Wondering why Korean words sound different even though you already mastered Hangeul and know how to read them? That’s because of the Korean sound change rules. These rules can seem pretty tricky at first, but they are there to make speaking Korean easier and smoother. Here’s a beginner-friendly explanation of the most important sound changes with examples.
Table of Contents
1. Liaison (연음화) – Linking Final Consonants to the Next Syllable
What is Liaison?
- When a word ends with a consonant and the next word begins with a vowel, the consonant moves to the next syllable for smooth pronunciation.
Examples:
- 한국어 (Korean language) → [한구거] (han-gu-geo)
- 꽃이 (the flower) → [꼬치] (kko-chi)
- 밥을 (rice + object marker) → [바블] (ba-beul)
2. Syllable Final Neutralization (음절말 중화)
When some consonants appear at the end of a syllable, they are pronounced as simpler sounds. Only ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅇ can be clearly pronounced at the end of a syllable, so other sounds get “neutralized.”
Examples:
- 맛 (mat) becomes [맏] (mad)
- ㅅ at the end is pronounced as ㄷ.
- 낮 (naj) becomes [낟] (nad)
- ㅈ at the end is pronounced as ㄷ.
3. ㅎ (h) Weakening or Disappearing
The sound ㅎ can either disappear or combine with other sounds, making them stronger.
When ㅎ disappears:
- 좋아 (joha) becomes [조아] (joa)
- The ㅎ disappears when followed by a vowel.
When ㅎ makes the next sound stronger:
- 낳고 (nah-go) becomes [나코] (na-ko)
- ㅎ combines with ㄱ, making it stronger like ㅋ.
- 좋다 (joh-da) becomes [조타] (jo-ta)
- ㅎ makes ㄷ into ㅌ.
Take this Korean Reading Quiz to practice these Korean pronunciation rules:
4. Nasalization (비음화)
Nasalization happens when certain sounds like ㄱ (g), ㄷ (d), ㅂ (b) are followed by a nasal sound like ㄴ (n) or ㅁ (m). The first sound changes to a nasal sound, making it easier to say.
How it works:
- ㄱ → ㅇ
- ㄷ → ㄴ
- ㅂ → ㅁ
Examples:
- 국물 (guk-mul) becomes [궁물] (gung-mul)
- ㄱ changes to ㅇ because of the following ㅁ.
- 듣는 (deud-neun) becomes [든는] (deun-neun)
- ㄷ changes to ㄴ before ㄴ.
- 밥물 (bap-mul) becomes [밤물] (bam-mul)
- ㅂ changes to ㅁ because of the ㅁ.
5. Lateralization (유음화)
When ㄴ (n) is next to ㄹ (l), the ㄴ changes to ㄹ so that the sounds flow more smoothly.
Examples:
- 한라산 (han-la-san) becomes [할라산] (hal-la-san)
- The ㄴ changes to ㄹ because of the ㄹ that follows.
- 신라 (sin-la) becomes [실라] (sil-la)
6. ㄷ → ㅈ (Palatalization / 구개음화) – Changing ㄷ/ㅌ to ㅈ/ㅊ
What happens?
- When ㄷ or ㅌ is followed by ‘이’, they change to ㅈ or ㅊ.
Examples:
- 같이 (together) → [가치] (ga-chi)
- 굳이 (necessarily) → [구지] (gu-ji)
- 닫히다 (to be closed) → [다치다] (da-chi-da)
- 해돋이(sunrise) → [해도지] (hae-do-ji)
