Korean/Advanced Pronunciation Rules

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Medials

• ㅗㅏ becomes ㅘ
• ㅜㅓ becomes ㅝ

Finals

The sounds of some final consonants (받침, batchim) are different from their sounds as initials.

Only seven consonant sounds are found at the end of syllables.

In general, obstruents before nasals are assimilated to nasals, while keeping the same place of articulation as before: Notice the pattern: 1) ㄱ, ㅋ becomes ㅇ 2) The 't-stops' ㄷ,ㅅ,ㅆ,ㅈ,ㅊ,ㅌ,ㅎ becomes ㄴ 3) ㅂ, ㅍ becomes ㅁ

• ㄱㄴ becomes ㅇㄴ

 ex) 격노하다(to be incensed), pronounced [경노]

• ㄱㅁ becomes ㅇㅁ

 ex) 국물 (broth), pronounced [궁물]

• ㅋ,ㄲ,ㄱㄴ becomes ㅇㄴ

 ex) 학년 (grade, school/academic year, form, standard), prounounced [항년]

• ㅋㅁ becomes ㅇㅁ

 ex) 부엌문 (kitchen door), pronounced [부엉문]

• ㄷㄴ becomes ㄴㄴ

 ex) 닫는 (closing, present participle form), pronounced [단는]

• ㄷㅁ becomes ㄴㅁ

 ex) not common

• ㅅㄴ becomes ㄴㄴ

 ex) 덧니 (snaggletooth), pronounced [던니]

• ㅆㄴ becomes ㄴㄴ
• ㅅㅁ becomes ㄴㅁ

 ex) 옷맵시 (line of cloth, style), pronounced [온맵씨]

• ㅈㄴ becomes ㄴㄴ

 ex) 젖니 (baby tooth), pronounced [전니]

• ㅈㅁ becomes ㄴㅁ

 ex) 낮말, pronounced (난말)

• ㅊㄴ becomes ㄴㄴ

 not common
 ex) 옻나무 (lacquer tree), pronounced [온나무]

• ㅊㅁ becomes ㄴㅁ

 not common
 ex) 옻물 (lacquer sap), pronounced (온물)

• ㅌㄴ becomes ㄴㄴ

 ex) not common

• ㅌㅁ becomes ㄴㅁ

 ex) 낱말 (a word), pronounced (난말)

• ㅎㄴ becomes ㄴㄴ

 ex) 놓는 (putting down, participle form), pronounced (논는)

• ㅎㅁ becomes ㄴㅁ

 ex) not common

• ㅂㄴ becomes ㅁㄴ

 ex) 굽는 (roasting, participle form), pronounced (굼는)
 ex) 줍는 (picking up, participle form), pronounced (줌는)

• ㅂㅁ becomes ㅁㅁ

 ex) 업무 (duties), pronounced (엄무)

• ㅍㄴ becomes ㅁㄴ

 ex) 엎는 (flipping, participle form), pronounced (엄는)
 ex) 덮는 (covering, participle form), pronounced (덤는)

• ㅍㅁ becomes ㅁㅁ

 ex) not common

Some combinations involve aspiration:

• ㄱㅎ becomes ㅋ

 ex) 북한 (North Korea), pronounced (부칸)
 ex) 익숙한 (familiar), pronounced (익쑤칸)
 ex) 착한 (good-natured), pronounced (차칸)
 ex) 악한 (evil), pronounced (아칸)

• ㅎㄱ becomes ㅋ
• ㅎㄷ becomes ㅌ
• ㄷㅎ becomes ㅌ
• ㅂㅎ becomes ㅍ
• ㅎㅂ becomes ㅍ
• ㅈㅎ becomes ㅊ
• ㅎㅈ becomes ㅊ
• ㅎㅅ becomes ㅆ
• ㄱ ㅅ becomes ㅆ

Some combinations involve palatalization:

• ㄷ이 becomes 지
• ㅌ이 becomes 치

Some involve complex assimilation/alterations:

• ㄱㄹ becomes ㅇㄴ
• ㄴㄹ becomes ㄹㄹ, or sometimes ㄴㄴ
• ㅁㄹ becomes ㅁㄴ
• ㅇㄹ becomes ㅇㄴ
• ㅂㄹ becomes ㅁㄴ

받침 followed by ㅇ: replace ㅇ with 받침 (use second 받침 if there are two). Otherwise, 받침 followed by consonant:

• ㄱ, ㅋ: like ㄱ
• ㄴ: like ㄴ
• ㄷ, ㅅ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅌ, ㅎ: like ㄷ
• ㄹ: like /l/
• ㅁ: like ㅁ
• ㅂ, ㅍ: like ㅂ
• ㅇ: like /ng/