Hello everyone!
Welcome to Day 6 of our Korean learning journey!
Yesterday, we learned about double final consonants (겹받침).
Today, we’ll explore something super important for sounding natural and fluent in Korean: pronunciation changes, also known as phonetic rules (음운 현상).
These changes might seem tricky at first, but don't worry—once you get used to them, you'll understand spoken Korean more easily and pronounce words more like native speakers!
1. Why Do Pronunciation Changes Happen in Korean?
In real conversations, Koreans speak quickly and naturally, so sometimes the pronunciation shifts to make speech smoother and easier.
For example, the word "국물" (soup broth) looks like it should be pronounced [guk-mul], but it’s actually pronounced [gung-mul].
Understanding these changes helps your listening skills and makes your speech sound more natural!
2. 4 Common Korean Pronunciation Changes
① Nasalization (비음화)
When a final consonant like ㄱ, ㄷ, or ㅂ is followed by ㄴ or ㅁ, it changes to a nasal sound: ㅇ, ㄴ, or ㅁ.
TIP: Try closing your mouth and letting the sound come out through your nose — that's a nasal sound!
② Lateralization (유음화)
When ㄴ and ㄹ meet, the ㄴ changes to ㄹ, and both become "l"-like sounds.
This is why the famous "Shilla Hotel" is pronounced “Shilla” not “Shinla”!
③ Palatalization (구개음화)
When ㄷ or ㅌ comes before 이, it changes to a ㅈ or ㅊ sound.
Palatal sounds are made with the tongue touching the roof of the mouth.
④ Tensing (된소리되기)
When a final consonant is followed by a basic consonant (ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ, ㅈ), it turns into a tense consonant (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ).
Tense consonants are stronger and sharper, so try saying them with more energy!
3. Practice Time – Try These Out!
Let’s see if you can figure out the correct pronunciation!
1. 밥물 (rice water) → ( )
2. 신라 (Silla) → ( )
3. 같이 (together) → ( )
4. 옷가방 (clothes bag) → ( )
Answers:
1. 밤물 [밤물]
2. 실라 [실라]
3. 가치 [가치]
4. 옫까방 [옫까방]
Practice saying them out loud!
4. What Did We Learn Today?
Korean pronunciation often changes in natural speech.
We covered 4 key rules:
1. Nasalization
2. Lateralization
3. Palatalization
4. Tensing
Listening and repeating helps your Korean sound more fluent!
5. What’s Next?
Tomorrow, we’ll start making short sentences in Korean!
You’ve built a strong foundation with reading and pronunciation—now it’s time to express ideas!
Keep practicing and saying the words out loud. You're doing amazing! See you tomorrow!
Let me know if you’d like this post translated into Vietnamese or Chinese as well!