Compound Final Consonants (겹받침)

Learning Goals in This Unit

In this unit, you will learn the eleven compound final consonants (겹받침), in which two consonants are written together in the final consonant position. You will learn why a compound final consonant is pronounced as only one of its two consonants at the end of a word or before another consonant. You will also learn the rule that, when a vowel follows, the second consonant moves over and is read as the onset of the next syllable.

Types and Pronunciation of Compound Final Consonants

A compound final consonant is a letter in which two consonants appear side by side in one final consonant position. Korean has eleven compound final consonants, and each one consists of a first consonant and a second consonant. The sound actually produced at the end of a word or before a consonant is shown in the following table.

As the table shows, at the end of a word or before a consonant, only one of the two consonants is pronounced. Which consonant remains is fixed for each compound final consonant, so read according to the sounds in the table.

Compound Final Consonants That Sound Like Only One Consonant at Word End or Before a Consonant

When a compound final consonant comes at the end of a word or is followed by a consonant, only one of the two consonants is pronounced. The words below are common examples from basic vocabulary.

• 값(gap) [갑]: The final ㅄ is pronounced with the sound ㅂ.
• 닭(dak) [닥]: The final ㄺ is pronounced with the sound ㄱ.
• 여덟(yeodeol) [여덜]: The final ㄼ is pronounced with the sound ㄹ.
• 앉다(anda) [안따]: The final ㄵ is pronounced with the sound ㄴ. The sound change in which the following ㄷ is read as ㄸ is covered in Unit 10.
• 많다(manta) [만타]: The final ㄶ is pronounced with the sound ㄴ, and it combines with the following ㄷ to be read as ㅌ.
• 읽다(ikda) [익따]: The final ㄺ is pronounced with the sound ㄱ.
• 없다(eopda) [업따]: The final ㅄ is pronounced with the sound ㅂ.