How Korean Pronunciation Works304

Korean pronunciation is a complex and fascinating system. Unlike English, which uses a relatively small number of vowel and consonant sounds, Korean has a much wider range of sounds. This can make it difficult for learners to master the language, but it also gives Korean its unique and distinctive sound.

One of the most important things to understand about Korean pronunciation is the concept of aspiration. Aspiration is the release of a puff of air after a consonant. In English, aspiration is only used on voiceless consonants, such as /p/, /t/, and /k/. In Korean, however, aspiration is used on both voiced and voiceless consonants. This can make it difficult for learners to distinguish between the two types of consonants.

Another important concept in Korean pronunciation is the use of tone. Korean has four different tones: high, low, rising, and falling. The tone of a syllable can change the meaning of a word. For example, the word "saram" means "person" when pronounced with a high tone, but it means "love" when pronounced with a low tone.

Korean pronunciation can be divided into three main parts: vowels, consonants, and diphthongs. Vowels are the basic building blocks of Korean words. There are ten vowels in Korean: /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/, /y/, /ae/, /wa/, /oe/, and /yo/. Consonants are the sounds that are used to start and end syllables. There are 19 consonants in Korean: /p/, /t/, /k/, /b/, /d/, /g/, /m/, /n/, /ŋ/, /l/, /r/, /s/, /z/, /h/, /j/, /w/, /ç/, /ph/, and /th/. Diphthongs are combinations of two vowels. There are six diphthongs in Korean: /ai/, /au/, /oi/, /eu/, /iu/, and /ui/.

Vowels

The ten vowels of Korean are pronounced as follows:
/a/ is pronounced like the "a" in "father".
/e/ is pronounced like the "e" in "bed".
/i/ is pronounced like the "i" in "sit".
/o/ is pronounced like the "o" in "boat".
/u/ is pronounced like the "oo" in "boot".
/y/ is pronounced like the "u" in "put".
/ae/ is pronounced like the "a" in "hay".
/wa/ is pronounced like the "ua" in "queen".
/oe/ is pronounced like the "oe" in "toe".
/yo/ is pronounced like the "yo" in "yo-yo".

Consonants

The 19 consonants of Korean are pronounced as follows:
/p/ is pronounced like the "p" in "pin".
/t/ is pronounced like the "t" in "top".
/k/ is pronounced like the "k" in "kite".
/b/ is pronounced like the "b" in "boy".
/d/ is pronounced like the "d" in "dog".
/g/ is pronounced like the "g" in "go".
/m/ is pronounced like the "m" in "man".
/n/ is pronounced like the "n" in "nose".
/ŋ/ is pronounced like the "ng" in "sing".
/l/ is pronounced like the "l" in "love".
/r/ is pronounced like the "r" in "run".
/s/ is pronounced like the "s" in "sit".
/z/ is pronounced like the "z" in "zoo".
/h/ is pronounced like the "h" in "hat".
/j/ is pronounced like the "y" in "yes".
/w/ is pronounced like the "w" in "wet".
/ç/ is pronounced like the "ch" in "church".
/ph/ is pronounced like the "p" in "pin" followed by the "h" in "hat".
/th/ is pronounced like the "t" in "top" followed by the "h" in "hat".

Diphthongs

The six diphthongs of Korean are pronounced as follows:
/ai/ is pronounced like the "i" in "tie".
/au/ is pronounced like the "ou" in "out".
/oi/ is pronounced like the "oi" in "boil".
/eu/ is pronounced like the "eu" in "feud".
/iu/ is pronounced like the "iu" in "view".
/ui/ is pronounced like the "ui" in "ruin".

2024-10-31

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