With Hangeul and Korean speaking, what you see is what you get…most of the time. Some words, depending on which letters or syllables are following which, may have their pronunciations altered in order to aid easier fluency in speaking. Also, keep in mind that even though the pronunciations change, their spellings remain the same. There are nine rules.
[#1] RESYLLABIFICATION
When a syllable-final consonant is followed by a vowel in the following syllable, the consonant is carried over to the following syllable to function as its initial consonant pronunciation. The following syllable may be part of a suffix or another word.
한글은 ➡️ 한그른
han•geul•eun is pronounced like han•geu•reun
When a syllable block ends in a double consonant letter, the second consonant is carried over to the following vowel-initial syllable in pronunciation.
읽어요 ➡️ 일거요
ilg•eo•yo is pronounced like il•geo•yo
Here are a few more examples of words and how they are actually pronounced.
맞아요 ➡️ 마자요
책을 ➡️ 채글
앉으세요 ➡️ 안즈세요
질문이 ➡️ 질무니
옷을 ➡️ 오슬
* When ㄹ changes from a final consonant position to an initial consonant position, the changes from ‘l’ to ‘r’ . ㄹ has an ‘r’ sound when placed between two vowels.
[#2] SYLLABLE-FINAL CLOSURE
When a syllable-final consonant is not followed by a vowel (it is followed by a consonant or it’s the end of a word), the unreleased sound changes the consonants’ pronunciation as follows:
Consonant | Pronunciation |
---|---|
ㅂ, ㅍ | ㅂ |
ㄷ, ㅌ, ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ | ㄷ |
ㄱ, ㅋ, ㄲ | ㄱ |
The only consonant sounds that occur at the end of a word or before another consonant are the seven simple consonants: ㅂ, ㄷ, ㄱ, ㅁ, ㄴ, ㅇ, ㄹ.
There is an exception to this rule, though. When consonants are followed by a syllable that is only a vowel (*most of the time and with ㅇ in the initial position), then the final consonant carries over. For example, 맞았어요 is pronounced like 마자써요. Otherwise, the syllable final consonant may change sound. Like 맛없어요 is pronounced like 마덥서요.
Here are a few more examples of words and how they are actually pronounced.
잎 ➡️ 입
옷 ➡️ 옫
낚시 ➡️ 낙시
밤낮 ➡️ 밤낟
꽃 ➡️ 꼳
[#3] NASAL ASSIMILATION
When followed by either ㅁ or ㄴ the following consonants change pronunciation.
Consonant | Pronunciation |
---|---|
ㅂ, ㅍ | ㅁ |
ㄷ, ㅌ, ㅅ, ㅆ, ㅈ, ㅊ | ㄴ |
ㄱ, ㅋ, ㄲ | ㅇ |
Here are a few more examples of words and how they are actually pronounced.
입니다 ➡️ 임니다
몇년 ➡️ 면년
받는다 ➡️ 반는다
일학년 ➡️ 일항년
없나다 ➡️ 엄나다
[#4] ㄴ TO ㄹ ASSIMILATION
When ㄹ and ㄴ come together, the ㄴ sound is replaced with the ㄹ sound.
칠년 ➡️ 칠련
진리 ➡️ 질리
달님 ➡️ 달림
When ㄹ is followed by 이 or 여, another ㄹ is inserted between them.
물약 ➡️ 물략
길이름 ➡️ 길리름
서울역 ➡️ 서울력
Here’s an example of ㄹ and ㄴ assimilation. This is Jamsillaru station, which is on Line 2 (the green line) in Seoul. By only looking at the Hangul, you would assume that the pronunciation should be like Jamsilnaru. But because ㄴ immediately follows ㄹ, ㄴ is automatically converted to a ㄹ sound in pronunciation.
[#5] TENSIFICATION
When a plain plosive consonant (ㅂ, ㄷ, ㅈ, ㄱ) or ㅅ is preceded by a plosive or fricative consonant, it becomes the corresponding tense consonant (ㅃ, ㄸ, ㅉ, ㄲ, ㅆ).
몇번 ➡️ 멷뻔
없다 ➡️ 업따
학교 ➡️ 학꾜
식당 ➡️ 식땅
꽃집 ➡️ 꼳찝
[#6] ASPIRATION AND ㅎ WEAKENING
When ㅎ is followed or preceded by a plain plosive consonant (ㅂ, ㄷ, ㅈ, ㄱ), it merges with the consonant to produce the corresponding aspirated consonant (ㅍ, ㅌ, ㅊ, ㅋ).
Consonant | Aspirated Consonant |
---|---|
ㅂ | ㅍ |
ㄷ | ㅌ |
ㅈ | ㅊ |
ㄱ | ㅋ |
Here are some examples of the aspirated consonants that are used as the ㅎ is weakened.
입학 ➡️ 이팍
많다 ➡️ 만타
좋지않다 ➡️ 조치안타
시작합시다 ➡️ 시자캅시다
**닫히다 ➡️ 닽히다 ➡️ 다치다**
꽃하고 ➡️ 꼳하고 ➡️ 꼬타고
**Note: ㅌ +ㅣ➡️ ㅊ because of palatalization (see Rule #8)
Between two voiced sounds (vowels, nasal sounds, or ㄹ consonants), ㅎ tends to become silent in casual speech, as in 좋아요 (pronounced like 조아요) 말한다 and (pronounced like 마란다).
전화 ➡️ 저놔
잘했어요 ➡️ 자랬어요
괜찮아요 ➡️ 괜차나요
천천히 말해 보세요 ➡️ 천처니 마래 보세요
[#7] DOUBLE CONSONANT REDUCTION
There are some adjective and verb stems have two consonants in the final syllable position. Some examples include: 값다, 없다, 읽다, 않다, 덟다, and 앉다. As indicated in Rule [#1], the second of the two consonants in the final syllable position is carried over to the following syllable in pronunciation if this syllable does not have an initial consonant, as in [값이 [갑씨]. However, one of the two consonants becomes silent at the end of a word or before a consonant as in 값 [갑] and 값도 [갑또].
Unlike English, where up to three consonants may occur in sequence in a syllable (like street, masks),even a cluster of two consonants is not allowed in a single Korean syllable. It is difficult to predict which of two syllable final consonants will become silent. Normally, the silent consonant is the second one, but there are exceptions.
Here are a few double consonant words and their pronunciations.
여덟 ➡️ 여덜
없다 ➡️ 업따
읽습니다 ➡️ 일씀니다 or 익씀니다
앉겠어요 ➡️ 안꼐써요
질문이 없습니다 ➡️ 질무니 업씀니다
[#8] PALATALIZATION
When a word ending in ㄷ and ㅌ is followed by a suffix beginning with the vowel i 이 or the semivowel y 야 / 여 (whether ㅎ intervenes or not), then:
ㄷ ➡️ ㅈ ㅌ ➡️ ㅊ
This change is technically called “palatalization” because the original gum-ridge consonants are articulated in the area of the hard palate.
Here are some examples.
붙여요 ➡️ 부처요
다같이가요 ➡️ 다가치가요
밑이 ➡️ 미치
닫혀요 ➡️ 다져요
[#9] PLACE ASSIMILATION
In casual speech, ㄷ is optionally pronounced ㅂ before ㅂ or ㅃ and ㄱ before ㄱ or ㄲ. Also, ㄴ is optionally pronounced ㅁ before ㅂ, ㅃ, or ㅁ and ㅇ beforeㄱ or ㄲ.
ㄷ
ㅂ before ㅂ, ㅃ
ㄱ before ㄱ, ㄲ
ㄴ
ㅁ before ㅂ, ㅃ, ㅁ
ㅇ before ㄱ, ㄲ
Here are some examples: