Learn the top five Korean Pronunciation mistakes to avoid
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| Hi everyone. |
| Welcome to The Ultimate Korean Pronunciation Guide. |
| In this lesson, you'll learn the top 5 Korean pronunciation mistakes to avoid. |
| You're on the path to mastering Korean pronunciation! |
| In the next lesson, you'll master the 5 Korean vowels. |
| What's your biggest challenge with Korean pronunciation? |
| Is it one of these Top 5 mistakes? |
| Let us know in the comments. |
| Stick with us and you'll overcome it quickly! |
| See you in the next Ultimate Korean Pronunciation Guide lesson! |
| You're on the path to mastering Korean pronunciation! |
| In the next lesson, you'll master the 5 Korean vowels, so click here to keep learning! |
| What's your biggest challenge with Korean pronunciation? |
| Is it one of these Top 5 mistakes? |
| Let us know in the comments. |
| You're on the path to mastering Korean pronunciation! |
| In the next lesson, you'll master the 5 Korean vowels. |
| See you in the next Ultimate Korean Pronunciation Guide lesson! |
| Number 1: Using the same pitch for the last syllable in a sentence |
| When speaking Korean, make sure to lower the pitch of the last syllable in the sentence. |
| Listen to an example. |
| (pause) |
| Again, the last syllable had a low pitch. |
| If you use the same pitch when you finish a sentence, you will sound very unnatural. |
| She kept the same pitch for the first and second syllable, but lowered the tone for for the last syllabe. |
| Listen to another example. |
| 고마워. |
| (pause) |
| 사랑해요. |
| (slowly) 사랑해요. |
| Number 2: Pronouncing imported words with a foreign accent |
| Listen to a word that is commonly used in Korean. |
| (pause) |
| Can you guess what it means? |
| It's the word for 'computer.' |
| It sounds similar to it's English counterpart, but there are important differences. |
| If you pronounced it like you would in English, you will be hard to understand. |
| Listen to two other examples. |
| 컴퓨터 |
| (pause) |
| 오렌지 |
| 하트 |
| The difference in pronunciation may sound small to you, but unless you say them with a native Korean accent, Koreans won't understand what you mean! |
| Number 3: Over-stressing syllables when speaking Korean. |
| Try saying this English sentence out loud. |
| (pause) |
| ""I like Bulgogi."" |
| Pay attention to the stresses. |
| If you pronounce sentences like this in Korean, it will sound very unnatural. |
| Listen to the native speaker say this sentence in Korean. |
| (pause) |
| Native speakers do not place stress on any particular syllable. |
| Try saying the sentence without stressing syllables. |
| 불고기가 좋아요. |
| (pause) |
| 불고기가 좋아요. |
| Number 4: Using an "r" sound |
| This letter is often represented as an 'r' or an 'l.' |
| But you do not pronounce it this way. |
| In fact, there is no equivalent sound in English for it. |
| Listen to a word that uses this letter. |
| (pause) |
| It sounds closer to an ""l"" than an ""r"" in English. |
| Listen again carefully. |
| (pause) |
| We'll learn more about this in lesson 6, so don't worry about it too much. |
| 사랑 / 사-랑 |
| (pause) |
| 사.랑 / 사랑 |
| Number 5: Reading batchim as they are written. |
| When reading blocks of Korean letters, you'll often find one written at the bottom of a block, like this one. |
| This position is called 'Batchim', and letters in this position sometimes follow different pronunciation rules. |
| Usually, a letter's pronunciation remains constant. |
| When it is in the batchim position, however, it sometimes changes. |
| In this case, the letter, which is usually an 's' sound' becomes a 't' sound. |
| Listen to the native speaker pronounce the letter in two different blocks. |
| In the second one, she will pronounce it in the batchim position. |
| 사, 삿 |
| This principle applies to all consonants, except for a special group of nasal ones. |
| Whenever these consonants are placed in the batchim position, you will need to pronounce them differently. |
| Here's another example. |
| This letter usually makes a 'h' sound. |
| In the batchim position, you need to read it as 't'. |
| Listen to the native speaker. |
| In this block the letter appears both in the top and in the batchim position. |
| We'll cover this in greater detail in lesson 10. |
| 핳 |
| (slowly) 핳. |
Comments
HideIs there any Korean word that you really think is difficult to pronounce?
Hello pantea,
It could sound similar because both ㅂ and ㅁ are pronounced in a similar lips shape. The difference is that ㅁ is a nasal sound, while ㅂ is not.
Enjoy your study and feel free to let us know if you have any inquiries!
Kind regards,
Hyeon Yeong Seo
Team KoreanClass101.com
Hi, I think sometimes M sounds like b like bul for watter which is written by m in korean. why is that so?
Hello Jess,
It might seem complicated at first, but once you grasp the concept, it will simplify the process of reading Korean. :)
Enjoy your study and let us know if you have any inquiries!😊
Kind regards,
Hyeon Yeong Seo
Team KoreanClass101.com
I'm looking forward to learning more about how to pronounce the letters in the bottom / batchim position! I have been so confused by this!
Hello Rob,
Thank you for posting. It does have a certain rules. You'll find it in other lessons, for example, this one: https://www.koreanclass101.com/lesson/hana-hana-hangul-13-hangul-batchim-rules-1-lenition-and-fortis?lp=118
Enjoy your study and feel free to let us know if you have any inquiries!
Kind regards,
Hyeon Yeong Seo
Team KoreanClass101.com
Thank you for pointing out Batchim. They get me. Hopefully in later lessons there is a pattern to follow for batchim. At the moment they seem kind of random.
Hello Vandana,
Thank you for your kind comment. ❤️
I am glad to hear that you found our videos helpful.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Cheers,
Ali
Team KoreanClass101.com
Your vedios really helps to me ... I really learn alot from you guys ❤️👍
Hello Christopher,
Thanks for the reply! I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying your learning with us.
Thinking in in target language is something that I recommend a lot! You can even practice this in your daily life. For example when you go to a supermarket, you start thinking things like 'Oh I need to buy some bacons and eggs. Maybe it's a good idea to take one... etc.' Try to make those sentences in Korean and if you don't know the vocabulary, search it in that moment if it's possible. Not necessarily you have to say it aloud. You will see that it will help you a lot because more you use vocab or grammars in your real life, easier to memorize!
Enjoy your study! Feel free to let us know if you have any inquiries.
Kind regards,
Hyeon Yeong Seo
Team KoreanClass101.com
안녕하세요 크리스토퍼입니다. Hyeon Yeong Seo 선생님. (현영서?) 죄송합니다. I tried to sound it out.
I appreciate the reply and explanation. 감사합니다. This makes me feel more confident in KC101.
I actually really am approaching learning from a "don't compare" point of view.
From what KC101 instructed me and what I've heard I was comparing it to 한국어 itself.
To me, I've never heard any native speaker pronounce "ㅣ" in 받침 like that. It sounded like a common native 미국어 mistake. lol.
I have come to truly love and respect South Korean culture, history and people. South Korea fits me better as a person. I will be happier there. I hope to be a positive citizen. I want to learn Korean like a Korean would learn. I don't want to translate in my head. I want to learn to think in Korean in the first place.
Again 죄송합니다, 감사합니다.
Hello Christopher,
Thanks for pointing out.
Me as a native Korean speaker, I don't see any difference between the sounds of /i/ from 'sit' and /ee/ from 'tree'. Any Korean will write it down in Hangul as 싯 for 'sit' and 트리 for 'tree'.
It's because Korean /ㅣ/ sound is not exactly same with English pronunciation. Most common error that Korean learner's make is trying too hard to compare Korean pronunciation system with their mother tongue language. You probably will get more confused by doing that.
I recommend you to focus on Korean pronunciation itself and get used to it, without thinking too much!
Enjoy your study and feel free to let us know if you have any inquiries!
Kind regards,
Hyeon Yeong Seo
Team KoreanClass101.com
I am where I need to learn the Rules of when a character changes pronunciation because of where it is in a syllabic block and what characters are around it and build vocabulary.
How can I feel comfortable buying an account here when on a pronunciation mistakes video the instructor pronounced 받침 like "ba-ch"i"m with the "ㅣ" pronounced like the "i" in "sit"?
"ㅣ" should be pronounced "ee" like "tree". Shouldn't it be "baht-ch"ee"m?
I'm sorry I don't mean to offend.
Hello meysenghour,
Thanks for your comment!
Enjoy your study and feel free to let us know if you have any inquiries!
Kind regards,
Hyeon Yeong Seo
Team KoreanClass101.com
Hello Jennifer,
Thank you for your comment!
We tested the video, and that is OK.
Please recheck and let us know if you still have any problems.
Good luck with your language studies.
Sincerely,
Ali
Team KoreanClass101.com
Good explaining in korea
Hi, I can NOT see the videos from de website, they stop. Are there a problem with the site?
Hi Lee,
Thanks for posting, there is. Look for the 'Meet the Team' section on the 'about us' section.
Best,
Lyn
Team KoreanClass101.com
there is?
Hi Lee,
Thanks for posting. Are you asking if I'm a real person? 😄
We have a section introducing the staff working here, if you are curious. 😄
Cheers,
Lyn
Team KoreanClass101.com
okay . one more thing who is/are you Lyn? you don't have to answer just curious