ¨ (batchim), linking, nasalization, aspiration, and tensification.

Estimated Time: 50–60 minutes

πŸ“– λ°›μΉ¨ (Batchim) β€” Final Consonants

λ°›μΉ¨ literally means "support" β€” it's the consonant at the bottom of a syllable block. Korean has 27 possible λ°›μΉ¨ combinations, but they reduce to only 7 sounds when pronounced:

Pronounced Asλ°›μΉ¨ LettersExampleReading
γ„± [k]γ„±, γ…‹, γ„²κ΅­, λΆ€μ—Œ, λ°–guk, bueok, bak
γ„΄ [n]γ„΄λˆˆ, μ‚°nun, san
γ„· [t]γ„·, γ…Œ, γ……, γ…†, γ…ˆ, γ…Š, γ…Žλ§›, μžˆλ‹€, 꽃mat, itda, kkot
γ„Ή [l]ㄹ달, λ¬Όdal, mul
ㅁ [m]ㅁ밀, κΉ€bam, gim
γ…‚ [p]γ…‚, ㅍλ°₯, μ•žbap, ap
γ…‡ [ng]γ…‡κ°•, λ°©gang, bang

⚠️ Key Insight

Seven λ°›μΉ¨ letters (γ……, γ…†, γ…ˆ, γ…Š, γ…Œ, γ…Ž, γ„·) ALL sound like [t] when at the end of a syllable. This is why 맛 (taste) and 맞 (correct) sound the same in isolation!

πŸ”— Linking (μ—°μŒ, Yeon-eum)

When a syllable ending in a λ°›μΉ¨ is followed by a syllable starting with γ…‡, the λ°›μΉ¨ "links" forward and becomes the initial consonant of the next syllable:

WrittenLinkingPronouncedMeaning
λ¨Ήμ–΄γ„± links β†’ κ±°λ¨Έκ±° [meo-geo]eat (casual)
읽어ㄱ links β†’ 거일거 [il-geo]read (casual)
ν•œκ΅­μ–΄γ„± links β†’ κ±°ν•œκ΅¬κ±° [han-gu-geo]Korean language
μŒμ•…(no γ…‡ follows)μŒμ•… [eu-mak]music

βœ… Linking Rule

λ°›μΉ¨ + γ…‡ = λ°›μΉ¨ moves to become the initial consonant of the next syllable. This is the most common and most useful pronunciation rule. It makes Korean flow smoothly between syllables.

πŸ‘ƒ Nasalization (λΉ„μŒν™”)

When certain consonants meet nasal consonants (γ„΄, ㅁ), they change to match. The stop consonants become their nasal counterparts:

λ°›μΉ¨Before γ„΄ or ㅁBecomesExamplePronounced
γ„± [k]+ γ„΄/ㅁㅇ [ng]ν•œκ΅­λ§ν•œκΆλ§ [han-gung-mal]
γ„· [t]+ γ„΄/ㅁㄴ [n]λ°›λŠ”λ°˜λŠ” [ban-neun]
γ…‚ [p]+ γ„΄/ㅁㅁ [m]ν•©λ‹ˆλ‹€ν•¨λ‹ˆλ‹€ [ham-ni-da]

πŸ’¨ Aspiration (κ²©μŒν™”)

When γ…Ž meets certain consonants (or vice versa), they combine into an aspirated consonant:

CombinationResultExamplePronounced
γ„± + γ…Žγ…‹μΆ•ν•˜μΆ”μΉ΄ [chu-ka]
γ„· + γ…Žγ…Œλͺ»ν•΄λͺ¨νƒœ [mo-tae]
γ…‚ + γ…Žγ…λ‹΅ν•˜λ‹€λ‹€νŒŒλ‹€ [da-pa-da]
γ…ˆ + γ…Žγ…Šμ’‹λ‹€μ‘°νƒ€ [jo-ta]

πŸ’ͺ Tensification (κ²½μŒν™”)

After a λ°›μΉ¨ pronounced as [k], [t], or [p], the following plain consonant becomes tense (doubled):

WrittenChangePronouncedMeaning
학ꡐㄱ + γ„± β†’ γ„± + γ„²ν•™κΎœ [hak-kkyo]school
식당ㄱ + γ„· β†’ γ„± + ㄸ식땅 [sik-ttang]restaurant
μž…κ΅¬γ…‚ + γ„± β†’ γ…‚ + γ„²μž…κΎΈ [ip-kku]entrance

🎡 Putting It All Together

Let's practice reading real sentences with these rules applied:

κ°μ‚¬ν•©λ‹ˆλ‹€ (thank you, formal)

Written: 감-사-ν•©-λ‹ˆ-λ‹€

Rules: ν•© + λ‹ˆ β†’ nasalization β†’ ν•¨λ‹ˆλ‹€

Pronounced: 감-사-함-λ‹ˆ-λ‹€ [gam-sa-ham-ni-da]

μ’‹μ•„μš” (it's good / I like it)

Written: μ’‹-μ•„-μš”

Rules: γ…Ž λ°›μΉ¨ + γ…‡ β†’ γ…Ž becomes silent, linking

Pronounced: μ‘°-μ•„-μš” [jo-a-yo]

λ¨ΉλŠ” (eating)

Written: λ¨Ή-λŠ”

Rules: γ„± + γ„΄ β†’ nasalization β†’ γ…‡ + γ„΄

Pronounced: 멍-λŠ” [meong-neun]

✍️ Quiz

Q1: How is λ§›μžˆλ‹€ (delicious) pronounced?

Q2: What happens when γ…‚ λ°›μΉ¨ meets γ„΄?

🎯 Summary

πŸŽ‰ Key Takeaways