Korean Pronunciation Guide94

Korean is a phonetic language, which means that each letter has a specific sound and that the pronunciation of words is regular and predictable. This makes it relatively easy for learners to pronounce Korean words correctly, even if they are not familiar with the Korean alphabet.

There are 10 basic vowel sounds in Korean, and each vowel can be pronounced either short or long. The short vowels are pronounced for a shorter period of time than the long vowels. The 10 basic vowel sounds are:
ㅏ (ah) - as in the English word "father"
ㅓ (eo) - as in the English word "fur"
ㅗ (oh) - as in the English word "boat"
ㅜ (oo) - as in the English word "boot"
ㅡ (eu) - as in the French word "le"
ㅣ (ee) - as in the English word "bee"
ㅐ (ae) - as in the English word "cat"
ㅔ (eh) - as in the English word "bet"
ㅗ (oh) - as in the English word "boat"
ㅜ (oo) - as in the English word "boot"

In addition to the 10 basic vowel sounds, there are also 11 diphthongs, which are combinations of two vowel sounds. The 11 diphthongs are:
ㅑ (yah) - as in the English word "yacht"
ㅕ (yeo) - as in the English word "you"
ㅛ (yo) - as in the English word "yo"
ㅠ (yu) - as in the English word "you"
ㅒ (yae) - as in the English word "yacht"
ㅖ (yeh) - as in the English word "yes"
ㅘ (wa) - as in the English word "water"
ㅙ (wae) - as in the English word "what"
ㅚ (oe) - as in the English word "boy"
ㅝ (wo) - as in the English word "work"
ㅞ (we) - as in the English word "wet"

The Korean consonant sounds are very similar to the English consonant sounds. The following are the 14 basic consonant sounds in Korean:
ㄱ (g) - as in the English word "go"
ㄴ (n) - as in the English word "no"
ㄷ (d) - as in the English word "do"
ㄹ (r) - as in the English word "roll"
ㅁ (m) - as in the English word "me"
ㅂ (b) - as in the English word "boy"
ㅅ (s) - as in the English word "see"
ㅇ (ng) - as in the English word "sing"
ㅈ (j) - as in the English word "job"
ㅊ (ch) - as in the English word "church"
ㅋ (k) - as in the English word "key"
ㅌ (t) - as in the English word "top"
ㅍ (p) - as in the English word "pop"
ㅎ (h) - as in the English word "hat"

In addition to the 14 basic consonant sounds, there are also 5 aspirated consonant sounds, which are pronounced with a puff of air. The 5 aspirated consonant sounds are:
ㅋ (k) - as in the English word "key"
ㅌ (t) - as in the English word "top"
ㅍ (p) - as in the English word "pop"
ㅊ (ch) - as in the English word "church"
ㅎ (h) - as in the English word "hat"

The Korean language has a very regular stress pattern. In general, the stress falls on the last syllable of a word. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. For example, the stress falls on the second-to-last syllable of a word if the word ends in a vowel. Additionally, the stress falls on the first syllable of a word if the word begins with a consonant cluster.

Korean pronunciation is relatively easy to learn, even for beginners. By following the rules outlined in this guide, you can quickly learn to pronounce Korean words correctly.

2024-12-10

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