Korean Pronunciation Guide332

Korean is a beautiful and relatively easy language to learn, especially for native English speakers. The Korean alphabet, known as Hangeul, was designed to be easy to learn and pronounce, and it consists of only 24 letters. In this guide, we will cover the basic rules of Korean pronunciation, including the pronunciation of the consonants, vowels, and diphthongs.

Consonants

Korean has 19 consonants, which are divided into three categories: unaspirated, aspirated, and tense.
Unaspirated consonants are pronounced without any aspiration, or breathiness. These consonants include: ㄱ (g), ㄴ (n), ㄷ (d), ㄹ (r), ㅁ (m), ㅂ (b), and ㅅ (s).
Aspirated consonants are pronounced with a strong puff of air. These consonants include: ㅋ (k), ㅌ (t), ㅍ (p), and ㅊ (ch).
Tense consonants are pronounced with a stronger articulation than unaspirated consonants. These consonants include: ㄲ (kk), ㄸ (tt), ㅃ (pp), ㅆ (ss), and ㅉ (jj).

Vowels

Korean has 10 vowels, which are divided into two categories: monophthongs and diphthongs.
Monophthongs are pronounced with a single vowel sound. These vowels include: ㅏ (a), ㅓ (eo), ㅗ (o), ㅜ (u), ㅡ (eu), ㅣ (i), ㅐ (ae), ㅔ (e), ㅒ (yae), and ㅖ (ye).
Diphthongs are pronounced with two vowel sounds that glide together. These diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: diphthongs include: ㅑ (ya), ㅕ (yeo), ㅛ (yo), ㅠ (yu), ㅞ (yae), ွ (we), oe, ㅐ (ae), ㅔ (e), ㅒ (yae), and ㅖ (ye).

Diphthongs

Korean has 11 diphthongs, which are pronounced with two vowel sounds that glide together.
Diphthongs that end in -i: ㅐ (ae), ㅔ (e), ㅒ (yae), and ㅖ (ye)
Diphthongs that end in -u: ㅞ (yae), ွ (we), and oe
Diphthongs that end in -o: ㅛ (yo) and ㅠ (yu)

Tones

Korean has two tones: high and low. The high tone is pronounced with a higher pitch than the low tone. The low tone is pronounced with a lower pitch than the high tone.

The tone of a syllable is determined by the final consonant of the syllable. If the final consonant is a tense consonant, the syllable will have a high tone. If the final consonant is an unaspirated consonant, the syllable will have a low tone.

Stress

Stress in Korean is not as strong as stress in English. However, there are some general rules about stress in Korean.
Content words are usually stressed more than function words.
The first syllable of a word is usually stressed more than the other syllables.
Long vowels are usually stressed more than short vowels.

Conclusion

These are the basic rules of Korean pronunciation. With a little practice, you will be able to pronounce Korean words and phrases correctly.

2024-12-11

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