Rules for How Sounds Change

What You Will Learn in This Unit

The sound that is actually pronounced when another consonant follows a final consonant (받침) is often different from the spelling. This unit covers five rules: nasalization (비음화), the rule for ㄴ and ㄹ meeting, tensification (된소리되기), aspiration (거센소리되기), and palatalization (구개음화). The goal is to look at a spelling and write the actual pronunciation inside square brackets.

Nasalization and Rules Related to ㄴ and ㄹ

Final ㄱ, ㄷ, and ㅂ are pronounced as ㅇ, ㄴ, and ㅁ, respectively, when ㄴ or ㅁ follows them. This is called nasalization (비음화). 입니다(imnida) — is/am (polite form) is read [임니다] because the final ㅂ changes to ㅁ before the following ㄴ. 한국말(Hangungmal) — Korean language is read [한궁말] because the final ㄱ changes to ㅇ before the following ㅁ.

When ㄹ follows final ㄴ, the ㄴ changes to match ㄹ and is pronounced accordingly. 연락(yeollak) — contact is read [열락] because the final ㄴ meets the following ㄹ. This rule applies when ㄹ follows final ㄴ.

Tensification and Aspiration

When ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ, or ㅈ follows final ㄱ, ㄷ, or ㅂ, that consonant changes to the tense consonant ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, or ㅉ, respectively. This is called tensification (된소리되기). 학교(hakgyo) — school is read [학꾜] because the following ㄱ becomes ㄲ after final ㄱ. 식당(sikdang) — restaurant is read [식땅] because the following ㄷ becomes ㄸ after final ㄱ.

When ㄱ, ㄷ, or ㅈ follows final ㅎ, the following consonant changes to ㅋ, ㅌ, or ㅊ. Also, when ㅎ follows final ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, or ㅈ, the two consonants merge into ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, or ㅊ. This is called aspiration (거센소리되기). 축하(chukha) — congratulation is read [추카] because the final ㄱ and the following ㅎ merge into ㅋ. 좋다(jota) — to be good is read [조타] because the following ㄷ becomes ㅌ after final ㅎ.

Palatalization

When a syllable beginning with the vowel ㅣ follows final ㄷ or ㅌ, the final consonant is pronounced as ㅈ or ㅊ. This is called palatalization (구개음화). 같이(gachi) — together is read [가치] because the final ㅌ changes to ㅊ before the following 이. Palatalization occurs only before a syllable beginning with ㅣ, so reading 같이 as [가티] is incorrect.