Your Ultimate Korean Pronunciation Guide

Korean

Comparatively speaking, Korean is a relatively easy language to learn. This is because once you master how to read and write in Korean, which is easier than in most other languages, the learning process gets much easier. Korean has some exceptions in its pronunciation rules, but in general, it is easy to learn to pronounce Korean fluently.

The Korean alphabet consists of twenty-four basic characters: fourteen consonants and ten vowels. These basic syllables can form more compound consonants and vowels, and we can divide them into independent syllables that we recognize as “letters” in Korean.

We’re not going to go over the pronunciation of all the consonants and vowels here, but if you’re interested, you can listen to our pronunciation series designed to help you master Korean pronunciation. Rather, now we’re going to discuss some of the more interesting aspects of pronunciation.

1. A Korean Syllable

In Korean, no consonant can stand alone to make a sound. Therefore, Korean people always add a vowel to complete the syllable so that they can pronounce it.

For example, the consonant that is equivalent to the sound of the English alphabet “-s” is ㅅ in Korean. While in English you can pronounce “-s” on its own as in “sky,” “ski,” or “school,” in Korean you have to add the vowel ㅡ (eu) to make it 스 (seu).

This explains one of the reasons that Korean people pronounce words that come from English using a different pronunciation.

2. Double Consonants

Out of the fourteen basic consonants, five of them, which are ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ, and ㅈ, can form double consonants.

ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ, and ㅈ respectively have the sounds of [-g], [-d], [-b], [-s], and [-j/-z], and when you double them and write ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, and ㅉ, they have the sounds of [-kk], [-tt], [-pp], [-ss], and [-jj/-zz].

The easiest way to differentiate these double-consonant sounds from single-consonant sounds is to remember that the double-consonant sounds are a little more high pitched than the other sounds.

3. Aspirated Consonants

Along with the double consonants, there are aspirated consonants, which are very easy to pronounce because English has the same sounds.

They are ㅋ [-k], which is an aspirated version of ㄱ [-g], and ㅌ [-t], the aspirated version of ㄷ [-d], and ㅍ [-p], the aspirated version of ㅂ [-b], and ㅊ [-ch], the aspirated version of ㅈ [-j/-z].

4. The Consonant ㄹ

In Korean, the consonant ㄹ looks a bit like a curl and implies that it sounds like [-r] or [-l], for which we have to curl our tongue. But the English pronunciation of [-r] doesn’t exist in Korean, and the Korean ㄹ is more like the Spanish [-r] when it’s at the beginning of a syllable. And it sounds a little less strong and “curly” than the English [-l] when it’s at the end of a syllable.

1) Use voice recording tools to perfect your pronunciation

KoreanClass101 has plenty of resources to help you with your Korean pronunciation, so be sure to make thorough use of our recordings with native Korean speakers. These are available not only to demonstrate to you how you should pronounce Korean vocabulary, but also sentences and dialogues. Watch and listen to these over and over again to train your ear, and watch the teacher’s mouth as she speaks in the video lessons. Then, copy the speech as best you can. Later, you can record yourself to hear if you sound like a native speaker and compare yourself with native speakers. Great for self-motivation.

2) Practice in front of the mirror.

And see that you’re copying the correct lip and mouth movements.

3) Use our KoreanClass101 dictionary!

Use the Korean dictionary provided by KoreanClass101 to look up words and listen to the audio pronunciation. This will go a long way towards giving you an idea of how to pronounce a word or letter correctly.

4) Train your ear to the language!

Make an effort to often listen to Korean music and recorded books, and watch plenty of Korean movies and/or TV shows in Korean. This will train your ear to the language, and you’ll be surprised how quickly you pick up the accent. Remember, this is the way we learned to speak when we were young - mostly by listening to the adults talking, and repeating what they say!

5) Practice, practice, practice…

Repetition of the same thing may be boring, but in learning a new language, you’re creating new pathways in your brain. For these to remain and become habitual, you will need to repeat the correct pronunciation often.

6) Make friends with a native Korean speaker.

Don’t be shy to address them in Korean! Ask them to correct you when you make a pronunciation mistake - this is a wonderful way to practice and learn the language first-hand, and also to make new friends.

7) Practice your pronunciation with your Korean teacher!

If you’re a serious student and don’t know where to meet native Korean speakers, consider investing in KoreanClass101’s Premium PLUS plan. This means you will have your own native Korean teacher available to practice your pronunciation with, and much more! Send recordings of yourself speaking Korean and get feedback from your Korean teacher.