Korean Pronunciation Rules: 7 Sound Changes
The Korean pronunciation rules you hear most are linking, as in 한국어 [한구거] (hangugeo, the Korean language), nasalization, as in 감사합니다 [감사함니다] (gamsahamnida, thank you), and ㅎ drop, as in 좋아요 [조아요] (joayo, it's good). Korean pronunciation often differs from the spelling because sounds change where two syllables meet. Below are 31 everyday words grouped by seven rules, each with the spelled form, the pronounced form in brackets and the meaning.
Korean Sound Change Rules
Teaches the Korean pronunciation rules that make spoken Korean sound different from its spelling: linking, nasalization, tensing, aspiration, liquidization, ㅎ drop and palatalization. Each card is an everyday word with its pronounced form in Hangul and romanization.
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Linking (연음)
| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 한국어 | [한구거] hangugeo | Linking: the final ㄱ of 국 moves into the next syllable, which starts with a silent ㅇ. Meaning: the Korean language. | |
| 먹어요 | [머거요] meogeoyo | Linking: the final ㄱ of 먹 moves into 어, so you hear meo-geo, not meok-eo. Meaning: I eat, or eat (polite). | |
| 옷이 예뻐요 | [오시 예뻐요] osi yeppeoyo | Linking: alone, 옷 ends in a t sound [옫], but before a vowel its real consonant ㅅ moves over and sounds like s. Meaning: the clothes are pretty. | |
| 맛있어요 | [마시써요] masisseoyo | Linking: the ㅅ of 맛 and the ㅆ of 있 both move into the next syllable. Dictionaries also list [마디써요], but [마시써요] is what you hear most. Meaning: it's delicious. | |
| 앉으세요 | [안즈세요] anjeuseyo | Linking with a double final: ㄵ keeps ㄴ and sends ㅈ into the next syllable. Meaning: please sit down (polite). |
Nasalization (비음화)
| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 감사합니다 | [감사함니다] gamsahamnida | Nasalization: ㅂ before ㄴ becomes ㅁ, so every -습니다 and -ㅂ니다 ending sounds like -mnida. Meaning: thank you (formal). | |
| 국물 | [궁물] gungmul | Nasalization: ㄱ before ㅁ becomes ㅇ (ng). Meaning: broth, the liquid of a soup or stew. | |
| 한국말 | [한궁말] hangungmal | Nasalization: ㄱ before ㅁ becomes ㅇ, so 국 sounds like gung. Compare 한국어 [한구거], where the ㄱ links instead. Meaning: the Korean language (spoken). | |
| 거짓말 | [거진말] geojinmal | Nasalization: the final ㅅ sounds like ㄷ, and ㄷ before ㅁ becomes ㄴ. Meaning: a lie. | |
| 정류장 | [정뉴장] jeongnyujang | Nasalization: ㄹ after ㅇ or ㅁ becomes ㄴ. Meaning: a bus stop. |
Tensing (경음화)
| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 학교 | [학꾜] hakkyo | Tensing: after a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ sound, a plain ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ or ㅈ becomes tense, so ㄱ becomes ㄲ. Meaning: school. | |
| 식당 | [식땅] sikttang | Tensing: ㄷ after a final ㄱ becomes ㄸ. Meaning: a restaurant. | |
| 맥주 | [맥쭈] maekjju | Tensing: ㅈ after a final ㄱ becomes ㅉ. Meaning: beer. | |
| 숟가락 | [숟까락] sutkkarak | Tensing: ㄱ after a final ㄷ becomes ㄲ. Meaning: a spoon. | |
| 할 수 있어요 | [할 쑤 이써요] hal ssu isseoyo | Tensing: after the -ㄹ ending of a verb, the next plain consonant becomes tense, so 수 sounds like 쑤. Meaning: I can do it. |
Aspiration (격음화)
| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 좋다 | [조타] jota | Aspiration: ㅎ meets ㄷ and the two merge into ㅌ. This is the plain form, used in writing and in casual speech, often as an exclamation. Meaning: it's good, or nice. | |
| 어떻게 | [어떠케] eotteoke | Aspiration: ㅎ meets ㄱ and the two merge into ㅋ. Meaning: how. | |
| 축하해요 | [추카해요] chukahaeyo | Aspiration: ㄱ meets ㅎ and the two merge into ㅋ. Meaning: congratulations (polite). | |
| 생각해요 | [생가캐요] saenggakaeyo | Aspiration: ㄱ meets ㅎ and the two merge into ㅋ. Meaning: I think. |
Liquidization (유음화)
| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 신라 | [실라] silla | Liquidization: ㄴ next to ㄹ becomes ㄹ, so you hear a long l. A few compound words, like 생산량 [생산냥], go the other way. Meaning: Silla, an ancient Korean kingdom. | |
| 연락처 | [열락처] yeollakcheo | Liquidization: ㄴ before ㄹ becomes ㄹ. Meaning: contact details, such as a phone number. | |
| 설날 | [설랄] seollal | Liquidization: ㄴ after ㄹ becomes ㄹ. Meaning: Lunar New Year's Day. | |
| 편리해요 | [펼리해요] pyeollihaeyo | Liquidization: ㄴ before ㄹ becomes ㄹ. Meaning: it's convenient. |
ㅎ drop (ㅎ 탈락)
| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 좋아요 | [조아요] joayo | ㅎ drop: a final ㅎ goes silent before a vowel. Compare 좋다 [조타], where it merges instead. Meaning: it's good, or I like it. | |
| 괜찮아요 | [괜차나요] gwaenchanayo | ㅎ drop: the ㅎ in the double final ㄶ goes silent before a vowel, and ㄴ links into the next syllable. Meaning: it's okay, or no thank you. | |
| 많이 | [마니] mani | ㅎ drop: the ㅎ in ㄶ goes silent before 이, and ㄴ links over. Meaning: a lot. | |
| 싫어요 | [시러요] sireoyo | ㅎ drop: the ㅎ in ㅀ goes silent before a vowel, and ㄹ links over as an r sound. Meaning: no, I don't want to. It is blunt; 괜찮아요 is a softer way to decline. |
Palatalization (구개음화)
| Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 같이 가요 | [가치 가요] gachi gayo | Palatalization: a final ㅌ before 이 becomes ㅊ. Meaning: let's go together. | |
| 굳이 | [구지] guji | Palatalization: a final ㄷ before 이 becomes ㅈ. Meaning: going out of your way to do something that isn't needed. | |
| 해돋이 | [해도지] haedoji | Palatalization: a final ㄷ before 이 becomes ㅈ. Meaning: sunrise. | |
| 끝이에요 | [끄치에요] kkeuchieyo | Palatalization: a final ㅌ before 이 becomes ㅊ. Meaning: it's the end, or that's all. |
Frequently asked questions
Why is Korean not pronounced the way it is written?
Hangul spells the base form of each part of a word. Where two syllables meet, the sounds at the edge change so the word is easier to say. The spelling stays the same, so you can still see which word it is.
Which Korean pronunciation rule should I learn first?
Start with linking. A final consonant moves into a next syllable that starts with a silent ㅇ, and that happens in almost every sentence. Learn nasalization next, because every formal -습니다 ending uses it.
Does the audio on these cards follow the rules?
The audio is Google text-to-speech, a synthetic voice. It reads the spelled word and applies these sound changes as it speaks. Listen for the pronounced form shown in brackets on each card.
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